final configuration...

Livzz

Livzz

New Member
I've been trying to put together a home theatre PC over the last couple days, and this is what i've come up with...

AMD X2 6000+ AM2
Asus M2NPV-VM
2Gb kit Kingston DDR2-800
Asus 8600GT 512Mb PCIex
X-Fi Platinum
WD 500Gb 16Mb 7200rpm sata
Liteon 20x dvd-rw sata
DViCO HDTV DVB-T Pro
Antec Fusion case

Can someone please put me at ease and tell me that all these components are compatible with each other?
The case has a 430W power supply, is that sufficient?

And i'm open to any and all suggestions/comments... i dont do this kind of thing very often so i'd love some input!
 
Do yourself a favor and get a core2 duo processor and Intel mobo. If you plan to game, multitask, use your comp as a media center...or pretty much do anything involving a computer application, you'll be better off with Intel. Of course if you simply want a huge paperweight, AMD will do quite nicely.

Just kidding, but seriously, I'd definitely go with a C2D. And plus, they'll be much much cheaper in two and a half weeks. And to be totally honest, I'd nix the sound card and put the money toward a better GPU. If you want a *seemingly* decent DX10 card, go with the 8800gtx or ultra. If not, I'd go with the 8800gts 320mb. Now, if you are in fact using this as a media center and need good sound, then by all means get your sound card. Although I'm pretty sure that a 7.1 channel *discrete* audio system doesn't exist yet. At least theres no receiver capable of it yet. Two of the channels are just matrixed off of others. Anyway its complicated, if you have any questions just pm me. Good luck with the build, hope this helps!
 
By the way, I'm an idiot and I apologize for that spcheel (spelling? lol). I just saw the "home theater" part of the post. The good news is that I'm a HUGE home theater enthusiast. I'm actually a HT sales rep...so if you have any questions, just ask.
 
Looking good, not going for the mobo with 3x PCI slots then :P

Also what you doing for cooling.... might be worth investing in some quite case fans.
 
haha howcome everyone bags amd?
cheers for the advice though, so if i went Intel i'd probably get the E6600... and a m/board with the P35 chipset..

we have a 5.1 Receiver, so as long as the sound card has digital output its all good. I proposed getting the X-Fi platinum (was going to get the elite pro but waaayy too expensive) because dad seems keen on decent sound.
will the X-Fi Extreme Music be ok?

with the graphics card, the 8600GT i've quoted is priced at $251, and the 8800 series start at $500... double the cost... you still reckon get the 8800?

also, do you reckon the 430W power supply will be enough?

ghost said:
Looking good, not going for the mobo with 3x PCI slots then :P

Also what you doing for cooling.... might be worth investing in some quite case fans.
Click to expand...

yeh it was too hard finding a micro atx with 3 pci slots... so we're just gonna keep our set top box for watching tv, and only use the computer for recording - instead of getting two tv tuners in the computer.

And yeh if the case fans are too loud then i'll definitely get some quieter ones.



Thanks again for the input, much appreciated!
 
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I would get a bigger psu. Something 550-600ish. As long as the 12v rails are good you'll be ok. As far as the 8800s go, the 320 GTS gets as low as $280 on newegg...the GTX is the $500 one you're thinking of. And yeah you should be fine with the x-fi. The reason everyone bags AMD is because Intel is simply better right now. A couple years ago I'd would say AMD would be the better gaming choice. But right now, AMD just can't compete with Intel's C2D's. This may be different when AMD releases their quad-core lineup, but we'll see. And the e6600 is a good choice. I think that covers it all, hope this helps.
 
those prices i mentioned earlier were in australian dollars, not sure how that translates to yours...

so i'll get the E6600, and the Asus P5B-VM - has the G965 chipset instead of the P35, but thats ok...
I hope your right about the prices coming down in a couple weeks, cos the E6600 is currently $100 (australian) more than the AMD 6000+!
 
Pretty much all of the Intel processor prices are coming down. If the e6600 isn't within your budget, the 6750 will be like $190US (the 6600 is $226US right now). Either way, they ARE cutting prices, that much is certain. Theres a link somewhere on here that lists official prices.
 
ok... revision 2...

E6750
Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R

with everything else the same as before...
The price drop coming up means i can get the E6750 for $50 less than the E6600 :)

Just a thought, will the size of the 8600GT prevent me from using one of the PCI slots?
 
treddstone said:
I'm actually a HT sales rep...so if you have any questions, just ask.
Click to expand...


tredd is a good guy or girl whatever you are. (btw) :D XD ask him anything he can pretty much deliver. I suggest you use this pc as your media center and invest in the excellent video card. it is worth it in the end exspecially if you game alot. seeing as you got an amd proccesor. i like intel. at the moment im building a new rig with a c2d e6600 or 6700 im not sure which but if u want intel wait a few weeks and get the price cuts take advantage youll get excellent deals you would have never expected from intel. AMD better do somethin quick:D

personally i dont like amd my mom has amd on her laptop but i like intel better
(sorry i know you didnt ask what i like) but i felt the need to tell you any way.
 
i'm still looking at power supplies, and seeing as its a home theatre pc it would be good to find a quiet (fanless if possible) psu thats big enough to run it..

Theres a 500W antec PSU (link) that only turns the fan on if the temp gets above a user defined value - heres some numbers:
+5V: 30A
+12V1: 17A
+12V2: 18A
+3.3V 30A

you reckon thats good to run the computer?
 
You will definitly benefit from the 500W Power Supply over the 430W or whatever you had before...

As for the AMD Thing, I still Rather AMD over Intel anyday atm.

So im still a AMD Fan :D
 
ok i'm still deciding...

option 1: $496.88 (australian)
E6750, on Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R

option 2: $392.02 (australian)
X2 6000+, on Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe


thats even after the intel price cuts...
I think i'll get the AMD seeing as its that much cheaper...
 
PSU wise, I'm not a huge fan of the Antec Phantoms. A lot of the capacitors on the secondary side are a brand called Fuhjyyu, which react poorly to heat in the long term. Any fanless or near fanless PSU like the Phantom will naturally get quite hot, particularly when the fan is not set on its most aggressive setting.

The FSP Zen 400W costs a little bit more, but is a higher quality unit and a truly fanless design. That would be my preference over the Phantom.
 
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