First HTPC attempt - need feedback

[sarangm]

Hi All,

This is my first time to take on a a project such as this. I plan to use the HTPC mostly for storing/watching shows through OTA antenna and internet. No gaming.
Here is what I have ordered:

"SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case ML03B (Black)" $70.00

"FAVI Entertainment Wireless Keyboard (Built-in TouchPad/Laser Pointer) - Black" $26.99

"Kingston Technology HyperX 8 GB (2x4 GB Modules) 1600 MHz DDR3 Dual Channel Kit (PC3 12800) 240-Pin SDRAM KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX" $49.99

"SiliconDust HDHomeRun Dual High Definition Digital Television HDHR3-US (Black)" $99.00

"Crucial 64 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT064M4SSD2" $94.99

"ASRock H67M-ITX Socket 1155/ Intel H67/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&V&GbE/ Mini-ITX Motherboard" $86.99

"Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack" $99.99

"Core I3-2120T, 2X 2.60GHZ" $128.00

"Antec EA-380D Power Supply EA-380D" $44.99

"SILVERSTONE SDP08 3.5 to 2 X 2.5-Inch Bay Converter" $7.99

"Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DL003" $119.99

The i3-2120T uses only 35W, so it should run very cool and should cut down on the heat and noise, and should still have enough power as I don't do any gaming at all. 8g memory is a bit overkill, but for $24 more than for the 4g, I think it's worth it. I was going to have another 2TB disk, but it's a bit too expensive. I would rather wait till the prices get down a bit. I also have a 1TB USB drive sitting around that I would like to try out. I like the idea of having a network box for the duel tuner. I can always add another one later if I need to record 4 shows at at time.
I am also considering using Plex so I can have access to the media from anywhere.

What do you think guys? Your feedback is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
sarangm

 

[postmortemIA]

this is crossposting, generally frowned upon.

 

[sarangm]

Yeah, I posted it first into the hardware forum. When I came across this forum, I figured this is probably a better audience, so posted it here too. As you can see, I am a new user, can you advice me as to what I should do? All I care about is to get the knowledge that would help me. Really doesn't matter whether it comes from this forum or that....

 

[bearxor]

Well, you've already ordered it so none of this really matters but, if it was me, I would say your processor and ssd are overkill. If you really want that second 2TB HD, return the SSD and get it. If you're going to be using it for MCE 100% of the time, it will run in memory anyways so the only real advantage you'll get is during booting. Interface isn't going to be any faster.

The entry level Pentium processor is also more than sufficient for the purpose. That might shave another $40. Honestly, if it were me I would have just bought a refurb Dell Zino HD for $400 and saved myself around $200 and the time, but that's just me.

If you want to be uber-leet, do a search for sabnzbd+ and sickbeard. That should take care of you.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

Any reason for going with a mini-ITX board with a micro-ATX case? ime, you will get better cooling capabilities with a m-ATX m/b and you will have some room should you decide to throw in a dedicated graphics card and possibly an InfiniTV4 down the road.

 

[sarangm]

Bearxor, I actually was wondering whether the SSD is worth the money considering I really don't have any need for the extra speed (other than booting, as you mentioned). I am thinking I can always add it later if I feel it's needed...

TastesLikeChicken, Never thought about the m-ATX m/b. Do you recommend any specific one?

 

[boomhower]

I use a G530 in mine and it works great, that's the first place I would cut costs. I use an SSD in mine but I already had an extra on hand.

 

[sdifox]

Bearxor, I actually was wondering whether the SSD is worth the money considering I really don't have any need for the extra speed (other than booting, as you mentioned). I am thinking I can always add it later if I feel it's needed...

TastesLikeChicken, Never thought about the m-ATX m/b. Do you recommend any specific one?

for htpc I would say space >>>>>>>>>> read write speed.

<==has 15tb

 

[velillen]

for htpc I would say space >>>>>>>>>> read write speed.

<==has 15tb

An ssd is nice if you are turning the htpc off. I've used both and an ssd is a bit faster (noticably) in loading up MCE. Since i cold boot its also noticeably faster there too. But other than for booting you are only talking a couple seconds which isnt to big of a deal. Booting was closer to 20 seconds. as a bonus item it is somethign i am happy to have gotten fo rmy htpc.

As for storage...i prefer my lil server with its current ~8TB of usage space so it can server both htpc locations and my main pc.

 

[sarangm]

I am planning to keep the pc running 24/7 so not many reboots, hopefully. I am taking off the ssd from the mix for now. If I feel the need, I can always add it later (Isn't that the whole idea behind building your own HTPC rather than buying one pre-built?). Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys.

I am still trying to figure out if there would be a better micro size m/b. I get extra space of 2"x2" in the micro size case over a mini size m/b. As TastesLikeChicken pointed out, I might get better heat management (I think a little better) with the extra space. Any recommendations for the micro size m/b?

 

[sdifox]

I am planning to keep the pc running 24/7 so not many reboots, hopefully. I am taking off the ssd from the mix for now. If I feel the need, I can always add it later (Isn't that the whole idea behind building your own HTPC rather than buying one pre-built?). Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys.

I am still trying to figure out if there would be a better micro size m/b. I get extra space of 2"x2" in the micro size case over a mini size m/b. As TastesLikeChicken pointed out, I might get better heat management (I think a little better) with the extra space. Any recommendations for the micro size m/b?

I would just add one of those expansion slot fans if you are concerned about heat.

 

[sarangm]

Well, I am not too concerned about the heat. The cpu is 35w, should run very cool. I am just feeling that I am leaving extra 2"x2" space on the table (actually in the case) unused... maybe it's not that big a deal... extra fans is always an option, but should not be needed as I don't plan to put in a separate GPU.

 

[fuzzymath10]

I doubt the i3-T would produce significantly less heat than a tuned non-T i3, but still it's good to have that assurance of heat output.

You probably could have saved some money with cheaper 1333 memory (aren't they like $30 now?).

SSD is a good choice. That way, your bulk storage can spin down when not in use, but your computer is still usable with no spindles running (quieter, faster, cooler). That is what my HT-ish PC does.

 

[sarangm]

So with the changes, here is the new configuration:


"SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case ML03B (Black)" $70.00

"FAVI Entertainment Wireless Keyboard (Built-in TouchPad/Laser Pointer) - Black" $26.99

"SiliconDust HDHomeRun Dual High Definition Digital Television HDHR3-US (Black)" $99.00

"Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack" $99.99

"Core I3-2120T, 2X 2.60GHZ" $128.00

"Antec EA-380D Power Supply EA-380D" $44.99

"Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DL003" $119.99

1 x ($49.99) G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2

"ASRock H67M-GE B3 Intel H67 Micro ATX DDR3 1333 Motherboard" $85.99

 

[sdifox]

So with the changes, here is the new configuration:


"SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case ML03B (Black)" $70.00

"FAVI Entertainment Wireless Keyboard (Built-in TouchPad/Laser Pointer) - Black" $26.99

"SiliconDust HDHomeRun Dual High Definition Digital Television HDHR3-US (Black)" $99.00

"Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack" $99.99

"Core I3-2120T, 2X 2.60GHZ" $128.00

"Antec EA-380D Power Supply EA-380D" $44.99

"Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DL003" $119.99

1 x ($49.99) G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2

"ASRock H67M-GE B3 Intel H67 Micro ATX DDR3 1333 Motherboard" $85.99

I would not trust the Seagate at this point, their drives have been pretty bad ever since Perpendicular Recording became the norm.

 

[TastesLikeChicken]

TastesLikeChicken, Never thought about the m-ATX m/b. Do you recommend any specific one?

I don't have any specific m/b recommendations for SB processors since I'm still using an E3400. ime, an HTPC is not processor intensive. Even with the low-end one I'm using it can still record 4 shows on the InfiniTV4 while watching another recorded program with little effort. That's why I would agree that a G530 or G540 would be more than adequate for pure HTPC duties and you would save a chunk of change in the process.

Looking at the mATX board you have selected it seems to be a solid choice. I've had a few ASRock m/bs over the years (my wifes desktop system still uses one) and have never had an issue with them.

 

[sarangm]

Another thing I am thinking about, is it worth putting in a wireless network card? How reliable is it? We do use a number of laptops, iphones, tablet, nooks on our wireless network and they all work well. I generally don't have any problem watching youtube, and I don't watch much live tv (except NFL games), so I am thinking it should work.
Any thoughts?

 

[sdifox]

Another thing I am thinking about, is it worth putting in a wireless network card? How reliable is it? We do use a number of laptops, iphones, tablet, nooks on our wireless network and they all work well. I generally don't have any problem watching youtube, and I don't watch much live tv (except NFL games), so I am thinking it should work.
Any thoughts?

if you have hardwire to the machine then use hardwire.

 

[Charlie98]

I've been working up a HTPC build with pretty much the same useage as yours, I settled on a G620 and a Gigabyte H61 board (because it has HDMI out.) The Intel graphics are pretty capable (I'm actually using the HD3000 now on my desktop to play MW2.)

I would probably try a different set of RAM, I have the Sniper in my desktop and the 'heatshield shaped like a weapon' has two prongs that stick up and catch on everything, besides being too tall to get under my 212+ cooler in the #4 slot. I picked this RAM. 1600 is overkill for that mobo, but it's interchangeable with the RAM in my desktop... in case anything goes wrong with it I can swap it out.

I would probably skip the SSD, I didn't spec one for mine, either.

 

[mikemcc]

With that case, you'll also have to be very careful with both your PSU and your optical drive, should you decide to use one. Silverstone's website has spec sheets that contain maximum sizes for your components and they really mean what they say. I can't recall what the size limit is on the PSU for that case -- maybe 140mm? Could be 150mm. If you get a PSU or optical drive that is even slightly larger than what appears on the spec sheet, they just won't fit. I had this happen to me with a PSU that had the wrong size listed in a Newegg description. It was just a tad longer but that meant I couldn't put the drive cage in so I had to exchange it for a smaller PSU. I ended up getting a Silverstone 550w which is very quiet and rock solid, but it was a PITA to have to do the swap. Also, when you are thinking about clearances, keep in mind that you need to figure in space for your cable connectors. I like Silverstone cases for HTPC, but with that small form factor, everything matters. That will be especially true for you because you are getting a very small case.

 

[sarangm]

@Chrlie98, Yeah, I dropped the SSD based on the feedback I got. I guess it's ok. I can always add it later if it becomes a problem. I have started to put it all together. The hardware is all done, WMC is installed, so far it all looks good. I still have to buy a remote control. I have a remote keyboard, but must get a remote before I put it in the rack.

@mikemcc, I am not putting in any optical drive. I have a USB DVD drive that works as needed. I am hoping to not use any media and use streaming as much as possible. But you are right. Tha case is very compact and the PSU and the optical drive share that edge, so it would be a very tight fit it I put one in.

 

[Jynxed]

I'm way late to the party. But I just wanted to chime in and say that for me a SSD is a must have in a HTPC now. I hate having any lag time on mine and I found that a SSD really shines if you use cover art heavily. If you have a movie wall for example having all the cover art on a SSD is a noticeable improvement. I also found a few other areas where it helped too.

 

[mikeford]

I'm on my third or so iteration of HTPC, and I am still fiddling around deciding how I want to to this or that.

If you can really stick to "media server" only on the HTPC, hats off to you, I started thinking that, then tried this or that, and now its a halfway game system and bound to get worse after we upgrade to a NICE big screen.

My best advice to anybody new, go to the avsforum and follow one of the suggested builds to the letter.