New PC HDMI Audio/Video

[ryan]

My old PC just died on me, this evening in fact, and I am looking to get one that can handle hd video and audio by running a hdmi cable from my pc through my amp and back to my tv. I am a bit of an audiophile and want my new pc to have awesome sound quality. I have not bought a PC for 4 years so I have a vague idea of a set-up but am not sure what will/will not work. I have read some of the other posts on here about this sort of pc but they are out of my price range unfortunately.

I am definitely not going to be using it for gaming at all but want a system that can handle multi-tasking with ease. I have a tb external and have salvaged 250gb from my late lamented pc but another tb would not go amiss.

My budget is £500-£550 max. What set-up do you recommend. I don't mind if it's a bit noisy my old one sounded like a steam train for the last 6 months. Also the simpler it is to get it all hooked and friendly with my other tech the better.

Ta very much in advance.

[ryan]

This is what I am thinking about...

Case
STYLISH SILVER/BLACK TRIDENT CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i3-550 Dual Core (3.20GHz, 4MB Cache) + HD Graphics
Motherboard
ASUS® P7H55-M SI: MICRO ATX VALUE MAINBOARD,USB 2.0 & SATA 3.0Gb/s
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
512MB ATI RADEON™ HD 4350 PCI EXPRESS
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1156 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
Sound Blaster® Audigy™ SE (£25)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £553.00 including VAT and delivery.

[Sleinous]

Cpu doesnt need to be i3 for this kind of pc, a quad core is more than ample, this would leave you with more money for a better sound card. Ill knock something up tomorrow for you if you want (not on a pc atm sorry).

[ryan]

Cheers, I think I was attracted to the i, Steve Jobs has a lot to answer for.

[Sleinous]

Ye, what we want to focus on with your setup is audio audio audio, especially if you have a high end speaker system! Ill do that before work tomorrow.

[Sleinous]

OK, mornin'

This is what I came up with as a first shot, I realise its a tad over-budget, i'll see what I can cut down when i'm back from work. (If you absolutely have to have it at £550 or lower).

Case
STYLISH PIANO BLACK ENIGMA MICRO-ATX CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Processor (CPU)
AMD ATHLON II X4 635 (2.9GHz/2MB CACHE/AM3)
Motherboard
ASUS® M4A78LT-M LE: mATX MAINBOARD, DDR3, USB 2.0, SATA 3.0Gb/s
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DDR3 DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 2GB)
Graphics Card
512MB ATI RADEON™ HD 4350 PCI EXPRESS
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
Power Supply & Case Cooling
450W Quiet 80 PLUS Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£29)
Processor Cooling
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card
Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ Titanium PCI Express (£69)
Network Facilities
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB Options
4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY - FREE 90 DAY TRIAL
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £552.00 including VAT and delivery.

I added the CPU cooler, as it's only £19 and will help keep the PC quieter, which should be good for music.

[PCS]

The specification that sleinous has put together looks great, and the HD4350 includes a HDMI port that will allow your to send HD audio/video through your amp to your TV.

[ryan]

Thanks for your input I really appreciate it.

If you would bear with me, I am really out of the loop with PC technology, I have a couple of further questions:

1. Will the HDMI from the graphics card incorporate the benefits of the soundcard as well and am I correct in thinking I won't need to prise open the case to connect my HDMI.

2. I have been doing a bit more research on processors and it seems that the i3 offers fantastic support for hd audio/video whereas the amd is not particlularly highly recommended... so what would be a better option? I would stretch the budget a little further if it is going to be superior at linking everything together and smoothly handling my hd video library.

[PCS]

Hello ryan

1. If you use the HDMI output from your graphics card, it will not incorporate the benefits from your soundcard. The best way to achieve what you need is to send the signal from the graphics card directly to your TV through HDMI, and then send the signal from your soundcard directly to your amp by optical out (the X-Fi Titanium has optical output).

2. Go for your original specification choice, but ensure you add the X-Fi Titanium soundcard, as this will support the optical out connection. I assume your amp has optical in?

3. To compensate somewhat for the X-Fi Titanium cost, choose the i3-540.

[Sleinous]

Ye thats a good idea, then it wont add so much on to your budget