htpc build

[gibbsy81]

Requirements

Must have optical audio out must have a spare PCIE 16x for a gpu we already have I allso have 8gb of ddr3 ram spare.

A nice case that looks good.

Budget is $2000

[J-man]

Are you going to be gaming on this as well?  If so, recent or old titles?  Emulation?

[gibbsy81]

Are you going to be gaming on this as well? If so, recent or old titles? Emulation?

Possible a little light gaming I already have a gpu.

[Terminashunator]

Here's a sort-of guide. I know you're in AU and I'm afraid I don't know a site that works there. =\

Here's something you can use as a guide. remove parts as you see fir; if you don't need as much storage, grab a 2tb or 1tb option. Cater to your exact needs

 

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1QAzw

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($123.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($25.99 @ Mwave) 

Motherboard:  Gigabyte GA-H81.Amp-UP ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($84.99 @ Mwave) 

Memory:  Kingston Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($52.75 @ NCIX US) 

Storage:  Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($86.18 @ Amazon) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($119.99 @ Mac Mall) 

Video Card:  EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card  ($163.55 @ Newegg) 

Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.63 @ Newegg) 

Power Supply:  EVGA 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($33.47 @ Newegg) 

Total: $745.53

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 08:32 EDT-0400)

[TopplesS]

Edited the above post with AU pricing and availability. Changed MB and added sound card to incorporate optical audio. Also changed PSU to platinum rating which means less fan spin = less noise. Depending on the GPU you have you may need a beefier PSU though. As for the case just look around at what you like, we can't tell you what looks good to you. It's an mATX build so anything bar mITX cases will do fine.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($139.00 @ CPL Online) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($49.00 @ Scorptec) 

Motherboard:  Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($65.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Memory:  Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($92.00 @ CPL Online) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($179.00 @ CPL Online) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Sound Card:  Creative Labs Recon3D PCIe 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card  ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($85.00 @ Scorptec) 

Power Supply:  Antec EarthWatts Platinum 550W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($124.00 @ CPL Online) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Total: $1070.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 23:45 EST+1100)
 

[gibbsy81]

Edited the above post with AU pricing and availability. Changed MB and added sound card to incorporate optical audio. Also changed PSU to platinum rating which means less fan spin = less noise. Depending on the GPU you have you may need a beefier PSU though. As for the case just look around at what you like, we can't tell you what looks good to you. It's an mATX build so anything bar mITX cases will do fine.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.00 @ CPL Online)

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ Scorptec)

Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($65.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Sound Card: Creative Labs Recon3D PCIe 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($85.00 @ Scorptec)

Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Platinum 550W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($124.00 @ CPL Online)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Total: $1070.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 23:45 EST+1100)

Maybe instead of the i3 an i5.

And ram doesn't matter.

[TopplesS]

Maybe instead of the i3 an i5. And ram doesn't matter.

Yeah was thinking that, but if it's 99% for HTPC there's no real reason to fork out another $100~ on an i5. Best off putting that extra cash into the back pocket!

[gibbsy81]

Yeah was thinking that, but if it's 99% for HTPC there's no real reason to fork out another $100~ on an i5. Best off putting that extra cash into the back pocket!

Yeah good point I can always upgrade when they drop in price.

[Terminashunator]

 

Edited the above post with AU pricing and availability. Changed MB and added sound card to incorporate optical audio. Also changed PSU to platinum rating which means less fan spin = less noise. Depending on the GPU you have you may need a beefier PSU though. As for the case just look around at what you like, we can't tell you what looks good to you. It's an mATX build so anything bar mITX cases will do fine.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($139.00 @ CPL Online) 

CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($49.00 @ Scorptec) 

Motherboard:  Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($65.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Memory:  Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($92.00 @ CPL Online) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($179.00 @ CPL Online) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Sound Card:  Creative Labs Recon3D PCIe 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card  ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Case:  Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case  ($85.00 @ Scorptec) 

Power Supply:  Antec EarthWatts Platinum 550W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($124.00 @ CPL Online) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Total: $1070.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-19 23:45 EST+1100)

 

 

thanks bud, sorry i don't know AU stuff. 

That motherboard has built-in optical. So a sound card isn't needed entirely. 

Also, most of the build is preference options, anyways.

[gibbsy81]

Maybe I could use a shuttle but with a sound card but my gpu is single slot but the top of the cooler interferes with the next PCIE slot so I wouldn't be able to add a sound card anything similar to a shuttle form factor with optical audio.

Edit or I could use the same case as dezals new work station.

[WoodenMarker]

Possible a little light gaming I already have a gpu.

What do you already have?

[TopplesS]

thanks bud, sorry i don't know AU stuff. 

That motherboard has built-in optical. So a sound card isn't needed entirely. 

Also, most of the build is preference options, anyways.

Not the ASUS, no

 

 

Maybe I could use a shuttle but with a sound card but my gpu is single slot but the top of the cooler interferes with the next PCIE slot so I wouldn't be able to add a sound card anything similar to a shuttle form factor with optical audio. Edit or I could use the same case as dezals new work station.

Updated with onboard optical audio, removed sound card, removed CPU cooler (just use stock, it's fine), added Dezel's Case (Silverstone SG01). Bit cheaper overall now too.

 

 PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($139.00 @ CPL Online) 

Motherboard:  ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($105.00 @ Scorptec) 

Memory:  Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($92.00 @ CPL Online) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($179.00 @ CPL Online) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Case:  Silverstone SG01-BF MicroATX Desktop Case  ($95.00 @ CPL Online) 

Power Supply:  Antec EarthWatts Platinum 550W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($124.00 @ CPL Online) 

Operating System:  Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit)  ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Total: $982.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-20 13:10 EST+1100)

[gibbsy81]

Not the ASUS, no

Updated with onboard optical audio, removed sound card, removed CPU cooler (just use stock, it's fine), added Dezel's Case (Silverstone SG01). Bit cheaper overall now too.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($105.00 @ Scorptec)

Memory: Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Case: Silverstone SG01-BF MicroATX Desktop Case ($95.00 @ CPL Online)

Power Supply: Antec EarthWatts Platinum 550W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($124.00 @ CPL Online)

Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Total: $982.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-20 13:10 EST+1100)

I'll get just a 1tb hdd we don't need a ssd atm and I already have the ram.

[TopplesS]

I'll get just a 1tb hdd we don't need a ssd atm and I already have the ram.

Should come in well under budget then! Good luck with the build 

[gibbsy81]

What about this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Rlhf

[Terminashunator]

What about this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Rlhf

K SKU with an "H87" series board?

An i3 is more than potent enough for Gaming + HTPC usage. 

[gibbsy81]

Just realised a lot of the builds your suggesting pc parts picked doesn't have pricing available so how bout this.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/1RJV4

[skywake]

Starting with your most recent list I edited it to this.....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($139.00 @ CPL Online) 

CPU Cooler:  Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($49.00 @ CPL Online) 

Motherboard:  Asus H87M-PRO Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Case:  Fractal Design Node 605 HTPC Case  ($195.00 @ CPL Online) 

Power Supply:  Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Total: $825.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-22 19:22 EST+1100)

 

For that sort of price bracket I think the Node 605 is a bit too much. But I've left it in there because you're building a HTPC with, presumably, a full height spare graphics card. So there aren't that many options that would fit your use and still look good under a TV. You can also save a little bit by getting a mATX board which will do fine for what you're doing with it. Has optical audio out and everything else, just less expansion. Also opens up a few more options in terms of cases.

 

The Power Supply you had in your list I'm not too sure about especially if you have a random unspecified graphics card to put in with it. Again if you do find another case you like, and there are good ones easily $100AU cheaper, spend money here. Because it's a HTPC Corsair's RM "silence optimised" series would be fantastic and could easily be absorbed in a case "downgrade".

 

Any further changes would just be me nitpicking

[gibbsy81]

Starting with your most recent list I edited it to this.....

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.00 @ CPL Online)

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: Asus H87M-PRO Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Case: Fractal Design Node 605 HTPC Case ($195.00 @ CPL Online)

Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Total: $825.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-22 19:22 EST+1100)

For that sort of price bracket I think the Node 605 is a bit too much. But I've left it in there because you're building a HTPC with, presumably, a full height spare graphics card. So there aren't that many options that would fit your use and still look good under a TV. You can also save a little bit by getting a mATX board which will do fine for what you're doing with it. Has optical audio out and everything else, just less expansion. Also opens up a few more options in terms of cases.

The Power Supply you had in your list I'm not too sure about especially if you have a random unspecified graphics card to put in with it. Again if you do find another case you like, and there are good ones easily $100AU cheaper, spend money here. Because it's a HTPC Corsair's RM "silence optimised" series would be fantastic and could easily be absorbed in a case "downgrade".

Any further changes would just be me nitpicking

Changed the board to a atx board http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/1RJYW

[gibbsy81]

What do you already have?

A gpu and 8gb of ram

[skywake]

Changed the board to a atx board http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/1RJYW

 

Just be aware that you're paying an extra $10 for that board for an extra 3 PCI slots, not PCI-e, but are sacrificing 2x eSATA ports. You're also forcing yourself into a case that supports ATX motherboards.

 

Look at some of the Silverstone HTPC cases like the Silverstone GD05. You'll gain some valuable under-TV space and you'll save yourself a good $90. There's also the Antec NSK2480B which comes with a 380W Antec PSU which may or may not be enough depending on what your as-of-yet-unspecified spare GPU is. $139 for the Antec one + PSU instead of the $264 you're paying for the Node + Corsair.

 

As I said, if you drop "down" to mATX and give up on those PCI slots which you probably won't use then you have a lot more options. Only go with that if you're really wedded to the Node and have some old PCI cards you want to use.

[WoodenMarker]

A gpu and 8gb of ram

What gpu?

[gibbsy81]

What gpu?

I nvidia 9800gt still works great it was in my bros machine 1 month ago plays all he games we wanna play at playable framerates.

[gibbsy81]

Just be aware that you're paying an extra $10 for that board for an extra 3 PCI slots, not PCI-e, but are sacrificing 2x eSATA ports. You're also forcing yourself into a case that supports ATX motherboards.

Look at some of the Silverstone HTPC cases like the Silverstone GD05. You'll gain some valuable under-TV space and you'll save yourself a good $90. There's also the Antec NSK2480B which comes with a 380W Antec PSU which may or may not be enough depending on what your as-of-yet-unspecified spare GPU is. $139 for the Antec one + PSU instead of the $264 you're paying for the Node + Corsair.

As I said, if you drop "down" to mATX and give up on those PCI slots which you probably won't use then you have a lot more options. Only go with that if you're really wedded to the Node and have some old PCI cards you want to use.

It's going on a shelf with a projector so space doesn't matter since we will just be having that the surround sound system and the projector.

[skywake]

It's going on a shelf with a projector so space doesn't matter since we will just be having that the surround sound system and the projector.

 

hmm, can you fit a small tower in that space? Like a Fractal Design Core 1000 or similar? Only reason I'm making a bit of a deal about this is because $200 is a lot of money to spend on a case in an ~$850 build. Also if you intend to put a spare 9800gt in there you might want to bump up the PSU a bit. 430W is probably cutting it a bit fine, I would go with 500W. Antec's ones are decent enough.

 

Make those two changes, and again drop the MB size, and you'll get basically the same thing but for $722 instead of $835. Or you could still spend about the same and upgrade the CPU and CPU cooler. Something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

 

CPU:  Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($225.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

CPU Cooler:  Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($75.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Motherboard:  Asus H87M-PRO Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($125.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Storage:  Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk  ($109.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Storage:  Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear) 

Case:  Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.00 @ PLE Computers) 

Power Supply:  Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($92.00 @ CPL Online) 

Total: $834.00

(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-23 22:13 EST+1100)

 

food for thought?