# Looking to build an HTPC. Is this a good build?



## testudo (Apr 26, 2014)

Hello,

I just failed at building an i5 HD 4600 HTPC rig. I was getting a black screen after Windows logo on both Win 7 & 8.1. I tried everything under the sun, including replacing the RAM and CPU. I took away that it was the motherboard (Gigabyte H87N Wifi). I packed everything up and sent it back. 

Anyhow, that is not what I am writing about . I am looking to build an HTPC that will be using XBMC to stream and to stream files from the HTPC to other TVs on my home network, and at some point I am sure that I may be streaming files at the same time. And, I was thinking that we would be doing some light gaming. That is why I decided on a quad core CPU to begin with. However, I do not want a dedicated GPU. 

After reading around, I think that I am going to try to build an AMD/APU rig. I haven't used AMD as my CPU before, and it is kind of hard to jump from Intel to AMD, but I think that I am going to give it a shot. 

Here is what I came up with:

GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI FM2+/FM2 A88X
AMD A10-7700K APU AD770KXBJABOX
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Kit (4GBx2) DDR3 1600
Cooler Master Elite 110
Corsair CX Series 430 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze
120 GB Kingston SSD
1 TB External HDD USB 3.0

Is this a good build for what I am looking for? I am not new to building, but new to AMD. I know that the CPU may be a bit overkill for HTPC, but what about everything that I wanting it to perform? 

Thank you in advance for any and all help, advice and suggestions.

Testudo


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## newtekie1 (Apr 26, 2014)

I'd go with the ASRock A88X board instead, it is cheaper and offers everything the Gigabyte board does. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157464

Also, if you don't already have that RAM, you might want to go up to DDR3-1866 or even DDR3-2133.  The graphics performance of AMD APUs scale very well with DDR speed.  So going from DDR3-1600 to DDR3-2130 is good for an almost free 10-20%+ performance boost in gaming.


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## testudo (Apr 26, 2014)

newtekie1 said:


> I'd go with the ASRock A88X board instead, it is cheaper and offers everything the Gigabyte board does. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157464
> 
> Also, if you don't already have that RAM, you might want to go up to DDR3-1866 or even DDR3-2133.  The graphics performance of AMD APUs scale very well with DDR speed.  So going from DDR3-1600 to DDR3-2130 is good for an almost free 10-20%+ performance boost in gaming.



 Thank you for your response!

Yeah, I already have the RAM and I cannot return it. I have a gaming rig, so this will mainly be used as an HTPC. There will be very little gaming and the gaming will be pretty light. I will not be playing any new titles on the HTPC. I was thinking about going with a different board (I have always built with Gigabyte components), but I have Amazon Prime and the ASUS is not offered through Prime. Is the Gigabyte a good board for this build?

Overall, are these good components for an HTPC?


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## newtekie1 (Apr 26, 2014)

There isn't anything wrong with the Gigabyte board. I just prefer ASRock and it is cheaper and since you just had a problem with a Gigabyte board I thought you might want to try something different. 

The RAM isn't a big deal, you can probably even raise the timings and overclock the RAM to 1866 if you wanted too.  But if you aren't too concerned with gaming it isn't really necessary.

Everything else looks great for a HTPC.


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## Vario (Apr 27, 2014)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128663
Reviews indicate bios might not be set up for Kaveri (A10-7700K)???


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## testudo (Apr 27, 2014)

Vario said:


> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128663
> Reviews indicate bios might not be set up for Kaveri (A10-7700K)???



Can you recommend one that is? I really would like a mini ITX.


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## Vario (Apr 27, 2014)

testudo said:


> Can you recommend one that is? I really would like a mini ITX.


Sorry dude I really don't know.  You could order it from Amazon, they have a better return policy than the Egg so if it doesn't work with the 7700K out of the box, return it?


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## newtekie1 (Apr 28, 2014)

testudo said:


> Can you recommend one that is? I really would like a mini ITX.


The ASRock is compatible with the 7700K out of the box, I just built a system with it.


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## kenkickr (Apr 28, 2014)

I just build a APU setup with the MSI A88X-G43 and a A10-7850k.  The price on the board was right for what I was looking for and stable.


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## testudo (Apr 29, 2014)

Alright. I cannot bring myself to go AMD...I guess I am just afraid . I was reading about how AMD runs hot, so I would probably have to get an aftermarket cooler. If that is the case, I can just get an Intel and use the stock cooler for roughly the same price. I don't know, though, I have not messed around with AMD CPUs, yet. 

So, I am thinking about this build:

GIGABYTE GA-B85N 1150
Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB Kit (4GBx2) DDR3 1600
Cooler Master Elite 110
Corsair CX Series 430 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze
120 GB Kingston SSD
1 TB External HDD USB 3.0

How is that for an HTPC?


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 29, 2014)

That's plenty powerful, and still more processing power than you are likely to need.  Good CPU, but why not lower the TDP and get the i5-4570S? It's still roughly the same power as 4570, while only putting out 65W. 

If you want an idea of how little power an HTPC actually needs, look at my signature block below:  I'm still rocking an e-8400, and I've never had one hiccup in the system!

P.S.  Don't be afraid of AMD.  When I rebuild mine in a year (or less), I'm gonna go AMD, so that I can keep current with both sides.


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## GreiverBlade (Apr 29, 2014)

i use a A10-7700K on a ASRock FM2A88M Ex4+ i used it on IGP with 2133 CL11 ram  it played near all game i usually play on medium high settings on 1080p (30fps+ most of the time with minor tweak) and for multimedia : top notch

temps : 26° idle 38° gaming load (IGP only) under a Cooler Master Seidon 120V ok it is a 95W cpu but still the IGP is way above any Intel HD IGP (with the IGP pushed to the original frequencie of 960 instead of the 720mhz and the cpu part clocked at 4.1 instead of 3.8 )
my only concern would be the 1600 ram APU get benefit of higher clocked ram if you can get good 2133/2400 CL9 or 10 its quite good (my CL11 did well and if i didn't had that ARES i would go for a 2x4gb Vengeance Pro 2400 CL9 @ 89chf for exemple)

actually the A10 build is my main rig (with a R9 270X) and to back up @rtwjunkie  i use a HP DC7700p with a C2D E6700 2x2.66 + 4gb DDR2 800 and a R7 240  under Win 7 64 Pro ... (and that's my only "intel inside" computer ... if i except my smartphone ... )
oh well look my signature or my sys specs 

edit @testudo  you can also take a A8-7600 (once released... june 14 bahahah)the IGP is exactely the same as the 7700K and its a 65w model frequencies are on the same level (turbo, base its 100mhz lower)and it's cheaper, just it is not a unlocked APU
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare_CPUs/AMD_AD7600YBI44JA,AMD_AD770KXBI44JA/
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/315/AMD_A10-Series_A10-7700K_vs_AMD_A8-Series_A8-7600.html

the igp of those two is close to a Oland R7 250, while the A10-7850K is closer to a 7750 but GCN 1.1
http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare_CPUs/AMD_AD7600YBI44JA,AMD_AD770KXBI44JA,AMD_AD785KXBI44JA/


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## newtekie1 (Apr 29, 2014)

testudo said:


> Alright. I cannot bring myself to go AMD...I guess I am just afraid . I was reading about how AMD runs hot, so I would probably have to get an aftermarket cooler. If that is the case, I can just get an Intel and use the stock cooler for roughly the same price. I don't know, though, I have not messed around with AMD CPUs, yet.



It depends on what you mean by "runs hot".

Do they run at higher temperatures than Intel? Yes.
Will they overheat with the stock cooler? No.


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## GreiverBlade (Apr 29, 2014)

if 37° max during a BF4 session is hot ... then my bath is hot too 
and 62° max for the GPU (man i love the Silverstone Sugo SG09B)

ok in a µATX mITX build a AIO Wcooler help a lot i reckon


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## testudo (Apr 30, 2014)

I think that I am going with the Intel i5. I am actually looking at getting a discrete GPU, the EVGA GeForce 750Ti. What do you guys think of that card? Can it handle the load that I need it for?


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## rtwjunkie (Apr 30, 2014)

testudo said:


> I think that I am going with the Intel i5. I am actually looking at getting a discrete GPU, the EVGA GeForce 750Ti. What do you guys think of that card? Can it handle the load that I need it for?



Yes, the 750Ti should be more than adequate.  Which i5 did you decide on?  The 4570 or the 4570s (not as hot- remember, in an HTPC keeping it cool and quiet are two huge factors, as noise can be distracting when trying to watch movies)?  You'll really be working with an HTPC that is just begging to be used more with that combo (meaning it's more powerful than you need), but ultimately, it's your decision, and if you are pleased with it that's all that matters!  You mentioned you'll eventually want to do some light gaming on it too, so you SHOULD be good.


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## GreiverBlade (Apr 30, 2014)

rtwjunkie said:


> Yes, the 750Ti should be more than adequate.  Which i5 did you decide on?  The 4570 or the 4570s (not as hot- remember, in an HTPC keeping it cool and quiet are two huge factors, as noise can be distracting when trying to watch movies)?  You'll really be working with an HTPC that is just begging to be used more with that combo (meaning it's more powerful than you need), but ultimately, it's your decision, and if you are pleased with it that's all that matters!  You mentioned you'll eventually want to do some light gaming on it too, so you SHOULD be good.



if its for movie and gaming then a 750Ti will handle it
but keep in mind that it will cost you the price of the APU+Motherboard and eventualy RAM just for the CPU+GPU of the 2nd build you show  (a A10 7700K can game with minor tweak as i wrote of previously )

also i had a combo X4 760K + R7 240 before the A10-7700K well the A10-7700K was better performing than that combo, but you can consider a X4 760K + a R7 260X who will be cheaper than a I5+750Ti (but on level of a I3 but if i can play BF4 Crysis 3 or any games i play on it a X4 760K or a A10-7700K are more than enough for the CPU/APU side) and if you seek really good you can find some R9 265/270 or even 270X (even some 660/660Ti)for cheaper than a 750Ti (and they all perform better than the 750Ti except in the field of the power consumption)

i like intel cpu's but they are too expensive at my taste (heck i even had a i7-920 and a Xeon E3-1275V2)

(at last i proved AMD APU run all but hot  )


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## testudo (Apr 30, 2014)

Cool. I am looking at the Asus and EVGA versions of the 750Ti. 

Do you think that my 430 watt PSU will be able to power it, or should I looking into larger wattage PSU?


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