Hardware Building a Gaming HTPC

[sjones900]

So, I'm under taking the possibility of maybe building a HTPC, but I'd like it to be able to do some gaming as well. These are the parts I've come up with... I'd appreciate some feed back and suggestions to either improve performance or lower the cost. Both if possible.

Here's my list...

Motherboard - ASRock Mini ITX Motherboard $89.99

CPU - AMD A10-5800K APU 3.8Ghz $116.99

RAM - DDR3 Patriot 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1333Mhz $38.99

Case and PSU - APEX P4 Chasis with 250W PSU $54.99

HDD - WD Blue 1TB 7200RPM $74.99

Disc Drive - Lite-On 4x Blu-Ray DVD reader $29.80

WiFi - ASUS Wireless N PCI-E Adapter $26.50

Total before TAX = $432.25

 

[LoloLakitu]

You probably won't need a BD burner, you could just switch to a DVD burner. Also, your online gaming speeds will be more reliable if you use the onboard ethernet rather than wifi.

 

[sjones900]

It's not going to be just for gaming. I'm going to put a Blu-Ray in there every once in a while and I prefer wireless to wired since I cannot easily stretch an ethernet cable across the room / house.

I guess I better explain what I want out of this.... Pretty much I want this to be my all in one television entertainment device. I plan on playing DVD's and Blu-rays with it, as well as streaming content from all sorts of digital services through xbmc. I plan on doing some light gaming, although this could change depending on how well it works out. I expect it to play games like Left 4 Dead 2 with no problem. I also of course will use it to emulate a few classics.. nothing too demanding there. I hope that clarifies some things.

 

[BenRK]

First off, Newegg is better then Amazon when it comes to computer parts (most of the time).
http://www.newegg.com/

Second, you will want a better power supply if you're planning on gaming on it. Something in the 450W range is minimum imo. You will also want a case that supports ATX power supplies if possible. A lot easier to replace if it goes bad for example, not to mention many more reputable brands when it comes to the ATX form factor.

Third, what video card are you planning, anyway? I can't find any info about what video the board it self has (though I'm sure it has something, rare to find boards that don't have integrated video from my experience). You may want a bigger case too. I know this goes against the whole HTPC for gaming bit, but the better the games, the bigger the parts...

 

[LoloLakitu]

The cpu is an APU with 7660D which runs BF3 very well from some videos I watched before reccomending a seperate gpu.

 

[BenRK]

I see. Well, I would still spend a little extra penny on getting a different case that can use ATX power supplies.

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

You might want to swap that 1TB HDD with a small SSD for the OS and a 2TB HDD for storage?

Fast boot times is always good, especially when it's a HTPC

 

[Originality]

You might want to swap that 1TB HDD with a small SSD for the OS and a 2TB HDD for storage?

Fast boot times is always good, especially when it's a HTPC

Actually since most people leave HTPCs on all the time, SSDs are useless and he should swap the WD Blue for a WD Red, which are designed to run 24/7.

Edit: and you might want to find a recording card so you can use the HTPC as a DVR too.

 

[ZAFDeltaForce]

Actually since most people leave HTPCs on all the time, SSDs are useless and he should swap the WD Blue for a WD Red, which are designed to run 24/7.

Edit: and you might want to find a recording card so you can use the HTPC as a DVR too.

Oh okay. I assumed people switch on their HTPCs on demand.

 

[Originality]

Depends on the person and what they use it for. Some run Linux on them, some run open NAS software, somerun overnight downloaders, and some rip late-night TV. Some just use is as a compact desktop plugged into their TV for the convenience of multimedia playback. Most of those applications lend themselves to 24/7 usage.
Edit: forgot to mention, a lot of people I know put the system to sleep after use, instead of turning it off. This behaviour too renders SSDs redundant, since waking the system from sleep mode only takes a few seconds.