Need build advice on first build - HTPC

RoarUWS

Estimable
Sep 8, 2014
2
0
4,510
Hi there. I am a total newb and know nothing beyond a lot of reading.... so please be kind.

My current computer that I use for my music, Netflix, etc is dying. I want the adventure of building one that I can upgrade myself.

Here's what I need for it do:
- Streaming music, HD video (Netflix), very light photo editing, possibly editing some GoPro video
- Maybe surround sound if I get around to that
- Storage for music, photos, life's stuff, etc
This box will be attached to my TV
NO GAMING
- I really want to future-proof as much as I can (i5 may be overkill, but I'd rather go big now than later)

Here's what I've got so far:
http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/XN9G23

Intel Core i5-4570S 2.9GHz Quad-Core Processor
ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Seagate Barracuda ES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case
SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)

Questions:
Do I REALLY need a graphics card?
Do I REALLY need a CPU cooler? Will the manufacturer's be OK and quiet enough?
Does the RAM look OK? (This was what I really was taking a punt on.)
Do I have everything I need for a build here? Have I forgotten anything?

Thanks so much.


 
Solution
if you want to do video editing... the intel build will be a bit better for that. it "is" a bit overkill though.

-you would want the i5-4670 or i5-4690 not the i5-4570. 45xx is haswell (last gen) while 46xx is devils canyon (current gen). not required but suggested.
-you would want a h97 board not a z97 board though. that would shave costs too.
-250gb ssd is a bit much for the os only... do you really need that much space if you have a 1tb drive too? this would shave cost.
-you dont need a 550w psu, you could downsize to lower costs
-do you need win7pro over win7home for this? perhaps this could shave costs

-no, you do not really need a graphics card for htpc use
-a cpu cooler is not necesary for your purposes. the stock cooler is...

Jacob McIntosh

Honorable
Aug 24, 2013
69
0
10,610
Try this. It's a bit cheaper, but will still perform really well, and if you ever want more performance, just throw an AMD video card in and crossfire it with the onboard GPU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (£74.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.86 @ CCL Computers)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard (£71.57 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (£67.90 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£83.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Aria PC)
Case: Fractal Design Node 304 (White) Mini ITX Tower Case (£56.00 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.09 @ Aria PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£49.00 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £500.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-08 11:46 BST+0100

-I did add a CPU cooler to make everything quieter, but it isn't nessecary.
-High speed RAM as the onboard GPU benefits from it.
 
if you want to do video editing... the intel build will be a bit better for that. it "is" a bit overkill though.

-you would want the i5-4670 or i5-4690 not the i5-4570. 45xx is haswell (last gen) while 46xx is devils canyon (current gen). not required but suggested.
-you would want a h97 board not a z97 board though. that would shave costs too.
-250gb ssd is a bit much for the os only... do you really need that much space if you have a 1tb drive too? this would shave cost.
-you dont need a 550w psu, you could downsize to lower costs
-do you need win7pro over win7home for this? perhaps this could shave costs

-no, you do not really need a graphics card for htpc use
-a cpu cooler is not necesary for your purposes. the stock cooler is sufficient although aftermarket is quieter if you get hot days
-the ram you picked is fine
-if you have cable you forgot a cable card (if you wanted to route it through the pc that is)

another thing to consider (though they are a bit pricey) are things like the gigabyte brix http://www.gigabyte.us/products/list.aspx?s=47&ck=104 which mount to the back of your tv and are ultra small devices which are completely hidden from view by mounting on the back of your tv or similar location. while i personally would use a standard mini tower or htpc case build i just wanted to make you aware of such products in case you were not.
 
Solution