HTPC / Steam Box build!

rootworm41 said:
I'm not sure if these are readily available in South Africa, but hey?

Antec Fusion Remote Max
SilverStone Fortress FT03
SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center
Thermaltake 200 VL52021N2U
Lian Li PC-Q27
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Ooh! The Thermaltake and Antec seem like great options... Where do you think I can source them?
 
rootworm41 said:
That's pricey. Evetech uses the Antec in their HTPC/Media Centre builds, maybe ask them where they source them?
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Yeah it's worth a shot. Normally things are ordered in bulk so I don't know if they'd order in a case just for one person. But doesn't hurt to try.
 
And I'm back :) So currently I'm busy helping a friend with his Masters research by running a few Particle Swarm Optimisation simulations for the last 2 days so here my current temps where CPU load has been 100% for the last day and a half.

Capture.jpg
 
Necro! So, I'm still fussing about specs and a chassis for this little dream machine of mine. I'm also still awaiting The Joker's recommendations... :p

So, I'm trying to get my budget below R10k and I'm willing to drop the CPU to the I5 4440, saving me a couple of 100 buckaroos. I'll never overclock anything in this machine (due to heat and noise considerations), so buying higher due to overclocking potential will be a waste. Best option for chassis price-wise looks to be the Cooler Master Elite 130 at the moment. Seems like prices for HDDs and memory dropped a bit - possibly due to a slightly stronger Rand?

Performance-wise, I'm looking to average 40 to 60 fps in modern games on high to ultra settings, running anywhere between 720p and 1080p (AA is not such a big deal to me, as I'll be sitting 4m away from the telly). The machine will be permanently hooked up to a 46" LCD (Samsung D550), so aiming for anything higher than 60fps would be pointless. I must confess, I'm a PhysX whore (Borderlands and Batman are GORGEOUS due to it), so would like an Nvidia card. If budget doesn't permit it, I'll stick with AMD and get a decent Nvidia card later on.
 
See below for my rig details, I assume that it would be similar as you are going to be gaming a little bit as well. A few recommendations I have for you from experience with my rig and the CM Elite 130 chassis in particular.

CPU: i5-4670k
GPU: Powercolor R7950 PCS+
RAM: 2x 4gb G.Skill Ares Blue
PSU: Seasonic X-660
Mobo: Gigabyte Z87N-Wifi
CPU Cooler: CM Seidon 120V
Chassis: CM Elite 130
HDD: 2x 250gb Seagate (Will be replaced by 1x 250gb SSD and 1x 2TB HDD soon
ODD: LiteOn multi-writer (needed for some vital docs on dvd, will be removed in future)

1. Get a fully modular PSU if budget allows, using only the cables you need will help you immensely.
2. A cheapish AIO liquid CPU cooler doesn't offer too much difference to a decent air-cooler from the comparisons I've seen online but in terms of space in a mini-itx box it seems to make the most sense and the CM Elite 130 fits a 120mm rad quite comfortably.
3. Only put in an ODD if absolutely vital and rather go for 1 big HDD (storage) and 1 SSD (OS etc.) as working in the small confines of the case can become a bit tricky. You can use the ODD bay to shove all the extra lengths of cabling.
4. If not overclocking at all then look for an H81/H85/H87 mobo.

Thats it from the top of my head, I'm sure there are many other factors to the build but thats all I can offer after a quick read and before I start my work day.
 
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Thanks Mr Pirate! By the sounds of your rig, it'll blow my R10k budget out of the water a bit... So I'm downscaling on the CPU (I5-4440) and a cheaper mobo (H81/H85/H87 like you mentioned). I'm also planning on going for the R9-270x as it offers great bang-for-buck at the moment. I'm still opting for the ODD, due to a wealth of DVDs we have in our library that aren't converted to digital files yet and, seeing as this machine will be stationed on the wall unit, it can act as a DVD player replacement. It also makes it possible for me to move the PS3 to the soon-to-be-built "fireplace room". So I can still game somewhat when the wife occupies the new HTPC in the main living room.
 
FarligOpptreden said:
Thanks Mr Pirate! By the sounds of your rig, it'll blow my R10k budget out of the water a bit... So I'm downscaling on the CPU (I5-4440) and a cheaper mobo (H81/H85/H87 like you mentioned). I'm also planning on going for the R9-270x as it offers great bang-for-buck at the moment. I'm still opting for the ODD, due to a wealth of DVDs we have in our library that aren't converted to digital files yet and, seeing as this machine will be stationed on the wall unit, it can act as a DVD player replacement. It also makes it possible for me to move the PS3 to the soon-to-be-built "fireplace room". So I can still game somewhat when the wife occupies the new HTPC in the main living room.
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I think my final cost came out at around R11.5k because of the exchange rate at the time and a few good deals (PSU for R649). For more technical information you will have to ask some of the gurus on here as my knowledge of specs/performance really varies as to whether I'm in the market for something or not. If you have any questions etc then feel free to post here or PM me, will help wherever I can. With no OC I think that processor and mobo should do just fine... If things are really tight I would also suggest looking at 2nd hand stuff as long as its from someone with a good rep etc.
 
I did a quick pricing on Rebeltech's site yesterday and the specs I'm after amounted to around R9800, excluding a cooler. Thing is, would it be all that necessary for fancy cooling, seeing as I won't be overclocking anything, ever?

I'd appreciate Joker's opinion on this build, but seems like he's avoiding my thread like the plague... :(
 
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FarligOpptreden said:
I did a quick pricing on Rebeltech's site yesterday and the specs I'm after amounted to around R9800, excluding a cooler. Thing is, would it be all that necessary for fancy cooling, seeing as I won't be overclocking anything, ever?
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Noise levels will likely be a little lower with an after market cooler. For videos it won't matter...most of it is accelerated so minimal load on the CPU. For gaming it would make a diff...the stock cooler will spin up reasonably high.

You can gain a bit of ground by undervolting the CPU though....most intel's are good for a couple percent less vcore (12% in my case). Since performance doesn't suffer thats an easy win on the temp side & by extension noise too.
 
Thanks for the info HX... Now, any recommendation for a Micro-ATX chassis that might double as a HTPC lookalike? Mini-ITX mobos are incredibly expensive and I can rather spend more money on other components... :(
 
With no OC the stock intel heatsink and fan will be more than sufficient, only reason I went with liquid was for space and noise as my PSU fan doesn't come on unless load is above 20% so its a really quiet rig.

As for the chassis options, with micro-atx there are just too many to go through, you will have to browse and just find one you like that fits the budget and go with that. I personally like the look of the Corsair Obsidian 350D or one of the Bitfenix cases.
 
K my input :)

Intel Core i5-4570
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=10112

ASRock B85M-ITX
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=10661

Corsair CML8GX3M2B1600C11, 8GB (4GB x 2) kit, Vengeance LP
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=8680

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003, 1TB
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1255

Corsair Obsidian 250D
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=12471

Club 3D R9-270X, royalQueen
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11130

Corsair VS550, 550w
http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=9119

R10 218 in total.

You could however change the chassis to a Coolermaster Elite 130 mini

http://www.rebeltech.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29&products_id=10812

Its lower profile and a little smaller but not nearly as well made or good looking as the 250D.
Usually when I build HTPC's for clients, silence is the main priority but I think this will offer a good compromise between silence and performance.

Drop me a pm if you have any questions.
 
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