Advice on first HTPC setup

Seamu$

Hi folks. I'm a complete beginner to the world of HTPC so am looking for some advice from the wise people of boards on my proposed first build please.
Not really confident enough to build myself, so for €20 assembly the Hardwareversand option appeals to me. I was hoping to keep the cost under €500 if possible.

What I would like to achieve is that the PC would act as a home server (hence a 2TB HD – films, photos, music, video from camcorder, will want to record tv etc.), stream video & music wirelessly (although might have Cat5 cabling at a later date & could go wired) to other devices & control my TV. In relation to the TV I just want to have Saorview & FTA channels with HD capability.
So, I would appreciate any thoughts or advice on the following components:

Intel Core i3-2100 LGA1155 €96.41
ASUS P8H61-M REV 3.0, Sockel 1155, mATX, DDR3 €64.25
4GB-Kit Corsair DDR3 PC1600 C9 Classic €22.63
Compucase 7KJCBS-FE30U, Micro-ATX, 300Watt €60.58
Samsung EcoGreen F4 2000GB, SATA II (HD204UI) 8,9cm (3,5") €59.73
LG GH22NS Retail schwarz SATA €22.74
Asus NX1101 Gigabit Netzwerkkarte €11.27
Assembly €20.
Total Cost: 357.60

So, what else do I need?!
- Tuners: I know this is debated on other threads but I'll try to get a dual dvb-t2 and a dual dvb-s2. This is adding significant cost but probably worth it long term. Would 4 USB tuners (say 1 dvb-t2, 1 s2, 1 dvb-t & 1 s) be overcomplicating things or would it work? Should I go with at least 1 PCI card, and, if so, can the above setup cater for that?
- IR Receiver with Remote Control: Would this Win MCE be a good option to get me up & running?
- Wireless network card/adapter: Would this mini adapter do the trick or should I get some form of ethernet adapter?
- Wireless keyboard/mouse: I like the look of this Lenovo unit.
- Software: Just planning to install Win 7 Home and work from there, try out a few different options.

A couple of specific queries:
- Is that case ok - it's the only MATX available on HWVS with that config? I would like it to be as quiet as possible.
- Should I look at adding an additional fan for cooling?
- Am I ok with inbuilt graphics & sound? Just want it to be able to handle HD TV & hook up a basic decent set of speakers to it - wont be gaming on it.
- Would it be relatively easy to add an SSD at a later point if I wanted to boot it up quickly etc.? Prices for SSD are a bit steep at present.
- Would an external 2TB hard drive be advisable to backup the PCs hard drive regularly?

Apologies for the length of the post and all the questions! Any advice & suggestions welcome.

Many thanks.

Carter P Fly

right

Moitherboard is fine
Case is fine
No need for that network card, the onboard one on the motherboard is a gig ethernet card.
I dont like usb network cards. Id install a PCI version wireness 'N"

http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=42568&agid=271

With that board Id get a dual DVB-S2 and a Dual DVB t-2 pci-e x1 card. DVB-s2 and t2 are backwards compatible to s and t so no need for 4 tuner, two dual woudl suffice nicly for a tv server.

If not using a SSD and the machine will be in the same room as you then choose the quietest drive you can find for your OS Drive. The Western Digital Caviar Green WD5000AADS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive is phenomanally quiet.

Make sure to get soft rubber mounts.

The remote and usb reciever is fine. If you wanted to slash a bit more cash (and may not suit this case), an Imon front panel with integrated ir reciever and volume control is a great addition.

The I3 will handle graphics just fine you shoudlnt need an additional card.

Use acronis backup software to backup your machine. I prefer a internal backup drive as a external hard drive is way way more likley to get damaged then an internal one. That another discussion altogether though.

wireless heyboard with trackpad/trackball is up to you, whatever you like the look of.

Win 7 home is a very easy to get started and up and running. As a standalone option for TV and media windows media player ticks a whole heap of boxes (its what I use). Add in DVBlogic and you can share the tuners also with other devices on the network.

Another windows alternative server/client setup is nextpvr, although the interface is nowhere near as polished as windows media center.

Tuners can run hot, use the biggest case fans your case can handle. Large fans are quieter then smaller ones.

Anyways thate my thoughts on this, i think I covered most of your questions.

Seamu$

Hi Carter. Many thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated.

In relation to the dual T2 and S2 tuners, are there any particular ones you would recommend? I was thinking of maybe this TBS 6925 or something from that range? They do a nice looking dual dvb-t2 tuner as well but it's fairly costly. Any cheaper options out there?

Also, with the soft rubber mounts, would they be for the hard drive itself? Should I email HWVS when ordering to ask for these to be included or can I just add myself later?
I think I will go with a second hard drive for the OS, just have to decide on SSD or the quiet 500GB one you recommended.

iMon is a very interesting idea, didn't realise you could get it seperately, will definately consider it. Also, thanks for the DVBlogic tip, didn't realise that was possible.

Based on your advice re the tuners, I think I will add whatever additional fan the case can handle, it can only improve things.

Thanks for your help.

Seamu$

Actually, I see over on the Blackgold thread that the bgt3600 is out now so I think that's the way to go for me, seems like an ideal solution.

Carter P Fly

I dunno if HWVS do rubber mounts but a hard drive screwed with a metal screw to a metal drive caddy attached to a metal frame is going to vibrate. Anything you can do to reduce that reduces noise, especially with a case not specifically designed for htpc use.

silentpcreview forums has loads of sections about sound deadening for every aspect of a HTPC

Seamu$

Thanks for all the great advice Carter.