Please help me spec my new HTPC components

[djsinco]

Hello:

I want to gather all my components in the next 30 days to hopefully take advantage of the Black Friday shopping deals. I would appreciate any thoughts on specific components to use in order to build the best HTPC with my budget of about $1000. I will be buying as much as possible from Amazon or Newegg. Specific item suggestions or combos are each welcome.

This is my first HTPC build, and I am excited to start!

What I expect:

The computer will be used as a media server for my main home theater, as well as two Ceton Echos. I am currently using a 2006 era Sony Vaio liquid cooled desktop computer that is aging quickly, but has powered my 60" Pioneer Kuro and 5.1 sound system beautifully for several years. I will use this computer strictly for MC recording and internet video streaming. I would like to spec in such a way as to be able to leave the unit available to the extenders 24/7, automatic commercial skip also has attracted my attention, is this feature stable and possible?

Components I already have that I expect to reuse:

1. Windows 7 Pro
2. Logitech USB Keyboard and mouse
3. Logitech DiNovo mini
4. 2TB Seagate SATA HD (will add a 2nd identical drive)
5. 128 GB OCZ Vertex SSD (for use as boot drive)
6. HT Omega Striker 7.1 Sound card.

Components I will purchase for this build, all suggestions are welcome and nothing is written in stone.

1. Satin Black Component-width case with hinged front panel (Fractal 605?)
2. ATX MoBo for Intel (HDMI out required)
3. Intel i(x) processor (i5 Ivy?)
4. Modular power supply (300 to 400 watts?)
5. Quiet cooling (liquid cooling?)
6. Blu-Ray drive (burner not needed)
7. Ram (2x4 GB?)
8. Video card (1GB?)
9. Seagate 2 TB non-green SATA drive

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

Dave

[barnabas1969]

It all sounds sane to me. An i3 or i5 Ivy Bridge will do just fine.

[djsinco]

barnabus:

Thanks for your thought, it seems to be somewhat in step with the system you are using. I neglected to include a TV tuner card, do you prefer the ASUS or Hauppauge between the 2 you list? I just replaced the single tuner (Dell OEM) Hauppauge card on my current rig a few weeks ago. I am thinking of just using that and adding another identical card for a total of 2 tuners. Is it just easier for me to install one dual tuner card? Amazon has my current PCI-E x1 card for under $30, so if my case will support 2 of those that would be my cheapest option.

Thanks again!

[leroys1000]

Don't know if you are adverse to AMD but you might check out something
like an A10 CPU and FM2 motherboard.
The cpu has decent onboard graphics so you shouldn't need a graphics card
and should be able to save some money over intel.

[djsinco]

leroys:

I think AMD is fine, I have just never owned or used their processors. If I run tight on budget, I will look at AMD, however, if my budget allows, I would prefer Intel. Not saying that I have any great compelling reason, just a creature of habit, plus the fact that I think it might be infinitesimally more reliable and forward compatible.

Thanks for your suggestion.

Dave

[barnabas1969]

barnabus:

Thanks for your thought, it seems to be somewhat in step with the system you are using. I neglected to include a TV tuner card, do you prefer the ASUS or Hauppauge between the 2 you list? I just replaced the single tuner (Dell OEM) Hauppauge card on my current rig a few weeks ago. I am thinking of just using that and adding another identical card for a total of 2 tuners. Is it just easier for me to install one dual tuner card? Amazon has my current PCI-E x1 card for under $30, so if my case will support 2 of those that would be my cheapest option.

Thanks again!

You didn't mention what type of signal you want to receive. Both the Asus and Hauppauge tuners that I have are actually made by Hauppauge, the Asus has just been re-branded. The Asus is a dual-combo tuner, and the Hauppauge is a dual-hybrid tuner. The combo tuner has one NTSC tuner, and one ATSC/QAM tuner. The hybrid tuner has two NTSC/ATSC/QAM tuners. Both cards also have an FM tuner, but I don't use the FM tuners... Media Center's radio interface is very clunky and I have plenty of other options for music (Pandora, Internet Radio sites, Music Choice, etc).

As you probably already know, NTSC Over-The-Air (OTA) TV has been replaced in the USA with ATSC. Some cable companies still send some analog channels in NTSC, but that will soon be phased out too. My cable provider, Brighthouse Networks, will be phasing out analog over the next couple of months.

So, the Hauppauge that I have would be a better bet than the Asus for ATSC/QAM.

The next thing you have to consider is that "clear" QAM (non-encrypted) cable channels are becoming rarer too. So, if you want to receive digital cable channels, your best bet (in the US) is CableCARD tuners.

I've actually built another HTPC, but I'm not using it yet. It works really well, but I spent more money than you are looking to spend. The details of that build are at the link below. It will use the same HD HomeRun PRIME tuners that I am currently using with my old HTPC. For ATSC/QAM, it will use two 2-tuner HD HomeRun tuners (model HDHR3-US). Honestly though, I won't be using QAM because my cable company is going to encrypt most of them... so I'll connect both HDHR3-US tuners (total of 4 tuners) to my outdoor antenna for ATSC. Almost 2/3 of my recordings come from local channels anyway.

Here's the link:
http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=7&t=5587

[djsinco]

Most of the fun for me will be the build. I receive all my content OTA, or on the internet. I have had good luck with Hauppauge, so will put those near or at the top of my list.

Off topic, I used to have family and still have friends all along the Space Coast. Every year about this time I start to wonder what I am doing in Colorado...

[djsinco]

Just putting together a spreadsheet to track my components (yes, I am detail-oriented and an accountant.)

Here is my allocation for the $1K budget I have imposed.

Item Budget
Case $150
MoBo $150
Power Supply $100
Processor $240
RAM $100
Video Card $70
TV Tuner Card $75
Fans/Cooling $40
BD drive $60
Cables/Misc $25
Total $1,010



Does everything seem about right? I would like to spend the same money, but hoping I can catch some of these items on Black Friday sales to allow me to get better RAM, or an i7 instead of an i5 for the money I have allocated...


Thanks!

Dave

[barnabas1969]

Colorado's beautiful. It's cold in the winter though.

I just looked at the Mini ITX build, I guess I didn't spend too much. It was under $1K, even with drives... but that doesn't include tuners. I really need to get back to working on it. It is all assembled, and Windows is installed... but I haven't installed all the other software and tweaked it the way I want yet. That's the time-consuming part.

[barnabas1969]

I'm sure you can do it for under $1K. Look at the CPU's with integrated video, like the CPU I chose for my mini-ITX build. They work fine.

[djsinco]

I like your mini build, interesting thread, but I am looking for a roomier case. It seems like many have plenty of video power with the Intel 4000 on-board graphics.

Does the Intel seem fully adequate to you to run my 60" Pioneer Kuro?

[leroys1000]

The intel graphics should be fine for video playback but not gaming.
Might look into nmedia cases.
They specialize in media center cases.
Another would be an antec fusion case that has a remote reciever built in.

[djsinco]

leroys:

Thanks for pointing me to these cases. The nmedia line seems attractive to me, but I am wondering if they are heavyweight, solid cases, as there are no weights listed on Newegg or Amazon. There are some customer comments they are not sufficiently heavy, and the front access door may use a single (flimsy) hinge.

Any comments are appreciated.

[leroys1000]

I am actually using an old moneual case that I need to upgrade.
Here are some of their cases.
http://htpc.moneualusa.com/index.php?op ... Itemid=186
Probably want to avoid the ones with a monitor in the front as they can be really expensive.
Also make sure you get something that is compatable with an ATX or micro ATX power supply.
The case I have used a proprietary miniATX supply and I'm not going to pay $100 for a cheap
300 watt power supply.
I did manage to get a microATX supply mounted in mine.

[barnabas1969]

I like your mini build, interesting thread, but I am looking for a roomier case. It seems like many have plenty of video power with the Intel 4000 on-board graphics.

Does the Intel seem fully adequate to you to run my 60" Pioneer Kuro?

Yes, but stay away from the Haswell and Sandy Bridge CPU's. They suffered from the 29/59 issue. The Clarkdale and Ivy Bridge are OK.

[djsinco]

Thanks, I plan on Ivy bridge, now more than ever... I think i5 is probably overkill, but, you never know. I would rather be a little over-spec than the opposite.

[barnabas1969]

Well, I haven't load-tested the new PC yet. My old HTPC has an i5-760, which is significantly slower than many of the Ivy Bridge i5's. With four extenders playing live/recorded TV, live/recorded TV playing on the main TV (connected to the PC), and all 10 tuners in use, the CPU hovers around 35% busy.

ShowAnalyzer will peg it at 100%, but runs in a lower priority, so it will yield to other processes when needed.

Of course, results will vary depending on many things... especially if you connect storage drives and/or tuners via USB. USB uses some CPU, and the usage increases with higher throughput.

[djsinco]

So far i am looking at i5-3570K, it appears to be a popular and well rated processor. Maybe I will get lucky closer to Black Friday and see it dip slightly from current price of $220.

Any thoughts on the Asus P8Z77-M Pro MoBo? It looks like it has everything I need. I am also eyeing the GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H, I don't see much difference between these, maybe someone more knowledgeable such as yourself might...

Thanks again for your thoughts!

Dave

[barnabas1969]

I can't really comment on the motherboards. One thing I learned is that not all motherboards are the same as far as power saving is concerned. Newer processors are more efficient, but the motherboard makes a difference in the way it handles the power modes of the CPU and other chips on the board. If you care about power consumption, you might want to see if you can find some reviews that mention the power consumption of the motherboard(s) you are interested in.

[leroys1000]

Might check http://www.dealighted.com/ for deals on parts.
Use the search on the left for user posted deals.