New HTPC build - HELP pleae?

M

mosselly

Active member
Hi All

I'm new to the site and im after advice on a new HTPC. This will not be used for gaming at all, and will mainly be used for HD film streaming from a Synology DS213 NAS, as well as downloading torrent files 24/7. It will be used on a 50" Panasonic Plasma TX-P46GT30B. I'm looking at an SSD primary and 2TB or 3TB secondary drive. The PC is to be connected to a Toshiba YSP-2200 soundbar via HDMI which is in turn connected to the TV. I don't need a TV Tuner in the PC. I will be using XBMC for my media. My current pc that it will replace is getting a bity 'long in the tooth' and has the following spec:-

  • AMD Athlon 2 x3 425 Processor 2.7Ghz
  • Memory - 3GB RAM
  • Video Card - ATI Radeon HD 5450

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
Welcome to our forums :)

For your requirements you do not need a super powerful system - just a Core i3 and 4GB RAM will suffice. Integrated graphics are more than adequate unless you intend to use the PC for occasional gaming or anything above HD. Here is our suggested specificaton:

Case
COOLERMASTER 120 ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i3 Dual Core Processor i3-3220 (3.30GHz) 3MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H77-I: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
4GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (1 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
Memory - 1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)
2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
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 w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £546.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-gaming-mini-pc/580IEDPxAv/
 
M

mosselly

Active member
PCS said:
Welcome to our forums :)

For your requirements you do not need a super powerful system - just a Core i3 and 4GB RAM will suffice. Integrated graphics are more than adequate unless you intend to use the PC for occasional gaming or anything above HD. Here is our suggested specificaton:
Click to expand...

Sorry, when you say 'Integrated graphics are more than adequate unless you intend to use the PC for anything above HD" what do you mean?
 
PCS

PCS

Administrator
Staff member
If you are simply watching movies and listening to music, etc., then the integrated HD graphics are more than adequate. If you plan to play games or run any programs that use 2D/3D rendering then I would recommend the installation of a dedicated graphics card.
 
M

mosselly

Active member
First HTPC Newbie, is this OK?

Hi All

I'm new to the site and am looking at my first HTPC This will not be used for gaming at all, and will mainly be used for HD film streaming from a Synology DS213 NAS, as well as downloading torrent files 24/7. It will be used on a 50" Panasonic Plasma TX-P46GT30B. I'm looking at an SSD primary and 2TB or 3TB secondary drive. The PC is to be connected to a Toshiba YSP-2200 soundbar via HDMI which is in turn connected to the TV. I don't need a TV Tuner in the PC. I will be using XBMC for my media.

  1. Is this case ok?
  2. Have i got to much/little memory (8GB)?
  3. Is processor powerful enough?
  4. Am i using best options for primary SSD drive and secondary 2TB HD?


Thanks in advance

Case
COOLERMASTER 120 ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i3 Dual Core Processor i3-3220 (3.30GHz) 3MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H77-I: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
240GB INTEL® 335 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8 Standard Edition 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £655.00 including VAT and delivery.

Unique URL to re-configure: http://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/quotes/intel-gaming-mini-pc/q6XTTPh_5e/
 
M

mosselly

Active member
I've tinkered slightly with the suggested build, but just a few questions.

Is 8GB memory too much/little?
Is the i3 powerful enough?
Am i better with a MB supporting USB3?
Are there any better alternatives to the SSD/HD drives i have listed?
Will this build run quietly


Case
COOLERMASTER 120 ADVANCED CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i3 Dual Core Processor i3-3220 (3.30GHz) 3MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® P8H77-I: Mini-ITX, LG1155, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB SAMSUNG DUAL-DDR3 1333MHz (2 X 4GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk
240GB INTEL® 335 SERIES SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s (upto 500MB/sR | 450MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
350W Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan
Processor Cooling
INTEL SOCKET LGA1155 STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Facilities
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
USB Options
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Operating System
Genuine Windows 8 Standard Edition 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£79)
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 7 to 9 working days
Quantity
1

Price: £655.00 including VAT and delivery.
 
keynes

keynes

Multiverse Poster
Is 8GB memory too much/little?
Click to expand...
For your intended use, not needed
Is the i3 powerful enough?
Click to expand...
For your intended use it is fine
Am i better with a MB supporting USB3?
Click to expand...
Do you have devices that support USB3?
Are there any better alternatives to the SSD/HD drives i have listed?
Click to expand...
Caviar green as a storage drive it is cheaper and more energy efficienct
Will this build run quietly
Click to expand...
it should since you don't have a dedicated gpu which is usually the noisiest component in a system.
 
M

mosselly

Active member
Thinking of changing the case for this to a BitFenix Prodigy Mini-ITX Case (Black) as it gets better reviews. Any opinion (or alternative) on this?
 
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