As parts have begun to arrive for my first HTPC (first DIY computer build too), I thought I would chronicle things in this thread.
Two of the parts arrived today and the rest of the build should be arriving on Wednesday night.
I'll most likely start the build the next evening and finish it over the weekend.
Plans include Windows 7 as the OS and XBMC as the media center.
But first, let's start with the parts:
ASRock MB-A75M
![[Image: 13-157-260-TS?$S300W$]]()
Silverstone ML03B
![[Image: 11-163-174-TS?$S300W$]]()
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W
![[Image: 17-371-033-Z99?$S300W$]]()
Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
![[Image: 20-104-173-TS?$S300W$]]()
Scythe Big Shuriken 2100
![[Image: 35-185-174-Z01?$S300W$]]()
Kingston SSDNow 120gb
![[Image: 20-239-009-TS?$S300W$]]()
Continued in next post (6 image rule)-
I ordered one case fan just in case I need a little extra help. I can always order more, but I'd like to see how loud this brand is first.
ENERMAX UC-8EB 80mm Case Fan
![[Image: 11-999-199-02.jpg]]()
I also ordered a plug as apparently those aren't included with my PSU!!
![[Image: 12-189-160-TS?$S300W$]]()
Here is where things have changes since my original plans.
I was originally going to order the venerable AMD A6-3500:
AMD A6-3500 APU
But just as I was about to place the order, I made the mistake of checking out the A8-3850:
AMD A8-3850
Then it gets better...
If you scroll down to "Shopping Insight"... you see some of the other options people have gone with. One of those options was the AMD A8-3870K.
A8-3870K
![[Image: 19-106-001-05.jpg]]()
Long story short, I was sampling a six-pack of Long Trail and ordered that instead of the originally planned A6.
Why? Who knows. I'm going to be dealing with higher temps and more power use. I knew it before clicking "buy". But I've also had success in undervolting my last Dell XPS and I've seen a bit of talk lately about undervolting the A8. So I figured (perhaps wrongly) that I could see where that gets me. I'm sure it will use more power than my original build, but what the hell.
Additionally, I have a larger HTPC case than I was originally considering which gives me the ability to use the Big Shuriken 2100 that everyone raves about.
At the end of the day, I'll make it work. I have a feeling that if this goes well, it won't be my last build. Plus, the extra horsepower will give me more options down the road for use as a small gaming rig.
Right now however, the goal is to ditch cable and use Netflix and Hulu.
In the end, it's not something brand new. There are plenty of other people that have done similar builds.
I'm hoping that I can provide some thoughts as a first time builder. I'll include some videos. I'll probably ask plenty of questions. I'll probably make some mistakes.
But maybe it will help someone as they go down the same path that I have recently.
For those that (like me) wondered how big a power supply is needed, I used this great reference:
eXtreme power supply calculator lite
By using a few drop down boxes, a 300 watt PSU was recommended. I should be good to go with my 380 watt. And YES. I was conservative with the items I would add. I even ran it with a video card in case that is considered down the road.
Oh yeah... I also ordered a small tube of Arctic Silver 5. I had used this in the past with an older XPS laptop that liked to overheat. It worked quite well and I trust it a lot more than the manufacturer "stuff".
![[Image: 35-100-007-TS?$S300W$]]()
Stay tuned!
Reserved for pics during build.
Two of the parts arrived today and the rest of the build should be arriving on Wednesday night.
I'll most likely start the build the next evening and finish it over the weekend.
Plans include Windows 7 as the OS and XBMC as the media center.
But first, let's start with the parts:
ASRock MB-A75M
![[Image: 13-157-260-TS?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/13-157-260-TS?%24S300W%24)
Silverstone ML03B
![[Image: 11-163-174-TS?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/11-163-174-TS?%24S300W%24)
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W
![[Image: 17-371-033-Z99?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/17-371-033-Z99?%24S300W%24)
Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM
![[Image: 20-104-173-TS?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/20-104-173-TS?%24S300W%24)
Scythe Big Shuriken 2100
![[Image: 35-185-174-Z01?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/35-185-174-Z01?%24S300W%24)
Kingston SSDNow 120gb
![[Image: 20-239-009-TS?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/20-239-009-TS?%24S300W%24)
Continued in next post (6 image rule)-
I ordered one case fan just in case I need a little extra help. I can always order more, but I'd like to see how loud this brand is first.
ENERMAX UC-8EB 80mm Case Fan
![[Image: 11-999-199-02.jpg]](http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/ProductImageCompressAll300/11-999-199-02.jpg)
I also ordered a plug as apparently those aren't included with my PSU!!
![[Image: 12-189-160-TS?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/12-189-160-TS?%24S300W%24)
Here is where things have changes since my original plans.
I was originally going to order the venerable AMD A6-3500:
AMD A6-3500 APU
But just as I was about to place the order, I made the mistake of checking out the A8-3850:
AMD A8-3850
Then it gets better...
If you scroll down to "Shopping Insight"... you see some of the other options people have gone with. One of those options was the AMD A8-3870K.
A8-3870K
![[Image: 19-106-001-05.jpg]](http://images10.newegg.com/ProductImageCompressAll300/19-106-001-05.jpg)
Long story short, I was sampling a six-pack of Long Trail and ordered that instead of the originally planned A6.
Why? Who knows. I'm going to be dealing with higher temps and more power use. I knew it before clicking "buy". But I've also had success in undervolting my last Dell XPS and I've seen a bit of talk lately about undervolting the A8. So I figured (perhaps wrongly) that I could see where that gets me. I'm sure it will use more power than my original build, but what the hell.
Additionally, I have a larger HTPC case than I was originally considering which gives me the ability to use the Big Shuriken 2100 that everyone raves about.
At the end of the day, I'll make it work. I have a feeling that if this goes well, it won't be my last build. Plus, the extra horsepower will give me more options down the road for use as a small gaming rig.
Right now however, the goal is to ditch cable and use Netflix and Hulu.
In the end, it's not something brand new. There are plenty of other people that have done similar builds.
I'm hoping that I can provide some thoughts as a first time builder. I'll include some videos. I'll probably ask plenty of questions. I'll probably make some mistakes.
But maybe it will help someone as they go down the same path that I have recently.
For those that (like me) wondered how big a power supply is needed, I used this great reference:
eXtreme power supply calculator lite
By using a few drop down boxes, a 300 watt PSU was recommended. I should be good to go with my 380 watt. And YES. I was conservative with the items I would add. I even ran it with a video card in case that is considered down the road.
Oh yeah... I also ordered a small tube of Arctic Silver 5. I had used this in the past with an older XPS laptop that liked to overheat. It worked quite well and I trust it a lot more than the manufacturer "stuff".
![[Image: 35-100-007-TS?$S300W$]](http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/35-100-007-TS?%24S300W%24)
Stay tuned!
Reserved for pics during build.