Build new HTPC or upgrade my desktop?

[Hi Ho]

I have some gift cards for Newegg and I have the possibly irrational urge to do something with my PC.

I'll preface this post by saying that my PC is working perfectly and I really don't think I have a reason to do a major upgrade. I may have just answered my own question there but read on and see if this makes any sense.

I am currently using my PC as my DVR. I have a Ceton CableCard tuner and I use Windows Media Center to record and view TV. It works amazingly well. I am surprised this isn't more popular. The one thing that bothers me is that since I am using my main desktop for all of this I have to be really careful about certain things like rebooting the machine. If I install something that requires a reboot I have to make sure I'm not recording something at the time so I don't screw up the recording. Also, while the Xbox 360 works great as an extender it doesn't have nearly the range of file type support as Media Center does running on a PC.

I have come up with a couple of options and since I haven't really been following PC hardware that closely for a quite a while I ask you guys if I'm just crazy or what.

Option 1: Build a new HTPC with a Core i3, new motherboard, new case, and use RAM, HDD's, and PSU I already have. This would be about $450 for the parts including a new 3TB drive and docking station for backing up my main desktop.

Option 2: Upgrade the motherboard and CPU in my current desktop and build an HTPC in a new case using my current motherboard and Core i7 CPU along with the extra RAM, PSU, and hard drives I already have. This would cost about $650 or more depending on the motherboard and CPU I got.

Obviously the cost effective solution is to build an HTPC with the Core i3 since I really don't max out my current Core i7 except for the occasional video encode. However, I like the idea of reusing parts and if I build a new PC just the the HTPC then I will eventually upgrade my desktop and I will have no use for the perfectly capable Core i7 and motherboard I have now.

Looking at all the options I'm a bit confused. I see LGA-1155 motherboards that start at under $100 and then I noticed the newer LGA-2011 motherboards, which I assume is the more future-proof option, but they start at nearly $200 and go up. Does it make sense to spend the extra money on Socket LGA-2011? What is a good LGA-2011 board? What is a good LGA-1155 board?

[glc]

2011's are not worth it outside of a professional environment.

I would build a dedicated HTPC, probably using a micro-ATX case and board - with an Ivy Bridge i3 with the 4000 series graphics. You won't need a video card and your tuner card will fit.

This is an excellent mobo:

Newegg.com - ASUS P8Z77-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU:

Newegg.com - Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I33225

[jdeb]

I agree with glc. If you want to cut cost even further, you may want to consider a AMD APU build. They are perfect for HTPC.

[Hi Ho]

I came to conclusion that building a new HTPC would make more sense. That is a nice looking motherboard.

Any reason that a Sandy Bridge Core i3 and THIS motherboard would be a bad idea? I know it's a generation older but it's also about $100 cheaper. I'm thinking of getting THIS Silverstone HTPC case.

I have a 700W FSP PSU and 8GB of Mushkin RAM to reuse. I know the PSU is way overkill but I already have it and it works fine. I also have an Intel 320 80GB SSD for the OS and a 2TB WD Green drive for storage.

[jdeb]

No comparison really. If you are using the ivy bridge and want to trim cost
Newegg.com - ASUS P8B75-M LX PLUS LGA 1155 Intel B75 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Great case. Take your time with cable management. Measure PSU to make are it fits with optical drive installed. Silvetstones site gives you the dimensions. Should work.

[Hi Ho]

Well I know that an optical drive won't fit in the case with a full size ATX PSU. The guy that wrote THIS article found that out the hard way.

I don't really need an optical drive at all since I do not plan on playing any DVD's or Blu-Ray's because I already have a dedicated Blu-Ray player and I can install the OS from a USB drive.

The only problem with that cheaper motherboard is no HDMI. Since everything in my system goes through an HDMI matrix switch I MUST use HDMI because I need the audio and video to go through the HDMI cable. A DVI>HDMI adapter solution will not work for me.

Is the difference all in the performance or is it in the quality of the motherboard? I'm willing to go for the Ivy Bridge part if is significantly more power efficient or something. I'm guessing the integrated graphics are better?

[glc]

The Ivy Bridge 4000 series graphics will blow away even the 3000 series Sandy Bridge graphics.

Here is a B75 board with HDMI:

Newegg.com - ASUS P8B75-M/CSM LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Your tuner card won't fit in that case unless it's low profile with a half height bracket.

[Hi Ho]

The tuner card came with a low profile bracket that I can swap out. Is there a significant advantage in quality with that board vs the more expensive model?

[glc]

The B75 should give you everything you need - it has HDMI, USB 3.0, and one SATA 6.0 port. It's the corporate chipset, it's very stable but cannot be overclocked. We have been recommending B75 for budget Intel gaming rigs and office computers.

[Hi Ho]

I ordered that B75 board, the i3 3225, and the case on Sunday. As of now my order is still in "Packaging" according to the Newegg site. Even with 2 day shipping It doesn't look like I'll even have the parts by this weekend.

[Hi Ho]

Newegg upgraded my order, except the case, to overnight shipping and I received the parts today. I just put it together on my desk and it will not power up. When I jump the power button pins the CPU and PSU fans spin for a second and stop. Nothing else happens. The LED on the motherboard is on. The PSU worked perfectly fine last time I used it to test an old motherboard. What else could I check?

UPDATE: I removed the RAM and it still doesn't turn on.

[MaxRat]

you got it on the box with a minimal build? I'd try another PSU to be safe....

I've had a known good PSU not start a new build but swapped it and it started right up.

[Hi Ho]

Yeah I have it on the box with just the CPU, RAM, and SSD connected.

I just connected the PSU to an old motherboard and it fired right up. I was really looking forward to working on this over the weekend.

[MaxRat]

CMOS jumper isnt in the Clear position is it?

[Hi Ho]

It is not.

[MaxRat]

pull the cpu and look on the pads and make sure there is pin contact dots on each pad...

[Hi Ho]

Just did that. I can see contact marks on every pad and no bent pins. I put it back in and still the same thing.

[MaxRat]

dead board.... might try jumping the green and black wire on the PSU to power it up and see if that gets anything...

[Hi Ho]

Well I feel like a complete idiot. Back in the day I used to post on this forum all the time helping people troubleshoot builds and one of the common mistakes was not connecting the CPU power connector from to the motherboard.

Guess what I just forgot to do...

It's working fine.

[MaxRat]

nice....I guess that would help.

[Hi Ho]

Everything is working great except that after I installed Windows I keep getting a "CPU Overtemperature Error" on boot and I have to press F1 to continue. The BIOS reports the CPU temperature at 28C.

[jdeb]

Clear the CMOS and reboot. If it does not clear the error, re-seat the cooler, if that does not clear it up, update the BIOS using EZFlash.

[Hi Ho]

I already updated to the latest BIOS before I did anything. I already reseated the heatsink when I was trying to figure out why it wouldn't power up and I used Arctic Silver when I did that. I ran Prime95 for about 40 minutes last night and the maximum temperature reached was 70c but it hovered around 66c under full load and it did not show any signs of problems.

[Hi Ho]

I found the option in the BIOS to not require pressing F1 on error and now it is not a problem.

What is a problem, however, is that I cannot get ANYTHING to output to my Yamaha receiver over HDMI. I had it working. Everything was working great. Then, suddenly, it stopped and it doesn't even try to sync and the receiver is not detected at all. All of my other sources work fine with the receiver. It is only the HTPC that doesn't. When I connect the HTPC directly to the TV it works fine. I do not understand how it would work for an hour and simply stop working 100%. I cleared the CMOS, reinstalled the graphics drivers, bypassed everything in the system besides the receiver, and I still get absolutely no signs of any connection to the receiver. This was the entire purpose of building the PC.

[MaxRat]

does it show Sound over HDMI when the receiver is plugged in?

I know some boards will quirk and shut the sound off when the PC sleeps or goes to screen saver.

[Hi Ho]

It doesn't show anything at all. When I connect remotely via TeamViewer and check to see what shows up there are NO audio devices and NO HDMI devices at all. It simply will not see the receiver at all. I have been screwing with this all day long and I'm beginning to think this is not worth the 16 hours I've spent simply trying to get it to display on my TV!

I just flashed the BIOS again and restored Windows and still nothing. I simply do not understand how it can just stop working out of the blue when it was working fine sending audio and video. I know the HDMI out still works because when I connect it to the TV I get audio and video. I know the receiver still works because all other HDMI sources work. When I connect the HTPC using a DVI > HDMI cable I get a picture but obviously no audio. When I connect receiver to the HDMI out on the HTPC I get no signs of any connectivity what-so-ever.

[Hi Ho]

OK so I solved the problem with the HDMI by using DVI and that has been working fine.

What hasn't worked fine is the fact that the RAM I reused still randomly causes the machine to lock up just like it did when it was installed in my current desktop. No problem, I thought. I ordered this RAM:

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL - Newegg.com

I ordered it based on price, the huge number of positive reviews, and the fact that it was on the Asus QVL.

I installed it yesterday and the machine will not even post when that RAM is installed. The red RAM LED on the motherboard lights up and nothing happens on the screen or anything. I tried different slots, one stick at a time, and tried the MEM OK button.

So, I put the other RAM back in. Immediately after boot it locked up like it does at random. I changed the DRAM frequency in the BIOS back to 1600 like I had to in the past to make it work and it booted up and worked normally.

Today I noticed that my HTCP was not on my local network. I could not access it from my desktop. So I opened TeamViewer and it connected to the HTCP just fine. I minimized Windows Media Center and I noticed a red X over the network connection in the tray. Now this is all I can get:

http://i50.tinypic.com/10mug0n.jpg

I do not understand what this means or why this has happened. Could bad RAM have corrupted something? System restore will not work. It says "A Catastrophic failure has ocurred". I have tried resetting the TCP/IP stack and other things that I found through Google regarding this issue to no avail.

The HTPC has access to the internet and obviously since I can connect through TeamViewer, it is connected to the network. What on earth is going on here and can I fix it without re-installing Windows AGAIN and having to setup Media Center AGAIN.

[glc]

We have been warning people about Ripjaws ram for a couple years now. Compatibility and quality is terrible.

CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B - Newegg.com

[Hi Ho]

I will order that RAM.

In the mean time, any ideas on how to get this PC back on my network? Reinstalling Windows is something that I really do NOT want to do as I will lose all of my copy protected recordings.

[glc]

System restore?