File server / HTPC

[Kalm_Traveler]

Hi guys, I have been debating putting something like this together for a long time and finally decided to spend the money for it. Does this seem like it will be a solid performer as far as streaming media in-home, and possibly as an emulator box for the theater room? 

I figured that emulating old consoles at 1080p doesn't really need a dedicated graphics card since my old Dell Netbook with an Intel Atom can do it just fine, but of course I could always throw something like a 1050 Ti or 1060 6gb in there if need be.

 

This is what I've come up with so far:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI - B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($78.44 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($117.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Samsung - 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cooler Master - Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($39.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG - WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $797.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-07 21:00 EDT-0400

 

*EDIT* sorry the 950 Pro is just the old drive from my main desktop so it is 'free'. Also, I had placement constraints for the case because it's going on a shelf and can't be more than 10" tall (wider would be just fine) so I was trying to find the best case that could flow air front->back, had room for the blu-ray burner because I miss having an optical drive but don't want to put it in my main rig, had room for 2 internal 3.5" HDDs, and had the potential to fit a 1060 down the road if needed.

[themctipers]

Fileserver or HTPC doesn't need a 950 pro SSD. Put in something like a cheap Adata only for the OS, and back it up weekly to the HDD. 

[Kalm_Traveler]

5 minutes ago, themctipers said:

Fileserver or HTPC doesn't need a 950 pro SSD. Put in something like a cheap Adata only for the OS, and back it up weekly to the HDD. 

I already have it from upgrading my main desktop, so it's that for 'free' or something slower for more money.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Kalm_Traveler1 said:

Hi guys, I have been debating putting something like this together for a long time and finally decided to spend the money for it. Does this seem like it will be a solid performer as far as streaming media in-home, and possibly as an emulator box for the theater room? 

I figured that emulating old consoles at 1080p doesn't really need a dedicated graphics card since my old Dell Netbook with an Intel Atom can do it just fine, but of course I could always throw something like a 1050 Ti or 1060 6gb in there if need be.

 

This is what I've come up with so far:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: MSI - B250I PRO Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($78.44 @ OutletPC) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($117.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Samsung - 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Case: Cooler Master - Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case  ($39.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG - WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($54.99 @ Amazon) 
Total: $797.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-07 21:00 EDT-0400

 

*EDIT* sorry the 950 Pro is just the old drive from my main desktop so it is 'free'. Also, I had placement constraints for the case because it's going on a shelf and can't be more than 10" tall (wider would be just fine) so I was trying to find the best case that could flow air front->back, had room for the blu-ray burner because I miss having an optical drive but don't want to put it in my main rig, had room for 2 internal 3.5" HDDs, and had the potential to fit a 1060 down the road if needed.

Pentium G4560 will be just fine for HTPC and game emulation

Youll probably only need 8GB for older game emulation

You sure as fuck wont need 550 Watts for drives, and a GPU wont be that much more, look at purchasing this PSU: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FQ648d/corsair-power-supply-cp9020101na

 

[Guest]

18 minutes ago, NovaMan01 said:

Pentium G4560 will be just fine for HTPC and game emulation

Youll probably only need 8GB for older game emulation

You sure as fuck wont need 550 Watts for drives, and a GPU wont be that much more, look at purchasing this PSU: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FQ648d/corsair-power-supply-cp9020101na

 

Do keep in mind if u upgrade the GPU go for a 1050 TI as a G4560 will bottleneck a 1060

[Kalm_Traveler]

44 minutes ago, NovaMan01 said:

Do keep in mind if u upgrade the GPU go for a 1050 TI as a G4560 will bottleneck a 1060

Yeah I am not really concerned about the cost as no matter what this thing won't break $1000, and was kind of wanting the i5 and more RAM to leave to door open to getting more use out of it later on if the need arises. I was just looking for suggestions hoping someone would catch a not-good-enough mistake on my part as I am not used to building mid/low end builds. 

Now that you've got me thinking about it, if there are sideways cases larger than ITX I wouldn't mind as there is a lot more horizontal space on the shelf this thing will end up in and I imagine mATX or even just normal ATX builds could be done for a similar price while allowing more upgrade options later on?

[Guest]

27 minutes ago, Kalm_Traveler1 said:

Yeah I am not really concerned about the cost as no matter what this thing won't break $1000, and was kind of wanting the i5 and more RAM to leave to door open to getting more use out of it later on if the need arises. I was just looking for suggestions hoping someone would catch a not-good-enough mistake on my part as I am not used to building mid/low end builds. 

Now that you've got me thinking about it, if there are sideways cases larger than ITX I wouldn't mind as there is a lot more horizontal space on the shelf this thing will end up in and I imagine mATX or even just normal ATX builds could be done for a similar price while allowing more upgrade options later on?

If opting for somewhat upgradability, go mATX. Maximum upgradability comes with ATX, as you get more space in cases and more PCI E slots on the mobo. And if you do want to leave that door open sure, i based my suggestions on it only being a HTPC or emulator for old consoles 

[Kalm_Traveler]

25 minutes ago, NovaMan01 said:

If opting for somewhat upgradability, go mATX. Maximum upgradability comes with ATX, as you get more space in cases and more PCI E slots on the mobo. And if you do want to leave that door open sure, i based my suggestions on it only being a HTPC or emulator for old consoles 

Thank you! Now I need to go back to the drawing board and see if there's a good sideways ATX case to build in...

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, Kalm_Traveler1 said:

Thank you! Now I need to go back to the drawing board and see if there's a good sideways ATX case to build in...

Lol hmu for a build check when you do i have jack shit to do 

[Kalm_Traveler]

ok how about this for a full size ATX equivalent? It's right about at 1k which is what I expected, and leaves plenty of options open for upgrading it with a dedicated graphics card, more storage, etc in the next year or two if need be.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME H270-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($118.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($117.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Samsung - 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Case: Silverstone - GD09B HTPC Case  ($69.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG - WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($58.88 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A8 PWM 32.7 CFM  80mm Fan  ($15.88 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A8 PWM 32.7 CFM  80mm Fan  ($15.88 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $981.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-11 00:07 EDT-0400

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Kalm_Traveler1 said:

ok how about this for a full size ATX equivalent? It's right about at 1k which is what I expected, and leaves plenty of options open for upgrading it with a dedicated graphics card, more storage, etc in the next year or two if need be.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($209.99 @ SuperBiiz) 
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME H270-PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($118.99 @ B&H) 
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory  ($117.99 @ Best Buy) 
Storage: Samsung - 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Seagate - IronWolf 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($127.90 @ Amazon) 
Case: Silverstone - GD09B HTPC Case  ($69.99 @ B&H) 
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($39.99 @ Newegg) 
Optical Drive: LG - WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  ($58.88 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM  120mm Fan  ($19.55 @ Newegg) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A8 PWM 32.7 CFM  80mm Fan  ($15.88 @ OutletPC) 
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A8 PWM 32.7 CFM  80mm Fan  ($15.88 @ OutletPC) 
Total: $981.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-11 00:07 EDT-0400

Looks great? Do you need that many case fans though?

[Kalm_Traveler]

I like airflow