HTPC Build!

[latuman]

Oh, hi!

 

Cutting to the chase then. I want an HTPC. Requirements are as follow:

 

1. Perfect and silent operation during 1080p ~50mbps playback.

2. Very, very occasional gaming on low to medium settings (near silent operation).

 

Now, of course it would serve as a music playback PC as well. Streaming services... The whole lot. I found that an Intel i3 and GeForce combo would just be too much money, I decided to try and build an AMD option. I don't prefer AMD, but if it works, it works. Their APUs might be just the ticket. Here is the build:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/latuman/saved/6GfRsY

 

CPU AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core $139.95 CPU Cooler Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing $39.99 Motherboard ASRock FM2A78M-ITX+ Mini ITX FM2+ $87.98 Memory Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $71.99 Storage Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD $133.00 Case Silverstone ML07B HTPC $67.99 Power Supply Silverstone 450W SFX12V $59.99

 

So, I'll quickly run through my reasoning.

 

CPU: Theres a deal on that one, like 50 of your american dollars off.

Cooler: 40$ buys a decent cooler. It's quite low profile and "should" fit the case and not be too loud

MOBO: It's the cheapest one with a USB 3.0 header on it. It's a damn mobo!

Memory: I respect Kingston. I think Kingston is always a good bet and 8GB is more than enough

Storage: De facto SSD choice. 250GB should fit OS and some games. Music and movies are streamed elsewhere

Case: I trust Silverstone HTPC cases. ML07 gives the option to later upgrade to a proper PCI-E graphics card. Otherwise it's kinda the same as ML05 and not that much more expensive

PSU: It's the cheapest SFX and it's the same brand as the case. Not much can go wrong here. Has enough power to run three of these systems.

 

Any possible case fans will be added later if needed (probably need one to help out the poor APU stay quiet).

 

So yeah, any comments and suggestions appreciated. I myself don't see too much wrong with it. Thanks in advance!

[79wjd]

Depending on the price difference, you might want to go straight for an X4 760k/860k and a low profile 750Ti -- unless of course the 7850k is about the same price (after that $50~ off) as a 760k/860k. Otherwise, looks good. 

[crashdown287]

If you want low power consumption and its not heavy use I would look into a amd athlon 5350. I have one and its pretty much silent on the stock cooler. There are even a couple of cheaper options

[Tedster]

If you want low power consumption and its not heavy use I would look into a amd athlon 5350. I have one and its pretty much silent on the stock cooler. There are even a couple of cheaper options

I have a friend with a super cheap build with the 5350, but I really don't think it's powerful enough.

[crashdown287]

I have a friend with a super cheap build with the 5350, but I really don't think it's powerful enough.

I would have to disagree, Ive done a little bit of steam in home streaming and it works just fine

[latuman]

Oh, I kinda forgot that it needs to be cheap. Under 700 of your imperialist american pig dog dollars at least. That one is about 600, which I think is a damn fine price.

[crashdown287]

2. Very, very occasional gaming on low to medium settings (near silent operation).

 

Would you be doing using Steam in home streaming for the gaming or would you be playing locally?

[latuman]

Would you be doing using Steam in home streaming for the gaming or would you be playing locally?

 

I would prefer in home streaming IF the wired gigabit network is fast and responsive enough for it. If the latency is too much, I might also play locally, especially games that require reflexes. I've, for example played Civ 5 on an old laptop very successfully.

 

But yeah, there are many games that would require local play for responsiveness, I'm pretty sure.

[crashdown287]

I would prefer in home streaming IF the wired gigabit network is fast and responsive enough for it. If the latency is too much, I might also play locally, especially games that require reflexes. I've, for example played Civ 5 on an old laptop very successfully.

 

But yeah, there are many games that would require local play for responsiveness, I'm pretty sure.

 

I have a friend with a super cheap build with the 5350, but I really don't think it's powerful enough.

So yeah the 5350 would probably not be enough. and A8 would probably to the trick. The build you listed would do nicely. The only thing I would change would be to get some faster RAM cause the APU will actually be able to take advantage of it

[latuman]

Thank you for all your replies! I'll look into the RAM speed. It's currently 1600MHz, but I'll check how expensive faster memory would be...

[stconquest]

This is over your budget, drop to an i3 4130/4150 to get under $600:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($57.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($133.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec ISK600 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Rosewill 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $639.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-17 08:08 EST-0500

 

Note: add $20-$40 for more silent cooling add-ons (fans/cooler)

[latuman]

That case is too large. 15cm height is an absolute maximum. This limits the choice of case to the Silverstone ML07 and RavenZ, which in turn require SFX PSU. The SandForce controller on the SSD does not give me great pleasure to own either.

 

EDIT: Also, with those parts the price is 1013 dollars. 300 too much. I don't think there is a way to have a decent CPU and GPU at my price point.

[crashdown287]

This is over your budget, drop to an i3 4130/4150 to get under $600:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($174.99 @ NCIX US)

Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($82.98 @ Newegg)

Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($57.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Mushkin Chronos 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($89.98 @ OutletPC)

Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 270 2GB TurboDuo Video Card  ($133.98 @ Newegg)

Case: Antec ISK600 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($49.99 @ Directron)

Power Supply: Rosewill 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $639.90

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-17 08:08 EST-0500

 

Note: add $20-$40 for more silent cooling add-ons (fans/cooler)

I think that 8gb of ram is overkill and there is no reason to go with a discrete if gaming is such a low priority

[stconquest]

I think that 8gb of ram is overkill and there is no reason to go with a discrete if gaming is such a low priority

I would rather enjoy the games I play at 60 fps, ty.

[latuman]

Not to sound too selfish, but my build is about what I enjoy and appreciate.

[stconquest]

Not to sound too selfish, but my build is about what I enjoy and appreciate.

 

I, in no way demand you make use of my suggestions, they are just there as "food for thought". 

[latuman]

After some adjustments with prices and availability, I ordered this setup:

Component   Selection Price   CPU

AMD A10-7850K 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor

$139.95 Buy CPU Cooler

Scythe BIG Shuriken 2 Rev. B 45.5 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

$39.99 Buy Motherboard

Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard

$92.98 Buy Memory

Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory

$71.00 Buy Storage

Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

$104.99 Buy Case

Silverstone ML07B HTPC Case

$67.99 Buy Power Supply

Silverstone 450W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply

$59.99 Buy Total: $576.89  

Fingers crossed I didn't make a fool out of myself! It totals 756$, which isn't too bad. Slightly over budget, but I'll survive. I'll just add a separate GPU if I feel the need to. Theres the project of cooling to deal with first, which means dozens of hours with PWM adjustments. Can't wait.

[crashdown287]

looks good man