SOLVED First HTPC

[Xantom]

I am building my first HTPC. Here are the parts I have so far.

Case: SilverStone GD06B
PSU: SilverStone Strider Plus ST50F 500W
MOBO :
CPU:
RAM: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB)*DDR3 1600
HDD 1: OCZ 128GB*Vertex*4 SSD
HDD 2:
GPU:
Optical:
OS: WIN 7 PRO 64
Lenovo Multimedia Remote with Keyboard N5901

What issues exist with blu ray drives and playback from them?
Can I use HDMI cables for video and audio?

Any suggestions for hardware, or things to consider would also be appreciated. Price is not a huge issue but I would like to stay under $1000 for the remaining pieces. I do play games but it's not a necessity for this. I store my movies other media on my NAS.

Thanks in advance!

 

[jameseboy]

If your looking to go for a cheaper build, the likes of an i3, with a h77 motherboard would be perfect, As for bluray drives, I think the only problem i've seen with them, tends to be outputting to non-hd displays. It doesnt like that a great deal. And yes, hdmi for video and audio will work brilliantly.

 

[Knufire]

I'd go with a AMD A4 APU and a cheapo A55 board.

Any reason why this has to be a PC? If all the media is on a NAS, something like a Roku would play 1080P just fine. $1000 for a movie playing machine is quite extravagant.

 

[Xantom]

If your looking to go for a cheaper build, the likes of an i3, with a h77 motherboard would be perfect, As for bluray drives, I think the only problem i've seen with them, tends to be outputting to non-hd displays. It doesnt like that a great deal. And yes, hdmi for video and audio will work brilliantly.

Thanks for replying.

I did some research over the weekend after recieving my case and reviewing it's limitations. I also picked up a i-5 3570 today from Tiger Direct for $180.

I am considering these to complete my build:

MOBO: MSI H77MA-G43
GPU: MSI N660Ti PE 2GD5/OC
TV Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250

SO audio is routed through my GPU? Should I use a sound card, would that work or no? How is sound quality?

 

[jameseboy]

The audio is routed through the gpu yes. I have a tv plugged into my 670, and the sound quality is just as good as my sound blaster audigy.

Just make sure you have the nvidia audio drivers installed as well as the graphics drivers. And all will be good.

Ive never been a huge fan of tv tuners myself, But in saying that, i dont watch tv often. But from a quick google search, it seems like a reasonable card to use.

as for the motherboard, it looks good, only thing being it isnt sli certified. But for a htpc, i wouldnt worry about that.

 

[Xantom]

I'd go with a AMD A4 APU and a cheapo A55 board.

Any reason why this has to be a PC? If all the media is on a NAS, something like a Roku would play 1080P just fine. $1000 for a movie playing machine is quite extravagant.

That's a good point. Mainly I just want to build one and think with the card I have picked I can play PC games in my living room. I do need a Blu Ray drive for rentals. My GF hates this idea btw

 

[Xantom]

The audio is routed through the gpu yes. I have a tv plugged into my 670, and the sound quality is just as good as my sound blaster audigy.

Just make sure you have the nvidia audio drivers installed as well as the graphics drivers. And all will be good.

Ive never been a huge fan of tv tuners myself, But in saying that, i dont watch tv often. But from a quick google search, it seems like a reasonable card to use.

as for the motherboard, it looks good, only thing being it isnt sli certified. But for a htpc, i wouldnt worry about that.

Ok thanks! I DVR a lot of stuff, and Cable Company issued DVR is small and won't let me record 2 shows at once. I considered Tivo but am not going to pay a monthly fee and the high end box is like $300 or $400.

I am just going to go with one good card, so SLI is not required.

 

[Knufire]

So are you trying to build a small form factor gaming machine more than an HTPC?

 

[Xantom]

So are you trying to build a small form factor gaming machine more than an HTPC?

No, but there shouldn't be a problem if I choice to do so with the pieces I picked. I don't see how it wouldn't be capable to do both.

 

[Knufire]

An HTPC is typically a low powered machine that can't do much more/isn't meant to much more than streaming media.

Let me put it this way, could you list all the things you wish this build to accomplish?

 

[Xantom]

I think I have everything I need. Thanks for those who posted! I will follow up once it's completed.