What do you guys think of this combo?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.290805

I am looking to build something simplistic that I can bridge my TV and Xbox 360 into a media center as well as something I can use to browse the web on my 52". I am not looking to build anything extravagant. I thought this deal looked good but I don't have any experience with Gigabye Mobos.


the cpu doesn't come with any cooling fan or heatsink so I would have to buy that seperate as well as a power supply.

if you were going with this combo, what would you suggest?

11/17/2009 11:43:30 AM

DONT buy a Raidmax power supply

Gigabyte is a very good motherboard manufacturer

Antec NSK 4480 II Black & Silver 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case EarthWatts 380W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129059&cm_re=earthwatts_380w-_-11-129-059-_-Product

Something like that is a good start, alternatively buy the parts seperate and get a case you like the look of. Stick with these PSU manufacturers, Corsair, Antec, OCZ, PC Power & Cooling, and SeaSonic.

11/17/2009 12:01:46 PM

well my question was more about the mobo/processor/cooling system combo than the case.

that combo i suggested doesn't have a cooling system for the processor (fan/heatsink combo).

I was thinking something like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

it's compatible with AMD Socket AM3, AM2+, AM2 which the mobo supports

I have never used RaidMax but then again I have only built 2 computers and that was 10 years ago.




[Edited on November 17, 2009 at 12:27 PM. Reason : .]

11/17/2009 12:11:00 PM

message_topic.aspx?topic=472002

11/17/2009 12:18:22 PM

ah crap, I didnt even think to look for an existing thread...

oh well


anywho, i looked at the reviews of that case and power supply and you were right, they are horrid

11/17/2009 12:23:43 PM

I didn't comment on the guts because they will be fine for a HTPC. The AMD Regor chip is a popular choice, and G.Skill and Gigabyte are both respectible manufacturers. I would suggest finding a CPU/Mobo/Ram combo and pairing it with a decent case/PSU combo, all new CPU chips come with a heatsink and fan, unless you are buying OEM (I wouldn't recommend).

11/17/2009 12:57:15 PM

Cool thanks

11/17/2009 1:29:38 PM

AMD proc detected: Abort, retry, fail?

11/17/2009 1:31:15 PM

[insert screaming middle school girl pounding the ESC key because she's nearly retarded]

11/17/2009 1:54:19 PM

^^ There is nothing wrong with AMD CPUs, they make for great budget/HTPC set-ups like these, and you can take advantage an updated socket without breaking the bank. If you go with an old socket 775 Intel chip, then thats the end of the line for you, the cheapest X55 or X58 chip is $199.99, as opposed to $60 for an AMD AM3 Dual Core.

11/17/2009 2:38:09 PM

yeah i have used AMD in the past and never had any problems with them


so here is what I am thinking so far

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688
for the processor

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.293280&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL111209&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL111209-_-Combo-_-LM1A-_-Combo293280
mobo + case is $30 cheaper

or maybe this case and save $20 by buying them seperate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119068





[Edited on November 17, 2009 at 4:02 PM. Reason : what do you think?]

[Edited on November 17, 2009 at 4:03 PM. Reason : .]

11/17/2009 3:50:50 PM

bump

11/17/2009 5:20:55 PM

looks solid.

11/17/2009 6:30:51 PM

Well if this is for an HTPC, that Antec 900 is huge, and while it is an amazing case, you can find something better that is smaller. What I would recommend is getting an HTPC case, as they are designed to look like Audio/Video equipment, and are more compact than a traditional tower.

Here is a great option, that comes with a fantastic Antec Earthwatts PSU:

Antec New Solution NSK2480 Black/Silver 0.8mm cold-rolled steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 380W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129034&cm_re=antec_cases-_-11-129-034-_-Product

The CPU and motherboard are both great choices. I assume you are using the RAM you intially linked, what about a hard drive and optical drive?

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181&cm_re=samsung_f3-_-22-152-181-_-Product

When its back in stock, get this, its the fastest 7200 rpm drive on the market, they also make a 1TB version if you need more space.

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030

11/18/2009 9:14:14 AM

^The only problem I've run into with that case is that it only holds 2x 3.5 HDDs. Also, my BD Drive never really fit properly so I had to nigger-rig an extension to press the open button.

11/18/2009 1:40:12 PM

i'm pretty sure the WD Caviar Black are the fastest on the market, also 5-year warranty

i had the Antec New Solution NSK2480 when it could fit in my cabinet, but with my new house i had to get a narrower desktop version to fit in my narrow bookshelf. i LOVED that case. but i never had a need for more than a single hard drive since i use my Home Server to stream my media. even so, just get (2) 1TB drives or 1.5TB drives, 2-3TB should be sufficient.

i have an LG blu-ray drive and it fit fine.

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 1:49 PM. Reason : .]

11/18/2009 1:48:43 PM

yeah i will not need more than 2 hard drives


does that case come in black? all my home audio stuff is in black.

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 2:13 PM. Reason : i already have a blu ray player so i wont need that anyhow]

11/18/2009 2:12:48 PM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129054&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Cases+(+HTPC/Media+Center+Cases)-_-Antec-_-11129054

Here is the one I have. Pretty neat.

11/18/2009 2:43:41 PM

that's a bit too expensive for me to spend on a case

that looks awesome though

11/18/2009 3:14:20 PM

i use a black antec p180 as my HTPC case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129041

11/18/2009 3:23:55 PM

you would

11/18/2009 3:28:42 PM

it's my gaming rig, too, so an ACTUAL HTPC case was out of the question

11/18/2009 3:30:11 PM

Oooooo I like that

11/18/2009 3:33:01 PM

Quote :

"i'm pretty sure the WD Caviar Black are the fastest on the market, also 5-year warranty"

The Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB is faster than the Caviar Black. It uses a high density single-platter design and faster, and quieter than the WD.

As for the case;

SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum / Steel LC13B-E ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163117

+

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&cm_re=corsair_PSU-_-17-139-008-_-Product

Silverstone makes very nice cases, and with the rebates, you can get it and the PSU for $130. I realize its a bit on the high side, but this is as low as I would recommend going, stay away from those Raidmax and Apevia cases, its worth it to buy something a little higher quality because it will stay cooler, prolonging the life of your components, and likely be less noisy which is very critical for a HTPC build.

PS that silverstone is the best, least expensive black HTPC case.

11/18/2009 3:37:08 PM

^^ Yea the Antec P180 and P180 Mini are both very quiet cases, they have vibration damping HD cages, and sound absorbant foam lining the inside. Definitely a big plus for a HTPC. +1 for the P180 Mini if you decide to go for a traditional tower style.

11/18/2009 3:38:30 PM

they used to go on sale pretty regularly (not sure if they do, anymore)...i got mine for $55 + $5 shipping about 10 months ago...$70 with free shipping seems pretty common, too

by far the best case i've ever owned...i can't hear it and it stays crazy cool...i love the fact that the power supply sits in its own compartment

11/18/2009 3:55:21 PM

Quote :

"The Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB is faster than the Caviar Black. It uses a high density single-platter design and faster, and quieter than the WD."

you are mistaken, the caviar black is the fastest on the market and uses the same 500gb platter design as the F3

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/2tb-hdd-7200,2430-2.html

Quote :

"The Spinpoint F3 500GB reached a maximum read throughput of 136 MB/s and an average of 110.4 MB/s—not bad! The two WD drives are capable of beating the F3’s maximum throughput, though.... Samsung’s 13.5 ms access time isn’t particularly amazing. It’s good enough for general consumer use, but the access speed does impact I/O performance and drag down the drive’s numbers, at least at this capacity point."

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/2tb-hdd-7200,2430-3.html

Quote :

"This drive is currently the fastest desktop hard drive available. Its 11.9 ms access time and 141 MB/s maximum throughput are best in class. The WD2001FASS also provides the highest I/O performance across our benchmarks and, finally, the drive dominates the PCMark Vantage application benchmark. You’ll find it also beats WD’s own VelociRaptor with the exceptions of access time and minimum throughput, making this the best choice in performance and high capacity desktop storage for enthusiasts. Since there is no match for the Caviar Black on the market today, it deserves our Recommended Buy Award."

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 3:58 PM. Reason : ,]

11/18/2009 3:55:34 PM

ok I dont really care which one is faster

the Samsung is half the price

141 vs 136 per second doesn't really mean that much when the price is twice as high

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 4:00 PM. Reason : /]

11/18/2009 3:58:29 PM

yea, i guess since WD doesn't make a 500gb there's not a fair comparison

11/18/2009 4:12:14 PM

no its fair, I just don't need a TB drive

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 4:15 PM. Reason : this isnt going to be a high end system]

11/18/2009 4:15:15 PM

That review is comparing one drive with another that has 4 times the storage. WD does have a 640 Caviar Black HD, that uses 2 320GB platters, and is slower than the F3, a much more appropriate comparison. The 2GB Caviar Black is newer and is fast, but thats not I was referring to. Nonetheless, both are great choices.

11/18/2009 4:19:19 PM

Arguing over HDD speeds? Take it back to [H]forums, guys

11/18/2009 4:22:56 PM

hard drive speed is a computer's #1 bottleneck, so it's only appropriate, but not relevant since V0LC0M said it wouldn't be a high-end system.

and no, you have to compare the F3 to the 2TB Black because they are both new technology implementing 500GB platters, you can't compare the newer F3 to the older 640GB Black.

11/18/2009 4:30:31 PM

i believe the argument is over

so anyhow, I think the Antec NSK 2480 will do the job

do you think I will have any problems fitting the mobo in it?

I am going to go with http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394 for the mobo

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688
for the processor

you think the power supply that comes with the case will be good enough?

11/18/2009 4:31:10 PM

No I don't see why you would, it's a MicroATX case and MicroATX motherboard.

Yes power supply should be more than sufficient.

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 4:39 PM. Reason : .]

11/18/2009 4:39:01 PM

well i have installed mobos that have been rated correctly but were a pain in the ass to install in a case that was supposed to be rated for the board. then again this was 10 years ago and this is my first attempt since building a pc that had a 350 MHz processor in it, LOL. Hopefully things are easier now.

[Edited on November 18, 2009 at 5:13 PM. Reason : thanks for all the help fellas]

11/18/2009 5:12:32 PM

Why not just get a Dell Zino HD?

They were on sale on slickdeals yesterday, $199 and you get a 60 dollar gift card. Deal is over, but still sounds like exactly what you are wanting.

http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/desktops/inspiron-zino-hd/pd.aspx?refid=inspiron-zino-hd

11/18/2009 8:10:41 PM

I would still advocate building your own, you get a better quality product, something that can be upgraded over the years, and something that offers you HDMI! The Dell Zino does not have on-board HDMI, and I could not find if the upgraded GPU does or not, even still, $75 for a HD4550 is a joke, and that single core AMD CPU is going to be pretty sluggish. Stick with a self-built.

11/19/2009 9:19:37 AM

Quote :

"Rear Ports One microphOne connector One line-out connector One VGA connector One RJ45 connector (10/100/1000) two USB 2.0-compliant connectors two eSATA connectors one HDMI connector"

It does have HDMI output.

And except for the video card, everything on it is upgradeable with standard desktop components, which is the entire point of the Zino line. And its a ATI 4330HD not a 4550 (Did you even look at the damn website before spouting off?). The ATI 3200HD is more than plenty for a HTPC. I have the HD3400 on my HTPC and it has absolutely no problems with any sort of media playback, blu-ray, 1080p QAM, netflix or otherwise.

And good luck building a HTPC with similar specs (and a warranty and Windows7) for anywhere close to $229.

11/19/2009 9:29:54 AM

Thanks for the HDMI clarification, I would think Dell would make you upgrade the video card to get the HDMI...

I am not sure what you want to spend on this, but to build something, with all the components you are looking at ~$400 (Shown below). At this point, the Zino is looking like a good deal. It has HDMI which is really the main thing you will need. Though its not going to cost you $229, but $259 because you would be stupid to buy it with Vista... Also, I personally would probably upgrade the CPU, but its not necessary. You wont build anything, unless you use garbage (which dell is) for what the Zino costs. Here is an example of something you could build (not sure if you already have certain parts or not):

SILVERSTONE SUGO SG02-BF Black ABS / SECC Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163112 ($59.99 w/ $10 MIR)

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008&cm_re=corsair_PSU-_-17-139-008-_-Product ($39.99 w/ $10 MIR)

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2 Cache Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688 ($60.99 + Free Shipping)

GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128397 ($89.99)

Western Digital Caviar Green WD6400AACS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136298&cm_re=caviar_green-_-22-136-298-_-Product ($59.99 + Free Shipping) [Very quiet and low power use, good for HTPCs]

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-2GBNQ - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231149 ($54.99)

Sony Optiarc Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD/CD Rewritable Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118030&cm_re=sony_optiarc-_-27-118-030-_-Product ($31.99)

Total: $397.93

11/19/2009 9:48:45 AM

for clarification

i want to build a pc and I know its going to cost between 400-500 dollars

I want to get back into the hobby and this will be the first of several that I build

not to mention that Zino HD (on Dell's website) is $350

http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?oc=dddeuy1&c=us&l=en&s=dhs&cs=19&kc=desktops_great_deals

unless there is another blowout deal, its not really worth it

plus what I am building right now is about $350 (with MUCH better specs) and I already have an unused copy of WIN 7

[Edited on November 19, 2009 at 2:08 PM. Reason : .]

[Edited on November 19, 2009 at 2:08 PM. Reason : .]

11/19/2009 2:00:15 PM

Yea personally I would build one over the Zino, this way you know whats going into it, and have the option of buying quality parts. Since you already have Windows 7, your in great shape.

11/19/2009 2:11:34 PM

^^not if you configure the $229 dollar version. Then it's $229.

11/19/2009 2:28:49 PM

yeah but i dont want shit parts

i dont want high end but i definitely dont want low end either

thanks anyway

11/19/2009 4:21:34 PM

in case anyone cares, the white P180 mini is $45 AR/FS

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129044

it's a darn good price for a darn good case, if you don't mind white

11/25/2009 9:33:37 AM

That's nice for my HTPC build

11/25/2009 9:39:10 AM

i wish they could actually merge threads on tww...

11/25/2009 11:26:27 AM

hijack: how much does it cost to build a quality HTPC (not top of the line)?

11/25/2009 12:01:23 PM

I have one priced out on Newegg for $500, and that's not including the OS.

It entails an AMD proc, mobo with HDMI out, case, PSU, blu-ray/dvdrw combo, and 1TB drive.

Keep in mind you don't need a video card for an HTPC, and if you think you do what you're really building is "a gaming computer I'll be hooking up to my HDTV."

[Edited on November 25, 2009 at 12:20 PM. Reason : ]

11/25/2009 12:19:47 PM

cool, thanks. yeh, I'm not a gamer, so I don't need any gaming HW. just thinking about building one for blu-ray + downloading movies/tv shows, and music. though, it may also be come somewhat of a normal use computer - I'm not home much so I wouldn't spend a ton of time using it for this, but just general browsing and emailing

11/25/2009 1:09:26 PM