mcubed HFX Classic Build - Advice

[kingofbeans]

Hello,

Some years ago I purchased a budget blowing Mcubed HFX Classic system and promptly installed a load of old PC components (pentium 4 540! ) but with a graphic card which did the processing of 1080p mkvs.

It unfortunately died a couple of years ago and every since I have been meaning to get new components for it and have a HTPC again!

I'm fairly out of touch with current hardware but even if I were up to date I know there are a load of things to consider which I would probably miss (as I know there were plenty of comments here: viewtopic.php?t=63765&f=14)

As such, I'd appreciate any/all advice offered as to what components I should buy.

Budget is as cheap as possible (without being dodgy/likely to break) To be clear, the Pentium 4 set up worked for me... as the main thing I want this for is playing videos/music (and maybe some server duties) and not really gaming (although South Park: The Stick of Truth would tempt me).

I already have some SSDs around and a blu ray drive / dinovo edge etc but looking for PSU/MOBO/CPU/RAM/GFX advice.

Thanks

[CA_Steve]

Welcome to SPCR.

Any CPU will blow away your Pentium 4 and use much less power. The big question is will your case support current CPU sockets?

Here's a couple of possibilities:
- Go with a 10W TDP Baytrail, like the J1800/J1900 dual core. The CPU is soldered to the mobo and has an integrated heatsink. Don't need the cases' heatpipes. Don't know if your case will support mITX form factor or if there are any micro ATX boards as the chipset only supports 1 PCIe x1 channel....which should be good enough for an HD 6670...lot of ifs, here
- Go with an AMD Kaveri APU. The A8-7600 has plenty of headroom for your needs. You can set the TDP to 45W in the BIOS. The integrated graphics is comparable to your HD 6670 card, so you don't need the card. The better solution, if you don't need a video card for games.
- Go with an Intel Pentium G3258. A lot more CPU power than the A8, less graphics power for games, but it can process MKVs for playback. The better solution if you eventually plan to get a video card for games.

Didn't see any benchmarks for Stick of Truth, but I can't imagine it needs a lot of CPU/GPU power. I bet it's playable with any of the above solutions - maybe not at 1080p.

[kingofbeans]

Thanks CA_Steve!

The Case takes full sized ATX (and that's what it currently has). The Pentium G3258 seems the best option of the below, but I'd wonder if a lower TDP processor might have been the way to go, but I guess not if pilv (in the thread I mentioned before) used a 65W i7-2600S.

In what other way might the case not be able to support current CPU sockets?

I'm slightly concerned that the CPU block doesn't say it supports 1150 (http://www.hfx.se/se/index.php?page=sho ... &Itemid=54) but I know people have used 1155 which it doesn't mention as supported. Also, even if the cooler mounting holes don't line up, someone else mentioned that the acrylic plate holding down the CPU cooler isn't all that important...

I have also discovered it currently has a Q Technology QT-07400F semi fanless 400W PSU in it which should still be good (I hope), and a HD5450.

It would be great to hear if anyone knows if the cooler mounting holes would line up, if the QT-07400F should work ok with newer motherboards, and what motherboard would be recommended for coping well with a fanless system.

Ideal, would be to hear if anyone has built a more recent system that pilv with a HFX classic.

Thanks

[CA_Steve]

In what other way might the case not be able to support current CPU sockets?

I'm slightly concerned that the CPU block doesn't say it supports 1150

Asked and answered.
Socket 1156, 1155 and 1150 have the same mounting holes. If the other user got the '2600S to fit, then you should be able to get the Pentium to fit.

Toss the HD 5450. The Pentium's iGP is better.

CPU: Any of these Pentiums will work. Go for the lowest price. While all of these are 53W TDP parts, your use case will load them far less. Just a few watts idling or streaming music.

mobo's: Looks like the case will fit both ATX and Micro ATX. The latter might be easier to fit <shrugs>. Speaking of which, CPU socket placement might be a deciding factor with your CPU block/heatpipes. Other than that, any of the big 4 mobo mfgrs are decent. On the cheap end, there's the Asrock H97M Anniversary uATX for $65. Here's a sort list. Go for an H97 board. No reason for the Z97, unless you wanted to overclock the G3258...which is kinda silly given the case.

PSU: ATX PSU specs have evolved. Most of the power is drawn from the 12V rail now. Take a look at the 12V rail amperage rating for the device. You didn't mention if you've got other PCIe cards or HDDs, etc...so, assuming it's just the motherboard/cpu/ssd, your stressed load power is under 100W and likely load is 50W. Figure some derating from age, so if the PSU can supply 10-12A @ 12V, it should work.

Or, if you wanted to replace it, there's some decent lower wattage quiet to silent options...depending on your country.

[Mats_O]

I just had to register to reply to this thread since I got three HFX cases myself.
One Mini which is my Workstation, one Classic as a HTPC and a seccond Classic I bought about a week ago. It's been treated rather badly and need som major TLC before it will be fully operational again.

All three started out as Core2Duo systems but both the Mini and the HTPC has been uppgraded.

The Mini is my personal workstation and is used for light/moderate gaming and desktop work.
It got an I5 CPU (S-series with 65W TDP) and a Radeon 6570 Graphics card. Naturally it got an SSD drive to

The HTPC also got an I5 from the S-series. It uses the CPU graphics since it's enough for HTPC work.
There is a smaller SSD in that too (media is stored on a server so it doesn't need any storage).


My recommendations for upgrading a Classic is that you try to find a Motherboard that is a little narrower than full standard. Standard is 24 CM wich makes it wery tight against the PSU.
A ASUS Z97-P is 21.3 CM for example. It also got vertical SATA connectors which is good since the connectors won't be sticking out outside the motherbord area.

For CPU a Classic can handle a 95W CPU without problems if the installation is well done. I do like the 65W TPD I5 CPU:s from the S-series myself. They are more than fast enough and they run cooler.

For graphics I wouldn't recommend using a card with a TDP 50-55W (60W is max from two heatpipes).A Geforce GT-730 should be a safe alternative. GTX 750 (not Ti) should be doable but is closer to the border so I wouldn't do that unless you feel confident in heatpipe mechanics.

And just as a reference, My mini is Currently running Civilization Beyond Earth in the background .
It will do Skyrim on high too.