2015-02-27, 06:35
Hello kodi users,
I'm a new user here and I would like to say hello to everyone.
I'm looking to build an htpc and I need your help/suggestions because it is the first htpc I build and on top on that, it is also the first system I am looking to build totally from scratch. From scratch, I mean I want to custom buy the part I want to assemble together. It is something I was looking to do for a while, but since I do not build system every week I choose this occasion to do it.
Why I am looking to build an htpc?
I tried the smart tvs....and I regret it. I bought a samsung smart tv and I am really disappointed by the general user experience it has to offer. I encountered more than enough problems to make me to not want to use the "smart" features again. I plan to build this htpc, return the smart tv to the store and buy a regular hd tv in replacement.
What am I looking for?
I decided to go with an htpc to maximize flexibility. By flexibility I mean to have the chance to fall back on a pc if for any reason the media server is not able to achieve what I want to do. For example, on the smart tv there was an application that I used called 'tou.tv' that is always crashing. If the smart tv was a htpc, I could always fall back on a browser, browse to tou.tv and listen to my shows directly from their web site. Not with a smart tv. One could argue that samsung smart tv have a browser that I could use to browse and watch my show. Haha, what a joke. Their browser does not render well, crash and is terribly slow. Not to mention I have never been able to scroll properly on web pages!? I'm looking for something that works.
I installed on my computer different media server: Kodi, Plex and Serviio. They are all doing the job correctly but I decided to go with Kodi because it seems to me to be the most feature rich and mature system of the three. Remember I am looking for flexibility. Also, the fact that it is open source helps. I have been able to find multiple add on that were doing what I want that originates from personal projects from other developers.
Other things that I am looking for by building an htpc:
- A silent machine
- Performance, but at a reasonable price.
- Something that will be proof for the future (Ultra HD).
- Watch shows and movies that are stored on my local NAS. They are stored using h264, 1080, ...
- Play games. (Steam and some roms)
- Listen to my music library on the NAS
- browse easily.
Some clarification on the game thing: I am not an hardcore gamer. I am not looking for a machine that can run the latest fps at maximum details. Most of the games I play are turn base and are not heavy on the specs.
I am not looking to add a tv tuner because I do not watch tv. I do not even have the cable at home.
So, in a nutshell, I am looking to connect a computer via hdmi to my tv and enjoy the features of a media server while being able to fall back on the computer in case the media server limits me in some way.
The hardware so far:
I shop on newegg.ca for the parts, but open to buy parts elsewhere.
AMD A8-7600 Kaveri Quad-Core - 65w
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6819113371
Intel is too pricey. The AMD A10-7800 performance does not justify the price jump in comparison to the A8-7600
ASRock FM2A78M-HD+ Micro ATX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6813157482
The price is good, but it lack ddr3 2100 ram speed. The other motherboard I was looking is over 50$ additional. I decided to stick with this model. Is it a good decision? Is the speed difference bet ween 2100 and 1866 notifiable? Is it worth the investment?
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) ddr3 1866
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6820231455
Good review, good price + heat spreader
Intel 530 ssd - 120g.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6820167180
I had good experiences with Intel in the past. I choose the 120g because most of the data is on my NAS anyway.
Silverstone GD05B-USB3.0 micro atx
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6811163205
I have no experience with cases. Seems good. Great ventilation. Good review. Open to suggestions.
SeaSonic SSR-360GP 360W 80+ gold
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6817151117
Read good review on it. Does it have sufficient power?
Noctua NH-L9a 92mm SSO2 CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6835608030
I am afraid to take a bigger CPU cooler and it won't fit in the case. How can I know?
Keyboard Logitech K830 920-006081
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6823126361
remote Rosewill RHRC-11002
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6880101008
I own a copy of windows 8 at home. Since I want to have a flexible and compatible htpc, I will use this copy as my OS.
Couple of additional questions for you:
- Is everything compatible?
- Do you think the system will be noisy?
- Do you think it is powerful enough for what I want?
I would like to have your comments and suggestions.
Also, please tell me if I am making a big mistake.
Thank you,
JF
I'm a new user here and I would like to say hello to everyone.
I'm looking to build an htpc and I need your help/suggestions because it is the first htpc I build and on top on that, it is also the first system I am looking to build totally from scratch. From scratch, I mean I want to custom buy the part I want to assemble together. It is something I was looking to do for a while, but since I do not build system every week I choose this occasion to do it.
Why I am looking to build an htpc?
I tried the smart tvs....and I regret it. I bought a samsung smart tv and I am really disappointed by the general user experience it has to offer. I encountered more than enough problems to make me to not want to use the "smart" features again. I plan to build this htpc, return the smart tv to the store and buy a regular hd tv in replacement.
What am I looking for?
I decided to go with an htpc to maximize flexibility. By flexibility I mean to have the chance to fall back on a pc if for any reason the media server is not able to achieve what I want to do. For example, on the smart tv there was an application that I used called 'tou.tv' that is always crashing. If the smart tv was a htpc, I could always fall back on a browser, browse to tou.tv and listen to my shows directly from their web site. Not with a smart tv. One could argue that samsung smart tv have a browser that I could use to browse and watch my show. Haha, what a joke. Their browser does not render well, crash and is terribly slow. Not to mention I have never been able to scroll properly on web pages!? I'm looking for something that works.
I installed on my computer different media server: Kodi, Plex and Serviio. They are all doing the job correctly but I decided to go with Kodi because it seems to me to be the most feature rich and mature system of the three. Remember I am looking for flexibility. Also, the fact that it is open source helps. I have been able to find multiple add on that were doing what I want that originates from personal projects from other developers.
Other things that I am looking for by building an htpc:
- A silent machine
- Performance, but at a reasonable price.
- Something that will be proof for the future (Ultra HD).
- Watch shows and movies that are stored on my local NAS. They are stored using h264, 1080, ...
- Play games. (Steam and some roms)
- Listen to my music library on the NAS
- browse easily.
Some clarification on the game thing: I am not an hardcore gamer. I am not looking for a machine that can run the latest fps at maximum details. Most of the games I play are turn base and are not heavy on the specs.
I am not looking to add a tv tuner because I do not watch tv. I do not even have the cable at home.
So, in a nutshell, I am looking to connect a computer via hdmi to my tv and enjoy the features of a media server while being able to fall back on the computer in case the media server limits me in some way.
The hardware so far:
I shop on newegg.ca for the parts, but open to buy parts elsewhere.
AMD A8-7600 Kaveri Quad-Core - 65w
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6819113371
Intel is too pricey. The AMD A10-7800 performance does not justify the price jump in comparison to the A8-7600
ASRock FM2A78M-HD+ Micro ATX
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6813157482
The price is good, but it lack ddr3 2100 ram speed. The other motherboard I was looking is over 50$ additional. I decided to stick with this model. Is it a good decision? Is the speed difference bet ween 2100 and 1866 notifiable? Is it worth the investment?
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) ddr3 1866
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6820231455
Good review, good price + heat spreader
Intel 530 ssd - 120g.
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6820167180
I had good experiences with Intel in the past. I choose the 120g because most of the data is on my NAS anyway.
Silverstone GD05B-USB3.0 micro atx
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6811163205
I have no experience with cases. Seems good. Great ventilation. Good review. Open to suggestions.
SeaSonic SSR-360GP 360W 80+ gold
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6817151117
Read good review on it. Does it have sufficient power?
Noctua NH-L9a 92mm SSO2 CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6835608030
I am afraid to take a bigger CPU cooler and it won't fit in the case. How can I know?
Keyboard Logitech K830 920-006081
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6823126361
remote Rosewill RHRC-11002
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.asp...6880101008
I own a copy of windows 8 at home. Since I want to have a flexible and compatible htpc, I will use this copy as my OS.
Couple of additional questions for you:
- Is everything compatible?
- Do you think the system will be noisy?
- Do you think it is powerful enough for what I want?
I would like to have your comments and suggestions.
Also, please tell me if I am making a big mistake.
Thank you,
JF