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ToxicAnt · (This post was last modified: 2012-02-01, 01:35 by ToxicAnt.)

Hey, I put together an HTPC that I would like to share with you guys and possibly get some feedback on any of the parts (if need to replace with something else).

I printed a newegg wish list as a PDF and sharing it that way. Here's the link.
[RAM]
[PSU]

Goal for HTPC:
1) full 1080p playback.
2) HD-Audio playback (TruHD, DTS, etc..)

that's about it. wasn't sure if this build is a little too much for my goals.

eskro · 2012-01-26, 22:45

RAM and PSU are overkill

TeKo · 2012-01-26, 23:11

I prefer the Asrock A75M or the Gigabyte equivalent.
A 300-350W PSU and 4GB Ram should be enough for the money you save you can go for an A6-3500.
Also I would go for the Shuriken Rev B it fits perfectly in the case and is really silent when you use the BIOS fan control.

eskro · 2012-01-26, 23:33

getting good at it TeKo Tongue

right on!

ToxicAnt · 2012-01-26, 23:54

TeKo Wrote:I prefer the Asrock A75M or the Gigabyte equivalent.
A 300-350W PSU and 4GB Ram should be enough for the money you save you can go for an A6-3500.
Also I would go for the Shuriken Rev B it fits perfectly in the case and is really silent when you use the BIOS fan control.

Updated the list with your recommendations.
I didn't notice the change in gpu between the A4-3400 and A6-3500 until you pointed it out. what do you think of the updated list?

TeKo · 2012-01-27, 00:49

The board is not really good (no hdmi).
Go for this if you dont need DVI:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813157260
And that if you need DVI or if you want to use the front USB3 of the case because with the Asrock board you can only get USB2 for the front (was no real problem for me):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-A75M-UD2H

I dont know the PSU maybe consider the one eskro suggested in his guide.

Maybe check the Pariot Torqx 2 32 if you want to save some more I have still about 10gb left with all the stuff installed I need for a HTPC.

**Harro** · 2012-01-27, 01:29

ToxicAnt Wrote:Goal for HTPC:
1) full 1080p playback.
2) HD-Audio playback (TruHD, DTS, etc..)

that's about it. wasn't sure if this build is a little too much for my goals.

Toxic, I just finished with a build with some of the parts you are thinking about. I had a case already with a 120 PicoPSU in it and a 80 gig sata hard drive. I went with the ASRock A55M-HVS FM1 AMD A55 (Hudson D2) HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard with the A6-3000 with 4 gigs of Kingston Hyper X 1600 ram. Running Win 7-64 Home.

My thoughts so far on the performance and noise levels are that this unit rocks. After getting the bios set (ram speed, fans ,etc..) using the vga on a extra monitor laying around, I installed Win7-64 Home and got all the updates. I unplugged the monitor and set next to my 42 in. TV plugging in a hdmi to my reciever then to tv. Turned on and watched windows load perfecting on the 42 in, loaded XBMC and scanned all my content and played 2 1080 movies back to back. No problems, no stutter , just great. Now for the noise, I am using the stock heat sink and fan and so far I don't think they are too loud but I have another small fan in my case that is alot louder and will be replacing that soon. Over all I am very pleased with everything and how it runs.

ToxicAnt · 2012-01-27, 16:35

Thanks for the suggestions, I think I'm going to go with the board that Harro recommended and with the PSU TeKo mentioned that is part of eskro's guide.

Updated link.

eskro · 2012-01-27, 20:00

RAM: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Modules-1...132&sr=8-1
MOBO: http://ow.ly/1Bf6ef

ToxicAnt · 2012-01-27, 20:21

eskro Wrote:RAM: http://www.amazon.com/Kingston-Modules-1...132&sr=8-1
MOBO: http://ow.ly/1Bf6ef

I see why I would switch the ram but I'm not sure why that mobo over the one I currently have picked out. Is it the SPDIF out? Is there a noticeable difference between having the HD audio go through the HDMI and having it go through the SPDIF? Huh

not to mention it would be one less visible cable.

T800 · 2012-01-27, 20:31

ToxicAnt Wrote:I see why I would switch the ram but I'm not sure why that mobo over the one I currently have picked out. Is it the SPDIF out? Is there a noticeable difference between having the HD audio go through the HDMI and having it go through the SPDIF?

not to mention it would be one less visible cable.

You can't use SPDIF for HD audio.

TeKo · 2012-01-28, 01:45

Just your choice for +15$ you get more Audio options and USB3, thats a price I would pay for the features everyday.
7.1 sound, USB3 and some other features that you can look up on the Asrock page.

At least go for the A75M-HVS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...813157261R

+2$ for USB3 and maybe some other stuff.

**creed3020** · 2012-01-28, 18:17

ToxicAnt Wrote:I see why I would switch the ram but I'm not sure why that mobo over the one I currently have picked out. Is it the SPDIF out? Is there a noticeable difference between having the HD audio go through the HDMI and having it go through the SPDIF?

not to mention it would be one less visible cable.

Going with the RAM that eskro posted is beneficial because it is runs at a higher frequency and the performance for the Radeon within your APU is bound to the frequency of the system memory. For more info on this please read: The AMD A8-3850 Review: Llano on the Desktop. The scaling might not be identical with A6-3500 as compared to the A8-3850 but the concept is still the same.

Overall the build (v3) looks good. Excellent choice for an SSD. Make sure to get the latest firmware for the M4, more info here: Crucial Provides a Firmware Update for M4 to Fix The BSOD Issue

ToxicAnt · 2012-02-01, 01:25

TeKo Wrote:Just your choice for +15$ you get more Audio options and USB3, thats a price I would pay for the features everyday.
7.1 sound, USB3 and some other features that you can look up on the Asrock page.

At least go for the A75M-HVS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...813157261R

+2$ for USB3 and maybe some other stuff.

I'm going to cave and go with the A75M. Quick question though. On newegg it shows the following: "Memory Standard: DDR3 2400+(OC) / 1866(OC) / 1600(OC) / 1333 / 1066 / 800"

What do I need to OverClock to get those speeds?

creed3020 Wrote:Going with the RAM that eskro posted is beneficial because it is runs at a higher frequency and the performance for the Radeon within your APU is bound to the frequency of the system memory. For more info on this please read: The AMD A8-3850 Review: Llano on the Desktop. The scaling might not be identical with A6-3500 as compared to the A8-3850 but the concept is still the same.

Overall the build (v3) looks good. Excellent choice for an SSD. Make sure to get the latest firmware for the M4, more info here: Crucial Provides a Firmware Update for M4 to Fix The BSOD Issue

Thanks for the heads up, I didn't know about the Llano scaling with DDR3 speeds. I'll also update the firmware on the M4.

I'll update the link as soon as I can (just in case anyone else recommends something different).