My First Build. A Sandy Bridge HTPC. Any Ideas?

Diamond7

Hi Guys...

I have decided to build myself a PC. Any sugestions or ideas would be greatly apprecated as i am a total noob on a sharp learning curve as i go.

I have just baught an i5-2500 at a very good price (bro works at intel) and i yet need to pick everything else for a home media PC.

Won't be gaming or OC'ing so wont need seperate GPU or very hi end stuff. On a budget of 450 after cpu.Dont need keyboard, monitor or sound card. Need HDMI, wireless LAN, tv cards etc, Should manage to pick out my own Bluray, RAM and HDD( will use 1x1TB HDD and build a NAS box at a later date for file shareing)

I have narrowed down the mobo to an Asus P8H67-V or a Gigabyte H67A-UD3H unless anyone thinks i could do better.

Any suggestions on mid towers and PSU's, i would love this machine to be ultra quiet. doesnt have to be stylish but black is good. how much wattage PSU would i need for a machine like this?

Anything else i should look out for? will i need to buy extra fans? Anything i should watch out for buying tv cards etc? Thanks for your input...

marco_polo

Diamond7 wrote: »

Hi Guys...

I have decided to build myself a PC. Any sugestions or ideas would be greatly apprecated as i am a total noob on a sharp learning curve as i go.

I have just baught an i5-2500 at a very good price (bro works at intel) and i yet need to pick everything else for a home media PC.

Won't be gaming or OC'ing so wont need seperate GPU or very hi end stuff. On a budget of 450 after cpu.Dont need keyboard, monitor or sound card. Need HDMI, wireless LAN, tv cards etc, Should manage to pick out my own Bluray, RAM and HDD( will use 1x1TB HDD and build a NAS box at a later date for file shareing)

I have narrowed down the mobo to an Asus P8H67-V or a Gigabyte H67A-UD3H unless anyone thinks i could do better.

Any suggestions on mid towers and PSU's, i would love this machine to be ultra quiet. doesnt have to be stylish but black is good. how much wattage PSU would i need for a machine like this?

Anything else i should look out for? will i need to buy extra fans? Anything i should watch out for buying tv cards etc? Thanks for your input...

I was going to say overkill but I see you picked up a bargain off a friend so fair enough . Don't see any real difference between the motherboards each has the same number of USB 2/3 port, SATA 3, Realtek onboard audio etc, so I would nearly toss a coin TBH. The Gigabyte has a Displayport output and an eSata port but then nobody ever uses either of those :pac:.

You would probably only really need a 300W PSU, the problem is that quality sub 400W units are pretty hard to find (almost to the point of non existance). For €40 bucks the Superflower 450W is a real gem.

Case is largely a matter of personal taste and not sure how much you want to spend, but I think the Coolermaster CM 690 II Lite for €66 is a good quality black case, supposed to be very quiet, and not too blingy (Blue LEDs can be turned off :pac:). And there are plenty of other options available if you don't like it. Without any hot running powerful gaming cards there will be no need for extra fans.

For a very quiet PC you will also should replace the stock cooler with a better third party one, the Scythe Mugen 2 is a good fairly low priced option.

Don't know much about TV cards just make sure that whatever one you choose is the correct type, DVB-C for cable, DVB-S for satelite or DVB-T for terrestrial.

If you have a Wireless G network then I would reccommend this as I have one of these and find the signal reception unfailingly good. Obviously if you have or intend on upgrading to a wireless N network you should get a wireless N card instead.

Diamond7

Thanks for that Marco...

The superflow 450w PSU has gone straight into the basket. The CPU cooler looks the biz, I think the Asus mobo will take 1156 coolers, i'll have to make sure. The case is a little bling for the sitting room, i was looking at: http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=24804&agid=631 just not sure if the noise reduction has replaced good ventilation??

I'm going to go now and learn a bit about networks and find out what i am on and if i could upgrade (i have some issues with reception in the house). Is wireless "N" much better then "G"? While i'm gone i'm gonna scrape the barrel a bit more and see if i can buy all these lovely things... Thanks again...

marco_polo

Diamond7 wrote: »

Thanks for that Marco...

The superflow 450w PSU has gone straight into the basket. The CPU cooler looks the biz, I think the Asus mobo will take 1156 coolers, i'll have to make sure. The case is a little bling for the sitting room, i was looking at: http://www3.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=24804&agid=631 just not sure if the noise reduction has replaced good ventilation??

Don't actually know that case but it has a fairly positive review here, it certainly scores well for quiteness and ease of use if a little positive about airflow. However I really wouldn't worry about the average airflow performance, because as you will be using the on-chip graphics heat will not be a major issue for you regardless of the case selected.

And nothing has changed in terms of the CPU mounting between 1156 and 1155 so the cooler will be grand.

I'm going to go now and learn a bit about networks and find out what i am on and if i could upgrade (i have some issues with reception in the house). Is wireless "N" much better then "G"? While i'm gone i'm gonna scrape the barrel a bit more and see if i can buy all these lovely things... Thanks again...

It is alot faster alright, but bear in mind your broadband connection is miles slower a wireless G network anyway and will likely be the choke point, upgrading to N would not improve internet speed for example.

I would stick with the wireless G and if you are having performance issues try changing the channels your current router is using (try a search on the networking forums), only if you are certain you need the extra bandwith that N provides would I bother as you would need to upgrade your router etc.

Frankly it is is only worth it if you have an alot of different wireless devices passing large quantities of data between them (say streaming full HD content from a PC, while someone else is gaming online and a and alot more going on too). For the vast majority of homes a well performing G network is more than sufficent.

Diamond7

Thanks Again Marco...

I'd say i'll go for that case alright. After this build my next project would be to build a NAS box with RAID for storage (kept in another room). Would a wireless "G" home network and my standard reuter be able to handle accessing this wirelessly and streaming HD to the HTPC while browsing on a laptop?
Or should i be looking at stuffing 4 HDD's on RAID into my HTPC and if so is a 450w PSU enough? Would i have problems with sound or heat running 4 HDD's?
Sorry about all the questions but its all just coming to me now...

marco_polo

Diamond7 wrote: »

Thanks Again Marco...

I'd say i'll go for that case alright. After this build my next project would be to build a NAS box with RAID for storage (kept in another room). Would a wireless "G" home network and my standard reuter be able to handle accessing this wirelessly and streaming HD to the HTPC while browsing on a laptop?

That level of usage should be absolutely no bother for wireless g network if the signal is goo.


[/QUOTE]
Or should i be looking at stuffing 4 HDD's on RAID into my HTPC and if so is a 450w PSU enough? Would i have problems with sound or heat running 4 HDD's?
Sorry about all the questions but its all just coming to me now...[/QUOTE]

Drives use very little power in the grand scheme of things, so you have loads of PSU overhead. Stuff in a few Samsung F3s and you won't hear a thing either even when when they are working hard. You shouldn't have any heat issues as they run pretty cool, looking at mine (I have a 1TB F3 and a 2TB F4) and they are running at 22/23 degrees each and don't get much warmer when they are busy. Hard drives all but shut themselves down when they are not being used.

Diamond7

I think i'll scrap the NAS idea and just go with the one box.
I'll start with one HDD fot the moment and add more later when the budget allows. I would like to go for RAID 10 eventualy as it looks to be both safe and will perform. To build a RAID system can i mix sata3 drives with sata 2 or should they all be the exact same specs?
With my choice of case and mobo so far I have 5x 3 1/2" bays, 4x sata sockets less one for an optical drive and 2x sata3 sockets.

Is it better to run the OS from Raid or devote another HDD to it? Maybe a small fast sata3 (SSD would i think be overkill for what i need and pricy)?

Marco.. I read some mixed reviews on that wireless card. Some very bad but some great, I guess if it works for you it cant be all bad. Thanks for your input by the way, its great to have questions answered by someone who knows their stuff...

marco_polo

Diamond7 wrote: »

I think i'll scrap the NAS idea and just go with the one box.
I'll start with one HDD fot the moment and add more later when the budget allows. I would like to go for RAID 10 eventualy as it looks to be both safe and will perform. To build a RAID system can i mix sata3 drives with sata 2 or should they all be the exact same specs?
With my choice of case and mobo so far I have 5x 3 1/2" bays, 4x sata sockets less one for an optical drive and 2x sata3 sockets.

Not 100% on the exact nature of supported RAID configurations on the H67 boards (Outside of that they can do RAID 0,1,5 and 10). Because the SATA2/3 ports use the same Intel storage controller I don't see any reason why it wouldn't be possible to run a mix of drives on SATA 2/3.

This line I see in the specs of most Gigabyte H67 motherboards, imply that mixed SATA raid is supported (The RAID functionality on these boards is Intel tech so ASUS H67 boards would be the same):
"When a RAID set is built across the SATA 6Gb/s and SATA 3Gb/s channels, the system performance of the RAID set may vary depending on the devices being connected"

Is it better torun the OS from Raid or devote another HDD to it? Maybe a small fast sata3 (SSD would i think be overkill for what i need and pricy)?

For the OS the fastest option is to get an SSD IMO, the next fasted option being HDDs in RAID 0 with a single HDD bringing up the rear. Bear in mind that there is no point in getting a SATA 3 HDDs (despite the fact that they are being manufactured and sold by WD) as mechanical drives cannot get anywhere near the read / write limits imposed by SATA 2, so they gain zero performance benefits from SATA 3.

Only a select few SSDs (there will be alot more out this year) can break through the read / write limits of SATA 2 and gain a performance boost from SATA 3. Even the first real consumer SATA 3 SSD (as far as I am aware) the Crucial c300 released in the middle of last year, could only break through the read speed limit of SATA 2 not the write speed limit (Read Speeds were: 265MB/s for SATA 2 and 355MB/s for SATA 3, write speeds were140MB/s for both SATA 2 and SATA 2).

Marco.. I read some mixed reviews on that wireless card. Some very bad but some great, I guess if it works for you it cant be all bad. Thanks for your input by the way, its great to have questions answered by someone who knows their stuff...

No problem It was chucked into the build without a whole lot of consideration to be perfectly honest, so if you come across a better reviewed card by all means take it instead.

I didn't realise it had such mixed reviews, only that I have never had any problems with it (Which is nothing but a ancedote so it should carry no more weight that any other positive or negative user review of the card from elsewhere).

Diamond7

Those SSD's really look to be the way of the future. Sadly my spending power is a thing of the past, so until they drasticly reduce in price i'll have to forget about them.

So, to Raid or not to RAID...? At the moment i only have the money to buy one HDD or can maybe squeze another small one for OS,and want to go ahead with the build. I do want to look at RAID in the future with a view to data protection mostly but performance too, so i need to pick my first HDD accordingly.

For the OS the fastest option is to get an SSD IMO, the next fasted option being HDDs in RAID 0 with a single HDD bringing up the rear. Bear in mind that there is no point in getting a SATA 3 HDDs (despite the fact that they are being manufactured and sold by WD) as mechanical drives cannot get anywhere near the read / write limits imposed by SATA 2, so they gain zero performance benefits from SATA 3.

@Marco... Do i take it from this i'd be waisting my time buying any Sata 3 HDD?

If so i still have a few options as i see it (correct me if i'm wrong)
A. 1x 1TB sata2 HDD correctly partitioned for OS and Storage
B. 1x 160GB sata2 for OS and 1x 1TB sata2 for storage
c. Save the pennies for a few weeks and buy 2x 1TB sata2 HDDs in RAID 0
for OS and storage

Are any of these a waist of time? Or is there a large gain in performance between A. and B. or B. and C.?

For the OS the fastest option is to get an SSD IMO, the next fasted option being HDDs in RAID 0 with a single HDD bringing up the rear.

When you say 'bringing up the rear' do you mean outside the RAID array? What would this HDD be for? Purely backup? This would mean buying 3+ HDDs which i can't afford yet.

As a software (and hardware) beginer would I be taking on too much building a system using RAID 0? Then possably converting to RAID 5 or RAID 1+0 at a later date to incorporate 'failure tolerance'? Would I be better off just keeping it simple and just back up my important data by other means?

Ultimately I would like this machine to be able to run some midweight apps (photoshop etc); stream, play, record HD and other multimedia; host a home network and be remotly accessed by a few laptops; storage space of about 4-6 TBs with some form of backup, and run most of above at the same time. I would like to get the initial build right from the start and be somewhat future proof, thus all the questions... Thanks to boards and your help on here I am a lot closer to placing my first order.

marco_polo

I haven't much time to reply today, could you break down where the 450 budget is going so I know what is left for disks etc. I'll have a think about it and get back to you tommorrow with a few suggestions.

Diamond7

My build price so far:

Case- Cooler Master Sileo 500 - 65 Euro
PSU- Super Flower Amazon 80plus 450w - 40 Euro
Mobo- Asus P8H67-V - 122 Euro
Mem- 4Gb Kit Corsair Twin3x4096-1333 c9a - 38 Euro
Bluray- Samsung SH-B123L - 65 Euro

Network and TV cards -not chosen yet- - 60 Euro
Hardwareversand delivery - 30 Euro
Total so far: - 420 Euro

I have dropped the CPU cooler for the moment and will add one in the future if needed, unless you think it is essential for this build?

I can push the budget out to 500 euro max. So 80 euro left for HDD's and anything I might have forgoten. Assuming I put in a samsung 1TB F3 @ 50 euro this only leaves 30 euro to play with...

marco_polo

I'd just get the F3 1TB for now TBH, I wouldn't bother with a smaller drive for the OS as the F3 is about amongst the fastest 7200rpm drive around and you would probably end up getting just getting rid of a small 160-250Gb down the line anyway. I don't really believe it is a nescessary to have the OS and Programs installed onto different drives as an OS reinstall generally requires you to reinstall all your programs anyway (Once you have a backup of important data somewhere else of course).

If it were me I would be looking ultimately to get an reasonable sized SSD for the OS and most used programs (hopefully there will be sizeable price drops by the end of this year), make the F3 a spillover app drive for programs you don't need as often and maybe raid (1 or 5) a few 2TB drives for storage if you fancy.

In the meantime just go with the F3 and have a read up on the pros and cons of the various RAID configuration while you are saving up to see what (If any) sort of a RAID configuration will best suit your needs .

Personally I don't usually bother with the hastle of RAID and just backup to external with folder sync software (Although it has to be said all I really care about anyway are my music,films and steam folder )

Diamond7

I reckon that is sound advice. Gonna go ahead with that...

you think i'll be ok without the CPU cooler?

marco_polo

Diamond7 wrote: »

I reckon that is sound advice. Gonna go ahead with that...

you think i'll be ok without the CPU cooler?

Yeah it will be fine for the time being as you are not overclocking, if it is like previous intel stock coolers it could get a little bit loud when under a heavy load, (at least judging by the brothers i7-920).

It is a fairly easy thing to change later if you find the noise levels too much.

Diamond7

Perfect. Thats my build just about complete. Just network and TV cards but I might go somewhere other then hardwareversand for those. Looking forward to playing with all this Lego everyone talks about.;)

Thanks again for all your help Marco. I'll post my order here in the next few days, before i buy.