runnin17
07-28-2011, 06:57 PM
Okay, so here is the thing. Got rid of my i7 970 rig because I am wanting to change up my HTPC rig to something a little more up to date. Since my 970 rig was crunching 24/7 I am planning on trying to incorporate a pretty overpowered HTPC due to the fact that I would like to have a minimum of two machines crunching at all times.
Here is the part list I am thinking about.
CPU: Intel i7 2600k (I know this is incredibly overpowered for an HTPC, but I expect to have at least 3 cores/6 threads crunching 24/7)
Mobo: Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z
GPU: Undecided
RAM: 8GB Kingston Hyper-X Elpida (left over from my 970 rig)
Case: Silverstone GD01 (this is my current HTPC case)
PSU: Undecided (will likely get a new GOLD rated PSU)
Sound: Will be bitstreaming audio from PC to receiver (I don't want the PC to touch the audio at all)
Cooling: This is the tricky part since I would like to somewhat heavily OC the CPU. I am thinking I might go with a *GASP* Corsair H80 or H100 just for simplicity sake. Will have to slightly mod the case to use the H100.
Alright, those are parts for now. Honestly, the only parts I don't have to actually make a build are the CPU, mobo and a cooler that is socket 1155 compatible. I am going with a Z68 build due to the improved integrated video support. If it works like I would like I might not even need a dedicated GPU, which would make a little more room in the case. I have room for a full ATX motherboard, but for HTPC use there really isn't any need for anything more than what the Maximus IV Gene offers. Going with mATX will give me more room to make sure the airflow is tidy which is important since the PC will pretty much be on all the time.
As far as the OS, I have Win 7 x64 Pro installed on my current HTPC and use WMC for streaming videos from my dedicated server. I use J. River Media Center 16 for audio files since it has a better feature set and I have about 1TB of lossless and 24/96 music :D
So I guess in the end this build is more of an HTPC/high-end audio server/back-up cruncher. I will debate adding an audiophile grade sound card to the setup in the future to take care of all my music playback, but that is going to require much more research on my part.
Here is the part list I am thinking about.
CPU: Intel i7 2600k (I know this is incredibly overpowered for an HTPC, but I expect to have at least 3 cores/6 threads crunching 24/7)
Mobo: Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z
GPU: Undecided
RAM: 8GB Kingston Hyper-X Elpida (left over from my 970 rig)
Case: Silverstone GD01 (this is my current HTPC case)
PSU: Undecided (will likely get a new GOLD rated PSU)
Sound: Will be bitstreaming audio from PC to receiver (I don't want the PC to touch the audio at all)
Cooling: This is the tricky part since I would like to somewhat heavily OC the CPU. I am thinking I might go with a *GASP* Corsair H80 or H100 just for simplicity sake. Will have to slightly mod the case to use the H100.
Alright, those are parts for now. Honestly, the only parts I don't have to actually make a build are the CPU, mobo and a cooler that is socket 1155 compatible. I am going with a Z68 build due to the improved integrated video support. If it works like I would like I might not even need a dedicated GPU, which would make a little more room in the case. I have room for a full ATX motherboard, but for HTPC use there really isn't any need for anything more than what the Maximus IV Gene offers. Going with mATX will give me more room to make sure the airflow is tidy which is important since the PC will pretty much be on all the time.
As far as the OS, I have Win 7 x64 Pro installed on my current HTPC and use WMC for streaming videos from my dedicated server. I use J. River Media Center 16 for audio files since it has a better feature set and I have about 1TB of lossless and 24/96 music :D
So I guess in the end this build is more of an HTPC/high-end audio server/back-up cruncher. I will debate adding an audiophile grade sound card to the setup in the future to take care of all my music playback, but that is going to require much more research on my part.