HTPC Upgrade

ZuntarZuntar North Carolina Icrontian
edited December 2010 in Hardware
I would like your opinions on doing some upgrades to my HTPC.

I'm getting ready to pick up a discrete graphics card, a better CPU cooler and some nice 120 MM fans. Ultimately I want silence. I do not plan on gaming on this PC, and I have a home server so file storage is a mute point.

This PC was my wife's desktop for 6 months, so that's where it started.

It is an AMD 790 MATX Mobo with a 720 black tri core processor. It has 4 gigs of ram and I am curently utilizing the onboard HD 3300 graphics via HDMI with not so great results, as it can't push a 42" LCD @ 1080P well enough (BSODs)

I have $$ to spend and i don't want to do this again next year, so I want to do it right the first time.;)

Questions: Would a HD 5450 push a 42" LCD @ 1080P well enough, or more towards great?

HD 5450 0r HD 5670 if the 5450 is not enough.

Noctua NF-P12 for the fans i think.

possibly Scythe SCSK-1000 for the heatsink, but maybe not if im going for the 5670.

The case I have is very small, but i might be going for a smaller thinner case in the future, hence why im considering the low profile parts.

What are your thoughts?

Comments

  • miragemirage
    edited December 2010
    Zuntar wrote:
    as it can't push a 42" LCD @ 1080P well enough (BSODs)

    BSOD is not a performance problem. You need to find the reason for that before upgrading the computer.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    Radeon HD 5450, Prolimatech Samuel 17 (low profile heatsink known to have the widest compatibility with small boards at a great price), a 120x120x12mm Scythe fan for the heatsink. The rest is your call.
  • ZuntarZuntar North Carolina Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    mirage wrote:
    BSOD is not a performance problem. You need to find the reason for that before upgrading the computer.

    Every thing checks out ok, no overclocking, temps ok, and voltage rails Ok.

    When I am watching a recorded show @ 1080P after 10 minutes or so the screen locks up. Somtimes it will BSOD after the lock up. What else could it be?
  • miragemirage
    edited December 2010
    Zuntar wrote:
    Every thing checks out ok, no overclocking, temps ok, and voltage rails Ok.

    When I am watching a recorded show @ 1080P after 10 minutes or so the screen locks up. Somtimes it will BSOD after the lock up. What else could it be?

    Did the problem start with a specific version of ATI drivers?

    If it is not a driver problem and RAM/CPU tests are okay, it could be your northbridge (that has the integrated GPU) heating up. Did you check the system logs in Event Manager and search for the error code of BSOD? Or, your harddisk could be corrupted too, schedule a comprehensive disk check. Just some possibilities I can suggest quickly.
  • ZuntarZuntar North Carolina Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    It has done this since I upgraded the OS to Win7 and installed the latest drivers, prior to that it was not hooked up to the TV. It runs hot overall due to everything being pushed at 1080P constantly. It will sit at the desktop all day, but gets hotter when it is pushed to display video.

    I'll poke around some more and closely watch the temps.

    Thanks for the suggestions guys!!
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    *moot
  • miragemirage
    edited December 2010
    You might not be planning to game on that HTPC now but I think that capability is still a good option in case you (or kids) might want to try playing on the large screen TV. I would recommend spending a little more to buy an HD 5770.
  • winterwinterwinterwinter
    edited December 2010
    mirage wrote:
    You might not be planning to game on that HTPC now but I think that capability is still a good option in case you (or kids) might want to try playing on the large screen TV. I would recommend spending a little more to buy an HD 5770.
    HD 5770 is a good choice for sure.
  • ardichokeardichoke Icrontian
    edited December 2010
    I second the HD5450 rec. I use one of these for my current HTPC. Performs well. As for the fans, it probably won't matter what brand you go with, I'd make sure to get ones with rifled bearings though as they tend to be quieter and longer lasting than ball bearings (or so I've read). I have 4 NZXT 120mm fans w/ rifled bearings in my Beta Evo, they work quite well and are damn near silent.
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