First in a long time.

[txatc]

Hello all,

I haven't put a computer together in over 15 years. I am currently a console gamer and am planning to move to pc again. I have been reading here for a few months and have succeeded in just confusing myself more. Here is my dilemma.

I have an epson 5020ub projector on a 120 inch screen that I will be using. I would ideally like to have a htpc that I can game on as well on the big screen. Primary goals are:
1. (For now) Use as an htpc with decent storage for blu-ray/dvd backups (from the unit)
2. Have HDMI connectivity to run through current 5.1 surround system (future 7.1)
3. I would like to be able to play bf4 on it with decent settings (leaving xbox after all)
4. Size is not too big of an issue as the enclosure will be made after I build the pc. I had planned on a modular cooler master case that can house up to 6 internal hdd (eventually) NAS will come later.
5. Primary games will be SWTOR with my brother but as I stated earlier I want to do some fragging every now and again.

Any thoughts on a build? I would obviously like it to not be too big of a power hog and I hope I can keep the temps in check but with everything out there it is just too much to settle on all by my lonesome. I have a budget of up to $900 and it goes without saying the cheaper the better. I had originally planned haswell but now that I want to game I am not opposed to AMD. I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions yall might have. If I left anything out just let me know.

Thanks in advance for your time.

 

[Outlander_04]

Haswell i5 .
Motherboard with an H87 chipset if you are not overclocking [ Z87 if you have a K sku processor or might add a second graphics card ]
2 x4 gig of 1600 Mhz RAM rated for 1.5 volts or less
GTX 760 , Radeon RX 280
500 - 600 watt bronze or better rated psu
maybe a 40 - 60 gig SSD as a cache drive .
Hard drives of your choice
Win 8.1 Better license and intel storage spaces technology that lets you span drives or mirror them from withing windows . Easy to add a start button

 

[Eximo]

I'd stick with Haswell for an HTPC style machine, less power consumption.

i5-4430, GTX760, 8GB memory. Overclocking motherboard was to get the features, especially wireless, but you could force turbo mode for extra performance. For overclocking, swap out for an i5-4670k. To save cash, drop to standard ATX motherboard without wireless and a cheap $30 case. You could keep the power supply, but it is only really good for a single card setup.

If you aren't planning to cram it into an small form factor, that leaves it pretty wide open on everything else. Though BitFenix Prodigy case would let you take around fairly easily, but it comes in a little over budget.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XpA9
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XpA9/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XpA9/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($255.66 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Prodigy (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($80.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $985.56
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-04 15:42 EST-0500)

 

[Outlander_04]

Mini-ITX cases are unlikely to have the room for the 6 hard drives the OP wants

But there are plenty of midtowers that will do the job .

Most people are fine with a micro-ATX motherboard . Few people need 6 or 7 expansion slots .

 

[Eximo]

Ah, didn't see the six drives part. Pretty much the same, more power supply oomph for the future drives and a cheap case. Overclocking motherboard and non-overclocking cpu, again for the features (8 Sata ports). If you want wireless you'll have to get a card, they don't make any reasonably priced ATX boards with WIFI, better to grab an AC card anyway for the future.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas. (Oh and definitely Haswell, for the native 6x SATA III intel ports)

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XsPi
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XsPi/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1XsPi/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($35.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Performance ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($102.86 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($255.66 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 850W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS29 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $952.44
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-04 17:31 EST-0500)

 

[Outlander_04]

I dont see the OP mention wifi at all . What am I missing?

If wifi is needed then the simplest way is via a USB wifi adapter . Just as fast as any of the cards I have seen


A build with a GTX 760 only needs a 500 watt psu . The corsair CX 500 would be fine as a budget choice .
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm


I would also still recommend win 8 . A few performance enhancements , and a the better license that lets you transfer it to a new computer at a later time . A start button is easy to add . It would mean paying for an upgrade to media center on top of the Home premium license though

 

[txatc]

Thanks for the replies and ideas everybody! In response to a few things. Wifi is not even a consideration, it sucks at my house anyway. Had the builder run 2 dedicated cat 6 lines to the dedicated movie room so it will most definitely be hard wired.

The six hard drives isn't really a must have thing. It was more of a compromise with the Mrs. for having everything in one place and not tearing up drywall to hide more wires.

A question about the cuda hdd. I have read on several boards that the 7200 speed drives will make a considerable amount more noise than say a 5600. Would it still be a good choice for a htpc(ish) build? I have over 700 dvds 50 seasons of shows and about 30 blurays (for now) I know it qont hold all of it but would the speed cause too much noise sifting and sorting through that much data?

 

[Outlander_04]

Most of the time a hard drive sits idle and makes no noise .

In a good case a 7200 rpm drive is inaudible from more than a 3-4 feet away . The exception would be performance drives . I have a WD black in one of my pc's and it is relatively loud .

WD green drives are definitely quieter . Not ideal for booting from but fast enough for data storage and for playing movies etc .
Combined with a noiseless SSD cache drive they could be a great compromise

Read about SSD caching here
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/How-it-Works-Intel-SSD-Caching-148/

In current generation Haswell motherboards its only supported by the Z87 and H87 chipsets [ I think ]

 

[txatc]

I will look into that Outlander. Thanks for taking the time to help me out.

 

[txatc]

Would you recommend the 4570? I can get that for $160. I would assume since there will be a dedicated graphics card that the onboard one wouldnt matter. (Hd4000 vs 4600)

 

[Eximo]

Clock speed is fairly close between the two chips so it is a minor upgrade, and yes, with a dedicated card you can disable it.