yet another HTPC - review on spec appreciated...

mark rosser

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having gone round in circles reading the (excellent) threads here, i have attempted to complete a proposed spec for my HTPC. Any comments welcome - particularly if components are not compatible, or if there are better alternatives in a similar price range....

so here goes

Case
SilverStone Lascala LC20 £78.49
http://www.afterhours.co.uk/silverstone-lascala-lc20-p-1313.html

Motherboard
currently undecided (through lack of knowledge:confused:)
Gigabyte EP35-DS3R, iP35, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 1066/667/800/1200 MHz, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX
£79.90
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=770372

Gigabyte GA-G33-DS3R, G33, Socket-775, ATX, GbLAN, DDR2, VGA, 1333FSB, PCI-Ex16
£75.75(del)
http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.aspx?sku=334475

or
Asus P5K, iP35, S 775, PCI-E (x16), DDR2 667/800/1066*, SATA II, SATA RAID, ATX
£66.26
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=590765

Optical drive

i would like to use both formats (i already have some HD-DVD's)...
LG GGC-H20L Blu-Ray & HD Combi drive Black SATA Retail
£107.28
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=28997&source=PriceGrabber

CPU
Intel Core 2 DUO E8400 3.00 GHz 6MB Cache 1333FSB Socket LGA775
£129.19
http://www.awd-it.com/scripts/prodV...+GHz+6MB+Cache+1333FSB+Socket+LGA775+-+Retail

Memory
GeIL 2GB (2x1GB) PC2-6400C4 800MHz Ultra Low Latency DDR2 Dual Channel Kit (GX22GB6400UDC)
£29.99
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-058-GL

HDD
Samsung HD753LJ 750GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm *32MB Cache* - OEM
£67.68
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/139739

GPU
Sapphire Radeon HD 3450 256MB DDR2, PCI-Express 2.0, DVI-I/HDMI, Heatsink
£28.08
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/ProductInfo.aspx?ProductID=31428

PSU
520W Corsair HX Series Modular PSU, ATX, EPS12V, whisper quiet
£65.55
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=446788

Keyboard / mouse
KeySonic 2.4Ghz Wireless Compact Keyboard with Integrated TouchPad
£27.50
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/104608/show_product_reviews

potential additions of:
Scythe Mini Ninja Heatpipe CPU Cooler
and / or
Xilence Red Wing Case Fan 8cm
depending on how noisy / quiet the stock components are.

I will be connecting the completed HTPC to a Pio 506XDE plasma and Marantz VP12S3 pj (both via amp)- so any advice / warnings would be great. HTPC will connect via Marantz SR8001 amp (HDMI for pic), which does not decode the latest HD sound formats via HDMI, so i am expecting / hoping the mobo can handle the sound decoding, and i can connect from mobo to amp via 7.1 phono cables.

so where have i gone horribly wrong and exposed myself as a complete noob!:eek:
 
Hi Benji,

many thanks for the reply :thumbsup:- ideally i think i would like to stick with Intel for the CPU - i have some experience of Intel, but none of AMD...

my major concern was that the components would not all be compatible - can any one else provide any further comments, or suggestions.

many thanks,

mark
 

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