First of all, I will only be building this if I can keep the price as low as possible. I need some help finding some parts for a htpc. I want to build a good multimedia computer that i can rip all of my dvds and music to. It would have to have HDMI output to watch on a 42 inch flat screen. I guess I will list the components that I've decided on, and y'all can help me fill in the gaps or maybe help me get a better system. The hardware: Processor- intel core i3 530 $116.99 Motherboard- GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 $109.99 RAM- CORSAIR XMS3 4GB $89.99 Video card- SAPPHIRE 100252HDMI Radeon HD 4550 $55.99 Case- nmediapc black htpc 5000b $69.99 Hard drive- samsung spinpoint f3 1 terabyte $74.99 Blu Ray drive- ASUS BR 04B2T $59.99 Power supply- Corsair CMPSU-430CX $44.99 The software Operating system- windows 7 home premium 64bit $99.99 Media system software- XBMC free Am I leaving anything out? Oh, and I'm a first time builder also. -all the prices are from newegg.com- Total Price: $722.91 Can anyone help me cut down the price without sacrificing the quality??
congratulations on taking the plunge into your ist build. i myself did the same 2 months back so im no expert, but hopefully i can share what i know until sammorris and killerbug see this (they are 2 members who really know there builds and love to help). 1st for the biggest questions: motherboard- many people here say that brands like asus have lost some quality over the years and recommend gigabyte. i bought a gigabyte for my 1st build and would absolutely recommend them to anyone. RAM- corsair is a solid brand and 4 gigs seems to be standard these days.looks like the i3 uses 1066/1333 so these would be decent power supply- again, i have limited build experience but i know corsair is very solid here too.for that build you can get away with a 450w supply but many recommend going a bit bigger if you can afford it to future-proof your psu (also go modular if you can afford it). video card- the i3 has onboard video but if you dont plan on gaming, any 40-50 dollar card with hdmi should suit you fine.
Thank you for replying. The RAM you suggested has a lot of good reviews and I'll add it to my list. And for the motherboard, I'm looking at gigabytes right now.
I think I've decided on a good mobo. It's made by gigabyte, the GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3. Has anyone used this before?
Everything looks good here, I'd recommend the Corsair CX power supply with the system. 400W if you're in Europe, 430W if you're in the US.
Thanks for the help, guys. I have completed my parts list now. Once I get it built, I will let y'all know how it went.
