Recommendations for new build

[Fishface]

I found a combo deal at Newegg at a price that makes it difficult for me to
consider less capable components. The AMD Phenom II X4 955 AM3 and the ASUS
M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 motherboard are being sold together for a combo price
of $319.99.
www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.212581

I also found the following:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104092

That is a triple channel kit, aimed primarily at the Intel X58 i7 systems with the
triple channel memory controller. For this combination, you should look at
either two or four sticks.

Ok, that was bad...

I am running the Window 7 RC with 8 GB. I previously had 4 GB, but this is
much better because I like to keep a lot of stuff I want running at the same
time and I don't like to wait. There's a bit of a learning curve.

What exactly do you have in mind when you say "home theater?" What would
you like it to do?

It sounds as though you may now be beyond the point of "gathering information"
and have caught "the fever."

 

[William J. Lunsford]

Thank you for pointing out my error! I had not noticed the triple channel
part.

My plans, at this point, include a blu-ray drive, an HDTV tuner card, and
surround-sound speakers, but I haven't begun looking for those components
yet. I hope to find time today to take a more informed look at memory and
begin my search for a video card.

Thanks again for your help!

Bill

 

[William J. Lunsford]

How about this Mushkin dual channel kit?

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777

Bill

 

[JR Weiss]

How about this Mushkin dual channel kit?

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146777

Any of the name-brand, premium line RAM will do fine; it's a matter of
personal preference for the most part. Just make sure you get the speed
specified for the MoBo/CPU combination you buy. While some brands may be
"certified" by some MoBo mfgrs, it is seldom a showstopper with any of the
top brands.

I had been a Crucial fan for many years, but put OCZ Reaper in my last 2
builds. I don't know if the heat pipes really do anything significant, but
they do get the cooling media up further into the case airflow. The
downside is that they may interfere with some CPU coolers, but they work
fine with my Noctua NH-C12P.

The Mushkin you cite seems to be at the very top of the price heap, too.
You might be able to save $20-30 on another brand/line...

 

[Fishface]

I found a combo deal at Newegg at a price that makes it difficult for me to
consider less capable components. The AMD Phenom II X4 955 AM3 and the ASUS
M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 motherboard are being sold together for a combo price
of $319.99.
www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.212581

I wonder if you might not be better served by a motherboard with integrated HDMI
graphics, since you are not a gamer. Paul made some excellent recommendations in
the recent thread with subject, "Good cheap desktop mobo upgrade?" These guys
prefer the networked HDHomeRun tuner to an internal card.

http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3563&p=6
http://www.anandtech.com/guides/showdoc.aspx?i=3563&p=7

Were you wanting to tune Over-The-Air signals, or what? How close is your computer
to the TV? Will you use another display, or just the HDTV? I am even assuming HDTV.
Gonna use one of those media center cases? Probably not, since you had chosen
an non-micro ATX board.

Whoa, I guess the coffee kicked in!

 

[William J. Lunsford]

Thank you for the information! The Anandtech articles and Paul's
recommendations were very interesting. I am reconsidering my choice of
motherboard and processor. I have been told by a number of people that my
choices were overkill since gaming does not interest me.

Were you wanting to tune Over-The-Air signals, or what?

Yes, in addition to playing Blu-ray movies, DVDs, and CDs, I want to receive
over-the-air TV.

How close is your computer
to the TV? Will you use another display, or just the HDTV?

I plan to use a large monitor -- no TV.

Gonna use one of those media center cases?

No, I prefer a mid-tower case because of the roominess and upgrade
possibilities. This will be my only desktop computer, not just an HTPC.

 

[Fishface]

It's taken me many years to learn how to work with Windows and I don't
wish to start over with another OS. Thanks, though, for the suggestion.

If you are running XP, you will find Windows 7 to be quite a change, I'm afraid...

 

[William J. Lunsford]

I use Vista Home Premium on my laptop computer.

If you are running XP, you will find Windows 7 to be quite a change, I'm
afraid...

 

[Fishface]

I use Vista Home Premium on my laptop computer.

Very similar to that. There is no more classic view.
I miss the old Explorer interface...

 

[John Doe]

William J. Lunsford wrote:

If you are running XP, you will find Windows 7 to be quite a
change, I'm afraid...

Fortunately... The appearance can be made to look almost exactly
like prior versions. Font size management seems better.

Unfortunately... The path bar in Windows Explorer looks good, but
it is another half-baked idea. For easy dragging and dropping, the
folder view is still required, but Microsoft has further crippled
it. In Windows Vista, Microsoft removed the ability to expand a
folder simply by clicking on its name, you must aim for the small
plus sign. In Windows 7... Microsoft has also removed the ability
to show a folder's contents in the main window by simply
navigating to it with the down/up arrow key. Apparently Microsoft
thinks that clicking is king, and does not even provide an option
to override.

 

[Jaimie Vandenbergh]

Very similar to that. There is no more classic view.
I miss the old Explorer interface...

The simple and useful two-pane Explorer interface with details view on
the right is pretty much the *only* thing I like about Windows. So
naturally it's on its way out...

No worries for me. All the Windows programs I want to use run in XP,
and I don't see that changing for a loooong time.

Cheers - Jaimie

 

[Fishface]

Thank you for the information! The Anandtech articles and Paul's
recommendations were very interesting. I am reconsidering my choice of
motherboard and processor. I have been told by a number of people that
my choices were overkill since gaming does not interest me.

Gaming doesn't interest you because you haven't found your game!
I used to say that, too.

Yes, in addition to playing Blu-ray movies, DVDs, and CDs, I want to receive
over-the-air TV.

OK, good. The cable company in my area started encrypting most of their content,
rendering the Clear QAM tuners useless.

I plan to use a large monitor -- no TV.

OK, now we get the picture! You just need to make sure that everything in the
chain is HDCP compliant or the Blu-rays won't play in HD. That includes the
monitor. Windows 7 Media Center has no native support for Blu-ray playback
and requires a 3rd-party extender, such as PowerDVD. Some Blu-ray players
come bundled with PowerDVD, but I'm afraid it may be an OEM version that
will only play 2 channel audio. Here's a PowerDVD version comparison chart:
http://www.cyberlink.com/prog/product/main.do?ProductId=1&Cat_Id=12

Here's another guide to HTPCs with some part recommendations:

www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14239742#post14239742
That's page 85 with part recommendations, but there is some interesting
information on the first page, some of which was a little dated.

 

[Robin Bignall]

The simple and useful two-pane Explorer interface with details view on
the right is pretty much the *only* thing I like about Windows. So
naturally it's on its way out...

No worries for me. All the Windows programs I want to use run in XP,
and I don't see that changing for a loooong time.

Me, too, particularly as they don't seem to offer an upgrade from XP.
And yes, I have all of my software's installers and activation codes,
but why go through all of that until you absolutely have to.

 

[William J. Lunsford]

I started over again.



AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 95W
Triple-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648&Tpk=AMD Phenom II X3 710
$99.00



GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392
$79.99





4GB kit (2GBx2), 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 memory module
0 stars
a.. Module Size: 4GB kit (2GBx2)Package: 240-pin DIMMFeature: DDR3
PC3-10600
b.. Specs: DDR3 PC3-10600 • CL=9 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1333 •
1.5V • 256Meg x 64 •


US $71.99
http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=50B75B6BA5CA7304







HIS Hightech H467QT512P Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI
Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161252
$69.99





LG Black 6X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM &
16X DVD±R DVD Burner Model GGC-H20L - Retail

4x Winner of Customer Choice Award - Blu-Ray Drives

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136133
$109.99





SiliconDust HDHomeRun Network-based Dual Digital HDTV Tuner Ethernet
Interface - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815327005&Tpk=Silicon Dust HDTV tuner
$148.99



That’s as far as I got today. What do you think?

Bill

 

[William J. Lunsford]

What do you think of this case?
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer
Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024&Tpk=Antec Sonata III 500 Black
$109.99

Bill

 

[Fishface]

What do you think of this case?
Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
$109.99

That's certainly a good price for a quiet case, as long as you don't
mind the door and can live with that chrome strip on the front. I like
the looks of the Sonata Elite better without the chrome, but it doesn't
come with the power supply.
www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129057

 

[William J. Lunsford]

I've never had a case with a door covering the drive bays. I don't see any
reason for the door. It might be an unnecessary bother.
The chrome strip really doesn't bother me. The case is near the floor and I
don't spend a lot of time looking at it.
I was attracted to this case because it appears to be a quiet case with a
good power supply. Perhaps I'll continue looking.
Bill

 

[Fishface]

I started over again.

My 150 GB Raptor just died and took my Win7 x64 installation with it.
I guess I should have backed-up sooner. I thought those drives were
supposed to be reliable. Macrium Reflect free edition worked great to
restore my old XP partitions. They only want $40 for the full version
and they just earned my support.

AMD Phenom II X3 710 2.6GHz 3 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache
Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Processor - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103648 $99.00

I noticed they have a 705e that runs at 2.5 GHz but is rated at 65 watts.
It's spec'd at a lower voltage, and costs $23 more, but I wonder if that
would run cooler and quieter if overclocked slightly. I imagine that
"Cool and Quiet" would probably keep any of them just that, though.

GIGABYTE GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128392 $79.99

Wow, super price on a highly rated board and firewire to boot! I guess you
decided against the integrated graphics route.

4GB kit (2GBx2), 240-pin DIMM, DDR3 PC3-10600 memory module
0 stars
a.. Module Size: 4GB kit (2GBx2)Package: 240-pin DIMMFeature: DDR3 PC3-10600
b.. Specs: DDR3 PC3-10600 • CL=9 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1333 • 1.5V • 256Meg x 64 •


US $71.99 http://www.crucial.com/store/mpartspecs.aspx?mtbpoid=50B75B6BA5CA7304

Decent reviews for same kit and a bit cheaper at Newegg, if that's where
you are buying your parts. Somehow I thought you were in the UK...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148262

HIS Hightech H467QT512P Radeon HD 4670 IceQ Turbo 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire
Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161252 $69.99

Highly rated with a reputation for quiet.

LG Black 6X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM &16X DVD±R DVD Burner Model GGC-H20L -
Retail

4x Winner of Customer Choice Award - Blu-Ray Drives

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136133 $109.99

The picture shows PowerDVD on the disk. Probably only two channel, but
it likely offers to sell you added functionality from within the program.

SiliconDust HDHomeRun Network-based Dual Digital HDTV Tuner Ethernet Interface - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815327005 $148.99

Those are nice. My internal NTSC tuner card was plagued with RF interference
from the three computers in the room. It'd be nice to keep it at a distance. I'm
considering one of those, myself.

That’s as far as I got today. What do you think?

Well a guy could certainly do a lot worse. I was wondering how one of the
higher-end integrated graphics boards would compare to the HD 4670.
On this chart:
www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2362-6.html
The HD 4670 is one level above the 8800 GTS 320 which is compared
with the 790GX board in this article:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2343

....so, pretty much both are up to the task of playing Blu-ray disks,
but the integrated graphics solution is not really up to any level
of gaming.

Another huge gotcha I discovered is audio. Because the protectors of digital
content have really made this difficult on the HTPC and demand a protected
audio path. Read about it here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/windows-7-htpc,2349-8.html

I guess it all depends upon what level of audio quality you can be happy with.

Now how about a monitor!

 

[JR Weiss]

My 150 GB Raptor just died and took my Win7 x64 installation with it.
I guess I should have backed-up sooner. I thought those drives were
supposed to be reliable.

I have a pair of 74s that have been running almost continuously for 5+
years...

I noticed they have a 705e that runs at 2.5 GHz but is rated at 65 watts.
It's spec'd at a lower voltage, and costs $23 more, but I wonder if that
would run cooler and quieter if overclocked slightly. I imagine that
"Cool and Quiet" would probably keep any of them just that, though.

I'd spend the extra $23 for the low-power CPU. I doubt you'd notice the 0.1
GHz difference...

Now how about a monitor!

I have 2 higher-end Samsungs, and highly recommend them. Check the specs on
any you consider; the viewing angles -- both vertical and horizontal -- are
a clue to the quality and type of LCD used. I have the 244T which is
apparently the predecessor to the current 245T:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001246

The 130 Watt power draw cited is for full brightness, which I suspect you
will NEVER use. Mine draws more like 40 Watts at normal brightness level.

 

[Fishface]

I have 2 higher-end Samsungs, and highly recommend them. Check the specs on any you consider; the viewing angles --
both vertical and horizontal -- are a clue to the quality and type of LCD used. I have the 244T which is apparently
the predecessor to the current 245T: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001246

I have a 24" Soyo Topaz-S which used an M-PVA panel. I liked it so much
that I bought another for my son. They were only $300 but have no HDCP
support, so no Blu-ray for me without a 3rd party solution:
http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvdhd.html

Soyo have since switched to TN panels, which I hate.

I saw this Dell 2709W today. It's interesting because it takes the audio from
the HDMI and outputs 5.1 audio.
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?sku=223-9379

They say it is an S-PVA here: http://www.flatpanelshd.com/panels.php

Dell also has a 24" without the 5.1 audio for $412 featuring
"S-PVA (Samsung LTM240CS05) panel."
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/products/Monitors/productdetail.aspx?sku=320-6272