My HTPC Build

[JMack986]

Hey,

I'm looking to build my first HTPC next month, as streaming 30Gb+ 1080p HD video to my PS3 via a 2.33Ghz 4gb ram Macbook pro is just not cutting it. I will mainly be using this machine for playing large HD video files and as a media player, some gaming, and general lounge PC use. It will be connected to a Onkyo TXNR609 Amp with Q acoustics 7.1 surround sound. TV is a Toshiba 42Z3030D.

I have a few questions that I hope you guys could help out with;-

1) I was planning on the NVidia GTX570 but I read that is does not do HD Audio Bit Steam though the mini HDMI (TrueHD & HD Master) is this correct?

2) Does the NVidia GTX560 Ti that I selected do HD Audio Bit Stream? (More reassurance that I selected it correctly)

3) When connecting the PC to the AMP would I benefit from using a Sound Blaster X-Fi sound card via Toshlink optical cable for my sound on movies rather than the NVidia GTX560 Ti HDMI sound?

4) This case will be going into a TV cabinet with little space either side but clear at the back and front. Do you think it will stay cool enough with all the fans?

5) Do you reckon that it will be under 20db noise level (whispering level) when running large size 1080p HD films? (I know this will be difficult to guestimate but last thing I want is a noise of a generator in the background when watching movies)

6) More reassurance, will all my parts go together ok? Have I made any schoolboy errors?

(Yes I Know The Set Up Is Overkill For My Requirements )

All my files are stored on 3TB USB3 drives & System below will run Windows 7 64bit Premium

Item Part Cost WHERE FROM TOP CASHBACK
ST-LC17B Case £81.52 Silverstone La Scala HTPC ATX Black no PSU (SST-LC17B) - dabs.com £2.47
NF-B9 92mm Case Fan £12.97 Noctua NF-B9 Vortex-Control 92mm Quiet Case Fan (NF-B9-1600) - dabs.com £0.39
NF-B9 92mm Case Fan £12.97 Noctua NF-B9 Vortex-Control 92mm Quiet Case Fan (NF-B9-1600) - dabs.com £0.39
NF-R8 80mm Case Fan £15.08 Noctua NF-R8 80mm Quiet Case Fan (NF-R8) - dabs.com £0.46
NF-R8 80mm Case Fan £15.08 Noctua NF-R8 80mm Quiet Case Fan (NF-R8) - dabs.com £0.46
NF-R8 80mm Case Fan £15.08 Noctua NF-R8 80mm Quiet Case Fan (NF-R8) - dabs.com £0.46
FANSIS GASKETS 92mm * 2 £6.50 Fansis Anti-Vibration 92mm Fan Gasket £0.00
FANSIS GASKETS 80mm * 3 £7.11 Fansis Anti-Vibration 80mm Fan Gasket £0.00
Intel i5 2500k CPU £152.52 Intel Sandybridge i5-2500 Core i5 Quad-Core Processor (3.30GHz, 6MB Cache, Socket 1155): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories £0.00
NH-U9B SE2 CPU Cooler £41.29 QuietPC Noctua NH-U9B SE2 Dual Fan Quiet CPU Cooler (NH-U9B-SE2) - dabs.com £1.25
GA-P67A-UD4-B3 Motherboard £137.87 Kikatek.com | (GA-P67A-UD4-B3) Gigabyte P67A-UD4 (rev. 1.0) Motherboard Intel Core Socket 1155 Intel P67 RAID Dolby ATX Gigabit LAN £0.00
Kingston DDR3 RAM 8GB RAM £75.44 KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX : Kingston HyperX 8GB (2x4GB) Memory Kit 1600MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 240-pin DIMM with Intel XMP Support £0.00
RealSSD HDD Crucial 128GB HDD £162.00 CRUCIAL REALSSD C300 SOLID STATE DISK (SSD) - 2.5 - SATA-600 - 128 GB review cheap prices REALSSD C300 SOLID STATE DISK (SSD) - 2.5 - SATA-600 - 128 GB CRUCIAL best buy discount online uk shop £0.00
SH-B123L Blueray Drive £47.49 Samsung 12x BD-ROM/DVDRW Lightscribe SATA (SH-B123L/RSBP) - dabs.com £1.44
Corsair HX 650W* PSU £86.91 Corsair 650W HX Modular PSU | Ebuyer.com £0.0000
Gainward GeForce GTX 560 Phantom Graphics Card £199.00 Gainward GeForce GTX 560Ti "Phantom" 1024MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card [4260183361831] £0.00

Many Thanks For Reading

JMack

 

[purenitro]

You are right about the graphics cards, the 570 can't bitstream HD audio but is a better card for games.
I wouldn't bother with the sound card personally, I tried an Auzen Prelude and it was no better than HDMI sound through graphics card, hang fire with that for now, you can always add later...
My case is in a cabinet and is ok, noise levels are acceptable, depends how fast your fans are running of course.
I prefer the LC20 case but thats just my preference. But the LEDS on the front are a bit bright.
Every thing else looks OK

 

[DavidT]

I think I would cut down on the number of fans, 5 case fans and the CPU cooler are going to make some noise, plus the GPU fan of course. Do you really need that many fans anyway? The CPU and GPU are the only heat generators to think about, does the GPU fan vent out of the back of the case?

David

 

[purenitro]

Don't bother with the fan at the side of the case, it probably won't fit due to the CPU cooler being in the way. The noctua fans are really quiet especially at low speeds you hardly notice them until you ramp them up when overclocking.
Make sure you get a graphics card which is rear exhausting so it dumps all the heat out of the case.

 

[JMack986]

This is the way the graphic card cools under technologies :-

Phantom

It does not look to be rear vented do you think this will be a problem? It does show to be cool and silent though.

 

[Grangey.]

the 560ti does bitstream hd audio

yes it could be under 20db provided you use the lna adapters with the fans but will also depend on how good your case is for airflow. I would however say the gpu being the noisest component by far if running a stock cooler- and imagine this would be above 20db- whether it will be during bd-playback or not though i dont know.

i wouldnt bother with the fan gaskets.




Good looking build you have there though, i look forward to seeing it built

 

[DavidT]

This is the way the graphic card cools under technologies :-

Phantom

It does not look to be rear vented do you think this will be a problem? It does show to be cool and silent though.

It looks rear venting to me.

David

 

[JMack986]

I Will Finally Be Building This Tomorrow. I have swapped the C300 SSD for OCZ Vertex 3 120gb. Other then that all the parts are the same.