Hi there
After some bad luck with my Zotac Z-Box ND22, I decided to build my very first HTPC myself.
So there is plenty of information on the forums about various builds that I was able take advantage off (stealz tha buildz ^^), but since I do this for the first time, I'd appreciate some advice if the build looks solid or if I should change something.
Plan to use the HTPC for:
- Mainly watching low rez till 1080p movies with DTS sound.
- Probably use it for emulated games in the future
Storage:
- I attach 2 Western Digital myBook Elite USB 2.0 Disks to my HTPC where all my movies are stored, I don't have a NAS yet, investment planned in around 1 year.
Build I'm planning to buy:
[CASE] Silverstone SST-ML03B Micro Tower, mATX 1x 5.25", 2x 3.5"/2.5" , 2x USB3.0, Audio, Black
[PSU] Silverstone SST-ST40F-ES Strider Series - 400W
[MB] Asrock H77M, Intel H77 Chipset, 1155Pin, PCIE 3.0, DDR3, RAID, GLAN , SATA3, USB 3.0, CFX, mATX
[CPU] Intel i3 3225, 2x 3.30GHz, 3MB Smart Cache 22nm, HD Graphics 4000 , DDR3, Ivy Bridge, 55W
[RAM] Patriot Memory DDR3 1333MHz 4GB 4GB Kit, PC10660, 240Pin, CL9 (2x2GB), 1.50V, Dual Channel
[SSD] [already have it] 60GB Corsair FORCE SATA 3
[REMOTE] [already have it] FLIRC Dongle with Logitech Harmony One
[OS] Win 7 Home 64bit
Questions:
Yeah, that's it, not much else to tell expect that I'm already excited![Big Grin]( "Big Grin")
. Looking forward for some feedback.
After some bad luck with my Zotac Z-Box ND22, I decided to build my very first HTPC myself.
So there is plenty of information on the forums about various builds that I was able take advantage off (stealz tha buildz ^^), but since I do this for the first time, I'd appreciate some advice if the build looks solid or if I should change something.
Plan to use the HTPC for:
- Mainly watching low rez till 1080p movies with DTS sound.
- Probably use it for emulated games in the future
Storage:
- I attach 2 Western Digital myBook Elite USB 2.0 Disks to my HTPC where all my movies are stored, I don't have a NAS yet, investment planned in around 1 year.
Build I'm planning to buy:
[CASE] Silverstone SST-ML03B Micro Tower, mATX 1x 5.25", 2x 3.5"/2.5" , 2x USB3.0, Audio, Black
[PSU] Silverstone SST-ST40F-ES Strider Series - 400W
[MB] Asrock H77M, Intel H77 Chipset, 1155Pin, PCIE 3.0, DDR3, RAID, GLAN , SATA3, USB 3.0, CFX, mATX
[CPU] Intel i3 3225, 2x 3.30GHz, 3MB Smart Cache 22nm, HD Graphics 4000 , DDR3, Ivy Bridge, 55W
[RAM] Patriot Memory DDR3 1333MHz 4GB 4GB Kit, PC10660, 240Pin, CL9 (2x2GB), 1.50V, Dual Channel
[SSD] [already have it] 60GB Corsair FORCE SATA 3
[REMOTE] [already have it] FLIRC Dongle with Logitech Harmony One
[OS] Win 7 Home 64bit
Questions:
- I did have random movie stops in the middle of 1080p movies on my ND22. Movie stopped and returned to the menu (I opened several threads about this issue here with no real solution that worked). In the end the only thing I could do is to return my Z-Box cause it was likely a hardware error. Vendor didn't tell me if there was something broken and just returned my money. Alone from the hardware point of view, it's impossible that movies will be stuttering or stop, right?
![Smile]( "Smile")
- If I'm planning to use FLIRC again to control my HTPC, no CIR Receiver is needed in the motherboard, right?
- With regards to question 2, I'm not sure about the MB. What I need is an optical output for my receiver and HDMI, the price is ok as well, but does it fit nicely so the front USB 3.0 work? Or is there a better alternative for the case ML03B?
- About the ram, are my Patriot 4 GB fine? They were again the cheapest I could find, but if there is a significant difference, compatibility or speed, I would consider spending more on them, for example 1600 MHz, would that help or just generate additional heat?
Yeah, that's it, not much else to tell expect that I'm already excited
. Looking forward for some feedback.