__THISRES__101665.jpg "Relaxation by °Tens 9 hours 59 minutes ago")
Upgrade/HTPC Build
1 year 5 months ago
Looking to upgrade my current PC and using leftover parts in an HTPC.
My Current PC
Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 @ 3.0GHz
-Zalman CNPS 8700LED CPU Cooler
Asus Striker II Formula 780i
2GB Kit Crucial Ballistix Lanfest PC6400
Pioneer DVR-215D SATA DL DVDRW
1 x Western Digital 160GB SATA HDD
2 x Western Digital 500GB SATA HDD
XFX 512MB 8800GT Alpha Dog Edition OC
CoolerMaster CM690 Midi-Tower
Corsair HX-620W Modular PSU
Now I'll be looking at purchasing these items and building an HTPC out of them as well as replacing some of my current PC gear.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2.66GHz/1333FSB/45nm)
ASUS P5E-VM HDMI (All-In-One-Mainboard)
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair Dominator PC8500 1066MHz
3 x Western Digital 640GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer DVR-215D Dual Layer 20x DVDRW
Compro COMP-T750F TV Tuner Card
Antec Mini P180 Midi-Tower Case (no PSU)
Antec NeoHE 380W Modular Power Supply Unit
Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU Cooler
2 x Scythe S-FLEX 120mm 1200RPM Fan (49CFM/20.1dBA)
+ 1 x Western Digital 320GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD which I own and is currently in an external case.
With these parts I'll be reconfiguring my current PC and building the HTPC and this is what it would look like...
My HTPC/Torrent Box
Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 (2.0GHz/800FSB/65nm)
-Zalman CNPS 8700LED 110mm Fan CPU Cooler
ASUS P5E-VM G35 HDMI (All-In-One-Mainboard)
2GB Crucial Ballistix Lanfest PC6400 800Mhz
1 x Seagate Barracuda 320GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
1 x Western Digital 640GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer DVR-215D Dual Layer 20x DVDRW
Compro COMP-T750F TV Tuner Card
Antec Mini P180 Midi-Tower Case (no PSU)
Antec NeoHE 380W Modular Power Supply Unit
My Gaming Rig
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2.66GHz/1333FSB/45nm)
-Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU Cooler
-2 x Scythe S-FLEX 120mm 1200RPM Fan (49CFM/20.1dBA)
ASUS Striker II Formula 780i Tri-SLI Mainboard
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair Dominator PC8500 1066MHz
1 x Western Digital 160GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
2 x Western Digital 500GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
2 x Western Digital 640GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer DVR-215D Dual Layer 20x DVDRW
XFX 512MB 8800GT Alpha Dog Edition OC (625/1800)
CoolerMaster CM690 Midi-Tower ATX Case
-2 x CoolerMaster Stock 120mm Fans & 3 x Arctic Cooling 12025 PWM 120mm Fans
Corsair HX-620W Modular Power Supply Unit
Can anyone see a problem with either of these setups?
My Current PC
Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 @ 3.0GHz
-Zalman CNPS 8700LED CPU Cooler
Asus Striker II Formula 780i
2GB Kit Crucial Ballistix Lanfest PC6400
Pioneer DVR-215D SATA DL DVDRW
1 x Western Digital 160GB SATA HDD
2 x Western Digital 500GB SATA HDD
XFX 512MB 8800GT Alpha Dog Edition OC
CoolerMaster CM690 Midi-Tower
Corsair HX-620W Modular PSU
Now I'll be looking at purchasing these items and building an HTPC out of them as well as replacing some of my current PC gear.
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2.66GHz/1333FSB/45nm)
ASUS P5E-VM HDMI (All-In-One-Mainboard)
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair Dominator PC8500 1066MHz
3 x Western Digital 640GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer DVR-215D Dual Layer 20x DVDRW
Compro COMP-T750F TV Tuner Card
Antec Mini P180 Midi-Tower Case (no PSU)
Antec NeoHE 380W Modular Power Supply Unit
Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU Cooler
2 x Scythe S-FLEX 120mm 1200RPM Fan (49CFM/20.1dBA)
+ 1 x Western Digital 320GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD which I own and is currently in an external case.
With these parts I'll be reconfiguring my current PC and building the HTPC and this is what it would look like...
My HTPC/Torrent Box
Intel Core 2 Duo E2180 (2.0GHz/800FSB/65nm)
-Zalman CNPS 8700LED 110mm Fan CPU Cooler
ASUS P5E-VM G35 HDMI (All-In-One-Mainboard)
2GB Crucial Ballistix Lanfest PC6400 800Mhz
1 x Seagate Barracuda 320GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
1 x Western Digital 640GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer DVR-215D Dual Layer 20x DVDRW
Compro COMP-T750F TV Tuner Card
Antec Mini P180 Midi-Tower Case (no PSU)
Antec NeoHE 380W Modular Power Supply Unit
My Gaming Rig
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2.66GHz/1333FSB/45nm)
-Thermalright Ultra 120 eXtreme CPU Cooler
-2 x Scythe S-FLEX 120mm 1200RPM Fan (49CFM/20.1dBA)
ASUS Striker II Formula 780i Tri-SLI Mainboard
4GB (2x2GB) Corsair Dominator PC8500 1066MHz
1 x Western Digital 160GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
2 x Western Digital 500GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
2 x Western Digital 640GB SATA II 7200RPM HDD
Pioneer DVR-215D Dual Layer 20x DVDRW
XFX 512MB 8800GT Alpha Dog Edition OC (625/1800)
CoolerMaster CM690 Midi-Tower ATX Case
-2 x CoolerMaster Stock 120mm Fans & 3 x Arctic Cooling 12025 PWM 120mm Fans
Corsair HX-620W Modular Power Supply Unit
Can anyone see a problem with either of these setups?
#776062 Quote Report Edited by ~stenchlord 1 year 5 months ago
1 year 5 months ago
I would kick out the noisy Zalman for the HTPC and get a Scythe Ninja or one of those other big ass block coolers. With that E2180 you might run passive.
1 year 5 months ago
I've already got the 8700LED, it's running in my PC now which is why I'm replacing it with a TRU120X. On low settings it should be more than adequate for cooling while still being quiet.
1 year 5 months ago
Since its a gaming rig id rather go for a better Graphic card than that quad core.
Note that using quad cores now and in near future aren't going to be a performance boost like what a single core vs a dual core. You will not notice any performance boost form a dual to a quad physically and in test bed it may not have any increase as well given that the games currently don't utilize quad core effectively. So unless you are doing work on this PC (work like calculating and simulations) change to a dual core and get a better Graphic card.
Note that using quad cores now and in near future aren't going to be a performance boost like what a single core vs a dual core. You will not notice any performance boost form a dual to a quad physically and in test bed it may not have any increase as well given that the games currently don't utilize quad core effectively. So unless you are doing work on this PC (work like calculating and simulations) change to a dual core and get a better Graphic card.
1 year 5 months ago
Yes I do work on the computer which is why I chose the quad.
Majority of work is photoshopping but I tend to multitask a lot. Photoshopping while browsing net, chatting, encoding video files, torrenting, watching a dvd/video file etc.
Majority of work is photoshopping but I tend to multitask a lot. Photoshopping while browsing net, chatting, encoding video files, torrenting, watching a dvd/video file etc.
Yea, you will be very please with the quad and since *hopefully* the newer games coming out are supposed to be able to take advantage of it, especially the new expansion for crysis, crysis:warhead.
Also encoding stuff goes alot faster with my quad over my old dual.
Otherwise these builds seem solid, i might not put that psu in the HTPC one because you might want to put some more HDDs and/or a raid card in there afterwards, but thats your call.
Also encoding stuff goes alot faster with my quad over my old dual.
Otherwise these builds seem solid, i might not put that psu in the HTPC one because you might want to put some more HDDs and/or a raid card in there afterwards, but thats your call.
1 year 5 months ago
What PSU would you recommend? I went for the 380W cause I figured it was more than adequate for the HTPC, I've had a 380W running an E6600 and 8800GTX before and power was nice and stable. The NeoHE Range also has modular cabling so figured that would be handy in a small case.
As for installing more HDDs in the HTPC it's more than likely but it will take a while to fill the 320GB and the 640GB. I'm tempted to keep the 320GB as an external HDD though and buying a 80GB/160GB for the HTPC for its system drive.
I could partition the 320GB but I personally like to keep my system drive separate from my storage drives :/
My 160GB atm (149GB usable) still has 142GB usable space left lol. Nothing gets saved on their, only programs/applications/games get installed on it. Music, documents all get saved on the other drives.
Cheers for the ideas :D
As for installing more HDDs in the HTPC it's more than likely but it will take a while to fill the 320GB and the 640GB. I'm tempted to keep the 320GB as an external HDD though and buying a 80GB/160GB for the HTPC for its system drive.
I could partition the 320GB but I personally like to keep my system drive separate from my storage drives :/
My 160GB atm (149GB usable) still has 142GB usable space left lol. Nothing gets saved on their, only programs/applications/games get installed on it. Music, documents all get saved on the other drives.
Cheers for the ideas :D
#776625 Quote Report Edited by ~stenchlord 1 year 5 months ago
You said you work with you CPU?
I would buy an Intel Xeon Quad Core instead of the Intel Core 2 Quad. It's proofed the Xeon it's far better and reliable than the Quad Core. Also, it can reach 1600FSB with 3.2GHZ. You already have a great graphic card and an excellent RAM Corsair memory of 4GB. Only thing to do is to buy another alphadog graphic card and put them both on SLI to work side by side, but you will need a good refrigeration and if it's possible, the Xeon Quad Core processor.
I would buy an Intel Xeon Quad Core instead of the Intel Core 2 Quad. It's proofed the Xeon it's far better and reliable than the Quad Core. Also, it can reach 1600FSB with 3.2GHZ. You already have a great graphic card and an excellent RAM Corsair memory of 4GB. Only thing to do is to buy another alphadog graphic card and put them both on SLI to work side by side, but you will need a good refrigeration and if it's possible, the Xeon Quad Core processor.
1 year 5 months ago
What performance boosts would I be looking at with Xeon over the Q9450? Remembering that the Xeon would need to be LGA775 socket as I'm not going to buy a new board lol. As for another 8800GT Alpha Dog in SLI they don't sell my particular model anymore. It's black PCB and stock overclocked. I figured I'll wait for the new nVidia or ATi/AMD cards to come out before I upgrade my GPU.
#776794 Quote Report Edited by ~stenchlord 1 year 5 months ago
1 year 5 months ago
Since your HTPC is using built in Graphics then the 380W PSU is adequate however your plans to increase the HDD would means that you are better off for a greater PSU id opt for a 420W~450W for HTPC and the best i could find for the gaming one.
arthurgomes
You said you work with you CPU?
I would buy an Intel Xeon Quad Core instead of the Intel Core 2 Quad. It's proofed the Xeon it's far better and reliable than the Quad Core. Also, it can reach 1600FSB with 3.2GHZ. You already have a great graphic card and an excellent RAM Corsair memory of 4GB. Only thing to do is to buy another alphadog graphic card and put them both on SLI to work side by side, but you will need a good refrigeration and if it's possible, the Xeon Quad Core processor.
I'd like to see proof that Xeons are more reliable than their desktop segment counterparts; I certainly haven't read that anywhere. I've owned three Core 2's and each hit somewhere between 25-50% higher than their rated clock speed and were 100% stable.
Core 2's have been able to hit 3.2 GHz since they were first launched, and pretty much all performance oriented motherboards will run 1600FSB. Also note that the Q9450 he's considering is the same core as the Xeon 3300-series (Yorkfield-based).
Also, onboard video may be pushing it in an HTPC if you intend to watch 1080p video on it. Could drop in an 8400/8500 or something.
1 year 5 months ago
HTPC will only be playing 720p at most which is why there isn't a Blu-Ray drive installed :P
It'll only be playing DVD/TV rips and for watching standard def TV.
Cheers for the advice, keep it coming.
It'll only be playing DVD/TV rips and for watching standard def TV.
Cheers for the advice, keep it coming.
For a Psu i would highly recommend the corsair 450 i think it is for your htpc, very good stable psu for your needs.
As for the gaming rig i might opt for a thermaltake 750 or a corsair 750, cause that is alot of stuff going on. You better raid those drives!
As for the gaming rig i might opt for a thermaltake 750 or a corsair 750, cause that is alot of stuff going on. You better raid those drives!
#777077 Quote Report Edited by ~xcrazysnowmanx 1 year 5 months ago
1 year 5 months ago
No need to raid the drives, they're only storage drives. I don't run anything off them. Also have two 1TB drives in my fireproof safe which I keep for backups. Corsair 450 is a nice PSU but I want modular, I'll just pick up an Antec NeoHE 500W for $15AUD more than the 380W.
As for the PSU in the gaming rig, I like my HX-620 and it does a decent job, doubt I'll use more than what it could deliver. Corsair 750W isn't modular either so it's a no from me for it, TT 750W I've had one and found it noisy in comparison to my HX-620 so no to that one too.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z302/stenchlord/IMG_6082.jpg
That was my PC before I installed the 500GB storage drives.
As you can see I like having a neat case, so modular PSU is always a compulsory item.
As for the PSU in the gaming rig, I like my HX-620 and it does a decent job, doubt I'll use more than what it could deliver. Corsair 750W isn't modular either so it's a no from me for it, TT 750W I've had one and found it noisy in comparison to my HX-620 so no to that one too.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z302/stenchlord/IMG_6082.jpg
That was my PC before I installed the 500GB storage drives.
As you can see I like having a neat case, so modular PSU is always a compulsory item.
#777085 Quote Report Edited by ~stenchlord 1 year 5 months ago
Aww that's just quitter talk. I download 1080p material whenever I can - I managed to grab Beyond the Clouds ( The Place Promised In Our Early Days) in 1080p and it's ridiculously gorgeous. The story is kind of pretentious but whatever, still one of the prettiest films I've ever seen.