Config for a Music only HTPC

esanthosh

esanthosh

Skilled
  1. Q: What is your budget?

    60K MAX. Of course, lesser is always better :).
  2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration.

    None. Starting from scratch.
  3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping?

    LG 18X DVD-Writer


  4. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy?


    • 20-22" Monitor


    • Cabinet - Needs to be a HTPC cabinet because it will be kept alongside my Amp, CDP etc., in the AV rack and they are all black, BTW :) (Inflexible requirement)
    • Motherboard - Looking for one with a HDMI out so that I can watch the occasional movie rip. eSATA out would be required.
    • RAM - 4 GB


    • CPU - Just enough power to do all the functions described.


    • Sound Card - E-MU 1212M / Juli@ / Asus Essence STX (Inflexible requirement)


    • Graphics Card - None
    • HDD - A faster boot drive enough for OS + basic programs like foobar, cPlay and VLC. Data drive can be something like a WD Caviar Green 1 TB or equivalent.


    • Efficient PSU (Corsair VX450?)


    • Cooling + Silence from CPU cooler and Case fans. If motherboard cannot support all the fans, would I require a Fan Controller? :huh:


    • HTPC Remote (Optional)




  5. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

    I won't be looking for an upgrade until one of the components conks out :p


  6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)


    • Local - Coimbatore


    • Open to both TE Dealers and Online


  7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market?



    No


  8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware


    • Ripping and Playing Music


    • Watching HD movies (very rarely)


  9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

    None. As long as their service is not too horrible.


  10. Q: Are you looking to overclock?



    No


 
Here you go :) :-
Bear in mind that this is a micro-ATX build with some basic, some indulgent but overall capable components. Since you have a good budget, you can consider a mini-ITX setup and/or more expensive components, but that would get you diminishing returns. Look up the dimensions of the micro-ATX case in the cabinet suggestion below to see if it makes you happy. If so, no need to spend more as this will take care of all your requirements.

All prices are approximate

Monitor = Benq G2020 HD ~7k
This should serve you well, good balance of price/performance/looks

Cabinet = Silverstone Sugo Series SG02B-F00020 ~5k
Awesome little case that won't break the bank. Check it out.

Motherboard = Gigabyte MA 785GMT-UD2H / USB3 ~5.5k / ~5.8k
GA-MA785GMT-UD2H (rev. 1.0) - GIGABYTE - Product - Motherboard - Overview
Full HD 1080p playback, among other things via the onboard HD4200. High quality components.
Also consider the USB3 supporting version of this motherboard, the GA-MA785GMT-USB3, will cost you just a few hundred more.

RAM = G.skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600Mhz 2x2GB CL9 ~6k
Why do i suggest heatspreader RAM for an HTPC? Well, if you won't overclock, you can reduce their frequency, tighten the timings and get a nice performance boost along with keeping things frosty inside the case. If you plan on getting additional CPU cooling though make sure you check for clearance. Going for normal non-HS slower 1333Mhz RAM will save you about 1k.

CPU = AMD Athlon II X2 240 ~3k
Cheap and cheerful, more than enough for your purpose.

Sound Card = ASUS Xonar DX ~5k / ASUS Xonar Essence STX* ~10k
There are more expensive options, but they seem to lose value in my eyes unless you are looking for some specific feature not present on the DX. Uses ASUS's AV100, a steal at the price.

HDD = WD Caviar Black 1TB or Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB ~4k
Go with whatever's considerably cheaper, which will be the 7200.12 in all probability. You could add a 30GB SSD as the boot drive(Go with a Caviar Green or any other slower, cooler, quieter HDD if you do this) if you feel the need, though i'd just stick to the 1TB drive.

PSU = Seasonic SII 380W ~3k / Seasonic SII 430W* @ 3k limited time offer(?)
Highly efficient and enough headroom to run a good single GPU incase you ever want to turn your HTPC into a little gaming rig. Though an FSP Saga 350W that retails for around 1.5k will easily power your rig as well.

Total = ~38,500/~45,000 INR with the default choices (most prices have been rounded up)

CPU Cooling:- There are some low profile aftermarket coolers you can consider if you require more cooling performance for whatever reason, though that should be unlikely. A bit of undervolting on the stock cooler and it should stay whisper quiet.

Post back with your thoughts, i.e. if you feel strongly about more expensive components(or are pedantic about efficiency) or a smaller form factor(mini-ITX) than the already midget micro-ATX, so that more concrete suggestions can be given out(the entire build can also be cheaper, if you so desire, but that's unlikely considering your 60k budget XD, but then there are always other, more rewarding things to spend on). Also post your thoughts on the current choice of components and weather or not you think they fit the bill.

Hope that helped. ^^

*Thanks titana.
 
I agree with above except the sound card recommendation.

Get the STX- you won't be disappointed.

Currently there is a deal on seasonic 430W @ 3k.

It is a steal at that price.

Highly recommended.
 
I've got s suggestion regarding the soundcard.

Why not go for a Zero DAC? Its 100$+shipping, lansing cost shouldnt be over 100$. Use the SPDIF from the mobo to connect, and its got a great headphone amp as well.

More equipment on the rack looks better IMO :D

EDIT: Errr never mind, I just saw basic Zero now costs 154USD :S I got mine for way lesser than that.
 
titana said:
I agree with above except the sound card recommendation.
Get the STX- you won't be disappointed.

Currently there is a deal on seasonic 430W @ 3k.
It is a steal at that price.
Highly recommended.
Click to expand...

I agree with the alternative as well, the STX is sweet, the DX being the bare minimum for a music oriented PC IMO, which is what i was trying to do anyway.

Also, i came across Rahul's deal on the Seasonic 430W because of your post, so thank you for that sir :) It really is a steal at that price.

EDIT: Original post modified as per your suggestions : )
 
@SunnyBoi

There can always be more things on the rack. One at a time ;)

@Amien,

Thanks! that looks like a very good config. Just because my budget is 60K does not necessarily mean I need to spend all of it. If I can get the job done @ 60% of the money, I can spend the remaining on other things in the music setup chain.

@titana,

Yep! I'm going for a pure stereo setup. STX makes more sense. But what about the other more expensive choices - Juli@ and E-MU 1212M (both need to be imported?). Gotta read up :)

Back to the config,
  • CPU, Motherboard, RAM, HDD and Monitor are all good choices.
  • What about exotic or more expensive options? I could save that money and spend that on a better sound card or add it to the speaker / amp's budget :)
  • Why go for SSD? I am using a 80GB Seagate HDD as a secondary external backup (for my data alone). I can use that as the OS drive easily. I am not going to install many things or experiment. I will install just the basic required programs for which I assume 80GB should suffice.
  • Seasonic 430W vs Corsair 450W (for which Vijay has a deal @ Rs. 3500 shipped). Is Corsair any better?
  • For Cabinet - this Antec Cabinet comes with a 380W power supply. But it's also a couple of thousand costlier. It comes with 120 mm fans though.
 
Config given by Amien is good but why WD Black for storage, if SSD is the boot drive ? Save some bucks and get a green.

Also avoid Seagate. With WD you gt two years more warranty and more peace of mind.
 
^ WD Black -> I think he was recommending a single OS + data drive.

As I am already thinking of re-using my 80GB, it makes more sense to go for a WD Green or Seagate. In general, there are so many recos for WD in TE due to their 2 year extra warranty and the RMA procedure. However, there are also many failures and even reports of RMA taking two months in a few cases.

My query on this: WD Green and Seagate 7200.12 being priced similarly, what would be the difference maker -> 64MB cache of WD or the higher speed of Seagate - as far as my day-to-day usage of playing music or the rare movie is concerned?
 
Bold = Quote
Italic = Reply

"CPU, Motherboard, RAM, HDD and Monitor are all good choices.
[What about exotic or more expensive options? I could save that money and spend that on a better sound card or add it to the speaker / amp's budget :)"

You could go for an H55 based setup, would cost you a 2-3k more and be more efficient/possibly run cooler(32nm fab.), but i don't think that's necessary, also the HD4200 has been around longer than Intel's new on die CPU+Graphics package so that should likely have more support off the bat. You can also order really low voltage (1.35 opposed to 1.65v) G.skill ECO series DDR3 RAM via newegg/KMD, again non-essential.
Why go for SSD? I am using a 80GB Seagate HDD as a secondary external backup (for my data alone). I can use that as the OS drive easily. I am not going to install many things or experiment. I will install just the basic required programs for which I assume 80GB should suffice.

HDD - A faster boot drive enough for OS +
Click to expand...
^ I looked at that in your opening post and thought that you might be looking for a really fast boot drive. I'd suggest avoiding the SSD as well, more money for audio gear :happy:
Seasonic 430W vs Corsair 450W (for which Vijay has a deal @ Rs. 3500 shipped). Is Corsair any better?

Both provide more than enough power for your needs, but the Corsair has a 5 year warranty : )

For Cabinet - this Antec Cabinet comes with a 380W power supply. But it's also a couple of thousand costlier. It comes with 120 mm fans though.

That antec is a good choice and i have no doubt the PSU bundled is a good/efficient one, as is always the case with Antec PSU's. Check the dimensions of both and decide what suits you best. I think the Silverstone will be better since it has provision for upto 10.5 inch expansion cards, but that's probably something you won't need. Its more of a cube as compared to the antec, so decide accordingly.
@Sushant
esanthosh answered your query :)

Back on topic:- As far as making a choice between the 7200.12 and WD Green go, they both have different target markets. 7200.12 if you want performance, WD green if you want low power consumption and noise.
In terms of everyday usuage of a setup like this though, either of them are fine, which is why i suggest going for the cheaper one (7200.12 most likely). You may also want to bump up the HDD budget to accommodate a 1.5TB drive instead if you think you will need more storage, that will add ~2k to the price of a 1TB.
 
^ Yep! When I posted the query, I was thinking about a faster HDD for boot alone.

But then, I think for the minimal setup I am going to have, it would not make much difference if I have a 7200 RPM drive or a 10K RPM drive or a SSD. IF I am going to load up programs like a normal machine, speed does come into play as Windows typically and terribly slows down with usage.

I tried Ubuntu via Wubi for a few days and it was relatively much faster to boot. But then, I had a hard time making the audio part work in that machine. With very limited knowledge of Linux, I am trying to stay with the tried and tested (and cursed) Windoz.
 
SunnyBoi said:
I've got s suggestion regarding the soundcard.

Why not go for a Zero DAC? Its 100$+shipping, lansing cost shouldnt be over 100$. Use the SPDIF from the mobo to connect, and its got a great headphone amp as well.

More equipment on the rack looks better IMO :D

EDIT: Errr never mind, I just saw basic Zero now costs 154USD :S I got mine for way lesser than that.
Click to expand...

Essence STX sounds way way better than zero dac. Have tried it personally and can vouch for it.
 
@chaos,

Since a extra few thousands or importing is not a great issue IF I can get a step-up in the final SQ, how is E-MU 1212M or Juli@ compared to Essence STX?

The more neutral and detailed the sound, the better.
 
esanthosh said:
@chaos,

Since a extra few thousands or importing is not a great issue IF I can get a step-up in the final SQ, how is E-MU 1212M or Juli@ compared to Essence STX?

The more neutral and detailed the sound, the better.
Click to expand...

What speakers do you plan to use with this BTW? Also, which Windows OS?
 
Silence is golden in an Audio setup. So SSD is a must. Think of investing in some vibration dampening stuff as well you will never regret it. The 32nm option is also a good suggestion. The onboard gfx isnt that bad on that either (For a music setup perspective).
 
SilverstoneGD04B 80mm fan slots (Black)

Juli@ for digital out, and Essence STX for analog out, the E-mu is a balance between both though it has some minor issues in digital output, not noticeable unless you want super-low recording latency (5mS and below). If you will eventually migrate to an outboard DAC, the Juli@ and 1212m will be better bets, the 1212 has a slightly better analog section and the Juli@ a better digital section. Your choice.

I'm going to stay neutral on CPU/RAM etc - look for something that can do HD decoding in hardware if you plan to play video now and then, if it's a pure music setup just get the cheapest board that will run your intended display at native resolution. Anything better than a 690G will do, and the G31 onwards on the other side of the pond. Try and underclcok the CPU for lower heat dissipation, and spend on aftermarket cooling (quiet) for the CPU.

The Antec's stock Tricools are noisy. The pwoer supply is first-rate - I had switched in a VX450 but that makes far more noise than the stock Antec unit. Any way you cut it, your expense on the system is going to be ~8.5K for the case alone after adding in a power supply in the Silverstone, or some really quiet fans in the Antec.

I use a 320GB laptop hard drive to boot from and I just dump it in the vacant area in front of the power supply. The layout of the Antec means the 3.5" drives don't get much cooling - keep this in mind - I have two 1TB WD green drives for media and storage, and they run fairly warm compared to other cases. If you don't plan to use an optical drive you can just dump the drives in that space and the power supply ensures those drives stay really cool.

Another thing to note is that with some nVidia-based boards, the 45nm Athlon II chips work at abnormally high vCore. I am suffering from this intractable issue with a AII 240 and a M3N78-EM. The board is the only one that can run my display properly without juddering (all Philips HDTVs have a weird and unsupported display refresh rate bug), but it has issues with my CPU... AMD boards on the other hand, do not correctly detect the display and there is a judder after every few minutes.

Both the Silverstone and Antec cases have decent vibration resistant drive mounting options, but you need to have silent drives in a music setup. I had a 300GB 7200.7 in the Antec, and you could hear it from where I sit. Changing out for a laptop drive cured it instantly.
 
Amien said:
What speakers do you plan to use with this BTW?
Click to expand...

Nearing the end of my long audition. I only have one more choice to check out. That is why the budget and plan for the source :p

Amien said:
Also, which Windows OS?
Click to expand...

Customized, n-Lited Windows XP.... unless somebody recommends getting a Windows 7 for this purpose.

@cranky,

Thank you very much for the detailed reply and covering all the ends (especially the pitfalls which are most useful for me)

cranky said:
If you will eventually migrate to an outboard DAC, the Juli@ and 1212m will be better bets, the 1212 has a slightly better analog section and the Juli@ a better digital section. Your choice
Click to expand...

I eventually plan to migrate to an outboard DAC. If not for my budget constraints, I'd have straight away gone for a really good DAC now. But then, one step at a time :)

cranky said:
If you don't plan to use an optical drive you can just dump the drives in that space and the power supply ensures those drives stay really cool.
Click to expand...

I will use an optical drive.

But, considering what you say, I would settle for a Laptop drive as OS drive. I personally find whirring HDDs more irritating.

If I settle for Silverstone case, for CPU cooler (since I am using an optical drive), my choices would be limited to Scythe Shuriken or Silverstone NT01 Evolution, I guess.

Another question though: The silverstone cabinet GD04B has support for 3 x 120mm fans for the side and 2 x 80mm fans for side. If the motherboard has only two connectors for fans, how do I connect more than two? Should I use a fan controller (it would not have an external slot if I am using a DVD-Writer) OR is there any other way? :huh:
 
cranky said:
Juli@ for digital out, and Essence STX for analog out
Click to expand...
agreed.
The juli@ probably has the best digital out of all sound cards barring the Lynx.
Though if you are gonna spend in that range for a digital out then I would suggest the M2tech Hiface usb to spdif converter.
 
Most case fans come with 4-pin Molex connectors, not motherboard ones, and in even the ones that come with the 3-pin, a Molex adapter is usually included.

edit; titana, that has no provision for analog output. It will necessitate immediate investment in a DAC - which the TS has clearly indicated in the post above yours, will be a later purchase :)
 
The HTPC has been up and running for more than a month now: GA-785GMT-USB3 Mobo, X2 245, 4 GB G. Skill RipJaws 1333 Mhz RAM, Seagate 320GB 2.5" HDD running XP, Seagate 7200.12 1 TB for storage, LG 18X DVD-RW (old). The case is Silverstone GD-04B. I got the Asus Essence STX soundcard. Am using Scythe Shuriken Rev B as CPU cooler. Corsair VX-450 is the PSU.

A couple of problems:

  • While it's only used for ripping Audio CDs and for copying from my backup DVDs, the LG makes hell of a noise. Besides, it's IDE cable leaves very little room for the CPU cooler. While most of my CDs are accurate-ripped, EAC seems to struggle with certain CDs. Don't know how much a better DVD-W would help here. But, a less noisy, SATA DVD would be nicer - NEC? Liteon?
  • The system does not recognize my Ext HDD (WD Green 1 TB in Transcend Storejet 35 Ultra case) via E-SATA. Guess this has to do with not installing the AHCI drivers during XP installation? Any way to install the drivers without XP re-installation if that's the case? I've so far found only solutions involving Intel Matrix Storage Manager.
  • I had 5 BSODs with STOP 0x0000008e so far. Twice when running foobar and thrice when it was just idling. I have run MemTest86 for an hour and a half, checked the HDD with SeaTools, have updated drivers + latest hotfixes, scanned using Avira + MBAM + SAS. But got one BSOD even after all this. With Speedfan, I've not seen the CPU/Core running hot (not even close to 50 at anytime so far).
    1. Is there a way to 'read' the Mini Dump files in layman language?
    2. Since this is a minimal installation, I suspect BSOD might be due to Zone Alarm Pro (old 9.X version). Are there better freeware alternatives that I can try to see if ZA is causing the BSOD?
    3. Is there anything else I should check?
 
cpu + mobo = x6 1055t + MSI 880GMA-E45 @ 16k
ram = 4gb ddr3 @ 5.2k
case + psu = cooler master 310 + corsair 400cx @ 4k
hdd = wd 500gb black @ 3k
monitor = benq e2200 (has hdmi)@ 8.3k
gpu = 9600gt(very casual gaming) @ 4k
odd = you have one @ 0k :)
mouse+keyboard = logiteech wireless @ 1.2k
speakers = CREATIVE I-TRIGUE L3800 2.1 SPEAKERS @ 4.5k
total = 45k
a very solid pc for watching movies and playing music !
you can also go for led monitors that will be around 12k for 22"
also you can opt for 4.1 speakers !
 
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