Grangey's i5 760 Gaming HTPC Build

Grangey.

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EDIT: The Build is done! See post 27 (page 1) for the initial build....

08/12/10: New Graphics Card Page 5

08/02/11: New SSD installed and a tiny bit of cable sorting Page 7.

11/2/11: Now overclocked running 3.6ghz-more soon hopefully- Page 9

18/02/2012: Upgrades are on the way ;)- Page 11 post 302


Hi All,

Well, I'm bored at work, so figured I may aswell start this thread as i have received all the parts although im yet to start the actual build!

First of all, DAMN YOU AVFORUMS!!! What had started as a cheap way of converting my Dell Dimension PC into a HTPC by simply buying a new case and mobo (cost of about £150), has now turned into this Monster!! You lot influence me waaaay to much!:laugh:

All my parts have turned up this week, so I currently have a BIG box in my bedroom filled with all sorts of cool looking parts mocking me, but at the moment I'm really testing my own patience as Im currently half way through redecorating my living room, so ive challenged myself to complete this before starting the build... that said, i can see it happening after i get the first couple of base coats on :laugh:

So anyway, watch this space for loads of pictures etc of the build when i do it, but for now... the spec:

Case:
Silverstone LC16B

CPU:
Intel i5 760 2.8 ghz Quad Core 8M cache

Motherboard:
ASUS P7P55D-E LX

Video:
[-]Asus 5450 1gb DDR3[/-]
Palit GTX 460 Sonic Platinum 1024MB

PSU:
Corsair HX-650w (Modular)

Ram:
Corsair XMS3 2x2GB DDR3 (1600)

CPU Cooler:
Noctua NH-U9B SE2

Optical Drive:
Pioneer BDC-202 BD-ROM

Case Fans:
3 x Noctua NF-R8 (80mm)

HDDs:
1x Western Digital WD20EARS 2TB SATAII 64MB Cache
1x Western Digital 1TB
1x Western Digital WD3200AAKS 320GB SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache [-](for OS)[/-] (for Games)
1x Crucial C300 64GB SSD (Sata III- 6bps), 360mbps read. (For OS)

OS:
Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Front End/[-] Intended add ins[/-]:
[-]WMC[/-]
TMT3
[-]MyMovies WMC plugin[/-]
XBMC

Other:
Keysonic ACH-540 Wireless Keyboard with integrated mouse pad
Microsoft wireless 360 adapter

[-]The primary purpose of the build is for ripped media playback (music, dvds, & blurays), but I may consider to get into gamming in the future so thought id aim for a solidish base (although by no means top end!)[/-]

EDIT: Again, damn you AVForums! Now this is going to be setup for Gaming and Media goodness :)

Watch this space! Its like Christmas has come early!:clap::clap:
 
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any particular reason for quad core in a HTPC?

Not really no unless youre into gaming, I just did it more for the sake of it incase I decide to get into gaming more than anything.
 
If you did ever want to game on this htpc then please, please do not get the LC16 as the graphics card will not fit due to the dvd drive placement in this case. The only way around this is to remove the dvd drive and run it externally via usb or e-sata.

(I think we have discussed this before).

Other than that your spec looks good, I would however personally change the gpu as you wont be gaming with any decent settings with that graphics card. Spend a bit more on a gpu say around £100 and you could have a very capable gaming rig. :)
 
If you did ever want to game on this htpc then please, please do not get the LC16 as the graphics card will not fit due to the dvd drive placement in this case. The only way around this is to remove the dvd drive and run it externally via usb or e-sata.

(I think we have discussed this before).

Other than that your spec looks good, I would however personally change the gpu as you wont be gaming with any decent settings with that graphics card. Spend a bit more on a gpu say around £100 and you could have a very capable gaming rig. :)

Fear not Razor! I have read all of your brilliant informative threads and Im under no dissillution of my restrictions.

Ive had the 5450 for about a month now and purchased it purly for media playback, and know that if I wish to go down the gaming route I will need to upgrade my card.

I also purchased the case purely with its primary purpose in mind- media storage and playback, as it can take up to 8 hdds if I really wanted to, but know the case is for this reason only and I would change if I want for gamming :)
 
Although Razor, with that said (bare in mind I have not looked into this at all), whilst I havnt actually built the system yet, i see pictures like this:
attachment.php


and cant see (in theory again) too much from stopping me fitting something like the sapphire HD 5770 in there as it looks like it may fit (although a tight squeeze cirtainly).

Like i said, im probably wrong and when the system is build Il see that, and gaming isnt something im giving any real consideration at the moment its more a future potential.
 

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Fear not Razor! I have read all of your brilliant informative threads and Im under no dissillution of my restrictions.

Ive had the 5450 for about a month now and purchased it purly for media playback, and know that if I wish to go down the gaming route I will need to upgrade my card.

I also purchased the case purely with its primary purpose in mind- media storage and playback, as it can take up to 8 hdds if I really wanted to, but know the case is for this reason only and I would change if I want for gamming :)


Oh fair enough mate, you already have the 5450. I thought you were listing gear to buy. :)

Although Razor, with that said (bare in mind I have not looked into this at all), whilst I havnt actually built the system yet, i see pictures like this:
attachment.php


and cant see (in theory again) too much from stopping me fitting something like the sapphire HD 5770 in there as it looks like it may fit (although a tight squeeze cirtainly).

Like i said, im probably wrong and when the system is build Il see that, and gaming isnt something im giving any real consideration at the moment its more a future potential.

A 5770 might be a very tight squeeze, I really am unsure if it could be done. I do know a friend who bought the LC16 and a 8800Gt and it wouldn't fit at all and that wasn't a long card. He had to remove the dvd drive and run it via usb. Looking at that picture it looks like a non gaming graphics card, which are very short in length.

Another thing to consider is that Bluray drives are also slightly longer than standard dvd drive bays, at least the ones I have seen have been. My Samsung Bluray drive is a fair bit longer than my pioneer dvd writer. :)
 
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A 5770 might be a very tight squeeze, I really am unsure if it could be done. I do know a friend who bought the LC16 and a 8800Gt and it wouldn't fit at all and that wasn't a long card. He had to remove the dvd drive and run it via usb. Looking at that picture it looks like a non gaming graphics card, which are very short in length.

Another thing to consider is that Bluray drives are also slightly longer than standard dvd drive bays, at least the ones I have seen have been. My Samsung Bluray drive is a fair bit longer than my pioneer dvd writer. :)

Yeah you are probably right, im just looking at it from theoverhang after the PCI-E slot

EG your friends 8800GT

http://www.graphicscard.org.uk/8800gt.jpg

looks alot longer than the sapphire 5770

http://image.ebuyer.com/UK/P200-0189741-01.jpg

but again, when its actually built il do some proper measurements and im sure alot of this is simply optical illusions and bad angles lol
 
You can kinda work out if it will fit by getting the length of the bluray drive and graphics card and seeing if its more than the depth of the case. Also one other thing to bare in mind is that some gaming graphics cards have the power connectors at the end of the card which will add length to the card.

5770 - 21.5cm (not including the power connector)
Pioneer BDC - 18.5cm
Silverstone LC16 depth - 42.5

It looks like it might be an issue especially as you will loose approx 15mm at the back where the pci-e slots are set back and approx 5mm at the front for the drive bay mechanism. Add to this the power connectors and I feel it might not fit.

I know you already have your case but if you really like the LC16 style Zalman has a few cases which are similar and game card friendly. Just a thought, its never too late to return any items you do not want. :)
 
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Ive not doubt it will be increadibly tight! But like I said its not something ive considered and wont be for some time...hypothetically speaking here however (as i doubt il change a thing with the spec for abuot 4-5 months), I have just noticed the 5750 is apparently 1/2 and inch shorter than the 5770... this may increase the likely hood of being able to fit a semi decent card.

Who knows, when its built, lets continue this discussion as il be interested to see now how much space is left :)

+ il need to learn aaaaaalll the differences in all the new cards out there as I havnt got a clue, theyre all just numbers to me!
 
LOL @ the cards just being numbers. :D After a bit of reading the numbers will start to make sense, at first it will seem like a total mine field.

A 5770 is probably the minimum spec I would recommend for a gaming rig these days. You could run a less powerful card but it will mean turning down a fair few settings in newer games. Off the top of my head you will need to allow 1" clearance for the power cables.

You might have a better chance if you could find a shallower bluray drive and a graphics card with power connectors on the top of the card and not the on the side. I suppose when the time comes for an upgrade you can always look at your options and see whats on the market in the way of a short capable gaming card. Thats the beauty of pc's you can change them to suit your needs. :)
 
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Here's a quote from the Q & A page on the Silverstone LC16 website , it might help you with graphics card choices ,

Link

Silverstone said:
Why can't I use some of the higher-end cards in the LC16M?

Due to the center-mounting optical drive design, the space for longer graphics cards are limited to approximately 225mm assuming the optical drive used is 160mm long.

The following are the length of the various cards for reference:

AMD Radeon HD 4870/4850 = 235mm
NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT/9600GT/GTO = 230mm
NVIDIA GeForce 9500GT = 175mm
AMD Radeon HD 4670/4650 = 170mm

Depending on the length of your BluRay drive the Sapphire 5770 Vapor-X might fit .
If you want me to , I can measure it with the power cable attached .
I got one a couple of weeks ago , and I'm delighted with it .
 
Wow what a handy link, big thanks to you!

Like I've previously said, I have by no means bought these products with gamming in mind, its simply nice to know that most of my setup is capable bar current gpu and case. If you have a 5770 though it would certainly be handy to know what length you have with power so if you could measure i would be greatful, although Id also be interested in seeing exactly which 5770 you have as I have noticed different versions with different lengths and coolers etc.

+ Who knows what cards and legths next year may hold :)
 
Here's a quote from the Q & A page on the Silverstone LC16 website , it might help you with graphics card choices ,

Link



Depending on the length of your BluRay drive the Sapphire 5770 Vapor-X might fit .
If you want me to , I can measure it with the power cable attached .
I got one a couple of weeks ago , and I'm delighted with it .

Grangeys bluray drive is 18.5cm so minus 2.5cm from the 22.5cm allowance leaves 20cm allowance inc cable. :)
 
Walls are finally sanded down.. now just need to paint....

must... have... patience.....

attachment.php


even the cat has the right idea.. get in there girl! :laugh:

attachment.php
 

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Xmas comes early at Grangeys house.

Looking forward to seeing the build pics. :)
 
Grangeys bluray drive is 18.5cm so minus 2.5cm from the 22.5cm allowance leaves 20cm allowance inc cable. :)


If you have a 5770 though it would certainly be handy to know what length you have with power so if you could measure i would be greatful, although Id also be interested in seeing exactly which 5770 you have as I have noticed different versions with different lengths and coolers etc.


I have a Sapphire 5770 Vapor-X - link

I took my card out this morning to measure it and discovered something slightly odd . My card is shorter than the one on the Sapphire site and any I have seen in online reviews :confused:

There must be two different versions of it floating around .
Mine also has a blue pcb , the one on the Sapphire site has a black one .

See the below pics ,

Picture from the sapphire site ,


sapphirepic.jpg



My card (sorry about the crap pic ,)


my5770b.JPG



According to sapphire , my card is definately a 5770 .


registered.jpg






I guess mine must be a newer revision , as the driver disc in the box was dated august/september 2010 . I ordered mine recently from Amazon , link


Regarding the dimensions , the pcb on my card is only 18.5 cm long , but the plastic shroud from the heatsink overhangs out the back of the card bringing the total length to 21cm .

Ignoring the plastic heatsink shroud , the length of my card with the power supply cable plugged in is just under 20 cm .

(Another crap pic )


my5770.JPG




If you got this version of the 5770 Vapor-X , you could trim (voiding your warranty) or remove the plastic cover to suit , and bring the total length with the power cable plugged in to just under 20cm .

I hope this helps .
 
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Wow that is a very short card you have there ninja. However as you say you would have to void your warranty to fit it in the case. I suppose if the bluray drive was the same size as a standard dvd drive it would just about fit. :)

BTW thanks for taking the card out of your rig to measure it up. :smashin:
 
To be fair, the warranty isnt something I would be too concerned about, what i would be concerned about is what detrimental effect it would have on the card by cutting open the cooling casing....

Ive had a quick look at other BD drives, and from what i can see they are all about the same length so it doesnt seem getting a shorter one will be too acheivable
 
Wow that is a very short card you have there ninja. However as you say you would have to void your warranty to fit it in the case. I suppose if the bluray drive was the same size as a standard dvd drive it would just about fit. :)

BTW thanks for taking the card out of your rig to measure it up. :smashin:

It only took a couple of mins to take out , I also got to give my AV stand a proper clean without the case on it :rotfl:



The plastic shroud is only held in place by 4 screws (although , there are 2 wires going to the Sappgire logo on the side - it glows blue ), and should be easy to remove if needed and shouldn't be a problem to stick it back on in case of a warranty claim . (I'm not sure what effect this would have on cooling)

I was surprised myself when I had a closer look at my card . I never noticed the difference between mine and the one on the Sapphire site .

Mine looks like it has a 5750 pcb , but with everything else from a 5770 .



Below is a picture of a 5750 Vapor-X , my card looks the exact same , but is a 5770 obviously (with the appropiate logos )


See how the plastic shroud overhangs the pcb (because the pcb is shorter ) ?
5750vapor-x.jpg




Sapphire 5750 Vapor-X - link
 
that is strange! but something i also noticed so what have been something i would try to locate, thanks so much for confirming you have the shorter one :)

Id guess il have to look into alternate cooling options if i wanted to go down that route :)
 
I have just made the executive decision that my 1000'th post will be the start of the build... which means im probably going to keep my mouth shut for the weekend! :laugh:
 
Can I ask what (aprox) you paid for the case? I just looked on the web site (Irish distributor) and they don'y have it listed!
 

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