[mgude]

Hi all. I am new to the forum and I have an unusual build to do.

I have always wanted to have an HTPC, but have never had the time or money to do it. What lead me here now was Valve's announcement of "The Big Picture" mode for Steam (more details here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFrL6-OhN94)

So, I need a dedicated PC connected to my TV and if I am doing that, I might as well have a great HTPC along with it.

So, for now, my requirements are:
* mid-range gaming capable : Minecraft, Counsterstrike and TeamFortress2 come to mind
* XBMC capable (I think I fall into eskro's group #5)
* HDMI
* play SD movies (DivX, XviD)
* play 720P movies
* play 1080P movies
* stream 1080P Hulu content
* stream 1080P Netflix movies (Windows only)
* Runs Windows 7 (for steam)
* Less than $600 (not including SSD. I have a spare)
* USB 3.0 (for external media drive(s)
* upgradeable for the near future

Form factor is NOT an issue. Noise is NOT an issue. The PC will be separated from the viewing room by a wall. This can be a full tower if needed! BLUray and DVD are also not an issue as this will run side-by-side with a PS3, and I can rip content elsewhere.

So, my main concerns are getting the right CPU with enough guts to decompress movies, and getting a video card (I am assuming dedicated GPU) that is good for games AND video.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[Stewge]

The sub-$600 tag will likely hurt your ability to create a good gaming box.
However, given the games you've listed, I would consider those "low-end" games. The other thing, those are 3 games I would definitely NOT be playing with a controller (Minecraft may not be bad, but CS and TF2 would be horrible given their competitive nature). I'm guessing you intend for it to be more of a media box with gaming as a possibility?

For < $600 I'd be looking at:
-Low end 3rd gen i5 (3470/3570)
-Z77 motherboard (something like an ASRock Z77 Pro3)
-8GB (2x4GB) 1600mhz DDR3(RAM is so damn cheap now there's no point going any less)
-Whatever case you choose. Low end coolermasters are very capable and conservative (just in case it ends up in the TV room)
-450+ PSU (bit of growing room for a mid-end GFX card later on)
-Stick with integrated graphics for now. The HD3000 can handle those games and video playback. You'll only sell yourself short attempting to get a decent graphics card in that budget. You can then stick a beefier GFX card in when funds permit.

I'm in Australia however, and while the dollar is similar, gear in the US tends to be a bit cheaper. I can build from the parts listed for a bit less that $500, throw a 7200rpm 2TB drive in actual game storage (SSD will get filled very fast) and you're at $600.
As a comparison, my gaming/media PC came in at more that $1200 in parts.

[Dougie Fresh]

According to Anandtech anyway, even the HD4000 can't compare to the GPU in the Llano APUs for Minecraft: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5771/the-i...-review/17

"Our test here is pretty simple: we're looking at lush forest after the world finishes loading. In spite of a lack of any kind of shader workload for Ivy Bridge, it's still struggling here. On the one hand this is the single biggest gain over Sandy Bridge we've seen in any of our tests, with Ivy Bridge improving on its predecessor by an incredible 130%, and at the same time it's still only competitive with the entry-level discrete GPUs. Worse, for all of its gains, Ivy Bridge is still only achieving a mere 30% of the performance of Llano here."

Of course, they don't say WHICH Llano processor it's only getting a mere 30% of.

No integrated GPU is going to compare to a discrete GPU (except maybe the lower end ones you would not use for any game anyway). A potent budget gaming combination is something like a G620 with an HD6670 card.

[Jetster]

Yes go with the AMD A8-3870K. But keep in mind they run hot so have a case with good quiet airflow. Silverstone maybe

[bznotins]

For $619 this rig will blow the doors off the integrated GPU of the A8 for gaming. And it will handle playback of all 1080p content with ease:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.51 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($102.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $618.00
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-12 09:03 EDT-0400)

Linked.

With a bit more effort we could probably get it below $600. If you have a Microcenter nearby, they're well-known for having smoking CPU/mobo combo deals.

ETA: I see you don't even need a BD/DVD drive. So that would save $50 there to get you below $600. And you could even put a bit more into the vidcard.

[bluray]

Of course, they don't say WHICH Llano processor it's only getting a mere 30% of.

It is clearly stated in the link you posted......



To OP- if you are not in a hurry, you can have a very nice 65w A8/A10 APU for gaming in couple weeks- Benchmark Results: World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm.....

[mgude]

For $619 this rig will blow the doors off the integrated GPU of the A8 for gaming. And it will handle playback of all 1080p content with ease:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.51 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($102.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $618.00
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-12 09:03 EDT-0400)

Linked.

With a bit more effort we could probably get it below $600. If you have a Microcenter nearby, they're well-known for having smoking CPU/mobo combo deals.

ETA: I see you don't even need a BD/DVD drive. So that would save $50 there to get you below $600. And you could even put a bit more into the vidcard.

Looks good. Am I missing the case?

[bznotins]

Looks good. Am I missing the case?

Agh, yeah. Missed that. Use the BDROM $ for the case... They can run from super-cheap to super-expensive depending on what you want.

Are you in the US, and do you have a Microcenter nearby?

[mgude]

Looks good. Am I missing the case?

Agh, yeah. Missed that. Use the BDROM $ for the case... They can run from super-cheap to super-expensive depending on what you want.

Are you in the US, and do you have a Microcenter nearby?

I am in the US, but no Microcenter near me. Are they really that cheap? Seems like any brick & mortar store would have trouble competing with online these days.

[bznotins]

I am in the US, but no Microcenter near me. Are they really that cheap? Seems like any brick & mortar store would have trouble competing with online these days.

I think they have revealing photos of the Intel CEO in some embarassing situation because their mobo/CPU combo deals are light years ahead of NewEgg's.

Also decent case pricing.

Let me know if you need help with the case, but mostly it boils down to price and aesthetics.

[Arkitket]

For $619 this rig will blow the doors off the integrated GPU of the A8 for gaming. And it will handle playback of all 1080p content with ease:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/heVb/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($111.51 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($102.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7770 1GB Video Card ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $618.00
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-12 09:03 EDT-0400)

Linked.

With a bit more effort we could probably get it below $600. If you have a Microcenter nearby, they're well-known for having smoking CPU/mobo combo deals.

ETA: I see you don't even need a BD/DVD drive. So that would save $50 there to get you below $600. And you could even put a bit more into the vidcard.

Save some more money and drop the CPU to a G2120. I would also change the motherboard to a H77, the Z77 is unneeded because the CPU is not overclockable. I'd recommend a ASRock H77 Pro4, or if he gets/has a mATX case: the ASRock H77 Pro4-M or H77M

[bznotins]

Save some more money and drop the CPU to a G2120. I would also change the motherboard to a H77, the Z77 is unneeded because the CPU is not overclockable. I'd recommend a ASRock H77 Pro4, or if he gets/has a mATX case: the ASRock H77 Pro4-M or H77M

Both good points. The drawbacks of the 2120 are a lack of Hyperthreading, QuickSync, and 3D support. Personally, those would be worth the extra couple bucks for a gaming rig (not for a pure HTPC though).

Overclocking on the Z77 provides the option going forward, but otherwise the H77 is fine.

[Arkitket]

Hyperthreading and 3D support I can see, but as it stands now QuickSync is not all that great IMHO.

The problem that I have for the Z77 is that there really is no 'going forward'. If he builds the rig now he most likely won't be upgrading the CPU for at least a year, at which point the Haswell CPU's will be out with the LGA 1150 socket. If he gets the Z77 now, and plans on throwing in an K series later to overclock, why not just spend the extra $100 now and get an i5-3570K?

[bznotins]

Hyperthreading and 3D support I can see, but as it stands now QuickSync is not all that great IMHO.

The problem that I have for the Z77 is that there really is no 'going forward'. If he builds the rig now he most likely won't be upgrading the CPU for at least a year, at which point the Haswell CPU's will be out with the LGA 1150 socket. If he gets the Z77 now, and plans on throwing in an K series later to overclock, why not just spend the extra $100 now and get an i5-3570K?

Yup, H77 makes sense here. Although the savings aren't huge.

[Arkitket]

Hyperthreading and 3D support I can see, but as it stands now QuickSync is not all that great IMHO.

The problem that I have for the Z77 is that there really is no 'going forward'. If he builds the rig now he most likely won't be upgrading the CPU for at least a year, at which point the Haswell CPU's will be out with the LGA 1150 socket. If he gets the Z77 now, and plans on throwing in an K series later to overclock, why not just spend the extra $100 now and get an i5-3570K?

Yup, H77 makes sense here. Although the savings aren't huge.

Well I guess it all depends on what he needs on the board, and the size of the board (ATX/mATX). The ASRock H77M is ~$70.. Since he is making a hybrid unit here, he can take the savings from the board and put it into a better GPU.