New HTPC/work PC

[Mattz982]

One of my friends asked me to build a PC for him, the budget is £500 for everything including mouse, keyboard, speaker, monitor and OS. The PC will be used for watching movies as well as work, it's NOT for gaming as he already has an xbox, hence the HDMI switch. It must be Intel for unknown reasons and needs wifi
It's also supposed to be small form factor which is why I chose the Core V1 as a case because it's really customisable and he likes that case very much.
Here's my specs that I was planning on: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/Mattz982/saved/#view=ywYtt6

 

[gerr]

Are you planning on overclocking? If not, I would recommend an i3 CPU using the stock cooler and an H97 mobo. i3's have graphical enhancements which make working with movies faster. And you forgot a DVD or Blu-Ray player if they are going to use that format to watch the movies.

Also, that HDD is very small, for only a small amount more, get a 1TB version.

USB wireless cards are very cheap, so don't go looking for a mobo with one built in.

 

[Mattz982]

Are you planning on overclocking? If not, I would recommend an i3 CPU using the stock cooler and an H97 mobo. i3's have graphical enhancements which make working with movies faster. And you forgot a DVD or Blu-Ray player if they are going to use that format to watch the movies.

Also, that HDD is very small, for only a small amount more, get a 1TB version.

USB wireless cards are very cheap, so don't go looking for a mobo with one built in.

The case only supports ITX mobo's and that is the cheapest mobo so It's better to get hat, the case also doens't have 5.25' slots but it's very outdated anyway, it's all online now, e.g. netflix.
The cheapest i3 is over £30 more and I honestly would rather the pentium because if i want to I can overclock it later and add gfx for some awesome gaming, just watch the videos on youtube, nobody ever mentions i3 but the pentium is like a boss

 

[gerr]

Are you planning on overclocking? If not, I would recommend an i3 CPU using the stock cooler and an H97 mobo. i3's have graphical enhancements which make working with movies faster. And you forgot a DVD or Blu-Ray player if they are going to use that format to watch the movies.

Also, that HDD is very small, for only a small amount more, get a 1TB version.

USB wireless cards are very cheap, so don't go looking for a mobo with one built in.

The case only supports ITX mobo's and that is the cheapest mobo so It's better to get hat, the case also doens't have 5.25' slots but it's very outdated anyway, it's all online now, e.g. netflix.
The cheapest i3 is over £30 more and I honestly would rather the pentium because if i want to I can overclock it later and add gfx for some awesome gaming, just watch the videos on youtube, nobody ever mentions i3 but the pentium is like a boss

True, but you wouldn't have to buy an aftermarket cooler & extra fans for it, plus you can save some additional money by getting an H97 or B85 mobo instead of a Z97 one. Remember that there is always a risk when OC'ing and there is no guarentee that you will get a good OC'ing CPU either.

This is another thread on this very issue...
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2391403/g3258-4150.html

But to be honest, you are probably talking a small difference in FPS between the two options anyway.

The only other thing I see is why such a powerful PSU as you can't SLI on a mITX board anyway? A 500W PSU is more than enough for most single GPU systems.

 

[Mattz982]

Are you planning on overclocking? If not, I would recommend an i3 CPU using the stock cooler and an H97 mobo. i3's have graphical enhancements which make working with movies faster. And you forgot a DVD or Blu-Ray player if they are going to use that format to watch the movies.

Also, that HDD is very small, for only a small amount more, get a 1TB version.

USB wireless cards are very cheap, so don't go looking for a mobo with one built in.

The case only supports ITX mobo's and that is the cheapest mobo so It's better to get hat, the case also doens't have 5.25' slots but it's very outdated anyway, it's all online now, e.g. netflix.
The cheapest i3 is over £30 more and I honestly would rather the pentium because if i want to I can overclock it later and add gfx for some awesome gaming, just watch the videos on youtube, nobody ever mentions i3 but the pentium is like a boss

True, but you wouldn't have to buy an aftermarket cooler & extra fans for it, plus you can save some additional money by getting an H97 or B85 mobo instead of a Z97 one. Remember that there is always a risk when OC'ing and there is no guarentee that you will get a good OC'ing CPU either.

This is another thread on this very issue...
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2391403/g3258-4150.html

But to be honest, you are probably talking a small difference in FPS between the two options anyway.

The only other thing I see is why such a powerful PSU as you can't SLI on a mITX board anyway? A 500W PSU is more than enough for most single GPU systems.

It's quite complicated, the 500w psu is becuase Im swapping out my PSU for a new one and putting mine into this. So the PSU is just there becaus I already have it. The mobo is Z87, If you actually go onto PC partpicker that mobo is the cheapest listed mobo available for mITX builds. The main reason for extra fans is becuase I wanted to. Some of those build items will be going into my PC so sorry for any confusion. Also becuase it's for movies and work, not gaming, FPS isn't a huge issue as movies are generally shot at 24fps, I believe.

 

[gerr]

HDD is a little small IMO, but other than that, ya, it's a good build as long as you are willing/able to overclock that CPU. I am surprised that the cheapest mITX mobo is a Z97.

 

[Mattz982]

HDD is a little small IMO, but other than that, ya, it's a good build as long as you are willing/able to overclock that CPU. I am surprised that the cheapest mITX mobo is a Z97.

I dont think your listening, Its Z87, as in eighty seven, number 8 and 7. No nine!!! And I'm NOT overclocking, no need, its NOT FOR GAMING. I dont mean to be rude but I don't really think you've been paying much attention to what I'm asking for. Its a small HTPC!!!!

 

[gerr]

HDD is a little small IMO, but other than that, ya, it's a good build as long as you are willing/able to overclock that CPU. I am surprised that the cheapest mITX mobo is a Z97.

I dont think your listening, Its Z87, as in eighty seven, number 8 and 7. No nine!!! And I'm NOT overclocking, no need, its NOT FOR GAMING. I dont mean to be rude but I don't really think you've been paying much attention to what I'm asking for. Its a small HTPC!!!!

Sorry, missed the fact that it's a Z87 and not a Z97 mobo. If you plan on storing movies on the HPTC, they you WILL need a larger HDD. And if you are going to do any transcoding, you might need a higher level CPU. So maybe be a little more specific on your HTPC uses.

 

[Mattz982]

HDD is a little small IMO, but other than that, ya, it's a good build as long as you are willing/able to overclock that CPU. I am surprised that the cheapest mITX mobo is a Z97.

I dont think your listening, Its Z87, as in eighty seven, number 8 and 7. No nine!!! And I'm NOT overclocking, no need, its NOT FOR GAMING. I dont mean to be rude but I don't really think you've been paying much attention to what I'm asking for. Its a small HTPC!!!!

Sorry, missed the fact that it's a Z87 and not a Z97 mobo. If you plan on storing movies on the HPTC, they you WILL need a larger HDD. And if you are going to do any transcoding, you might need a higher level CPU. So maybe be a little more specific on your HTPC uses.

Its for a client so I dont know his exact uses, I've actually already got a build set out now but thanks for the help, this is the final build btw: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/CpsFhM

 

[gerr]

Good choice. Plus you can always OC that CPU if you need extra speed.

 

[Mattz982]

Good choice. Plus you can always OC that CPU if you need extra speed.

Yea exactly, I'm still unsure weather to get an SSD for it as well, theres still loads of room in the budget