Small HTPC build

[mazz72]

Hi all,

I'm planning on building a small HTPC for the entertainment center. I won't be watching DVDs on it, nor will I be recording TV or anything. It'll mainly be used for listening to music. I'll be hooking it up to my receiver, and be streaming music through my network from another computer. I'll also use it for internet browsing, and possibly just watching stuff on Netflix and Hulu. That would be the extent of any video watching.

So, basically, I just want to know what you think of the parts list, if there's anything more you think I'll need, and in the other direction, if there's anything you think might be "overkill" where I might be able to bring the overall price down a bit.

This is all from Newegg:

SILVERSTONE Sugo SG05-B Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case SFX 300W 80Plus Power Supply - $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811163149

ZOTAC GF9300-D-E LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9300 HDMI Wi-Fi Mini ITX Intel Motherboard - $139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813500022

Intel Celeron E1500 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116075

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - $49.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136074

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - $35.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098

LITE-ON Slim 8X DVD Burner Black SATA - $39.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106260


The MB has everything I think I would need onboard, so I don't see a need for any kind of add-on cards.

Also, the HDD is probably bigger than I need, as it'll only be storing the OS and apps, but I wanted something with decent speed for bootup and opening apps, plus it's hard to find a decent 40GB HDD these days. Also, would cache size even make a difference in a setup like this?

Anything you think should be added? Anything you think I could do without (really not sure if the CPU is overkill or not, HDD, RAM)? I don't have a surround sound setup, so should I be ok with the onboard sound? Any other suggestions?

Really appreciate the input. Thanks a lot.

Matt

[Khalil]

I would stay away from Zotac motherboards. This is the only ITX motherboard I would recomend http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813121358

[mazz72]

Really? I've heard good things about Zotac (as ITX motherboards go). Plus I intend to keep the network connection wireless, so the onboard wireless very much appealed to me.

I will keep that in mind, though.

Thanks.

[Masaki 7-11]

It doesn't sound like you need a very powerful computer and the price of your list above is quite expensive. Take a look at a build like this: AMD Build you'll probably want to add a wireless card such as this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127080

[mazz72]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 It doesn't sound like you need a very powerful computer and the price of your list above is quite expensive. Take a look at a build like this: AMD Build you'll probably want to add a wireless card such as this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127080

I see what you're saying, but I don't see anything on that board that would allow me to hook the system up to my receiver. No HDMI, s/pdif, nothing. Renders it pretty much useless for my needs. On Newegg, the only mb/cpu combo boards I see with the features I need are the ones made by Zotac. There is one that I think was Asus, but they were out of stock.

Khalil - You mentioned that you don't recommend Zotac, but you neglected to mention why?

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by mazz72 I see what you're saying, but I don't see anything on that board that would allow me to hook the system up to my receiver. No HDMI, s/pdif, nothing. Renders it pretty much useless for my needs. On Newegg, the only mb/cpu combo boards I see with the features I need are the ones made by Zotac. There is one that I think was Asus, but they were out of stock. Khalil - You mentioned that you don't recommend Zotac, but you neglected to mention why?

What type of connectors do you have on the receiver? Sound is pretty easy to get connected through a 3.5mm to RCA (red and white) adapter, the video connector may be a problem if your reciever or TV doesn't have VGA. Have you thought about a micro-ATX build? It is a bit larger then mini-itx (depending on case size), but has better performance per dollar than mini-itx and has much more options for customizing.

[mazz72]

Originally Posted by Masaki 7-11 What type of connectors do you have on the receiver? Sound is pretty easy to get connected through a 3.5mm to RCA (red and white) adapter, the video connector may be a problem if your reciever or TV doesn't have VGA. Have you thought about a micro-ATX build? It is a bit larger then mini-itx (depending on case size), but has better performance per dollar than mini-itx and has much more options for customizing.

I'm not worried about the video. My TV has a dvi connector. As for sound, the receiver has rca inputs, but I was hoping to go with s/pdif. I'm actually not even sure if that will make any difference in sound quality.

Also, even though the TV has a connector for the pc, I was hoping to connect to the receiver, not the TV, using HDMI or S-Video. That way when I want to use the pc, I can just switch everything over with a push of the input button on the receiver's remote. : ) Keeps things simpler.

I originally was going to go the micro-ATX route, but really wanted to make the system as small as possible, to sort of keep it "behind the scenes". I guess I may have to go that route, though.

So, do you agree that the Zotac board is a bad idea, Masaki?

Thanks for the help.

Matt

[glc]

Look at the micro ATX slim cases. This will give you the flexibility to use any micro ATX motherboard from a quality manufacturer such as Asus.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...e=&srchInDesc=

The Inwins are going to have the best quality power supplies. Note that if you want to add cards, they have to be low profile with half height brackets.

[Masaki 7-11]

Originally Posted by mazz72 I'm not worried about the video. My TV has a dvi connector. As for sound, the receiver has rca inputs, but I was hoping to go with s/pdif. I'm actually not even sure if that will make any difference in sound quality. Also, even though the TV has a connector for the pc, I was hoping to connect to the receiver, not the TV, using HDMI or S-Video. That way when I want to use the pc, I can just switch everything over with a push of the input button on the receiver's remote. : ) Keeps things simpler. I originally was going to go the micro-ATX route, but really wanted to make the system as small as possible, to sort of keep it "behind the scenes". I guess I may have to go that route, though. So, do you agree that the Zotac board is a bad idea, Masaki? Thanks for the help. Matt

I haven't used Zotac motherboards before, so I can't say whether they are good or not. Maybe it will help if you take a look at a micro-ATX build list to use as a HTPC, here is a low budget build list with good quality parts that cost about the same as the build you mentioned in the first post, but is a good amount faster and has pretty low power consumption:

LITE-ON Black 24X DVD Writer SATA Model iHAS-324-98
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106334
$31.99

IN WIN BL631.300TBL Black Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case 300W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811108065
$59.99

Western Digital Caviar Green WD6400AACS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136298
$64.99

ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131595
$79.99

D-Link WDA-1320 32-bit PCI Wireless G Desktop Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833127080
$29.69

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X4096-6400C5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184
$61.99

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX240OCGQBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103688
$62.99

Subtotal: $391.63

[mazz72]

Those INWIN cases are nice. Was hoping for something smaller, but it'll work. I guess it would be a good idea to take the idea of possible future expansion into account. I was always under the impression that INWIN was not a good brand, but you both recommend them, so that's gotta be good, right? : )

That is a nice setup there, too, Masaki...except I don't think that D-Link is going to fit in that case, will it? No matter, though. I have other ideas for the wireless.

I can actually bring that price down even more too, because I really don't think I need a HDD that size. I was looking at this... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822135106

Beings that I'll only have the OS and apps on the HDD, I think that should be sufficient. Cache shouldn't even make a difference in this setup, correct?

Thanks guys!

[glc]

That D-Link card will fit, it ships with a half-height bracket. I think that's why Masaki picked it.

If you prefer an Intel, a good board to use would be an Asus P5QPL-VM, and pick a processor. It has HDMI and S/PDIF.

The Inwin power supplies are proprietary form factor, but they are made by FSP. That's a good thing.

[mazz72]

Oh ok. Well then my humblest apologies to Masaki. Thanks for pointing that out G.

I didn't take a look at ALL the photos on the site. Missed that minor little detail. ; )

I was looking at cards capable of 802.11N, though, as my router is. I was looking at this...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833156258

A little pricier, but it gets great reviews. And since I'm running everything off the network, wireless stability is one aspect of this build that I don't mind spending a little more on. It's worth it to me.

Thoughts?

[glc]

That should work.

[mazz72]

OK, so I think I have my final setup here:



IN WIN IW-BK623.BN300BL 0.6mm SECC Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811108092

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103688

ASUS M4A785-M AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131595

CORSAIR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145184

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822135106

As well as the TrendNet wireless adapter a few posts up.

I went with this case because I like the general look, and it's not as deep as the one Masaki recommended, and it's only a little taller, and same price. On INWIN's site it does imply that an Intel setup should be used for this case, and some of the reviews on Newegg said that as well, but there were also quite a few that said they made it work with an AMD setup. I don't mind doing a little modding, and as for heat issues, I've already found a couple spots on there where I could squeeze a case fan if need be. I'm going to have more room in their than most of the reviewers did, as I won't have any add-on cards or optical drives.

Worst comes to worst....I can RMA it and get the one Masaki recommended, but I really do like the look of this one and want to give it a try, at least. Hell, half the fun of a new build is the challenge right?

And if this case doesn't work out, I'll be sure to come back here and let you guys know, so you can say "I told you so". lol

[glc]

If you are going for a full micro ATX desktop instead of SFF, to me this Antec is almost a no-brainer in spite of its high price:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129034

[mazz72]

Originally Posted by glc If you are going for a full micro ATX desktop instead of SFF, to me this Antec is almost a no-brainer in spite of its high price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129034

That's too big for my tastes. Height I don't care about. It's width and depth I'm concerned about. That's much bigger than the one I picked out. Plus....I want something black to fit in with the rest of my entertainment setup.