Bedroom HTPC - Final check please.

The Caveman

Morning.

Will you change anything below, if this was your HTPC.



We will buy the following on Friday:

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor €220
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler €40
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard €180 Motherboard can do 4K @ 60 via HDMI 2
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory €70
Video Card: Intel HD630
Storage: Bought, see below
Case: Bought, see below
Power Supply: Bought, see below
Shipping: (€30.00)
Total: €540

Bought Already:

Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly - Kryonaut

Case: Streacom F7CWS ALPHA Silver - https://www.quietpc.com/st-f7c-alpha

Power Supply: Streacom ST-NANO160 160W nanoPSU and AC/DC adapter block Streacom

Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A8 PWM 32.7 CFM 80mm Fan





Usage: it will be in the bedroom, connected to a 24” monitor, plus a 4K TV. Ideally we want it to last a good 5 – 6 years. so we are aiming for a very quiet machine.

40% General usage stuff, like Facebook, news, spotify the odd Microsoft document, etc ( non gaming setup)

60% Media playback, via hard drive and streaming.
Motherboard can do 4K @ 60, so 4K playback will not be an issue. Rest of media is stored on backup drive.



Part of me just want to chuck in the i7 7700, to really future proof it, but as the case is small I don’t want heat to be an issue.

Most reviews said the i5 7600 have the best balance of performance vs heat

But, I know an i3 will also do the job.

Thanks.

savemejebus

From my own bad experiences with intel onboard gfx and htpcs (sound dropping over hdmi and signal being lost when changing TV inputs) I'd get a cheaper motherboard and a dedicated low profile passive gfx card.

You mention future proofing, what about a ryzen chip? you'd have AM4 upgradeability for a few years.

The Caveman

savemejebus wrote: »

From my own bad experiences with intel onboard gfx and htpcs (sound dropping over hdmi and signal being lost when changing TV inputs) I'd get a cheaper motherboard and a dedicated low profile passive gfx card.

You mention future proofing, what about a ryzen chip? you'd have AM4 upgradeability for a few years.

That might be an option, but, if you look at the size of the case, only a ITX will fit.

and, i would rather go with the Asrock board, than Bio star , as the asrock gets rave reviews on every site, and the biostar, well, it will work.

also, the power supply is only 160W

K.O.Kiki

Core i5-7500T is a 35W TDP part; might be good considering the minimal airflow.

The Caveman

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Core i5-7500T is a 35W TDP part; might be good considering the minimal airflow.

thanks, will look into it...

The Caveman

Ok, I have decided the following

I will go for a i3 7100 and upgrade the ram to 16Gb. I just watched a video on YouTube, and a i3 handles very demanding 4K playback with no issues.

This will leave me with enough juice, to install a GeForce GT1030 if neds be.

Then, once Coffee Lake is released, I can upgrade the Processor...

Billy86

Would it not make more sense to go for a G4560 than an i3? Their performance is essentially the same as best I know and it's nearly half the price. Also I would personally drop the aftermarket cooler for a build like this. That would also effectively pay for the LP graphics card.

TerrorFirmer

Yeah, you could even get a Skylake Celeron and add a passive GT1030 card for the same price as the i3 7100 - more connectivity options, Nvida drivers are better than Intel's, and would even play some games if you ever wanted.

K.O.Kiki

i3-7100T + 750Ti should fit under 160W, as will i3-7100 + GT 1030

The Caveman

Just wanted to thank you all for your feedback.

When I set out to build this, I wanted to make sure I futureproof it as much as possible, so that any upgrades in 5 years time will be worth it, vs building a new PC.
And, this is only a bedroom PC for Facebook, Spotify etc and movies.

All bought and paid for, now just waiting for it to arrive.
7100 vs G4560 I know the G4560 was €35 cheaper, but it is also Intel HD630 vs HD610
And as I will firstly use the on board GPU, I know 100% that the HD630 can handle 4K.
Aftermarket cooler: for my piece of mind, I wanted the Noctua as I used them in all my builds.

Connectivity – this motherboard have 1x HDMI, ( 4K@60) 1x Displayport, ( 4K@30) 1x Thunderbolt 3 ( 4K@30)

I also added in a 1000GB Seagate FireCuda 128MB 2.5", and I bought a silicone sleeve to fit the drive into, inside the case.

I am happy with parts now that it is bought.

CPU: Intel - Core i3 7100.
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.8 CFM CPU Cooler.
Motherboard: ASRock - Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151.
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory.
Video Card: Intel HD630
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: 1000GB Seagate FireCuda 128MB 2.5"
Case: Streacom F7CWS ALPHA Silver
Power Supply: Streacom ST-NANO160 160W nanoPSU
Case Fan: Noctua - NF-A8 PWM 32.7 CFM 80mm Fan

The motherboard have a M.2 port that is not being used…

1 x Ultra M.2 Socket 2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)

Upgrades:

Next if needs be I can add the Asus GT1030 silent GPU.

Or I can also add the Samsung M.2 960 Evo if I get it on sale sometime, but no real rush.

And, once Coffee Lake is released, I might upgrade the processor in a year, or 2…

tazzzZ

nice one. only thing id say about your upgrade options is that coffee lake is likely to need a different motherboard. new chipsets and that. intel loves to force mobo upgrades. but there are plenty of upgrades available to you anyway.

xrx

Nvidia Shield best for 4K media streaming and 1080p gaming not sure about Office (never used one on it) but is 200EUR and is perfect for almost 2 years now.