I'm gonna take the plunge!

djshowdowndjshowdown London
edited January 2007 in Hardware
I've decided to finally just get myself into gear and build my first pc

after doing my homework on how to build for quite a few months I am confident that i can assemble and configure a pc from parts to finished product

after toying with the idea of building a core 2 system to replace my current p4 system i have decided to go a completely different direction................building an HTPC for my bedroom:)

now looking at cpu prices I'm thinking that a P4 system may be the way to go as they appear to be quite cheap at the moment

Obviously this pc doesnt have to be lightning fast, but i would like it to be fairly quick. When it is not in use for watching vids and playing tunes i would like it to fold for a cure:smokin:

What would you all say is sufficient for a pc of this type

I'm thinking

P4 3ghz

512mb ram

quite big storage (im thinking minimum 500gb for media + a bit for OS)

graphics card im really not sure, i like the one that is in my current system (in my sig) but im not sure if that would be the best one for an HTPC.

soundcard. im thinking something with surround capability. it wouldnt happen for a while but if all goes well i could go for a surround system in the not so distant future

dvd-r/rw drive. again im thinking same one as in my sig

wireless keyboard and mouse so i can control it all from the comfort of my bed


my budget is £300 - £450. yeah its asking alot but i would like something that is quiet and reliable for this price. there's no point watching a film on this thing if all i can hear are the fans!

like i said i dont need a lightning fast machine but for the money i would like to get something thats as quick as possible

i trust you guys will point out some stuff i didnt think of

thanks in advance!!!!!!!

Comments

  • KentigernKentigern Milton Keynes UK
    edited January 2007
    I'd probably increase the ram to 1gb - 2gb :)

    Good luck with the build dj

    :smokin:
  • zero-counterzero-counter Linux Lubber San Antonio Member
    edited January 2007
    Not too shabby. Congrats on taking the step to your first build! Your chosen processor is not that bad, but there could be better deals if you look around and read some more reviews. But, it's a proven platform, and given your pricerange, sounds completely doable. Intel motherboard?
  • Datsun-1600Datsun-1600 Sydney.au
    edited January 2007
    Try and get a Conroe capable motherboard, so you can update later on and if you are going to get a single core, make sure it is a 5*1 series (65nm).

    There are price cuts for Intel due on the 7th January on Netburst CPUs and on the 21st, Intel releases the E4000 series Conroes (800fsb), so if your are in no rush, wait a while and see what is the best bang for buck.

    Datsun 1600
  • edited January 2007
    are you having a tuner card? what kind of case? if you go AMD you can have cool'n'quiet enabled for less heat (=slower fans). For just playback of divx etc you probably only need 1ghz.

    Answer these first and you'll be able to tailor your build properly.

    P.S. maybe a remote control would be better than mouse/keyboard. If nothing suits you could get a learning remote and an infra-red keyboard and teach the remote the shortcuts.

    Using XP/MCE or Linux?
  • ShalimarShalimar Touching the Stars
    edited January 2007
    And make sure that what ever amount of ram that you do get, is 2 pieces preferably a matched pair so you can get the 10% "i think it is" dual channal performance boost for virtually nothing.

    512meg = 2 X 256meg pieces "matched"
    or
    1Gig = 2 X 512meg pieces "matched"

    Later
  • djshowdowndjshowdown London
    edited January 2007
    i may well go for 1gb of ram

    its all about what my budget will allow

    im gonna stick with intel for the processor and will wait for the price cuts

    i started getting together a list of parts last night and it ended up totalling well over £700!!!!!!!!!!!

    i guess budgeting aint my strong point!


    gonna have to sacrifice something though

    here is the list that i compiled

    its by no means researched, i just wanted a rough idea of the kind of system i could throw together

    please suggest alternatives if you can think of something better!

    pick flaws at will...................

    mobo
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=324365&view=detailed

    case
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=326920

    graphics card
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=324858

    hard disc 1
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=117527

    ram
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=322818

    cpu
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=322631

    psu
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=307837

    hard disc 2
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=327715

    cpu fan
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=312473

    os
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=327642

    keyboard and mouse set
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=312544

    dvd drive
    http://www.komplett.co.uk/k/ki.asp?sku=325580
  • edited January 2007
    well its a computer. Is way over the top for HTPC, but perhaps you just want a good pc that also plays all your movies and TV shows whilst you are in bed which is what I have up here. However, I've just built my dad a HTPC for £250 which includes a £120 tuner card...so savings can be made if all you want is music/video files and general pc activities (not games).
    On a side note...if you really do want it quiet when not being stressed you might want to get an automatic fan controller of some kind. The zalmann9500 is ok quiet, but the fanmate2 controller is fully manual. Not heard of the psu brand before but a 140mm fan is a good start, as long as its slow when there's little heat. Spending a little on these type of things can make all the difference later.
  • DogDragonDogDragon Jacksonville, Fl Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    Go for it, It will drive you nuts but seeing it open for the first time That's something.
    It's a rush, It'll make you want to do it again.
    The first don't have to be all that, save that for when you have the cash let this be your dry run.
    You can alway upgrade to better things.
    Good Luck
  • djshowdowndjshowdown London
    edited January 2007
    Myth wrote:
    well its a computer. Is way over the top for HTPC, but perhaps you just want a good pc that also plays all your movies and TV shows whilst you are in bed which is what I have up here. However, I've just built my dad a HTPC for £250 which includes a £120 tuner card...so savings can be made if all you want is music/video files and general pc activities (not games).
    On a side note...if you really do want it quiet when not being stressed you might want to get an automatic fan controller of some kind. The zalmann9500 is ok quiet, but the fanmate2 controller is fully manual. Not heard of the psu brand before but a 140mm fan is a good start, as long as its slow when there's little heat. Spending a little on these type of things can make all the difference later.

    how did you manage to put together something for £250?!?!?!

    im intrigued
  • edited January 2007
    um...
    Asrock K8NF6G-VSTA motherboard £33.55
    Sempron 3000 retail £35.19
    Corsair value select 512mb PC3200 £43.42
    Seagate 120gb 2mb,7200 £30.49
    BlackGold dual DVB-T tuner with
    remote and TV software £131

    ok adding that up it comes to £273.65 and I got a compucase media-centre type case for free from a friend. You should probably add £25 to get a 300gb drive but you could probably spend less on the tuner card too...the blackgold was the only dual tuner I could find with low profile bracket :-). And you can buy cheaper ram, but I feel spending a bit more there gives a bit of reliability. The PSU is in the case and is pretty low power....but that suits the contents fine. Is in testing at the moment and seems pretty good....no smoke at all!
  • LeonardoLeonardo Wake up and smell the glaciers Eagle River, Alaska Icrontian
    edited January 2007
    Go with 1GB RAM. That will make a big difference in overall performance. Probably the single most important performance improvement to be had in a computer of the scale you wish to build would be a 512MB->1/GB RAM jump. Also, the suggestion to get a motherboard that is Core Duo capable is excellent advice. That way, you can make a significant upgrade later without having to purchase a new motherboard. If you can find a Pentium D 9xx series CPU for a good price, it would be a much better performer than most any of the P4 single core CPUs. The D915s are exceptional values. They (915s) may only be available now on the secondary/used market such as eBay. D940 and D950 are still available retail, but may not be worth the price. I would recommend against the D8XX series Intel dual core CPUs unless power usage is not a concern.
  • djshowdowndjshowdown London
    edited January 2007
    great suggestions people

    just so you know i am probably going to be getting sky in the same room in the not so distant future so the tuner card wont really be a top priority for now

    could always add it later though.

    the joy of expansion :)

    see the problem im having is deciding wether to make a pc that can just about manage playing video or absolutely rip through it and other things as well

    its a toss up between making a pc that is purely an htpc or one that can be used for other purposes
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