Quiet HTPC/light gaming feedback

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Ranbato
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:02 pm

Quiet HTPC/light gaming feedback

Post by Ranbato » Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:30 pm

I am putting together a new HTPC for my bedroom and wanted to get some feedback on the PSU/Case/CPU combination in particular. I am also trying to keep the cost less than $700 (I'll wait for sales on some of the components :D and will probably wait a bit on the discrete graphics card) This will go in a open media cabinet so I can't go a whole lot larger on the case but I can go a little larger and have airflow room. Also, I have heard that this case can be tricky to get PSU's to fit.

Here is what I have to date at http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yQlT
  • CPU Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core $188.79
    Motherboard ASRock H77 Pro4-M Micro ATX LGA1155 $89.99
    Memory Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 $23.98
    Storage Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM $75.98
    Sandisk 64GB 2.5" SSD $54.47
    Video Card Asus GeForce GT 430 1GB $68.23
    Case Silverstone GD06B HTPC $122.00
    Power Supply Antec 380W ATX12V / EPS12V $49.98
    Optical Drive LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer $54.99
Thanks

CA_Steve
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Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 4:36 am
Location: St. Louis, MO

Re: Quiet HTPC/light gaming feedback

Post by CA_Steve » Mon Jan 21, 2013 3:36 pm

Hi and welcome to SPCR.

Case: How big is the cabinet space? Is it open in front and back for airflow? The GD05/06 are fine...but limit CPU cooler height to 70mm and GPU width (height) to 4.92". The GD07/08 has the same width as the 05/06, but is taller and deeper. This allows for up to 138mm CPU cooler and 5.25" wide Gfx card.

CPU: Are you planning to rip/encode a lot of video on this PC? If so, the quad core is a useful bump in performance. If it's mostly used for watching videos and the occasional game, you could consider the dual core i3-3220 or i3-3225. A lot of games will work fine with a speedy dual core, but quad core is becoming handier, especially if there are other background tasks (listening to tunes/ VOIP chat while gaming).

GPU: Are you planning to game at 1080p? Do you want the screen quality set to high/ultra, or do you want to trade off picture quality for lower priced gpu? In any case, the GT 430 is not a gaming card has no more processing power than the CPU's IGP. If you want to game at 1080p, then look at the GTX 650 Ti, GTX 660, GTX 660 Ti, or HD 7770, HD 7850, HD 7870 for the $100-$300 solution .

Mobo: Asrock provides a decent no frills solution. Consider the Asus P8H77-M or P8Z77-M @ $100-$125 as an alternative.

RAM: Look for low profile version - easier for CPU cooler clearance. Samsung is another choice.

SSD: Which Sandisk model is it?

PSU: Consider the Seasonic G-360 @ $60. Gold rated efficiency vs Antec bronze.

Ranbato
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:02 pm

Re: Quiet HTPC/light gaming feedback

Post by Ranbato » Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:33 pm

CA_Steve wrote:Hi and welcome to SPCR.

Case: How big is the cabinet space? Is it open in front and back for airflow? The GD05/06 are fine...but limit CPU cooler height to 70mm and GPU width (height) to 4.92". The GD07/08 has the same width as the 05/06, but is taller and deeper. This allows for up to 138mm CPU cooler and 5.25" wide Gfx card.
The space is about 6"H x 20"W x 18"D - it is coming on Thursday so I can check then. It is open in the front and has a cable hole in the back (link )
CPU: Are you planning to rip/encode a lot of video on this PC? If so, the quad core is a useful bump in performance. If it's mostly used for watching videos and the occasional game, you could consider the dual core i3-3220 or i3-3225. A lot of games will work fine with a speedy dual core, but quad core is becoming handier, especially if there are other background tasks (listening to tunes/ VOIP chat while gaming).
Yes, I'll also be using PS3 Media Player to transcode & stream shows on the fly.


GPU: Are you planning to game at 1080p? Do you want the screen quality set to high/ultra, or do you want to trade off picture quality for lower priced gpu? In any case, the GT 430 is not a gaming card has no more processing power than the CPU's IGP. If you want to game at 1080p, then look at the GTX 650 Ti, GTX 660, GTX 660 Ti, or HD 7770, HD 7850, HD 7870 for the $100-$300 solution .
OK, I'll take a look at those, but won't having a card with a fan add a fair amount of noise? I'm not doing a lot of heavy gaming: Starcraft II, Skyrim, etc. so I am willing to trade off some picture quality for price.
Mobo: Asrock provides a decent no frills solution. Consider the Asus P8H77-M or P8Z77-M @ $100-$125 as an alternative.
Is there a particular advantage these have over the ASRock? Reviews like the Asrock better and it is cheaper.
RAM: Look for low profile version - easier for CPU cooler clearance. Samsung is another choice.
I'll take a look.
SSD: Which Sandisk model is it?
It is SDSSDP-064G-G25, but I just picked it for the price & size, no other reason.
PSU: Consider the Seasonic G-360 @ $60. Gold rated efficiency vs Antec bronze.
What is the efficiency or dB benefits for the Seasonic? I understand the percentages on the efficiency, but not certain what that means in real life. :)

Thanks,
Ranbato

Ranbato
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Jan 21, 2013 2:02 pm

Re: Quiet HTPC/light gaming feedback

Post by Ranbato » Sat Jan 26, 2013 4:28 pm

The cabinet is 6x20x15 so I'll have to stick with a smaller case.

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