Building a new computer/HTPC? HELP!

[johnjayb]

Okay everybody. I am thinking about building a HTPC.. not exactly sure if it will be a HTPC but i really want this thing to be GREAT. i mean i wont only use it as a Home Theater PC but a general PC for video/picture editing and gaming. As for gaming (i dont really play too many video games but am interested in picking up starcraft 2 when it comes out and maybe a few other hit PC titles coming out).

Is this possible? I also would like to have one of those cases where it really looks like it belongs in your HomeTheater system. Basic requirements would be fast, sleek case thats looks like a receiver, and can keep up w/ graphics for all upcoming games. (and of course all the photoshop needs i have).

I will be connecting this to my Sony Bravia so it would be convenient if i could have HDMI.

In the amount I plan on spending.. is somewhere around 1500. plus or minus.

is this realistic? please help me out.

[Bizdady]

What kind of processor you looking at? Im in same boat as you except smaller budget but AMD Phenom X4 9950 Quad Core Processor has caught my eye.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103291

[DC_Street]

AMD FTL, For the same price you can get a Intel processor that would spank that AMD

I use to be a die hard AMD guy when I first got into building computers and stayed that way until last year when I bought my first intel processor. Picked up the E8400 the day it came out and couldn't have been happier. Right now AMD really doesn't have anything to compete with Intel and Intel even said in a press release last year that they have a ton of new stuff ready to come out but there is no point because AMD is having hard enough of a time keeping up.

So Intel is cheaper/faster/more stable/and just all around a much better processor

for now stay away from AMD, I'm really hoping they will turn around this year...but we shall see

[johnjayb]

so what intel processor would u recommend? im blind in all this and have no idea where to start...

[DC_Street]

have you built a computer before?
what experience do you have with computer hardware?
do you render videos/photos or just edit them?
what do you think is the most intense game you will be playing?
Star Craft 2 could probably use some juice unless it is like Red Alert 3. Red Alert 3 runs fine on my computer at maxed graphics and it literally loads the game in a couple seconds and doesn't use much processor power. You shouldn't have to have a quad core unless you are doing some heavy video rendering. It is nice to have if you did but if not, kind of a waste of money. Also what are you coming from? Do you render videos on that machine? How long does it take?

[johnjayb]

okay. i havent built a computer for about 8 years now. SO i am really out of the loop and have no idea what is what anymore. As for the photo/video editing. Its really just photo editing w/ photoshop for post processing DSLR pics. id say amateur photographer status. so im assuming i wont need anything insane.

the most important thing is hdmi/dvi connections and not slow for gaming. i want multiple windows to open up quickly and not lag the computer.

sorry for my newbness.. and thank you for your help

[Offender_Mullet]

johnjayb,

I have a couple questions for you:

1.) Will you be using a blu-ray rom (internal/external) drive for your computer, to throw blu-ray movies to the Bravia? Or, are you not even sure you want to watch blu-rays from the pc at all?

2.) Do you know the response time to your Bravia? If it has a slow response time, you might experience a "ghosting" effect when playing games.

[johnjayb]

1) as for blu-ray.. not necessarily. i have my s550 or ps3 for that. i really just want a decent htpc that connects to the tv and can do other stuff

i believe i have a kdl-46z100... i think from what i read it would be 8miliseconds? does that sound right?

[trshaw]

if not using blu-ray i would suggest something like a nice dual core mid to high end, if you can afford a quad why not..since this is going to be a photoshop pc, i'd bump the ram up to at least 4GB minimum (which will require a 64bit os)

Hard drives are cheap definitely get SATA as large as you can afford (maybe more than one for backups). DVD burner to back up all those photos on

since movies are not important a MB with onboard sound should be fine

video card, depending on if you are Nvidia or an ATI fan. I would go with what ever you think you can afford. Don't worry about SLI or anything like that. If you want to strictly use HDMI (basically audio will come from the TV and not going to something like a receiver) then that will limit your cards to only a couple. If you have a stereo receiver and speakers stick with on board audio and something like an Nvidia 8800GTS or something along those lines...

I prefer the Thermaltake DH series of cases. I like my DH-101 but google search for HTPC cases and you should get plenty of hits..

[brettallica]

Originally Posted by DC_Street

AMD FTL, For the same price you can get a Intel processor that would spank that AMD

Word.

I like this case a lot. Pair that bad boy up with this HDMI motherboard that supports an Intel cpu such as this 2.66 Core 2 Duo, and throw in 4GB of RAM or so...and you my friend will have a rockin' HTPC on a tight budget. I'm in the process of budgeting for a new HTPC myself to simplify the home theater so that my wife can use it without going crazy -- my current PC only has VGA out, and my A/V receiver doesn't support VGA. That means she has to do a lot of input switching, and she's not really comfortable doing that (read: pissed of at me and my sweet new receiver). Also less than advantageous for me/us is we have crappy remotes and are in need of a nice universal that'll take care of all our gear. But I digress...

Anyway, yeah I've done some research on this subject! I like the idea of staying with a small case because you can actually set it into your home theater without having some monster gargantuan ugly PC taking up all kinds of space -- to say nothing of the fact that it's hard to match aesthetically. Not that I have a problem with desktop PCs per se, mind you, but for something that is going to be used in a home theater, it's just got to be small form factor all the way. The main detriment to SFFs is they're a little harder to expand upon than a typical desktop-style case, so depending on what you plan on doing one of those might not be right for you. It looks like an SFF would work for you, though.

[johnjayb]

are there any better motherboards that the one u listed??? im interested in this setup but want to go a bit step up in every direction. thinking of getting a really good video card as well.. can you help me out?

[DC_Street]

I didn't like the P5E series, my first one came with a dead network port and then swapped it for another with the same issue

so I upgraded to the P5Q series, been very pleased

Processor wise, the best bang for the buck is the Intel E8400, it will do everything you need.

Do you really need the audio to go through HDMI?
You could get this card and get a DVI to HDMI cable
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133205

and then get a really good audio card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829102024

[Offender_Mullet]

johnjayb,

You're certainly going to get a lot of suggestions. Mine will come from mostly a gaming perspective. I also watch blu-ray movies on my sweeeeet Vizio 26" lcd, but obviously you don't need another monitor.

So basically, you just want a nice pc setup that you can hookup to your Bravia lcd for gaming/photo editing.....not really a HTPC that you'll be playing blu-rays from. Don't waste your $$$ buying a blu-ray rom drive for the computer if you have a PS3 & S550 already.

I assume your lcd is the KDL-46Z4100 (think you forgot to add the 4). Yep, it has a 8ms response time that'll most likely give you lag when playing games.....but from what I've read, there's an option called "game mode" ?????

First & Foremost: Buying pc hardware is always a headache. After you buy something, within 2-3 months "better" hardware will come out. Purchasing the latest-and-greatest hardware (Core i7 cpu's, GTX 295 vid cards, etc.) right now would not necessarily be the best option. My take on buying hardware is a "smarter consumer" approach (upgrading my hardware maybe once a year), as oppose to an "impulsive consumer". However, it's all about personal preference.

Where To Shop: I've been bulding my own pc's for almost 6 years now. I've purchased pc hardware from only 2 stores: Tigerdirect.com (who have a local store by me) & Newegg.com. I've never had to return anything, fast shipping & have the lowest prices most of the time.

Processor: I had an Intel Quad-Core Q6600 cpu, but I wasn't impressed. Hardly any applications take advantage of quad-core technology & I was actually losing performance in games. So, for starters.....I would go with an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 or E8500 (I have an E8500). They're cheap, run cool & if you're into overclocking, they oc a ton.

The Operating System: I had Vista 64-bit, but recently switched back to Vista 32-bit, which is A LOT more stable. I even had 8GB of ram in Vista 64-bit, but haven't noticed any performance drops in 32-bit with 4GB of ram (even though a 32-bit operating system won't utilize all 4GB of memory).

Video Card: I'm a Nvidia guy. Haven't really paid attention to ATI that much, although they do make some killer cards. I have two eVGA GTX 260 (Core 216) video cards running in SLI mode. One of the nice things about eVGA is they have a 90-day step-up program, which gives you the option of upgrading to their latest video cards, within 90 days of purchasing your cards. But like I said, getting the latest most expensive stuff is about personal preference.

Motherboard:

Sound Card:

Power Supply: That'll depend mainly what video card(s) you get, but the main thing to look for is the current rating on the +12v rails.

Case: I won't be very much help in this department, but keep in mind whlie the case might look nice, it might not offer great cooling properties, which is important.


I'm at work right now, so I'll keep editing my post as the day goes by.

[johnjayb]

thank you for all your help!
it does have the gaming mode...

mind if i PM u with questions. maybe u can really help me out.

[Offender_Mullet]

Sure, go right ahead.

[DC_Street]

same here if you need any extra help