2013-08-07, 01:33
I've been making due with a PS3 and movies ripped to an external hard drive for a while, but i'm finally getting around to planning out a real HTPC. I've been playing with XBMC on my laptop for a couple days and really like it. My plan is to start small, but have something that i can grow into over time and improve as feel the need to.
This is what I'm planning to start with.
Silverstone SST-GD08B (Black) HTPC Case
Antec EarthWatts EA-380D Green 380 Watt 80 PLUS BRONZE Power Supply
AMD A6-6400K 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor
Asus F2A85-V ATX FM2 Motherboard
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 MHz (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory (CMV4GX3M2A1333C9)
Crucial m4 64GB 2.5-Inch (9.5mm) SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive CT064M4SSD2
Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Windows 7
To start out with, i'll just leave my movie collection on the external HD like they are now, but at some point, i'll add several hard drives to the case to store my media collection. I'd want this computer to function as a media server for XMBC on other HTPCs (if/when i have a 2nd TV) or my laptop/tablet/ect. I'd also like to add a cable card and use it as a DVR too.
The biggest question mark for me is did I pick a good motherboard? I don't want to have to swap it out when i want to add a cable card. I'm comfortable with the case. The power supply should be fine. I can upgrade the processor later if i need to. There's room for more RAM. The hard drive just has to hold windows and XBMC for now and i'll eventually swap it out for an SSD. The blue ray player won't see much use, but it's there for when i need it.
That's my thoughts, rip it apart, I've got thick skin.
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edit #1 swapped in a SSD (this is for OS and Software only, media will be stored on other drives)
I'll spend some time looking for a better power supply tomorrow
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edit #2 swapped out the power supply. Looked on Amazon again for under 400 watts, low noise, from either FPS, Seasonic, or Antec and found that one.
This is what I'm planning to start with.
Silverstone SST-GD08B (Black) HTPC Case
Antec EarthWatts EA-380D Green 380 Watt 80 PLUS BRONZE Power Supply
AMD A6-6400K 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor
Asus F2A85-V ATX FM2 Motherboard
Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333 MHz (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory (CMV4GX3M2A1333C9)
Crucial m4 64GB 2.5-Inch (9.5mm) SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Drive CT064M4SSD2
Lite-On ihes112-04 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Windows 7
To start out with, i'll just leave my movie collection on the external HD like they are now, but at some point, i'll add several hard drives to the case to store my media collection. I'd want this computer to function as a media server for XMBC on other HTPCs (if/when i have a 2nd TV) or my laptop/tablet/ect. I'd also like to add a cable card and use it as a DVR too.
The biggest question mark for me is did I pick a good motherboard? I don't want to have to swap it out when i want to add a cable card. I'm comfortable with the case. The power supply should be fine. I can upgrade the processor later if i need to. There's room for more RAM. The hard drive just has to hold windows and XBMC for now and i'll eventually swap it out for an SSD. The blue ray player won't see much use, but it's there for when i need it.
That's my thoughts, rip it apart, I've got thick skin.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
edit #1 swapped in a SSD (this is for OS and Software only, media will be stored on other drives)
I'll spend some time looking for a better power supply tomorrow
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
edit #2 swapped out the power supply. Looked on Amazon again for under 400 watts, low noise, from either FPS, Seasonic, or Antec and found that one.