Games Cosole-esq build

[tezza192]

I have a hardcore gaming rig but sometimes after a hard days work i do like to veg out on the couch with a pad for some casual gaming. Unfortunately the xbox and ps3 is ready for the retirement home so I've decided to try and build my own next gen console for my TV.

That is quite a grandiose statement but what I want to do slightly different from the normal run of the mill gaming rig is try and accomplish the following

1. Make it as console-esq as possible so it sits nice next to my TV using a single Hdmi cable.

2. I want it to be controller pad friendly

3. Costs need to be controlled so i'm on a budget(which consoles generally are)

4. Convenience, I want to be able to switch the unit on and without messing about with keyboards and mouse just use my pad to launch games

5. Like the xbox I want a convenient gaming/media hub all in one box for my TV

6. In terms of performance I personally think a yard stick of next gen consoles is going to be 1080p @ 60 fps

To accomplish the following I need to think about both hardware and software, I plan to build this around steam big picture which is a console style dashboard controllable though a game pad, I want to somehow integrate the wireless xbox dongle also so there are no wires.

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Hardware

Some hardware i have sat on a shelf as spares and some i have ordered which will be here tomorrow so Ill post up the pics as and when. Thanks OCUK again for the great service ordering the parts.

Here is the parts ill be using:

Goods Shipped:

£129.99 x 1 - Sapphire HD 7850 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card w/ Nexuiz, Sleeping Dogs & Dirt Showdown PC Games

£83.29 x 1 - Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail

£69.99 x 1 - Asus P8H77-I Intel H77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 MiniITX Motherboard

£54.16 x 1 - Adata S510 120GB SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive - Retail with Acronis True Image

£54.16 x 1 - BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Cube Case - Arctic White

£26.66 x 1 - Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K)

£24.99 x 1 - Xebec HTPC/Console Bluetooth Keyboard

Parts I already have as spares

OCZ ZT 650 watt PSU

1TB Seagate Barracuda

Antec Kuhler 620

Xbox usb wireless dongle

Xbox wireless pad

Summary

This may or may not work out as I intend, yes its bigger than your run of the mill xbox/ps3 but I really love the prodigy, other itx cases are there if you want. I do understand some parts could be better spec, but overall i have tried to go for a nice balance and keep within my £500 budget (which i just went over on :) Yes I understand that for the most demanding games 60fps @1080p may not be allways possible but generally speaking this should be enough.

Hopefully this video will give you an idea of how this is in action

Regards

tezza192

[WaspishVyper]

That thing is pretty cool, I'm gonna see if my brother wants one on his birthday.

[vanwazltoff]

90% of itx builds i have seen people dont even attempt cable management, kudos for making it look pretty clean. you should have gone modular

[Electronics Wizardy]

really cool but try hiding the cable for the control somewhere other than the fan whole if will hurt temps

[Lolo]

this is awesome man !

[razersum]

awesome build. looks great. especially the white prodigy

i am just curious, is that a microsoft mouse on the back of the case?

[target39]

awesome build. looks great. especially the white prodigy

i am just curious, is that a microsoft mouse on the back of the case?

It is a Microsoft usb dongle that connects an Xbox 360 wireless controller to a PC.