HTPC Build Part 1: The Stuff

[Rowdy S13]

4 gigs is plenty for htpc, even win7 based but since you like to spend more than needed - get a 2nd 4gig stick - you might 1% benefit of running memory in dual-channel mode

Man, if that's what you say about his build what do you say about mine

Sean

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Do you have to run both slots or can you install just the one? I'm actually gonna stick with four...for now... And just want to know if I can have just the one 4gig module or if I need the two 2gig modules.

Ether way is fine Chris, I'd go with the cheaper option. Value (Kingston/Micron/Corsair) Series 1600 DDR3 and be done with it, but you should specifically look for low timing modules with demand for high voltage which will give lots of POWAH (if you are an hardcore overclocker and know what you doing)

Going back to my real answer - cheap DDR3 1600 Mhz will do just fine in ether 2x2 or 4x1 setups
like this one: Mushkin Enhanced Essentials 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model 992030 - Newegg.com

Do notice how I picked up a cheaper, yet faster ram but to be hones the difference would less than minimal in a htpc

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Man, if that's what you say about his build what do you say about mine
Sean

Shhhh, Don't tell anyone Sean, but I am running 32gb of ram on what I am using as a (almost) simple nas - but most of the parts for that build (except case and few extras of-course) were extras ... ... simply lying around at the office ....

I promise....

 

[aberkowitz]

Shhhh, Don't tell anyone Sean, but I am running 32gb of ram on what I am using as a (almost) simple nas - but most of the parts for that build (except case and few extras of-course) were extras ... ... simply lying around at the office ....

I promise....

LOL- does it make breakfast and shine your shoes too???

 

[itschris]

LOL- does it make breakfast and shine your shoes too???

I don't know how long you guys have around, but in college I had a computer company and we built pc's for students. Our beast of a machine was a 486DX 33mhz machine with 4 MEGS of RAM and a 80MEG HD. It's just crazy where we're at now.

At the office I have some dual CPU machine with 32 gigs as well and three 28" monitors. One of my models that I run used to take about 20 minutes to run on my old macine. On this newer one I got about a year ago it takes about 3minutes. I wish I could stay more up to date on the technology. It took two weeks for me just understand the i3 chip variations and motherboard configurations. The only thing I'm nervous about is installing the CPU. Back in the day, the MBs always came with the CPU installed and there weren't heat sinks and coolers and all that. Hopefully I don't break my CPU.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

CPUs no longer have pins - just balls array - you can't break it BUT what you could break if not careful CPU socket on the motherboard
There - feel better now ?

btw: My first pc was 80286 with 1mb ram of ram, video card with 256k of video ram - and no HD at all - later on upgraded to 100 Meg hd - I remember visiting friends which had pcs with the first soundblaster - it was simply amazing hearing games like Wolfenstein with soundblaster

There was a story I heard few years ago from IT guy whom worked at hedge funds industry. So one trader's workstation has 12 monitors and he requested to have a dedicated TV. IT guy suggested to add one more monitor and play TV there. The trader said - "So I would have a 13 monitors??? That's just crazy !"

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

LOL- does it make breakfast and shine your shoes too???

besides servicing storage it runs Sabnzbd and Sickbeard..

 

[itschris]

CPUs no longer have pins - just balls array - you can't break it BUT what you could break if not careful CPU socket on the motherboard
There - feel better now ?

btw: My first pc was 80286 with 1mb ram of ram, video card with 256k of video ram - and no HD at all - later on upgraded to 100 Meg hd - I remember visiting friends which had pcs with the first soundblaster - it was simply amazing hearing games like Wolfenstein with soundblaster

There was a story I heard few years ago from IT guy whom worked at hedge funds industry. So one trader's workstation has 12 monitors and he requested to have a dedicated TV. IT guy suggested to add one more monitor and play TV there. The trader said - "So I would have a 13 monitors??? That's just crazy !"

I had a 386sx 40mhz. I was a God when I got an 8 bit sound blaster. I could never get the COM and interrupt requests to not conflict with the modem... So it was one or the other and I literally had to swap cards. It was worth it....I spent hours playing Wolfenstein and the original Duke Nukem. That was around 90 or 92 when I graduated. Awesome times!!!

 

[aberkowitz]

I had a 386sx 40mhz. I was a God when I got an 8 bit sound blaster. I could never get the COM and interrupt requests to not conflict with the modem... So it was one or the other and I literally had to swap cards. It was worth it....I spent hours playing Wolfenstein and the original Duke Nukem. That was around 90 or 92 when I graduated. Awesome times!!!

My first computer was an Apple IIc- 128k of RAM, no hard drive, just a built-in 5.25" floppy drive. Used it primarily to play games and taught myself how to code BASIC- I was 5 years old.

First PC came later- 486 52mhz (or 56mhz), we bought it right around the time they started mass releasing the pentium chip, so it was a better deal. Came with a 2400 baud modem- still remember the Hanukkah where I received a 28.8k modem... Much better for downloading porn . This was '93, so DOOM was the popular game. Hours were spent scouring bulletin boards to find unlocked versions or shareware keys.

i took that thing apart so many times that eventually I stripped most of the screws.

 

[jinjuku]

If we are doing the way back machine:

Atari 800XL with the upgrade to 1050 floppy drive and 300 baud modem (then 1200 whoo hoo a 4X increase in speed). That was 84. In 87 it was an Amiga. My experience with Commodore Amiga will most likely never be replicated. That was truly a unique and mind bending time in computing.

 

[itschris]

My first computer was an Apple IIc- 128k of RAM, no hard drive, just a built-in 5.25" floppy drive. Used it primarily to play games and taught myself how to code BASIC- I was 5 years old.

First PC came later- 486 52mhz (or 56mhz), we bought it right around the time they started mass releasing the pentium chip, so it was a better deal. Came with a 2400 baud modem- still remember the Hanukkah where I received a 28.8k modem... Much better for downloading porn . This was '93, so DOOM was the popular game. Hours were spent scouring bulletin boards to find unlocked versions or shareware keys.

i took that thing apart so many times that eventually I stripped most of the screws.

youre tight...it was DOOM!!! Duke Nukem came a couple years later. I was just explaining what BBS's were to my daughter. My favorite was The Coffee Shop BBS. I used to download all sorts of crap from there using the zmodem protocol on my 14.4 modem. Ha! talk about porn... I remember using a Program called FreeAgent to lace together the pieces of a picture you'd download from UseNet which wasn't the web. Remember when the internet used to be separate pieces? In 90-92, the web barely around and the least known and popular parts by the people who even knew what the internet was anyway!

 

[aberkowitz]

youre tight...it was DOOM!!! Duke Nukem came a couple years later. I was just explaining what BBS's were to my daughter. My favorite was The Coffee Shop BBS. I used to download all sorts of crap from there using the zmodem protocol on my 14.4 modem. Ha! talk about porn... I remember using a Program called FreeAgent to lace together the pieces of a picture you'd download from UseNet which wasn't the web. Remember when the internet used to be separate pieces? In 90-92, the web barely around and the least known and popular parts by the people who even knew what the internet was anyway!

I remember the Coffee Shop. I also remember running up phone bills because I would dial into a BBS that wasn't a local number (my parents had free "local" calling from Bell Atlantic). Had to limit my usage after the first $100+ Bill. I also remember split files- not sure which program I used to stitch together.

I became a huge IRC fan using mIRC to access porn and games. There was some messed up stuff out there- i don't even want to mention some of the channels I remember seeing. It was completely disgusting, and pretty wide out in the open too compared to the darknet today.

 

[itschris]

Well... I've been thinking about this stuff and I think I decided to abandon Windows and go with OpenElec. The reality is, I'm never going to use this box for anything else. I dream about having this vast array of stuff and options at my disposal, but the truth is, I only use half of what's available anyway. I don't realistically see myself turning the HTPC on and switching out of XMBC to Windows then opening up Excel or something like that or anything else for that matter. I have other options for that anyway.

So... with that in mind... is there anything that substantially changes with the build (parts on page 1)?

PS - @BoredSysAdmin - okay you win. You didn't quite have me at hello, but you swayed me.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

yea, everything
I say go with my original suggestion here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/home-theater-pc-htpc-media-servers/86946-my-htpc-build-have-questions.html#post1004960

Now you would even get free IR remote with receiver.

A) You'd save tons of money b) You would NOT risk a lot if this doesn't work right c) If it does work - you'd get a tiny silent box which everything

If you want to go really crazy - get 4gb memory and a SSD, but imo these will not affect performance hugely

 

[jinjuku]

yea, everything
I say go with my original suggestion here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/home-theater-pc-htpc-media-servers/86946-my-htpc-build-have-questions.html#post1004960

Now you would even get free IR remote with receiver.

A) You'd save tons of money b) You would NOT risk a lot if this doesn't work right c) If it does work - you'd get a tiny silent box which everything

If you want to go really crazy - get 4gb memory and a SSD, but imo these will not affect performance hugely

++ That. I love those small form factor boxes. One is my SMB/CUPS server.

 

[itschris]

yea, everything
I say go with my original suggestion here:
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/home-theater-pc-htpc-media-servers/86946-my-htpc-build-have-questions.html#post1004960

Now you would even get free IR remote with receiver.

A) You'd save tons of money b) You would NOT risk a lot if this doesn't work right c) If it does work - you'd get a tiny silent box which everything

If you want to go really crazy - get 4gb memory and a SSD, but imo these will not affect performance hugely

Well... I already ordered the m/b and CPU. I'm okay with that. So it's gross overkill, but oh well... I can always repurpose it at some other time. I like the case simply for asthetics.

So how bout this...

1) Kill the CPU Cooler
2) Kill the 8 gig of RAM obsession (go with 2x2mb)
3) Smaller SSD (what size do you think makes sense?)
4) Kill extra BD drive... I guess there's no point in any optical drive in this machine at all.

 

[jinjuku]

Well... I already ordered the m/b and CPU. I'm okay with that. So it's gross overkill, but oh well... I can always repurpose it at some other time. I like the case simply for asthetics.

So how bout this...

1) Kill the CPU Cooler
2) Kill the 8 gig of RAM obsession (go with 2x2mb)
3) Smaller SSD (what size do you think makes sense?)
4) Kill extra BD drive... I guess there's no point in any optical drive in this machine at all.

2GB RAM
60GB SSD is fine
No need for a BD if the machine that is doing the rips has one. I went with an external USB 3.0 BD drive (Asus) on a sick $20 after rebate deal.

 

[panteragstk]

In all honesty I'd go to the openelec site and check out some of their builds. You really don't need much.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

Well... I already ordered the m/b and CPU. I'm okay with that. So it's gross overkill, but oh well... I can always repurpose it at some other time. I like the case simply for asthetics.

Can't return back to store?

but your question: 2gb ram is fine. 32gb ssd would be enough. Stock cooler is fine. no need for bd drive - you'll be doing rips elsewhere

 

[jinjuku]

Can't return back to store?

but your question: 2gb ram is fine. 32gb ssd would be enough. Stock cooler is fine. no need for bd drive - you'll be doing rips elsewhere

I don't often see 32gb SSD's that are significant in cost savings over ~60GB models. Still waiting for them to routinely break the $0.50 /GB barrier. I would love to see 32GB SSD's for $15 routinely.