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**Dougie Fresh** · (This post was last modified: 2012-09-12, 20:39 by Dougie Fresh.)

(2012-09-12, 18:28)bznotins Wrote: 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.

I found out last week that this isn't always true, depending on your state. I was looking at the i5-3570K/P8Z77-V LK for a customer build. Even with the $189.99 and the $50 off, I have to pay 6.25% tax on that so that added something like $20 back to the price. On Newegg, across the whole build, I found a combo deal, rebate, some coupon codes and got a promotional gift card that evened it up (except I didn't have to drive there and be limited to one combo). If I'd bought the CPU/motherboard at MicroCenter I wouldn't have been able to combo things the way that got all the good deals and I would not have been able to get 3.

Anyway, the point is to still compare the combo deals at Newegg and across the whole build (I had 3 x 2 combos per build) before heading off the MC.

I still think for the OP's mild gaming wants, G620/6670 is the sweet spot.

snowboarder33 · 2012-09-12, 21:32

Doesn't the "no 3D support" drawback of the CPU not really apply considering the addition of a capable discrete GPU?

**Dougie Fresh** · 2012-09-12, 21:35

There a thread here on Steam's Big Picture mode: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1428457/steams...cture-mode

mgude · 2012-09-12, 22:24

Trying to absorb all this good info is giving me a headache!

So, this build is my current thought:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hgv5

CPU: AMD A8-3870K 3.0GHz Quad-Core $99.00
Motherboard: ASRock A75M Micro ATX FM1 $74.99
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $37.99
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM $95.99
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC $52.99
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V $34.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) $79.99
Keyboard: IOGEAR GKM561R w/Trackball $35.00

total: $510.94

Will it work as I have it?
Will it maybe play some games as-is, then I could get a video card later?
What do you think?

I have to say, I am not totally confident in my ability to make this work. I have built a few PCs, but this XMBC stuff is sounding a little complex. I am starting to think about keeping Steam and my games on my PC and going with a mostly prebuilt system from Dougie Fresh instead.

bluray · 2012-09-12, 22:39

(2012-09-12, 18:15)mgude Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 18:13)bznotins Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 18:09)mgude Wrote: 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.

How about Fry's Electronics....it's very similar to Microcenter

mgude · 2012-09-12, 22:41

(2012-09-12, 22:39)bluray Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 18:15)mgude Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 18:13)bznotins Wrote: 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.
How about Fry's Electronics....it's very similar to Microcenter

Nope. Central Iowa. GO CYCLONES!

onizuka · 2012-09-12, 22:49

Wait for Trinity if you go AMD.

Arkitket · 2012-09-12, 23:32

I agree to wait for trinity, but if you want to do any amount of decent gaming in the future, or even play current popular games like Skyrim, the iGPU in an Intel CPU or the APU in an AMD CPU will never match a discrete GPU. By adding a discrete GPU and making the iGPU/APU irrelevant I would choose Intel in the end for raw processing power.

bluray · (This post was last modified: 2012-09-13, 03:34 by bluray.)

(2012-09-12, 22:24)mgude Wrote: Trying to absorb all this good info is giving me a headache!

So, this build is my current thought:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hgv5

CPU: AMD A8-3870K 3.0GHz Quad-Core $99.00
Motherboard: ASRock A75M Micro ATX FM1 $74.99
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $37.99
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM $95.99
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC $52.99
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V $34.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) $79.99
Keyboard: IOGEAR GKM561R w/Trackball $35.00

total: $510.94

Will it work as I have it?
Will it maybe play some games as-is, then I could get a video card later?
What do you think?

I have to say, I am not totally confident in my ability to make this work. I have built a few PCs, but this XMBC stuff is sounding a little complex. I am starting to think about keeping Steam and my games on my PC and going with a mostly prebuilt system from Dougie Fresh instead.

If you are not comfortable building it yourself, you can buy this "H520s Desktop Computer + HIS Silence H657HJ1G Radeon HD 6570 1GB". It's a fully loaded small form factor PC. The case is smaller than ML03B case in your list. You'll end up with a very powerful Intel i5 and AMD HD6570 HTPC, and it is about the same price as what you listed above.......it'll be ready for XBMC out of the box....

**bznotins** · 2012-09-13, 13:58

The A8 is great if you don't plan to add another vidcard but still want to game. But if the future most likely includes a dedicated GPU, then I would seriously go with an i3 IB or SB CPU. Lower thermals (equals less cooling and noise), better performance.

mgude · 2012-09-13, 16:30

(2012-09-13, 00:02)bluray Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 22:24)mgude Wrote: Trying to absorb all this good info is giving me a headache!

So, this build is my current thought:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hgv5

CPU: AMD A8-3870K 3.0GHz Quad-Core $99.00
Motherboard: ASRock A75M Micro ATX FM1 $74.99
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $37.99
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM $95.99
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC $52.99
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V $34.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) $79.99
Keyboard: IOGEAR GKM561R w/Trackball $35.00

total: $510.94

Will it work as I have it?
Will it maybe play some games as-is, then I could get a video card later?
What do you think?

I have to say, I am not totally confident in my ability to make this work. I have built a few PCs, but this XMBC stuff is sounding a little complex. I am starting to think about keeping Steam and my games on my PC and going with a mostly prebuilt system from Dougie Fresh instead.
If you are not comfortable building it yourself, you can buy this "H520s Desktop Computer + HIS Silence H657HJ1G Radeon HD 6570 1GB". It's a fully loaded small form factor PC. The case is smaller than ML03B case in your list. You'll end up with a very powerful Intel i5 and AMD HD6570 HTPC, and it is about the same price as what you listed above.......it'll be ready for XBMC out of the box....

This looks like a good deal to me. I know there are advantages to DIY, but I think it's just easier sometimes to buy it already built. Seems like every time I've built my own PC, I've ended up frustrated because I am missing a cable, or I ordered the wrong part. What is Lenovo's support like in case I run into a problem?

I see this only has 4gb ram (1x 4gb). It has 2 slots, so can I just order any 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 and slap it in there to get to 8gb?

I am also probably going to get it up & running XBMC as-is and add a video card later. That should work, right?

bluray · (This post was last modified: 2012-09-13, 18:05 by bluray.)

(2012-09-13, 16:30)mgude Wrote:
(2012-09-13, 00:02)bluray Wrote:
(2012-09-12, 22:24)mgude Wrote: Trying to absorb all this good info is giving me a headache!

So, this build is my current thought:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hgv5

CPU: AMD A8-3870K 3.0GHz Quad-Core $99.00
Motherboard: ASRock A75M Micro ATX FM1 $74.99
Memory: Mushkin Essentials 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 $37.99
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM $95.99
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC $52.99
Power Supply: Corsair 500W ATX12V $34.99
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (32-bit) $79.99
Keyboard: IOGEAR GKM561R w/Trackball $35.00

total: $510.94

Will it work as I have it?
Will it maybe play some games as-is, then I could get a video card later?
What do you think?

I have to say, I am not totally confident in my ability to make this work. I have built a few PCs, but this XMBC stuff is sounding a little complex. I am starting to think about keeping Steam and my games on my PC and going with a mostly prebuilt system from Dougie Fresh instead.
If you are not comfortable building it yourself, you can buy this "H520s Desktop Computer + HIS Silence H657HJ1G Radeon HD 6570 1GB". It's a fully loaded small form factor PC. The case is smaller than ML03B case in your list. You'll end up with a very powerful Intel i5 and AMD HD6570 HTPC, and it is about the same price as what you listed above.......it'll be ready for XBMC out of the box....

This looks like a good deal to me. I know there are advantages to DIY, but I think it's just easier sometimes to buy it already built. Seems like every time I've built my own PC, I've ended up frustrated because I am missing a cable, or I ordered the wrong part.

DIY can be frustrate sometime, but it is part of DIY processes. Sometime, it is not cheaper than pre-built either. To me, it is more of a hobby. It's similar to car or landscape hobbies. It's cheaper to buy fruit than growing your own fruit.....

(2012-09-13, 16:30)mgude Wrote: What is Lenovo's support like in case I run into a problem?

It's very similar to other major manufactures.....

(2012-09-13, 16:30)mgude Wrote: I see this only has 4gb ram (1x 4gb). It has 2 slots, so can I just order any 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 and slap it in there to get to 8gb?

4GB of RAM is plenty for HTPC purpose. You can always add the other 4GB later....

(2012-09-13, 16:30)mgude Wrote: I am also probably going to get it up & running XBMC as-is and add a video card later. That should work, right?

Intel HD iGPU is more than capable to handle blu-ray 1080P video and HD audio. You can always add a discrete GPU later.....