2012-01-20, 00:34
Hey guys,
Stumbled on this forum a couple days ago and have spent alot of time going through the material. Great job by all, especially eskro who it is obvious has put in alot of effort.
I'm looking for an HTPC to stream websites (among other things) as my PS3 isn't cutting it. Many of the sites I want to watch are incompatible with the PS3 browser and I've had enough. Mainly will be HD streaming of sports using sites like tsn.ca, rogers on demand, mlb.com, nhl.com, etc.
I've worked through the options and material provided and I'm specifically looking at putting together something based on eskro's build of [Micro-ATX] A8-3850: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=114890
My build will look something like this (with prices based on Canadian sites I've found):
[CPU+iGPU] AMD A8-3850 4x2.9GHz HD6550D FM1 100W - $140
[MOBO] ASRock A75M FM1 CIR USB3.0 SATAIII UEFI microATX - $80 + $10
[CASE] Silverstone ML03B microATX - $65
[PSU] Seasonic SS-400ET 80+ Bronze 400W ATX12V - $50
[SSD] Patriot Torqx-2 2.5" 32GB - $45
[RAM] Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600 - $55 -$10 rebate
[REMOTE] Lenovo Enhanced Multimedia Remote - $32 after coupon
[OS] Probably Windows 7
[FAN/Cooler] ?
[HDD] 3.5" 250GB - already have it - will replace to 2TB+ later in the year when prices come down
[WIRELESS] May add later if needed
[OPTICAL] May add later if needed
Questions/Concerns I have:
1) What should I be looking at in terms of a fan/cooler combination?
2) Is there a problem with going 2x4GB RAM instead of 2x2GB? Looks like the difference is less than $20 so I thought it might be worth it (to help future-proof the system).
3) Will 32GB SSD be big enough (running Windows 7)? Will I be sorry I didn't drop the extra coin for 64GB? It is roughly $65 more from what I could tell.
4) Relating to the actual build of the system: I don't have any experience with this so I am wondering about the front USB3.0 ports on the Silverstone case: Will these be simple to connect? Do I need to buy extra cables or will the necessary connectors come with the motherboard/case?
Any other comments/suggestions are welcome. Thanks again..
Stumbled on this forum a couple days ago and have spent alot of time going through the material. Great job by all, especially eskro who it is obvious has put in alot of effort.
I'm looking for an HTPC to stream websites (among other things) as my PS3 isn't cutting it. Many of the sites I want to watch are incompatible with the PS3 browser and I've had enough. Mainly will be HD streaming of sports using sites like tsn.ca, rogers on demand, mlb.com, nhl.com, etc.
I've worked through the options and material provided and I'm specifically looking at putting together something based on eskro's build of [Micro-ATX] A8-3850: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=114890
My build will look something like this (with prices based on Canadian sites I've found):
[CPU+iGPU] AMD A8-3850 4x2.9GHz HD6550D FM1 100W - $140
[MOBO] ASRock A75M FM1 CIR USB3.0 SATAIII UEFI microATX - $80 + $10
[CASE] Silverstone ML03B microATX - $65
[PSU] Seasonic SS-400ET 80+ Bronze 400W ATX12V - $50
[SSD] Patriot Torqx-2 2.5" 32GB - $45
[RAM] Corsair Vengeance 2x4GB DDR3 1600 - $55 -$10 rebate
[REMOTE] Lenovo Enhanced Multimedia Remote - $32 after coupon
[OS] Probably Windows 7
[FAN/Cooler] ?
[HDD] 3.5" 250GB - already have it - will replace to 2TB+ later in the year when prices come down
[WIRELESS] May add later if needed
[OPTICAL] May add later if needed
Questions/Concerns I have:
1) What should I be looking at in terms of a fan/cooler combination?
2) Is there a problem with going 2x4GB RAM instead of 2x2GB? Looks like the difference is less than $20 so I thought it might be worth it (to help future-proof the system).
3) Will 32GB SSD be big enough (running Windows 7)? Will I be sorry I didn't drop the extra coin for 64GB? It is roughly $65 more from what I could tell.
4) Relating to the actual build of the system: I don't have any experience with this so I am wondering about the front USB3.0 ports on the Silverstone case: Will these be simple to connect? Do I need to buy extra cables or will the necessary connectors come with the motherboard/case?
Any other comments/suggestions are welcome. Thanks again..