[flyhigh123]

hi guys! New here and i'm looking to build a HTPC/XBMC.

My wish list is to be able to watch 3D movies, handle all video file types, VideoCard/GPU that is decent for light gaming ( nothing hardcore), small form factor

I would prefer to be able to power on with a remote like a harmony.

Can this boot straight into XBMC?

Everything else in Build #5 or #3 seems to cover my needs. Is there like a small video card or an upgrade I can do? I have about 13 inches wide by 4 inches High of space.

Thanks!

[toliver192]

does the heatsinc and fan that comes with the Intel Core i3-3225 actually fit in the case suggested?

[LOTL]

Thanks Eskro for the nudge in the right direction. Here is the build i just ordered the parts for. Please note i was limiting myself to Amazon and Newegg and went with best pricing and availability.

Case - Antec ISK 300-150 Newegg Link $79.99 plus $6.99 shipping. Struggled with this one. Wanted tiny, but in the end the ISK 110 just didnt do it for me. Liked the idea of slapping in a Bluray drive etc.

Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-H77N-WIFI LGA 1155 Intel H77 Newegg Link $104.99
Went back and forth with the ASRock and Gigabyte Z77 boards, but in the end decided to stick with the H77. Not too much difference between them other than better overclocking features with the Z77 boards and the ASRock in particular. The lack of heat sinks on the Gigabyte boards concerned me, but havent read about any issues with them.

CPU Intel Core i3-3245 3.40GHz 2 LGA 1155 Amazon Link $145.99
$10 more than the 3225, figured what the heck for a slightly faster and newer processor with the same Intel HD 4000 graphics

Memory Kingston Hyper X Plug n Play 8 GB Kit Amazon Link $91.74
May not need 8GB for an HTPC machine, but i want to be able to do some other things with the machine as well.

SSD Corsair Neutron Series GTX 120GB Amazon Link $114.99
Once again not necessary for a HTPC, but i wanted additional disk space and a highly rated fast SSD with 5 year warranty.

Optical Drive Panasonic UJ240 6x Blu-ray Burner Amazon Link $63.18
Cost about $40 buck more than a DVD drive, but thought it would be nice to have the option for playing non ripped Blurays and or burning them.

Slimline Sata Adapter Amazon Link $9.89

Hope to slap it all together this weekend and will post back how it goes. This wasnt meant to be a budget build by any means. Total cost was about $640.

Edit: Finished build last night, loaded up XBMC and will put in place this morning. My first build with an SSD and it really is amazing to see a Windows install go that fast and to see boot times under 12 seconds. The case fan has a 3 pin plug on it and the sys fan header is 4 pin. The 3 pin will plug into it and does work. I initially used a 3 pin to molex adapter i had laying around and then changed it after doing some research on a replacement fan.
Enabling ErP in the Power Management section of the BIOS solved the issue i had with the case fan running all of the time when the HTPC was in sleep mode.
Started a new thread, but its about issues with the Intel HD 4000 Graphics and not how wonderful this new build is running. I saw a lot of issues in various forums with people running Windows 8.1. Hopefully ill be able to work them out. Maybe Windows 7 would have been the better way to go
2nd Edit: Graphics issues have been worked out for the most part. Build is running great. Installed Shell Classic to deal with the lack of a start menu and to steer clear of tile hell

[eyz4eva]

Hi guys, first time posting here after some forum friends recommened me to XBMC. Installed it on my PC and iPad and am loving it.

Am considering doing up this build, but undecided between Gigabyte or ASRock mobo.

Would probably be connecting the HTPC via lan connection, hence won't be needing the wifi.

As mentioned by one of the forumers that ASRock mobo comes with CIR and wake up on lan, that's what prompted me to consider ASRock mobo.

However, is the ASRock B75M inferior to the GA-H77N? ASRock Z77E is priced higher than GA-H77N. And ASRock H77M is not available in Singapore.

[Dougie Fresh]

The problem with CIR nowadays is it's nearly impossible to find a CIR dongle. Inteset doesn't make them any longer.

[eyz4eva]

Hi Dougie,

thanks for the reply!

Yah, I have the same sentiment, after looking at the CIR link that Eskro had posted.

It seems that ASRock had lost it attraction, since there is no manufacturer out there that is selling the CIR dongle.

I guess the best alternative to a remote turn on would be wake on lan by using a smart phone, right?

The problem with CIR nowadays is it's nearly impossible to find a CIR dongle. Inteset doesn't make them any longer.

[eyz4eva]

Just 1 more qns, is the recommended cpu i3-3225 still up to date?

I think it had already reached the product's end of life.

Over in Singapore, i3-4130 with GA-H87N-wifi ITX is around 15% cheaper than i3-3245 with GA-H77N-wifi ITX.

Am considering for the Haswell cpu, but unsure of stability issues.

[thumber]

Hey guys,

Can this build turn on via remote from complete OFF state?

My current Asrock Mobo can, and i need to build a new build for my dad, and can't get my mono anymore

Thanks in advance.

[Dougie Fresh]

Just 1 more qns, is the recommended cpu i3-3225 still up to date?

I think it had already reached the product's end of life.

Over in Singapore, i3-4130 with GA-H87N-wifi ITX is around 15% cheaper than i3-3245 with GA-H77N-wifi ITX.

Am considering for the Haswell cpu, but unsure of stability issues.

Yeah, it's out-of-date. i3-4130 + H81 motherboard would be the current budget recommendation though if you don't need 3D, I'd give a serious look at a C1037U motherboard or the new Q1900-ITX motherboard.

[eyz4eva]

Hi Doug,

are the H81 mobos able to Bitstreams DOLBY TRUE-HD & DTS-HD MASTER?

I am currently looking at MSI H81I and Asus H81I.

Yeah, it's out-of-date. i3-4130 + H81 motherboard would be the current budget recommendation though if you don't need 3D, I'd give a serious look at a C1037U motherboard or the new Q1900-ITX motherboard.

[tstorzuk]

[CPU/GPU] Intel Core i3-3225 55W / Intel HD 4000 ($134)
[MOBO] GIGABYTE GA-H77N-WIFI LGA 1155 USB3.0 SATA-III HDMI S/PDIF UEFI ($99)

Pros?
* FULL 3D 1080P Ready!! YES!!
* Bitstreams DOLBY TRUE-HD & DTS-HD MASTER!! YES!!
* Built-in WiFi!! YES!!
* Built-in Bluetooth!! YES!!
* 1 x HDMI output!! 2 would be better!!
* 2 x SATA-III ports!! YES!!
* 1 x Optical (S/PDIF) output!! YES!!
* 4 x USB 3.0 ports!! YES!!
* 2 x USB 2.0 ports!!

eskro,

Please update the CPU/GPU and MOBO components, as the current ones aren't available anymore.

Something really kick-ass that still fits into the Antec ISK 110 VESA case would be great. I love the tiny size. I have 2 x 120gb Intel SSD's that I got during the Black Friday sales, and would like to get them in use on another system.

It would also be nice to have 2 x HDMI outputs to be able to use this on 2 different TV's. With Bluetooth, it's pretty easy to have TV's in 2 different rooms and still be able to control the PC.

Thanks so much for all your work at figuring out which components work together!!