Upgrading my old PC, to make it a HTPC

TheLetterD

TheLetterD

Will Power
What I WANT to get:
1. A PC Case (Mini Tower)
2. PSU (A basic BUT good one would be fine)
3.(Please tell me IF I should get one) Entry level Graphic Card

1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')
Ans: HTPC

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
Ans: 4-5K (Will extend it to 6K IF a Graphic Card is needed)

3. Planning to overclock?
Ans: Nope.

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
Ans: Windows 7(With XMBC on top)

5. How much hard drive space is needed?
Ans: - already have a HDD

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
Ans: Nope

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
Ans: 1. CPU (Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53 GHz)
2. Mother Board (Asus P5N MX)
3. Ram (2 GB DDR2 667MHz)
4. KeyBoard + Mouse (Logitech Wireless)
5. TV(If possible please suggest me a good TV too. I need a 46 inch, full HD, good clarity TV(3D or Smart Tv not really needed))
6. HDD (WD 500 GB)

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
Ans: September

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
Ans: Assembler.

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
Ans: Chandigarh, nope, will buy it locally.

11. I have some questions: Should I buy an entry level Graphic Card if my onboard NVidia 7050 chip handles 1080p? Should I get a new PSU , I already have a desi Intex 450Watt, and If I wont be getting a new Graphic Card, I (think?) I wont need a new PSU, right?
 
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Utkarsh Sharma

Journeyman
It's a cheap PSU that OP's having. These PSU's are harmful and when they blow up( 95% of them blow up ) they take the rest of the components with them. So it's not recommended to use any local or desi PSU.
 
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whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
buying a 5670 or above card for htpc is worth only if person has a good level of expertise in configuring system/software settings & intend to use madvr renderer.GT520 is good enough for 1080p & much better than outdated 7050 onboard graphics.
 
OP
TheLetterD

TheLetterD

Will Power
Hmm. I think I will go for the GT520 then. What about ATI's HD64/65XX? Arnt they less power hungry? And would I need a new PSU for these Graphic card? Do these actually BLOW UP? And I will be getting a cheap 5.1 sound card too! my Mobo only has a 1 Aux port for Audio Out.
 
OP
TheLetterD

TheLetterD

Will Power
:( well I guess 80K ?

And yeah!! What about the cabby? which should I go for *www.flipkart.com/browse/computers/components/cabinet-20282?filter=type_fa%3AMini+Tower&ref=14856b56-0972-4543-9e4d-6c1144fea17e?
 
avinandan012

avinandan012

Cyborg Agent
you can look into

1. if you want complete slim cabinet choose this

2. if you want to have a beautiful little box choose bitfenix prodigy white

see silverstone @ primeabgb
 
aloodum

aloodum

Journeyman
For an HTPC, you'll be good off with a 520 as others have suggested.Has enuff juice to slice through most formats, unless you get creative and put a lot of filters :)

Some pointers when building the HTPC:
Depending on your case choice, you may have to opt for a low profile/half height video card.Most of the htpc/low end card now-a-days come in this particular size.Make sure that whne you buy one, GPU Brackets for both Half height and full height are included in package.

PSU front:That generic smps would do fine. Its true that cheap smps's have a high failure rate, but a large number of those failures result from ignorant users themselves. For a PSU that can supply at max 14-17A on the 12V supply, users have attached power hungry video cards which need 26A. Naturallythere will be faulires. Blowing up here would be blown capacitors, burnt insulations...not literally blowing up :D

Ironically,theres an advantage with cheaper smps

Most HTPC cases would be cramped . Most decent off the shelf smps have loads of wires, that too with heat shrink shielding. Tucking away neatly all those wires can get on your nerves :( Some Higher end HTPC cabinets come in with their own power supply's with different form factor, like flex power supply's which are smaller not only in size but output also, avg being 250W, which is more than enuff for a genuine htpc.


Cases: Well you dont have too much of a choice. The actual high quality HTPC's from silverstone will make you bankrupt :)
Incase youre settling for something less costly, you may look at the cooler master series, though im not too updated with the offering from competition.
But stay away from the CM 100 slim cabby..theres just too much restriction on HDD size

I had actually my older htpc on a slim cabby with a c2d 7300,an asus p5 mobo and a half height 9500GT. The case was of chinese origin but was quite decent for ventilation with ample fan mountings..allowing me maintain proper airflow with just two fans. The only gripe was the smps was front mounted and it threw all the hot air on me :p

All the best for ur HTPC :)
 
K

Kunal_Mehta

Right off the assembly line
You could perhaps opt for the Cooler Master Extreme Power 650W. Also I'd recommend the Kingston HyperX LoVo. It consumes less power and is ideal for an HTPC. :)
 
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panwala95

In the zone
650w is over the top for a htpc that too a crappermaster (yuck)
you should just go for a fsp saga ii 380w or even a local psu will do (for gt 520)
 
OP
TheLetterD

TheLetterD

Will Power
Hmm. I guess Ill just go with my Intex for now, then whenever I collect the money Ill gwt the Corsair VS450(FSP Availability in Chandigarh is poor).
Now I need to decide which one should I go for out of these?
Zotac NVIDIA GeForce GT 610 Synergy Edition 1 GB DDR3 Graphics Card vs Zotac NVIDIA Geforce GT 520 Synergy Edition 1 GB GDDR3 Graphics Card: Compare Graphics Cards: Flipkart.com
I know the performance is almost the same, but what about the power consumption? And Temp.?
I wont get them from Flipkart because(I think) they are overpriced over here.
And I know there are no TVs today which have the resolution of 2560 x 1600, but in the future if I do get a TV which supports this Res. will I be able to play 2560 x 1600 Video on it?
I know thats thinking way ahead, esp. when even buying a blueray player and Blueray movies cost an arm and a leg.
But I do want to use this PC for as long as possible.
AND My Asus Motherboard only has a PCI E 1.1 slot. Will I face any problems/performance drop ?
Thanks in advance!
 
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panwala95

In the zone
you should go for the gt 520
it will perfectly suit your needs and will be slightly better than the 610 because of the gddr3 memory
good luck!
 
OP
TheLetterD

TheLetterD

Will Power
Hello, so Im bringing this thread back as Im going to buy all the components this sunday. So I need to know the following things:
1. If I get a Mini-Tower Cabby will I have to use a different type of small PSU or will the regular corsair vs450 work?
2. Which graphic card should I go for? the HD6450 or the GT 520 or the GT 610 or HD 5570. I want low pwer consumption and the best bang for buck. For eg. if there will be a substantial performance bump if I spend 500 bucks and get a better one please let me know. My MAX budget will be 4K. Please note that all I need is an HTPC and light gaming for a few months before I get a proper gaming pc!
Thanks
 
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whitestar_999

Super Moderator
Staff member
depends on cabby since local ones don't have standardized sizes.
if you are going to get a proper gaming pc then no point in spending extra on this setup.just buy the cheapest & easily available one.
 
OP
TheLetterD

TheLetterD

Will Power
I created a new thread but Ill close that down and continue from this one. Sorry MODS! :(

Recently my RAM failed and I got it replaced with some el cheapo brand of DDR2 RAM cuz my local assembler didnt have any! Its 667 2GB single Module. I am re-purposing this old PC to use it as an HTPC cuz my processor and motherboard and HDD still work well and I will be getting a new Gaming PC next year. But I want to play a few games every now and then, and I want flawless HD content playback. SO I wanted to know that if I get an HD5570 DDR3 Graphic card, will it bottleneck my Game performance? I want to play Batman Arkham Asylum, NFS Hot pursuit 2011, and Far Cry 2, The Walking Dead: Episodes 1-6. If it will should I buy new RAM? :/
Please Help!

Here is my conifg:
Windows 7 32 bit Home Basic
Intel Core 2 Duo E7200(2.53Ghz)
ASUS P5N-MX
El CHeapo 2GB 667 Mhz RAM
500 GB WD HDD
(Getting these soon): Cooler Master elite 361 PC Case, Corsair VS450 PSU

Also How is 1400 for a Transcend 2GB single Module DDR2 800 Mhz RAM? SHould I go for it? :/
 
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