[BigMixer]

I am looking to build a new HTPC. I already have a server/HTPC (Windows 7, XBMC, i5-3570k) in another room. This build will be accessing the server and used to stream 1080p and 3d to another display.
What I need help on is determining the best bang for the buck.

Here are the options:

Option #1 – AMD Build:

Part Item Price
Case Silverstone ML03B 54.99
MB ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M 64.99
CPU AMD A8 5600k 98.24
SSD Samsung 840 120 GB SSD 98.63
RAM Kingston Technology HyperX 8 GB (2x4 GB Modules) 1600 62.99
PSU Silverstone Strider Essential 400 watt 48.99

Total: 437.81


Option # 2

Part Item Price
Case Silverstone ML03B 54.99
SSD Samsung 840 120 GB SSD 98.63
RAM Kingston Technology HyperX 8 GB (2x4 GB Modules) 1600 62.99
PSU Silverstone Strider Essential 400 watt 48.99
GPU SAPPHIRE 100323-2L Radeon HD 6570 49.99
CPU Intel Pentium G2120 Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz 76.49
MB ASRock H77 Pro4-M Micro ATX 89.99

Total: 482.07


My questions are:

1. Is the Intel build with discreet GPU going to perform better?
2. Is the Intel build worth the extra $$$$?
3. Is either build overkill?
4. Will all the parts work in the case?
5. Do I need additional cooling(Case Fans, CPU Cooler)? This is going into an enclosed cabinet.
6. Any recommendations on a Remote? Need to control a LG LED TV, Direct DVR, Sony Bluray, and this HTPC.

Any recommendations are great. I have read through forums thoroughly, but just wanted some insight. Any money savers are additionally welcomed. BTW, I use Amazon because I do not have a MicroCenter nearby and Newegg charges me an extra 10%.

Thank you.

[cwide]

Unless you are gaming I think Intel HD 4000 can do 3D (according to posts I have read). So no need for a separate GPU and just get an Intel CPU with HD 4000 (i3-3225 for example).

120 GB is kind of overkill for just a streaming client. 4 GB RAM is enough.

I had an i3-3225 build in a Silverstone ML03B. It was great. A little big for my taste (but it was also my server back then). Could barely hear anything even with stock fan.

[BigMixer]

Unless you are gaming I think Intel HD 4000 can do 3D (according to posts I have read). So no need for a separate GPU and just get an Intel CPU with HD 4000 (i3-3225 for example).

120 GB is kind of overkill for just a streaming client. 4 GB RAM is enough.

I had an i3-3225 build in a Silverstone ML03B. It was great. A little big for my taste (but it was also my server back then). Could barely hear anything even with stock fan.

Yes the i3-3225 can do 3D. (It has the same HD 4000 graphics as the i5 3570k in my other HTPC). The only reason I am kind of shying away from the i3 3225 is the expense ($135.65). For $126.48, I get the essentially the same CPU (from benchmarks I have read, I think?) and a much better GPU.

For the 120GB SSD, you are right about the size. I have been sucessful with the Samsung 840s and I do not think they have a 64GB version. That and the 840 is less than $100 and gives me head room. I do not see many recommended 64GB much less than that.

Do you think stepping down from 8GB RAM to 4GB RAM is worth $21.81? I am looking at the Kingston 1600MHZ HYperX series.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037TO...d_i=507846

BTW since I didn't mention it before, I will be using Windows 7 Ultimate.

EDIT: I should have said essentially the same processor for HTPC tasks. Sorry.

[cwide]

PassMarks are a pretty different: 3030 (G2120) vs 4376 (i3-3225).

However, even a Celeron G1610 (passmark: 2613) is enough for a smooth user experience (with an SSD).

I make most recommendations based on smaller footprint, system requirements, and price. It does not seem that budget is too big of an issue for your builds so let me just try to answer your questions.

1. Not for just a media client. Gaming is when people usually go for Intel + GPU.
2. I would say no.
3. Overkill is relative. You could go A6-5400k and probably not notice a difference while in XBMC. You could go with cheaper 4 GB Ram and a 64 GB SSD. Overkill is highly dependent on budget.
4. Yes.
5. How enclosed? Completely? What is the size of the enclosed area? I would be a little concerned about this if it is a small, completely enclosed area. Case fan isn't going to help much if all the hot air is trapped in your cabinet anyway. I didn't use a case fan in mine and it was fine.
6. I only use my TV remote and iPhone remote... no help here.

[digitalmidgit]

I just recently rebuilt my HTPC. I have always used AMD over intel mainly because of the quality of there CPU's.

My old system was the following:
Antec 300
AMD 64 dualcore 2.8ghz
M4A78LT-M LE
Kingston DDR3 1333 4Gb
XFX HD 5450
Samsung F3 spinpoint 1Tb
LG DVD rewriter
Panisonic Viera 26" full 1080p

My current Build is:
Antec 300 (My old faithful case)
AMD FX4100 Quad core APU 3.6
ASUS M5A78L/ USB3
HYPERX DDR3 8GB 1600
XFX HD 5770
LITEon Blueray/DVD reWriter
Samsung F3 spinpoint 7200 1Tb
Western Digital 500GB backup
Running Dual display 1x Panasonic Viera 26" full 1080p 1x LG Flatron w1943sb 19"
Denon AVR 2803

Total cost of build £265.00

I would go for personally AMD but there are those who would say Intel but thats just me. As for remotes I am opting myself for Imon Ultrabay at present I am using my Samsung S3 as a remote.

However I see from your choice of specs you probably wanting to do highend gaming I personally never opted for high end hardware to play games. I only play very few games and it seems to work on my current build without fuss!

[Dougie Fresh]

AMD Trinity in mini-ITX form is a tough one because there are very few mini-ITX motherboard available and the Trinity APUs throw a lot of heat. It's less of an issue with micro-ATX though since there are more motherboard choices and you have room for a larger cooler like the Gemini or Big Shuriken. My living room HTPC is rocking a ASUS micro-ATX FM1 A55 with A8-3820 and I love it.

A6-5400K is advertised not to support full 3D but in user testing it works. I've had really good luck with A8-5500 and A10-5700. At the micro-ATX form-factor it might be worth looking at Richland as well if you can snag a deal.

[BigMixer]

PassMarks are a pretty different: 3030 (G2120) vs 4376 (i3-3225).

However, even a Celeron G1610 (passmark: 2613) is enough for a smooth user experience (with an SSD).

Celerons are less expensive. I thought about the G1610. See my responses below and see if you might recommend it.

I make most recommendations based on smaller footprint, system requirements, and price. It does not seem that budget is too big of an issue for your builds so let me just try to answer your questions.

Budget is a very big issue. I would like to pay less, but I am worried about what I might give up to save just a few dollars. I would hate to start getting into gaming (don’t know that I will again) and not be able to use this system.

1. Not for just a media client. Gaming is when people usually go for Intel + GPU.

So if I went for gaming, I guess the Intel + GPU.

2. I would say no.
3. Overkill is relative. You could go A6-5400k and probably not notice a difference while in XBMC. You could go with cheaper 4 GB Ram and a 64 GB SSD. Overkill is highly dependent on budget.

The A6-5400k does 3D? I like a snappy interface, what kind of difference are you thinking?

4. Yes.
5. How enclosed? Completely? What is the size of the enclosed area? I would be a little concerned about this if it is a small, completely enclosed area. Case fan isn't going to help much if all the hot air is trapped in your cabinet anyway. I didn't use a case fan in mine and it was fine.
6. I only use my TV remote and iPhone remote... no help here.

It is enclosed except for a couple of wiring holes, a quarter inch around the door, and pencil size holes in the back panel. I am going to add a couple of 120MM fans to the furniture to pull air in (from the bottom) and push air out (from the top). I guess the enclosure is around a 2.5’ x 3.5’ space.

[BigMixer]

AMD Trinity in mini-ITX form is a tough one because there are very few mini-ITX motherboard available and the Trinity APUs throw a lot of heat. It's less of an issue with micro-ATX though since there are more motherboard choices and you have room for a larger cooler like the Gemini or Big Shuriken. My living room HTPC is rocking a ASUS micro-ATX FM1 A55 with A8-3820 and I love it.

A6-5400K is advertised not to support full 3D but in user testing it works. I've had really good luck with A8-5500 and A10-5700. At the micro-ATX form-factor it might be worth looking at Richland as well if you can snag a deal.

Are you referring to the case I chose for when saying mini-ITX? The ML03B is MATX. I haven't seen the A8-5500 more than $1 less than the A8-5600k. Is there any advantage to A8-5500?

---

I just recently rebuilt my HTPC. I have always used AMD over intel mainly because of the quality of there CPU's.

My old system was the following:
Antec 300
AMD 64 dualcore 2.8ghz
M4A78LT-M LE
Kingston DDR3 1333 4Gb
XFX HD 5450
Samsung F3 spinpoint 1Tb
LG DVD rewriter
Panisonic Viera 26" full 1080p

My current Build is:
Antec 300 (My old faithful case)
AMD FX4100 Quad core APU 3.6
ASUS M5A78L/ USB3
HYPERX DDR3 8GB 1600
XFX HD 5770
LITEon Blueray/DVD reWriter
Samsung F3 spinpoint 7200 1Tb
Western Digital 500GB backup
Running Dual display 1x Panasonic Viera 26" full 1080p 1x LG Flatron w1943sb 19"
Denon AVR 2803

Total cost of build £265.00

I would go for personally AMD but there are those who would say Intel but thats just me. As for remotes I am opting myself for Imon Ultrabay at present I am using my Samsung S3 as a remote.

However I see from your choice of specs you probably wanting to do highend gaming I personally never opted for high end hardware to play games. I only play very few games and it seems to work on my current build without fuss!

Just wondering, what in my build makes it look like high end gaming?

[rip_king]

A6-5400K is advertised not to support full 3D but in user testing it works.

Good to know!

[Dougie Fresh]

A6-5400K is advertised not to support full 3D but in user testing it works.

Good to know!

Source: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1442291/trinit...t_22730043

[eskro]

you could look into the A6-6400K for FULL 3D 1080P!

side note, your builds are overkill BigMixer, but its ok, people do what they want

maybe have a look at my htpc guide, there's some nice builds you could look up to

here's the link if you haven't seen it yet in my forum signature --> eSkRo's HTPC Guide

[BigMixer]

you could look into the A6-6400K for FULL 3D 1080P!

side note, your builds are overkill BigMixer, but its ok, people do what they want

maybe have a look at my htpc guide, there's some nice builds you could look up to

here's the link if you haven't seen it yet in my forum signature --> eSkRo's HTPC Guide

Thank you for your input. Yes, your guides are great! I have looked at them several times. Those and several others (Poofy’s & Beer40oz) to name a few.


Compared to your build:
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=166791

[CASE/PSU] ANTEC ISK 110 VESA / 90W ($90)
[CPU/GPU] AMD A6-6400K FM2 65W / AMD Radeon HD 8470D ($80)
[MOBO] MSI FM2-A75IA-E53 USB3.0 SATA-III HDMI eSATA S/PDIF UEFI ($90)
[RAM] Kingston HyperX Plug and Play 4GB (2x2GB) 240-pin DDR3 1866MHz CL11 1.5V ($47)
[SSD] ADATA Premier Pro SP600 32GB SATA-III 2.5" Read:360MB/s Write:130MB/s ($50)

Total: $357

VS.

[CASE] SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case ML03B (Black) ($55)
[PSU] SilverStone Strider 400W, 80 PLUS, Active PFC Power Supply ST40F-ES (Black) ($49)
[CPU/GPU] AMD A8-5600K APU 3.6Ghz Processor AD560KWOHJBOX ($98)
[MOBO] ASRock Socket FM2/AMD A75 FCH/DDR3/A&V&GbE/SATA3&USB3.0/MicroATX Motherboard FM2A75 PRO4-M ($65)
[SSD] Samsung 840 Series 2.5 inch 120GB SATA III internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-7TD120BW ($90)
[RAM] Kingston Hyper X Blu 8 GB (2x4GB Modules) 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 XMP Desktop Memory - KHX1600C9D3B1K2/8GX ($54)

Total: $411

So I guess my question is, will my overkill be worth the extra $54? Please keep in mind I am trying to learn more than just throw something together and I am not an expert (that is why I am here). Let me explain my thinking.
[CASE] – ML03B is larger for more upgrades, less congestion and better airflow.
[PSU] – I would imagine this would be better than the included PSU in the other case. I was looking for a smaller wattage, but this came recommended on forums I read and was a good price. Lower wattages didn’t mean less money. $15 could be saved here between CASE/PSU.
[CPU/GPU]- I’ll be the first to admit, I think you got me here. Some reading I have done says the a6-6400k and the a8-5600k have the same integrated Radeon 6570 graphics. Is that true? Would I benefit any from the quad core vs dual core? $18 could be saved here.
[MOBO]-We are not really comparing the same thing since the MSI is MINI-itx and the ASROCK in MATX. Mini-itx is generally more expensive with fewer features from what I have seen. MATX is $25 less.
[SSD]- Here is where I see that I am overkill. And $40 is a good percentage of the build. My worries are running out of application space. I would have a really hard time with 32Gb and moving to 64Gb saves more like $20 at most. I know this is more preference, but the Samsung 840 is a good deal for much overhead. $40 could be saved here.
[RAM]-$7 for double the memory although the ones you picked are faster. Which is the better payoff? $7 could be saved here.

Again, just trying to learn, my future plans are for more of these wonderful little boxes. The kids and wife love the current HTPC I have. In fact, instead of TV, my kids watch shows off of the current, it is better because of no commercials. Thank you for your input.

[Dougie Fresh]

This is a nice PSU for that case: http://www.amazon.com/FSP-Certified-300-...B004VF4R4U

It's an SFX PSU but it comes with a bracket to fit it to the ML03B. The nice part about it is the depth is quite a bit less so no worries about colliding with the optical drive if you add one. It's also silent. I've used them in many builds (usually Lian-Li PC-Q07, 08, 25) and I have one in my own server.

One thing to note though is if the 20+4-pin input on your motherboard is exactly opposite the PSU you'll need a 20+4 pin extender.