Building an HTPC

[Games Goblin]

Hi Friends,

I plan to build an HTPC. I plan to do this by taking the processor, motherboard, RAM and DVD Drive from my old PC and then adding in the rest. Then I put in a new processor, motherboard and RAM for my old PC.

Here are the components of my old PC that I wish to use for my HTPC

Intel Core2 6300 @ 1.86 GHZ
Intel DP965LT Motherboard
2GB DDR2 RAM
Samsung DVD Combo drive
Pinnacle PCTV 110i TV Tuner

And, I wish to put in the additional components to complete my HTPC

Cabinet: Zebronics Slim Series "Flair" (Rs. ?)
LINK

Hard Disk: Samsung 1TB SATA 3.5" (Rs.3150)

Keyboard & Mouse: Logitech Wireless Desktop MK250 (Rs.1250)
LINK

Remote: Logitech Universal Remote Harmony 525 (Rs.3649)
LINK

Video Card: Asus 4350 512MB DDR-II [HDMI] (Rs.2107)


And here are the components I wish to put into my old PC

Processor: Intel Core i3 530 (Rs.5565)

Motherboard: MSI H55M-E33 (Rs.4883)

RAM: 2x Zion 2GB DDR-III (Rs.2785 x 2 = Rs.5570)
Link

here are the doubts i have:

* Will my Motherboard fit into the Slim cabinet? The Intel website says that the form factor of the mother board is microATX and the zebronics website says that it supports microATX
* Will the graphic card fit into the cabinet?
* Is Western Digital 1 TB better than Samsung?
* Is the 4350 a good choice for an HTPC video card?
* Is the Intel Core i3 a good buy? Is it better than a AMD Phenom II build?
* Is Zion a good brand of RAM?
* Will my existing 450W Odyssey PSU be enough for the Core i3 setup

Edit: (Just found this in Sticky, filling up)

1. What is the purpose of the computer?
HTPC: HD Movies
PC: Gaming
2. Are you open to alternate ideas/products giving similar better performance but offering more VFM/ sellers? If not- why?
Yes
3. What is your MAX budget?
22,000
4. Planning to overclock?
Yes
5. Which OS are you planning to use?
PC: Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
HTPC: Windows 7 x64 Ultimate / Ubuntu 10.04
6. How much hard drive space is needed?
1 TB
7. What resolution will the screen run at & whats the size of the screen?
PC: 1680x1050
HTPC: 1980x1080
8. How would you rate your hardware knowledge from the count of 1-10? (1 being the lowest, 5 being you are somewhat in sync with the current performers and 10 being the highest)
8
9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Will be done by assembler
10. When are you planning to buy the system?
Within a Month
11. Are you one of the types looking out for "future proof" configurations?
Yes
12. Are there going to be any components that you don't want to include in this new rig? If yes, do mention.
13. Which city do you live in and are you open to buying from shops from other city/states?
I live in Ernakulam, Kerala and I am open to buying from other states
14. Mention any other points if deemed necessary
please refer my above post

[Jaskanwar Singh]

1.the mobo you said is full atx form factor

2.graphics card is full form factor, i doubt its fitting in a slim cabby...

3.samsungs a good one and vfm, no probs

4.hd4350 is a good card for video requirements but ASUS one is a full height one..

5.amd athlon 2 x4 635 better buy than core i3

6.ya, zion is good

7.better change that psu

what are the purposes for building your pc, your new budget.

i suggest this card for htpc SAPPHIRE HD 4550 512MB DDR3 [HDMI] @ 2.5k or if low on budget Sapphire HD 4350 512MB DDR-II @ 2.1k

[Cybertonic]

Change the graphics card to nvidia GT 210. Its runs cooler and requires less power than hd 4350. then as jaskanwar said change the proccessor to athlon ii x4 635 and go for biostar 785G3 HD. Its better to opt for Kingston or G.Skill as zion, hynix and a-data come as later prefence to those and now kingston and g.skill are available at just 2.5k for 2 GB. Change the PSU to FSP saga 400W.check for RAM here

[Games Goblin]

Originally Posted by Cybertonic

Change the graphics card to nvidia GT 210. Its runs cooler and requires less power than hd 4350. then as jaskanwar said change the proccessor to athlon ii x4 635 and go for biostar 785G3 HD. Its better to opt for Kingston or G.Skill as zion, hynix and a-data come as later prefence to those and now kingston and g.skill are available at just 2.5k for 2 GB. Change the PSU to FSP saga 400W.check for RAM here

Thanks for the advice! Will this POV GT210 fit into the cabinet?



Now will opt for Kingston RAM only, how much does FSP saga PSU cost? How is Cooler master?

Originally Posted by Jaskanwar Singh

1.the mobo you said is full atx form factor

2.graphics card is full form factor, i doubt its fitting in a slim cabby...

3.samsungs a good one and vfm, no probs

4.hd4350 is a good card for video requirements but ASUS one is a full height one..

5.amd athlon 2 x4 635 better buy than core i3

6.ya, zion is good

7.better change that psu

what are the purposes for building your pc, your new budget.

i suggest this card for htpc SAPPHIRE HD 4550 512MB DDR3 [HDMI] @ 2.5k or if low on budget Sapphire HD 4350 512MB DDR-II @ 2.1k

Hi,

The intel website shows the DP965LT as microATX
LINK

The Zebronics site says the cabinet supports microATX

Is the Phenom II better than Athlon II? Please advice

[Cybertonic]

1.All GT 210 cards should fit
2.Cooler Master eXtreme and eXtreme plus are really bad but the other ones are
good(nothing for the price of fsp saga)
3.FSP saga costs 2k
4.Phenom II is Athlon II with L3 cache which means better performance(marginally on
low usage and quite a bit on high usage) but its more expensive as well. You should
go for athlon ii x4 as jaskanwar suggested

[Games Goblin]

Originally Posted by Cybertonic

1.All GT 210 cards should fit
2.Cooler Master eXtreme and eXtreme plus are really bad but the other ones are
good(nothing for the price of fsp saga)
3.FSP saga costs 2k
4.Phenom II is Athlon II with L3 cache which means better performance(marginally on
low usage and quite a bit on high usage) but its more expensive as well. You should
go for athlon ii x4 as jaskanwar suggested

Which is better for gaming? Phenom II / Athlon II?

Is Phenom II X2 550/555 better than Athlon II X4 635 for gaming?

[Cybertonic]

Yes Phenom II X2 is better but only for games that utilise 1 or 2 cores.
Better go for athlon II X4 to be future proof.

[Games Goblin]

Originally Posted by Cybertonic

Yes Phenom II X2 is better but only for games that utilise 1 or 2 cores.
Better go for athlon II X4 to be future proof.

Hmm my primary use for my PC will be gaming - so by future proof you mean applications which use 4 cores?

[Cybertonic]

Yes
Many high end games utilise 3 core and a few utilise 4 cores as well

[Jaskanwar Singh]

dude just google your mobo and see its size yourself.. it is full atx mobo(Intel DP965LT)
only intel website is saying it is an matx rest all review sites have mentioned it as atx..see the images in google image search...........or just open your cabby


as concerned with g 210, HD4550 AND HD4350 ARE MUCH BETTER PERFORMERS...AND are half height ones i mentioned in my previous post..

can you give your budget and requirements so that we can suggest you a good pc..