HTPC first build (EVER) - will these specs work?

[lazrus_]

Hi All,

Wanted to start by saying thank you in advance for all your help. I'm trying to cut the cord and build an HTPC, but just about all the info I have is from reading for the past week. I'm not an IT guy or sure that this will work, so I really appreciate if anyone could have a look over the below specs, let me know if:

1) they make sense together (any glaring red flags)
2) I could do it any cheaper (or contrary, have gone too cheap)

My primary (only?) use for it is to download data and play it through XBMC onto my plasma tv.

Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Item #: N82E16811204035 - $70

MoBo - ASUS A85XM-A FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Item #: N82E16813131972 - $75

APU - AMD A6-6400K Richland 3.9GHz Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor - Black Edition AMD Radeon HD AD640KOKHLBOX - Item #: N82E16819113335 - $75

Storage - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive -- Item #: N82E16822148834 -- $88

RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM - Item #: N82E16820231303 - $48

PSU - SeaSonic S12II S12II 380B 380W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Item #: N82E16817151072 - $60

Total: $416
Shipping: $20
OS: $70 (windows 7 64 bit home)
All In: $506

Thoughts? Should this work? have I missed any parts?

 

[Wolfshadw]

It all looks good to me. Not sure you want one, but the only thing missing from the list is an optical drive. I like having my Blu-Ray drive in for my Netflix subscription.

The only other thing I might mention, and this is just from my own personal experience, is that you may want to consider going with an HTPC case that can accept a full-ATX motherboard. The nMediaPC 6000B is nearly the same size (1.2" taller) as the 5000B and can house a Full-ATX motherboard.

I built my HTPC into an nMediaPC 200BA and it worked great for years. Then I got the upgrade bug where I wanted to store all of my recorded television in that case, but I needed to add a RAID controller card and I didn't have an available PCI-Ex1 slot and space for proper cooling. Simply upgrading to an ATX motherboard would have resolved the issue, but my HTPC case would only hold a Micro-ATX motherboard.

Just something to keep in mind.

-Wolf sends

 

[lazrus_]

thanks so much for the VERY fast reply.

It all looks good to me. Not sure you want one, but the only thing missing from the list is an optical drive. I like having my Blu-Ray drive in for my Netflix subscription.

I was thinking of skipping the optical (at least for now) to save a few dollars. The wife is kind of put off by the upfront price tag so figured if I slipped it when we needed it, $50 to future her isn't as eye popping. Do you think I'll miss it that much in the meantime? Can't netflix stream straight into XBMC app?

The only other thing I might mention, and this is just from my own personal experience, is that you may want to consider going with an HTPC case that can accept a full-ATX motherboard. The nMediaPC 6000B is nearly the same size (1.2" taller) as the 5000B and can house a Full-ATX motherboard.

Maybe I'm doing the search wrong, but I'm having trouble finding a full ATX motherboard at a similar price point. Any suggestions?

 

[lazrus_]

Following Wolfshadw's advice on case/mobo size, it would look more like this

nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 6000B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - $80
MSI 970A-G46 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS - $80
Storage - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive -- Item #: N82E16822148834 -- $88
RAM - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM - Item #: N82E16820231303 - $48
PSU - SeaSonic S12II S12II 380B 380W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Item #: N82E16817151072 - $60

Total: $431
Shipping: $20
OS: $70 (windows 7 64 bit home)
All In: $521

 

[Wolfshadw]

That motherboard does not support your previously listed APU. Getting a compatible processor with this motherboard would require the added cost of a discrete graphics card. My suggestion, above, was only to get a case that accepts a full ATX board. You can still use the originally listed Micro-ATX motherboard+APU.

-Wolf sends

 

[lazrus_]

cool, thanks again. had another look and saw what you're saying about the case fitting both micro and full.

So if i have the space, is there any reason not to start out with a full sized motherboard? Are they just more expensive (which would explain why I'm struggling to find one at a similar price point)?

 

[Wolfshadw]

They do tend to be more expensive as they do offer a few more features (expansion slots, Crossfire/SLI, etc...). I just like full ATX with the extra PCI-Ex1 slots (Tuner cards, RAID cards). If you're never going to need it, it's not a problem, but then, I never thought I'd need it, and in truth, I don't, but I did have to work another solution. It works, but it's not ideal.

-Wolf sends