Critique my plan (HTPC & Networking gurus needed, please halp)

Koggit

Koggit

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Currently I have an HTPC and a gaming rig. Both are pretty much 24/7, and both are loud/hot/power hungry. The gaming rig acts as my home server, the HTPC is about 5 years old and just grabs the media and decodes it for my TV.

Now.. I'm moving. With 5 roommates. I wanna scrap my machines and build two new machines -- a HTPC/Server/Gaming rig for the TV (1080p) and a personal use machine for Warcraft 3, programming, etc (can be weak, cheap/quiet is good). The HTPC would be a 24/7 machine for all five of us to store whatever we want on, lots of media, and also for gaming on the living room TV.

Here's what I had in mind. Now keep in mind this is a VERY flexible plan, I'd be open to reconsidering the whole idea, all suggestions encouraged... I know there are a ton of options, and I'd like to get all opinions possible.


I'm thinking the HTPC would have 4 or 5 tb of storage, probably not RAID just because I've never done RAID, probably in a mid-ATX just because micro-ATX doesnt play nice with many HDDs (thinking I'll get 3 or 4, 1tb or 1.5tb each), probably with Galaxy's low-power 9800gt which has HDMI-out. I think the HDMI out is video only, though I'm not sure... regardless, I plan on using external speakers, not the TV's built-in speakers, so I suppose it doesn't matter. I want the machine to be quiet and power-friendly, which I dunno if it'd be possible given the GPU & HDD requirements.

For the personal machine, I'm thinking micro ATX to put on my desk instead of under it, about 80gb of SSD, an energy efficient Intel... and perhaps reusing my 8800GT, though I dunno if that'd be too large & hot for micro ATX. Regardless, I think it might be too loud. I'll be outputting to 1920x1200 so I'm not sure if integrated video would be a good idea.

One thing I have absolutely no idea about is 802.11n vs hardwired for the network. I'm currently hardwired at 100mbps and it's not as fast as I'd like. Going 802.11n would cost about $200 for my network... though I heard realistically you're only gonna get speeds of about 150mbps, that's about 20MB/s, which isn't much slower than an energy-efficient HDD is gonna be anyway... so... yknow... I dunno. Hardwired would end up being cluttered. I'm leaning toward the 802.11n I think.




All input appreciated.. I'm having trouble with this planning. Even if you don't feel like reading all my poorly written crap above, just tell me what you'd build if you wanted a communal HTPC/server & a personal use machine.
 
You're missing one crucial information. How much do you want to spend on each of the machines?

Your HTPC should have a high end dual core or a low/mid range quad core. Having 5 hard drives in a machine is not a problem, many cases nowadays have dedicated hard drive cages with excessive cooling. I'm not sure why you want to go with a low profile 9800GT, there are plenty of mid range video cards that dont eat up your power supply and has great cooling while being not too loud. You should take a look at this silent 9800GT. But keep in mind that the louder the video card, possibly the more powerful it can be. Basically what I'm saying is, all high end video cards like GTX 260/275/285 are loud when running intensive games, but they will surely run almost every game (except Crysis) at the 1920x1080 resolution without hiccups.

I've built a HTPC for you. If you have more money, I'd probably upgrade to a better motherboard.

For your personal machine, you can easily get a mid range dual core (Intel/AMD, whatever your preference is), Intel E7400 or something, and slap in 4GB DDR2 and your old 8800GT, and get a good mATX case with good cooling, some decent 500W power supply, and you're good to go. Shouldn't cost you more than $700 ($110 CPU, $80 mobo, $45 RAM, $230 SSD, $100 case, $60 PSU) to get the parts you need.

For your network, get a Gigabit router that has Draft-N capability. Best of both worlds.
 
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Here is my build once I get the funds together.

Adesso 2.4 GHz RF Wireless Multimedia/MCE Keyboard with Optical Trackball WKB-3200UB, $61
LG GH22NS30 Super Multi DVD/CD Rewriter, $31.
AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe (PCI Express x1; hybrid: either digital or analog), $88. [FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.50GHz LGA775, $66.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]CPU Cooler: SilverStone NT07-775, $20.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Motherboard: ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX GF9300-D-E LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU Mini-ITX, $112.55.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Memory: PNY OPTIMA DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $30.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Graphics Card: GeForce 9300 (integrated in the chipset), $0.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $69[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $50. An alternative is Apex MI-100 Mini-ITX, $55[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Total Cost: $532.55[/FONT]
 
[quote name='seen']Here is my build once I get the funds together.

Adesso 2.4 GHz RF Wireless Multimedia/MCE Keyboard with Optical Trackball WKB-3200UB, $61
LG GH22NS30 Super Multi DVD/CD Rewriter, $31.
AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe (PCI Express x1; hybrid: either digital or analog), $88. [FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.50GHz LGA775, $66.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]CPU Cooler: SilverStone NT07-775, $20.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Motherboard: ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX GF9300-D-E LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU Mini-ITX, $112.55.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Memory: PNY OPTIMA DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $30.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Graphics Card: GeForce 9300 (integrated in the chipset), $0.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $69[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $50. An alternative is Apex MI-100 Mini-ITX, $55[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Total Cost: $532.55[/FONT][/QUOTE]

You might want to get a better PSU, maybe a 450w/500w+.
 
That rig is meant for HTPC purposes; if you want gaming, get a bigger case so you can have a bigger psu. The 9300 will work great for emulators and basic gaming (not crysis!) so I should be fine...

OP are you looking for a more serious rig; what exactly are you looking for in an htpc?
 
I typed a bit, but the computer I'm on logged me out & I lost it -- thanks for the responses, especially

[quote name='SOSTrooper']I've built a HTPC for you.[/QUOTE]

this, I appreciate it.



About price, I don't have much of a limit, I've been saving up for this refresh and I've over-saved, so I'll just spend whatever it takes to get the job done (but don't need overkill).

I'm playing around NewEgg at the moment and wondering two things: (1) Is it possibel for a computer to replace an audio receiver, if I got some sort of awesome sound card? (2) If I got a tuner like Seen's build, but have digital cable (with a cable box), would the tuner work with that or is it just for OTA antennas and stuff?
 
1) A computer is not meant to act as an audio receiver. It doesn't mean it's not possible to do so, but you're well better off getting a real receiver for the audio job. Your HTPC should act as a device, much like your PS3, DVD player, cable TV box are devices for your home theater setup. It should not be treated as an everything-in-one solution.

2) It depends on what connection you use to transmit the signal from the cable box to your TV. Is it HDMI? Component? S-Video? Some ~$100 TV tuner cards such as this one should come with a S-Video/Composite input adapter so you can plug your cable box to the TV tuner and watch or record standard-def digital cable onto your hard drive. If you use component or HDMI for high-def digital cable, then you might have to go with Blackmagic Intensity Pro ($200) IN ADDITION to the TV tuner card. The Intensity Pro is not a tuner, so it can only input the signal from your consoles and cable box. You still need the separate TV tuner card for over-the-air digital signal for local TV channels.
 
Thanks -- the output options on the cable box will be component and HDMI. I'd prefer to go HDMI. I don't mind spending the ~$300 on it, depending on how well it'd work. Would I be able to change channels using the computer, or would I still have to use the cable box? I don't care too much about recording (though I'd be nice), my real goal is to avoid switching inputs. I'd prefer to have only the computer, 24/7, without having to switch back and forth between TV and PC, switching between remotes, etc.

If I hooked it up to the cable box, isn't the cable box doing the tuning? When I want to change the channel, would I have to change it on the cable box?
 
Yes you'll still be using your cable box's remote to change channel. So in theory you'll still need to fumble with several remotes, unless you get the Harmony.
 
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