Budget 51-70k Premium HTPC Build...upto 80K

terence_fdes

terence_fdes

wizened Dinosaur
Skilled
Hi Guyz,

A friend of mine is looking to build a Premium HTPC.

BUDGET: Upto 80K ........ without Monitor

It should rate very high on performance & stability.

Resolution 1080p or Higher.

Monitor [not included in the above budget] will be decided from
[h=1]Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch) - preferred choice
- ports available: Gigabit Ethernet; usb 2.0; Firewire 800 & Thunderbolt
or[/h]Apple LED Cinema Display (27" flat panel)
- ports available : Mini-Display & usb 2.0


NOTES [REQUIREMENTS]
1] HDTV-Tuner - External (so that when he want's to watch TV Only - there is no need to switch on the HTPC) ..... is this possible? Also is there any Tuner with Thunderbolt port ? Can the LAN port be used to route TV signal to the Apple Monitor ?
2] Cabinet should look very good & scope for at least 3 HDD's + 1 DVD Drive
- Would like to start off with 1 HDD of 2TB capacity.
3] Motherboard - Is there a Thunderbolt port available ?
4] Processor - would HD4000 i5 handle the video output sufficiently or is there need for a GPU too ?
5] All components to be sourced locally (Mumbai) or Dealers who could procure it.
6] Open to Online Purchase
7] If necessary a CPU Air-Cooler too.

The above HTPC will most likely be kept/used in the Bedroom & not Living Room. My friend is also a die-hard Apple/Mac fan who has various other Apple products & Gadgets ...... but who this time prefers not to go the Apple way (not entirely at least....except for the Monitor..... 'coz he has fallen

Please shoot your suggestions with appropriate links (to pricing especially)

Thanks
Terry

EDIT: I have not used the template as an HTPC specific one does not exist.
 
@terence_fdes Here are few components that will suite your requirement-
Intel i5 3450-12.5k OR i7 3770-18.5k
Asus P8H77-V-10k[With support of Thunderbolt port]
Gskill Ripjaws 2X4GB 1600mhz-3.5k
Segate Barracuda 7200RPM 2TB-6.8k
Sapphire HD7750-7.5k
Corsair CX430V2-2.4k OR Seasonic S12ii 520W-4k
Corsair 400R-5k
The Mobo i've suggested have thunderbolt port so it'll good for you.Don't have much idea about HDTV Tuner cards so other members will put their opinion.Also would like to point out that the 2Tb HDD has less reliability compared to 1TB so think before getting one,I'd suggest personally to go for 2X1TB HDD.About the GPU you'd get HD7750-7.5k if you're concerned about the lag,Though i am not sure what resolution you're working on OR what you mean by output result so you can check others opinions.
Hope this helps.:)

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OP has stated clearly that his friend has decided on Apple Cinema Display so i don't think he'll change his mind.
aryacooldude said:
Why dont u check the ACHIEVA Shimian QH270-Lite or Some Catleap model they have been quite a Buzz for a Long time Should cost half the Price of Apple Cinema Display,Stil Performance is very Nice for what he pays!
Click to expand...
 
@terence_fdes how is your RIG Sire? Enjoying it OR office keeps you from it. =[

Anyway considering your friend wants a HTPC build, this is what I suggest --
Intel Core i5 3570k ~15500/-
GIGABYTE motherboards with dual Thunderbolt ports are available ~15000/- + http://www.gigabyte.com/press-center/news-page.aspx?nid=1140 (you will need to contact Prime ABGB, The IT Wares, hardwire.in for the appropriate models and if they can be sourced) getting Firewire ports on current generation motherboards can be a pain, sorry on that count.
G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3400/- [OR can go for the G.Skill Ares kit same as you]
OCZ Vertex4 128GB SSD ~7700/- (from onlyssd.com, fast caching of those huge Blu-Ray RIPz)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 2TB ~6500/- (see if your friend can get dual 1TB for reliability and get an external drive as a data dump)
HP [boxed] optical drive ~1000/- OR LG Blu-Ray drive [OEM] ~5000/-
Seasonic X560W ~6500/- (best bet for small form factor chassis that will be used in this build)
Cooler Master eLite 361 ~3000/- (tagging resident @Coolermaster REP for further details OR you can buzz me for his contact details)
HD4000 can do most of the HD content decoding so you are covered, if your friend wants more grunt ask him and you can add an HD7750 (900 MHz core) ~7500/- to help out.

Rest checks out.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

Jakob said:
Asus P8H77-V-10k[With support of Thunderbolt port]
Click to expand...

Is this the motherboard --> http://in.asus.com/Motherboards/Intel_Socket_1155/P8H77V/?

It does not have Thunderbolt ports.
 
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hey guyz .... @ALPHA17, @Jakob, @aryacooldude ...thanks for your quick replies ...

I am at work still :annoyed: .... will go thru all that you guys have suggested carefully tonight & then get back....

meanwhile....on the search for an external HDTV-Tuner too
 
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Another thing why terence friend should go for K series rig,Is it just because of mobo cause i think he will have to add external card for tuning.So H77-V will suffice as it has expansion slot.
ALPHA17 said:
Terence will need to find that. I don't think anyone has it in stock as of now.
Click to expand...
 
Jakob said:
Another thing why terence friend should go for K series rig,Is it just because of mobo cause i think he will have to add external card for tuning.So H77-V will suffice as it has expansion slot.
Click to expand...

No I said the -k series Core i5 because he needed the HD4000 iGP something that is not available on cheaper Core i5's and a Core i7 is of no use in a HTPC.

Also, expansion cards like such (for Thunderbolt ports) are rare and to be honest never seen them with retailers that is why the doubt. If you can source them I am fine but if you cannot then best is to get a board which has them by default. Cheerio!
 
You are building an HTPC and not a full on rig. Makes no sense putting a quad core or something similar in it. Here's what I built after a lot of thought - this is my 3rd HTPC.

Antec ISK 310 with built in 150W PSU(This case is the size of a shoe box - perfect for a really small PC and the PSU is enough juice for it, if you want something bigger, look at Silverstone LC series)
i3 2100 (Make sure you get an i3 - it does quicksync encoding and bluray/3D playback perfectly. Replace this with a 3rd gen i3 now)
Scythe Kozuti heatsink (Tiny, quiet but better than stock heatsink)
8GB Corsair 1600MHz RAM (more speed is really not required in an HTPC)
Asus P8H77-I (Mini itx is the way to go for HTPC - however if you can't find itx, get mATX)
OCZ Vertex4 64GB SSD (an SSD is a must - my HTPC boots faster than my TV. Something small is good enough for OS)
500GB Seagate Momentus 7200rpm (a storage hard drive for downloads, or dumping an odd movie)
Sapphire Radeon 6570 1GB (this allows madVR for output which means as good output quality as possible, you can also get a 7750 now if you have more cash)
Some sort of wireless keyboard+mouse
Windows MCE Kit

Software:
Media player classic
madVR
Lav codecs
Lucid Virtu MVP



Thats about it. I use the intel gpu core for quicksync decoding of video and then the radeon 6570 for output using madvr. Total power consumption under load from the wall is under 80W.

Create another machine with cheap old parts as a storage server and put it in some corner of your house. Don't put noisy power consuming 3.5" hard drives in an HTPC.
 
@Chaos Sire your point is understood, there are a certain flaws in the theory though --
  • OP wants Thunderbolt ports on the board, not seen any mITX motherboars with that (available and source-able in India that is) with Thunderbolt. I gave a link with GIGABYTE boards (one of them µATX) that have Thunderbolt on them, now OP has to source them (if possible).
  • Wants HD4000 iGP, again Intel being who they are do not put this in their Core i3 lineup so that is why suggestion for a Core i5.
  • Rest I think I suggested a Cooler Master eLite 361 which is a pretty compact cabinet and fits the requirement. And a 128GB SSD to go along with this.

A few questions --
Is the Scythe Kozuti available in India?
Does the mITX motherboard that you suggested carry Thunderbolt ports?

Availability of the Ivy-Bridge Core i3's is patchy, recently a guy went to Nehru Place came with quotes for them but on contacting SMC International they are denying they have them in stock so I will check next week in person.
 
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Why on earth do you need thunderbolt in an HTPC? Kind of beats me! Also the only board with thunderbolt is the P8Z77-V Premium which costs 450$ in the US. It is not even available in India.

As for the scythe, since scythe has an official distributor in India, it should be available with a bit of effort.

A core i5 is absolutely useless in an HTPC. Might as well get a sandybridge i3.
 
sorry guys could not get back ..... [loads of work] will take some time over the next few days to collate all that you have suggested. So this is just a short feedback....
ALPHA17 .... Office work is keeping me from getting to know my own RIG :annoyed: .... I have installed most of my apps [but need to change settings within each....so that by default all the temp files etc are not routed to the SSD... and many other fine tuning things. Also flashed the latest BIOS & updated drivers.....methinks, I ought to create a separate thread for my own RIG ...post-assembling querries]

Now to get back Chaos ... about Thunderbolt. I am aware that everything is relatively new & that the hardware support is still very dicey & expensive. But as my friend is going to be using the Apple 27" Display which has thunderbolt....so the need. If at the end of this discussion...... maybe in the next week or so, we cannot identify an available motherboard then we have to drop this plan. The motherboard however stay's as a mATX and not any ATX suggestions...... will also look into mITX [personally never considered until now].

I was aware that Gigabyte launched their mATX thunderbolt boards with great press & media blah blah in mid August..... trouble is everything is dead-silence now.

What is the likelihood of prime or theiTwares sourcing all of the final chosen components ..... (I am getting familiar to Rahul from theitwares by now). Would they order a single unit of a part..... even if the manufacturer is not in their regular list of suppliers ?

An i5 was thought of as this is the lowest end of an Intel that has HD4000 .... Is the HD4000 sufficient to handle Blu-ray and 1080p without stuttering or buffering?

Will talk to my friend today to check whether he has any gaming interests .... this may change things.

and yes will study carefully the HTPC suggested by Chaos ..... a low powered but efficient unit.... and at the same time no hesitation in spending [a good bang for the bucks]

Cabinet - looks like Silverstone has some really good variants [keep in mind the Apple 27" display] .... so guyz, she's gotta look hott...sleek and ravishing :rapture: :biggrin-new: aka kareena K ..... and ohh @ALPHA17, the Cooler Master eLite 361 looks plain jane type ;)

More feedback either tonight or tomorrow ..... apologies buddies & now back to the grind (work)

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Jakob said:
Yes that is a tricky requirement,The P8Z77-V Premium is available for 34k on deltapage-Asus MotherBoard - P8Z77-V-PREMIUM - www.deltapage.com
Click to expand...

Thanks mate ....this board is a WOW..... but for being an ATX ...... Has Asus got all of the above features in a mATX variant. I want to keep things within 70K or let's see 80K ..... do'nt want my friend to faint ..... If at the end of this search each component justifies it's purpose .... then it's worth the effort of building a great HTPC.

Thanks guyz .... I certainly would have plenty to distill thru this weekend.

Also suggest any youtube video's etc of sub $2000 HTPC's ....... did I a long time ago look at some RIG on TE where a guy had even squeezed a Noctua on a mATX within an sleek HTPC :scared14:..... the sky is the limit (but I will also heed Chaos suggestions and not want to go overboard)

Also keep in mind the external HDTV Tuner card
 
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Might as well pickup the Dell U2711 instead of the apple display. Its 20k cheaper, same panel, calibrates better, more inputs. If you must have an apple, why not get the mac mini to go with it.
 
Chaos said:
Might as well pickup the Dell U2711 instead of the apple display. Its 20k cheaper, same panel, calibrates better, more inputs. If you must have an apple, why not get the mac mini to go with it.
Click to expand...

The mac mini does not come with a DVD/Blu-ray drive which my friend needs + C'mon LOOKS wise the Apple stands tall & alone (besides my friend is a die-hard Apple fanboy). I do not think I can ever change this decision.:( Nothing against the Dell ('coz if it was me, I wud hv chosen Dell ...... I aint an apple fanboy :))

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Is this Board available Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H TH - with Thunderbolt (mATX)
or else
what @Jakob suggested Asus V-Premium [full ATX] ...... now would a full ATX board fit inside a HTPC cabinet ?
 
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terence_fdes said:
An i5 was thought of as this is the lowest end of an Intel that has HD4000
Click to expand...
Watch out for i3-3225. Appears on newegg for 144$, i5 3570 is 230$. When it comes to India, it could be priced 7k-10k. Especially in HTPC, in addition to saving money it produces less heat, consumes less power so can do with smaller PSU, smaller cases, less fans or less noisy fans.
 
amitkher said:
Watch out for i3-3225. Appears on newegg for 144$, i5 3570 is 230$. When it comes to India, it could be priced 7k-10k. Especially in HTPC, in addition to saving money it produces less heat, consumes less power so can do with smaller PSU, smaller cases, less fans or less noisy fans.
Click to expand...

UPDATE: THIS RIG IS ON HOLD ..... BUT DEFINATELY GOING AHEAD WITH IT

Thanks Amit for this valueable note. I am also looking at the new AMD Trinity APU A10-5800K ..... theoretically it blows away the i3 & i5.

Still as things may turn out .....looks like we will have to settle for Intel as my friend needs "Thunderbolt" support on the motherboard.

Thanks
terry
 
terence_fdes said:
Thanks Amit for this valueable note. I am also looking at the new AMD Trinity APU A10-5800K ..... theoretically it blows away the i3 & i5.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you are looking at, AMD is very behind in CPU performance and are trying to compensate with a more powerful iGP which can easily outstrip any entry-level GPU's in the market; Currently.

But till GPGPU assisted CPU performance does not become the norm Trinity is a tough sell.
 
The A10 is still not fully upto the mark to kick Intel i3 off its current status; as most applications are still single threaded it seems that according to most reviews that are out, Intel still edges over AMD. Now said this, I am not saying AMD is losing out, but now only hope is that how they price this product in the Indian sub continent.

Also that most reviews still says to go the Intel way for a new built!
 
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