Foster1984
Prominent Member
I have been wanting to get a media jukebox player for a while now, and done lots of research into different component combinations for a HTPC.
I should probably try and be a bit clearer with what I would like it to do, so my requirements are:
OK, so the parts of the set-up I know I want are:
Corsair CMX8GX3M2B1600C9 XMS 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Twin Memory Kit: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £39.16
Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £77.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-Green...9809919&sr=1-1 £72.20
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LiteOn-IHES1...9810572&sr=1-8 £53.07
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPS...9810284&sr=1-1 £39.25
SST Grandia HTPC ATX enclosures black: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £80.84
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 64-bit, English, 1 Pack, DSP OEI (PC) (This OEM software is intended for system builders only): Amazon.co.uk: Software £62.17
The bits I'm not so clear on yet are the CPU/MB combos and whether or not to include a graphics card.
Possible CPU/MB combos I like the look of are:
Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual Core CPU (Socket 1155, 3MB Cache, Sandy Bridge, 65W, Intel Virtualization Technology, Intel Fast Memory Access): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £52.42
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-H77-M...9727547&sr=8-2 £61.49
Though, may change that processor to this one, as it supports 3D:
Intel Core i3 3225 Dual Core CPU (Socket 1155, 3.30GHz, 3MB Cache, Ivy Bridge, 55W): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
The second combo is:
AMD Bulldozer FX-4100 Socket AM3+ 4 Core Processor - 3.60GHz, 3.80GHz Turbo: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £76.36
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A97-...TF8&colid=3B4K4K1PVRV4S&coliid=I3BAH7ZWYIYIWN £66.96
The only graphics card I have looked at so far is:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11...TF8&colid=3B4K4K1PVRV4S&coliid=I11F8K8JL46Q55 £144.30
Now my confusion with all these possible combinations is as follows, I know that any and all of those CPU/MB combos would serve my purposes in a HTPC capacity (They may even be overkill).
However, if it is looking more and more like I will take the plunge into PC gaming, so which if any would be enough to cope then if I were to add that graphics card? And what sort of performance would I be looking at? I would want to be able to run the likes of BF4 with a level of performance AT LEAST in comparison to a PS4 or Xbox One, but preferably better.
My budget is some-what flexible (but will be around the £500 margin), as I will be buying the parts over a few months, probably spend about £100 a month and then just assemble it when I have all the pieces, so I don't mind waiting longer for a better set-up. But only if I will see a noticable difference with the better set-up, I don't want to buy the CPU/MB and then end up bottlenecking a graphics card, or buying a good graphics card in 6-7 months time and finding the CPU/MB aren't up to the job (On a side note, if I do decide to put a graphics card in at a later date, i will opt for a different PSU at initial build stage). I just don't know if I'm being unrealistic in my goals of the "all-in-one machine".
I should probably try and be a bit clearer with what I would like it to do, so my requirements are:
- Playback 1080p files and bitstream HD audio, via a single HDMI. As I want to run the HTPC to my amp, and from there to the TV.
- Fit an SSD and a HDD. Preferably 2 HDDs, as I would like to run raid on them (Lost a 2Tb HDD once without a back up, nightmare to re-rip all the media )
- Have space for a graphics card. As I may want to game on it in the future (After seeing the Next Gen of stand alone consoles )
- Have a Blu-ray optical drive. One that can both play and rip blu-rays (As will be ripping my own films, but want the option to have good playback on any that I don't own, ie rented from Lovefilm).
OK, so the parts of the set-up I know I want are:
Corsair CMX8GX3M2B1600C9 XMS 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Twin Memory Kit: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £39.16
Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5 inch SATA Solid State Drive: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £77.99
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caviar-Green...9809919&sr=1-1 £72.20
http://www.amazon.co.uk/LiteOn-IHES1...9810572&sr=1-8 £53.07
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPS...9810284&sr=1-1 £39.25
SST Grandia HTPC ATX enclosures black: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £80.84
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium with Service Pack 1, 64-bit, English, 1 Pack, DSP OEI (PC) (This OEM software is intended for system builders only): Amazon.co.uk: Software £62.17
The bits I'm not so clear on yet are the CPU/MB combos and whether or not to include a graphics card.
Possible CPU/MB combos I like the look of are:
Intel Pentium G860 3.0GHz Dual Core CPU (Socket 1155, 3MB Cache, Sandy Bridge, 65W, Intel Virtualization Technology, Intel Fast Memory Access): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £52.42
http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-H77-M...9727547&sr=8-2 £61.49
Though, may change that processor to this one, as it supports 3D:
Intel Core i3 3225 Dual Core CPU (Socket 1155, 3.30GHz, 3MB Cache, Ivy Bridge, 55W): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories
The second combo is:
AMD Bulldozer FX-4100 Socket AM3+ 4 Core Processor - 3.60GHz, 3.80GHz Turbo: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £76.36
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A97-...TF8&colid=3B4K4K1PVRV4S&coliid=I3BAH7ZWYIYIWN £66.96
The only graphics card I have looked at so far is:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapphire-11...TF8&colid=3B4K4K1PVRV4S&coliid=I11F8K8JL46Q55 £144.30
Now my confusion with all these possible combinations is as follows, I know that any and all of those CPU/MB combos would serve my purposes in a HTPC capacity (They may even be overkill).
However, if it is looking more and more like I will take the plunge into PC gaming, so which if any would be enough to cope then if I were to add that graphics card? And what sort of performance would I be looking at? I would want to be able to run the likes of BF4 with a level of performance AT LEAST in comparison to a PS4 or Xbox One, but preferably better.
My budget is some-what flexible (but will be around the £500 margin), as I will be buying the parts over a few months, probably spend about £100 a month and then just assemble it when I have all the pieces, so I don't mind waiting longer for a better set-up. But only if I will see a noticable difference with the better set-up, I don't want to buy the CPU/MB and then end up bottlenecking a graphics card, or buying a good graphics card in 6-7 months time and finding the CPU/MB aren't up to the job (On a side note, if I do decide to put a graphics card in at a later date, i will opt for a different PSU at initial build stage). I just don't know if I'm being unrealistic in my goals of the "all-in-one machine".
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