New HTPC Build

[chuckbrown007]

Hi All;

Here is a HTPC I am considering building/having built. Please critique and pull no punches. I'm pretty sure I will have it custom built for me, but I haven't ultimately decided yet (I may build it myself). I'm a newbie to custom builds but i'm relatively proficient with computers in general. In my other post, I asked if anyone knew if the Radeon HD 5000 series supports DD Live. This is an absolute must for this build and I'm in a holding pattern until I definitively find out! I looked at the Xonar HDAV 1.3 Slim Audio Card with onboard video, but the reviews and posts I read make is seem as though it's a finicky, software laden, incompatiblity issue, royal pain in the butt - been there don't want to go down that road again! I'm certainly open to any suggestions/advice you can give me. Presently, I use an Acer 6920G Laptop as my HTPC, and while it does mostly what I want, there have been a few issues and I'm now at the point where it makes sense to dedicate a few $$$ and get something that will be a little more convenient and user friendly. My intention is to have it connected via HDMI to my Pioneer Elite VSX 81TXV receiver. The main use will obviously be home theater but also for WMA Pro 10multichannel audio. I will not be using this for gaming at all. I will also have a 4TB WD NAS (connected via network) and 4 usb external drives of various capacities connected to it.

Thank you in advance

CB007


Antec Fusion Remote Black HTPC Case mATX 1X5.25 2X3.5INT No PS
with LCD Volume Control & Remote

ASUS P7H55-M Pro mATX H55 LGA1156 DDR3 PCI-16 PCI-E1 2PCI
SATA2 HDMI DVI VGA GBLAN Motherboard

Intel Core i3 530 Dual Core Processor Clarkdale LGA1156
2.93GHZ Hyperthreading 4MB Cache

Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9K2/4G PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB DDR3-
1333 CL9 240PIN DIMM Memory Kit

Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB SATA2 7200RPM 32MB Cache 3.5IN Hard
Drive

LG BH10LS30 Bluray Writer 10X BD-R 16X DVD-RW Lightscribe SATA

TP-Link TL-WN951N Wireless N Triple Antenna Network Adapter
Card 802.11B/G/N 2.4GHZ MIMO PCI

Powercolor Radeon HD 5670 V2 775MHZ 512MB GDDR5 4.0GHZ HDMI
DVI VGA DIRECTX11 PCI-E Video Card

Hauppauge HD-PVR High Definition Video Recorder USB H.264
MPEG4 Component Up to 1080I W/ IR Blaster

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64BIT DVD OEM

Seasonic S12II 520W EPS12V 20/24PIN ATX Power Supply Active
PFC 80+ Bronze 6+8PIN PCI-E W/ 120MM Fan

 

[GlocksRock]

If you aren't using this for gaming at all, I would reccomend saving some money by opting for the radeon 5450 over the 5670 as it will work equally well.

 

[chuckbrown007]

Thanks GlocksRock;

I've decided to scrap the video card altogether and go with a different motherboard.

CB007

 

[GlocksRock]

That's not a bad idea considering how good the integrated video is on some mobos these days.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks GlocksRock;

I've decided to scrap the video card altogether and go with a different motherboard.

CB007

Is that MoBo capable of TrueHD/DTS-HD bitstreaming via HDMI?

 

[chuckbrown007]

That's a very good question! I checked a couple reviews as well as a couple retailers and the manufacturers specs from their website and it doesn't specify if it does or doesn't - Surprise, Surprise!!! The mobo in question is the Gigabyte H55M-USB3 mATX. I only found out that it supported DD Live by a review I read on it. It uses the Realtek ALC889 codec which I know is a fairly old codec and Realtek lists DD Live as an option, and I know that the Realtek ALC892 does not support DD Live but from what I've read it may or may not support TrueHD/DTS-HD, again optional. In my case, I don't have a receiver that can decode lossless formats so it's not an issue presently...

Can anyone give me a valid reason as to why computer manufacturers in general do not publish full specs for their products? How can you make an informed decision or do comparisons if you arent' given all the required information? For someone like me who's trying to have a bit of fun and learn a new skillset, it sure makes me want to go back to my cave and buy off-the-shelf from the big box stores! That aside, I really am enjoying the reading and interacting at the various web forums where I've visited and posted - estpecially this one!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I don't have a receiver [yet] that can decode lossless formats so it's not an issue presently...

"Ahhh, but you will", says Yoda.

I would get the ATI card and not mess with the integrated video.

Like Glock says, you don't need to go all-out on the ATI card, but even a $75-$100 ATI card will be much better than most integrated cards, especially the ones where you don't even know the exact specs!

 

[chuckbrown007]

"Ahhh, but you will", says Yoda.

I would get the ATI card and not mess with the integrated video.

Like Glock says, you don't need to go all-out on the ATI card, but even a $75-$100 ATI card will be much better than most integrated cards, especially the ones where you don't even know the exact specs!

Yoda definitely doesn't know my wife - especially when there's AV equipment involved

I think I will go with the video card. With a fresh build it really does make sense.

 

[LimiterOne]

ASRock makes a kickin' 880G board that would be perfect for an HTPC.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157199

Combine that with a 54XX or 55XX ATI video card and a good 3 or 4 core CPU and you've got a great start.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102882

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103872

Peace

LO