[Dvsolid1]

Hi All,

Nearly got everything together and about ready to start, but (while it sounds silly) I need to work out which CPU.
I'm trying to keep costs to about $1k, but there are a couple of things that keep blowing it out... CPU is one of them.

This is the list for the HTPC I'm looking to build:

MBO: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H
Case: Silverstone GD05 Black HTPC Case
RAM: G.Skill F3-1600C9D-8GAO 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3
PSU: Seasonic X-460 Fanless Gold 460W
SSD: Samsung 840 Series 120GB SSD Retail Box
HDD: Western Digital WD Green 2TB

Additionals:
- Scythe Shuriken Low Profile Cooler Rev B
- Pioneer DVR-220LBKS Black 24x DVDRW
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit with SP1 OEM
- XBOX 360 Black Wireless Controller for Windows
- Microsoft Wireless Desktop 800 Keyboard and Mouse

Need to decide between:
- i3 4130 Haswell
- i5 4570 Haswell

I realise most will say bigger is better, but i'm looking for ways to keep costs down on things that wont be necessary.
Ie. Optical drive i'm only putting in for loading software. Most likely could live without it.
In turn, means could probably go without aftermarket CPU cooler, as space then isn't an issue... but there is a consideration for noise.

I will use primarily as a HTPC to play 1080p movies, and emulation on older games. PS2 and Gamecube would be nice but not necessary. Therefore, not sure if the i5 is really necessary. Unfortunately, emulator forums aren't much help on this.

Thus I'm turning to the experts. Also, anything you guys can recommend that I may have missed, please let me know!

Thanks in advance!!!

[Dilligaf]

Go with the bigger processor and leave off the optical drive and aftermarket cooler. If you find noise is a problem you can always add the cooler later.

[azrael17]

I emulate most Gamecube games fine with an AMD A4-5300. Haven't gotten PS2 games working but something like an A8 or A10 would probably do the trick and likely be cheaper than an i5.

[GortWillSaveUs]

You might have a tough time getting the Shuriken CPU Cooler,.....if so,..go with the Cooler Master GeminII M4 - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes and you won't be sorry.
For some reason,..although the Shurikens sell like hot cakes,..they don't have any in stock. Maybe that actually explains the shortage.

[Dougie Fresh]

I would look at the specific emulators you want to run to understand if multiple cores help or not or if a more powerful GPU will help or not. In my quick research a while ago about emulators, I didn't find multi-core or a GPU helped in most cases. Most people running emulators who get a barebones from me run the i3-3225 and are happy. A i3-4330 would have the CPU horsepower and good enough graphics.

[teeedubb]

Honestly its up to you and how much you're willing to spend to emulate the consoles you want to. The thing is youre spending big dollars to emulate old consoles where for the price of the added grunt you could buy the console and have a more stable experience, albeit without bells and whistles. The emulators for the newer consoles are still young so expect glitches, crashes and incompatibilities.

Both those cpus are safe bets, and if ps2 is not a must get the i3 - I got OK fps with gamecube with a dual core athlon 6400 @ 3.3ghz which is slow compared to a i3. You may be able to play some ps2 and wii games, but dont count on it being perfect.

EDIT: That psu is $150+ right?!? If youre trying to cut costs ditch that, you can get quality models for way under $100, get a cpu cooler with the money saved too.

EDIT2: If its only for htpc and emulation take a look at Openelec + RetroArch + Rom Collection Browser and you can save yourself the cot of the windows license, and have money for the rest of your extras and your pocket

[Dougie Fresh]

BTW, an i3 build with SSD, 4GB and a 2TB drive is going to use under 100W max but most of the time half of that. That Gold rating is for when the power draw is 50% of maximum (460 / 2 = 230W). Below 20%, there is no rating (92W). You'd be much better off getting a 300W 80+ PSU or a 120W picoPSU. Otherwise, the "Gold" rating is a complete waste of money.

[Richard39]

if u wanting a haswell might as well wait for the i3 , as others said ditch the psu, something like a seasonic 360w , or300-400w psu from fsp or antec will do

getting the i3 and better quality 300-400 w psu will do the job and save some cash 2 maybe to spend on the cpu cooler etc