First System

[McSteve]

I’ve been lurking for about a year now and figured it’s about time I try to build my first HTPC system (not to mention my wife mocks me everytime I bring the subject up these days). I’d like to run my prospective system by the group and solicit your feedback before I make final decisions.

The purpose of the system will be to:
– Stream music from my office computer/server in another room via my Gigabit Ethernet network (upgrading this old clunker is probably the next project).
– Replace my standard definition Tivo
– Play DVDs and BluRay discs
– Maybe some gaming (but I have an old Xbox and I’m eyeing the Xbox 360)
– Little bit of weather/sports/internet use
– (and this is kinda dumb, but I really want to display art, animated scenes or pictures on the TV when it’s not being used)

Just for context, I have a 37” Sharp Aquos, a Denon AVR-2805 and a 5.1 Aperion speaker system.

Okay, here is the proposed system and why I chose certain components:

[b]Processor:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115028]Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor – Retail[/url] $280
[i]I read this is the current “sweet spot” for price/performance. Maybe a 6750 would do…[/i]

[b]Motherboard:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121314]Intel BOXDP35DPM LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard – Retail[/url] $125
[i]I don’t need to overclock and I really want something stable. BUT I’m curious how the install will work without a video connection. Will the graphics card work right out of the box without special drivers???[/i]

[b]Heatsink/CPU Fan:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118115]ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm 2 Ball Cooling Fan – Retail[/url]  $39
[i]I was thinking of using the Scythe Ninja, but I’m not sure if it will fit (or if I need it)[/i]

[b]Graphics Card:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121076]ASUS EN8600GT SILENT/HTDP/256M GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported HDCP Video Card – Retail[/url] $125
[i]Primarily looking for an 8600GT with passive cooling. This model appeared to have high marks[/i]

[b]Sound Card:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156001&Tpk=x-plosion]AuzenTech XPlosion 7.1 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card – Retail[/url] $80
[i]I’m leery of onboard audio and this is just $80…[/i]

[b]BluRay/DVD Drive:[/b]
[url=http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/products_id/817&fr=ALr24HzPF6NHUM-11or_6cO5n1wwyK946Iyt_0qdGRkTAAAAAAAAAAA&gl=us&hl=en&sa=title]Pioneer  BDC-2202 5x Blu-ray DVD Combo Drive, Black – BDC-2202B5PK[/url] $289
[i]This is one of the primary reasons for the box, but I’m just wondering how this works with drivers and all – will the drive work during the installation process? Or will I need a basic DVD drive to load the system and then upgrade? We’ll find out![/i]

[b]Tuner:[/b]
[url=http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/pName/avermedia-avertv-m780-combo-pcie-atsc-and-ntsc-white-box]AVerMedia AverTV M780 Combo PCIe, ATSC and NTSC, White Box[/url] $90
[i]Hear it’s a good card…[/i]

[b]Case:[/b]
[url=http://www.pcalchemy.com/product_info.php/pName/origenae-x11-htpc-case-with-vfdir-module-and-mce-remote-black/cName/htpc-cases]OrigenAE X11 HTPC Case with VFD/IR Module and MCE Remote, Black[/url] $229
[i]Really looking for something “relatively” simple. I liked the Silverstone GD01 as well…[/i]

[b]Power Supply:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151033]SeaSonic S12 II SS-430GB ATX12V / EPS12V 430W Power Supply – Retail[/url] $92
[i]Good brand and good reviews…[/i]

[b]Hard Disks:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136040]Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD5000KSRTL 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive – Retail[/url] $130×2 = $260
[i]One and a half Ts ought to work. And WD seems to have done a good job with this line of disks.[/i]

[b]RAM:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145098]CORSAIR ValueSelect 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model VS2GBKIT667D2 – Retail[/url] $73
[i]No idea what a good choice would be. Read about this product in one of the posts.[/i]

[b]Software:[/b]
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116142]Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium DVD – Retail[/url] $213
[i]Vista or XP? I don’t know any better, so I’m going with the upgrade path offered by Vista. And assuming I go with Vista, is it worth the extra $100 for Vista Ultimate? DreamScene looks pretty cool!!![/i]

[b]TOTAL SYSTEM PRICE $1615[/b]
(don’t tell my wife)

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