[BigTomUK]

Hi,

For the past few days I have been reading the forums trying to work out the best spec is for my HTPC. I have to start by saying thank you to eskro for his very detailed threads

I decided from the start that I wanted to be in group 7. Now my plan is to have the HTPC connected to an AV receiver which in turn would be connected to my TV. My current spec that I am thinking of using is:-

[MOBO] Asus F1A75-I DELUXE, AMD A75, FM1, DDR3, SATA III - 6Gb/s, SATA RAID, PCIe 2.0 (x16), DP/ DVI-D/ HDMI, Mini ITX
[CPU] AMD A8 3850, S FM1, Lynx Core, Quad Core 2.9GHz, GPU AMD Radeon HD 6550D 600MHz, 100W, Retail
[CPU COOLER]
[RAM] Crucial 8GB Kit (4GBx2), Ballistix 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-12800 memory module
[HD] 60GB Intel 520 Series, 2.5" SSD, SATA III - 6Gb/s, MLC-Flash, Write 475MB/s, 23000 IOPS, Retail
[CASE]
[PSU]
[OPTICAL DRIVE]
[OS] Windows 7 x64 Ultimate

Now as you can see I have a few blanks. I am really unsure as to what case I should get, once I have decided I can then pick any case fans/cpu coolers/PSU's.

I really like the look of the Wesena E5 Case. My only worry then is the PSU. Should I use the Flex PSU? Is it energy efficient? Is it quiet? Is it realiable? I don't really want a huge case but at the same time I don't want the system to get too hot. As I am in the UK some of the cases listed in the thread can be quite hard to source.

The other option might be the Moneual Moncaso 312 Black HTPC Case. It is a bit pricey but in my opinion it looks very nice and would fit in with my other kit.

EDIT: Forgot the optical drive, this will also depend on the case but I would be getting a Blu-Ray reader.

[eskro]

hi there, unless someone uses the Wesena E5 Case,
we wont be able to tell you if its PSU is energy efficient. quiet & realiable...

[BigTomUK]

Quick updated spec, just about to order. Is there anything I have missed/should add?

[MOBO] Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) mATX
[CPU] Intel Core i3-2120
[CPU COOLER] Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev.B Low Profile CPU Cooler, SCBSK-2100
[RAM] Corsair Vengeance Gold 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9G)
[GPU] Asus HD 6450 SILENT EDITION 1024MB GDDR3 Low Profile PCI-Express Graphics Card
[HD] Intel 520 Series 60GB 2.5" SATA-3 Solid State Hard Drive
[CASE] Black Wesena E6 HTPC case
[PSU] 530W PSU, Be Quiet Pure Power L8 BN181, Modular, 88% Eff', 80 PLUS Bronze, SLI/CrossFire, EPS 12V, Quiet Fan, ATX v2.31
[OPTICAL DRIVE] Samsung SH-B123L/RSBP 12x BluRay ROM / DVDRW DL & RAM Lightscribe SATA-II Optical Drive - Black (Retail)
[OS] Windows 7 x64 Ultimate

Does anyone know if the fans in the E6 case are efficient or if replacing them will provide any benefits?

[eskro]

i3-2105 uses HD3000 graphics too,
and might cost a little less....

change your ram, heatsinks too high,
will interfere with SCYTHE cooler...

[BigTomUK]

i3-2105 uses HD3000 graphics too,
and might cost a little less....

change your ram, heatsinks too high,
will interfere with SCYTHE cooler...

Thank you, The RAM has been replaced with

Corsair Vengeance Blue Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9B)

My only problem with using the Intel CPU is the 23.976fps bug. From reading various threads/posts it was suggested to either go AMD or to add an ATI/NVIDIA graphics card?

[eskro]

well no 23.976fps bug for you as you plan to buy a Asus HD 6450 SILENT. good choice!

and, u dont need 8GB of ram,,, 2x2GB is more then enough...

[BigTomUK]

well no 23.976fps bug for you as you plan to buy a Asus HD 6450 SILENT. good choice!

and, u dont need 8GB of ram,,, 2x2GB is more then enough...

Thank you eskro. Much appreciated!

[eskro]

FTW BigTomUK!!

[apex82]

Why did you switch from AMD A8 to the i3?

[eskro]

A8 rocks!!

[BigTomUK]

Ok, to cut a long story short all my parts arrived however there are some major issues.

I changed the graphics card to a 6570 "low profile" due to the price difference being £5. It turns out that the graphics card isn't low profile and sits too high for the case (heatsinks on the card touch the top of the case) so it is having to be sent back.

I also got a different Blu-ray drive, I went for the Pioneer BDR-207DBK in the end as again the price difference was very small and I was worried that the Samsung button would not work with the case. Unfortunately it is 18cm long and I can't fit the SATA power/data connectors between that and the heatsink/fan.

The graphics card will be sent back tomorrow and the Blu-ray drive is being sold to a friend. Not really massive issues as I don't lose out on anything but it means more time to wait for replacement parts.

[bluray]

@BigTomUK-
You don't have to wait for a new discrete GPU and blu-ray drive. You can complete the installed with an iGPU. You should be able to playback everything with an iGPU.....

[BigTomUK]

@BigTomUK-
You don't have to wait for a new discrete GPU and blu-ray drive. You can complete the installed with an iGPU. You should be able to playback everything with an iGPU.....

I would love to do that but my OCD would kick in and it would annoy me heh. I didn't mind waiting as I knew the new parts would fit.

Friday morning a few parcels were there waiting for me, my 6670 low profile was there, the Sony Blu-ray writer and an upside down right angled sata connector was there





There is still cable tidying to do and one of the 80mm fans is broken (sounds like the bearings are out of alignment) which is a shame. It does however give me an excuse to find a decent replacement

Windows 7 Ultimate went on and I was amazed at how quick it boots up without changing any config/bios settings. Temperatures were good, CPU was at 35 degrees. I can't wait to see what it is like once I have time to configure it today. Then hopefully a stress test to make sure the temps are ok

[Beer40oz]

Cool cooler.... the A8 or A6 would of played no problems with no GPU....
Hope you get it all sort out soon and start enjoying some vids.

[eskro]

fantastic!