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Considering HTPC

6K views 48 replies 6 participants last post by  WereBo 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys, I'm going to build a HTPC like the one in this video and would like some help so I'm going to make a thread for it.


Software: XBMC 12 "Frodo"
Skin: AEON NOX 4
IPad: XBMC Commander
TV: LG 65" Plasma 3DTV

PC: (Cost $750)
Windows 8 64 bit
Vertex 3 OCZ 60gb SSD
i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1ghz
8gb DDR3
Radeon 6570
ASRock H67M Motherboard
650 Watt OCZ ZS Power Supply
Silverstone Black Aluminum Case
Samsung BD-ROM
16 TB (combined) hard drive (internal & nas)

Tutorials:
Adding Home Screen Playlist on Aeon Nox 4

3D ISO Script for TMT
https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B6y...

Ripping 3D Blurays into ISO
First I don't download any H-SBS or F-SBS 3D movies, why? because these are compressed version of the real thing. I spent over $2000 with my 3D TV and the last thing I wanna do is waste it by playing crappy quality 3D rips. This is why all my 3D movies are full ISO backups of the real 3d bluray. I wanna make sure i'm watching the best quality possible. I bought 3, 3TB external USB 3.0 hard drive for $99 on blackfriday. So space is not really an issue for me for the 40-50gb 3D ISO files (titanic is 2 disc, 94gb total).

I use DVD FAB for backing up 3D isos.
I use MAKEMKV for ripping 2d blurays into mkv
The HTPC will only be running Windows 8 and XBMC. This video author left this description. I find that it may be a bit overkill since I only have a bit more than 3TB of content at the moment (although it's always smart to plan ahead), but for the mean time, I'd like to see what you guys can do for me: that being said, do what you do best and please pick through the details and tell me what components can be either dropped completed or swapped for better quality ones.

I plan to have the content downloaded from this main computer and then somehow sent to the HTPC's hard drives (either by making the HTPC's internal storage available over the network, since I have a CAT5E cable that I can use to bridge the HTPC to the router... or by any other means that you guys can suggest me). I don't want to have any media content stored on this desktop PC; the moment it's downloaded, I will move it to the HTPC. And with that being said, would it be wise to have the internal drives that will be in the HTPC setup in a RAID array for fault tolerance?

I already have 2 x 3TB HDs for the content and the TV I have is fine.
 
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#2 ·
#4 ·
I already bought everything and I had already gone way over my budget haha
 
#6 ·
Yeah too late but thanks for the links. XBMC forum helped picked the motherboard and CPU; I picked the rest without any help. Hope everything works fine. this is the equivalent of me ridding my bike without training wheels or swimming without floaties haha because usually I have you guys triple-check everything I'm considering buying for compatibility and reliability. But so far, I've confirmed that the PSU is small enough to fit in the case with an optical drive and the RAM is on the motherboard's QVL.
 
#7 ·
If this HDD is going to be a secondary storage drive for the HTPC (as well as another new 3TB), is it OK to fill it up 'till the rim? I know it is often discouraged to have a drive full to its maximum without a quota if that's the OS drive but seeing as this is just for storage and retrieving media for XBMC (OS will be on SSD), would I experience any delay or performance degradation if, say, I filled it up to where there's 1GB left, for example, if it would even let me?
 

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#8 ·
I'm having a problem turning on the motherboard for a test boot. I tried shorting the two pins but it doesn't start the board. It turns the CPU fan for a split second then gives up, almost as if there's not enough power. I tried connecting the Power Switch to an old case and using the case power switch to turn on the board but it's the same result. I tried booting with and without the RAM. Same results.

Do I have a bad board?
 

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#9 ·
Damn, did some troubleshooting and my PSU is DOA. Just got it today, what a bummer.
 
#12 ·
Werebo i dont understand the reference

The MB light was on when the PSU was connected but the CPU fan didnt spin up. So I tried ahorting the mb pins and that didnt work which led me to assume it could be the psu. So then i tested the psu by shorting the green and black pins and the psu didnt turn on at all. I already sent it back to newegg. Theyre covered return shipping so that was nice.
 
#14 ·
Werebo i dont understand the reference

...........
Sorry Solidify, it's just my 'weird' humour :lol: I found that when things break-down/don't work, it's nearly always just after the shops have closed, weekend/holidays etc. I absolutely hate waiting for things to be returned and replacements posted back again - I'm seriously considering asking my Dr about getting a 'patience-transplant' :grin:
 
#13 ·
i dont have another psu and didnt wanna dissemble the one in my current desktop. Besides, i tested the psu by trying to short the pins and it didnt turn on so im fairly certain it was the psu that was bad. And i know i shorted the pins correctly bc ive shorted other psu's in the past that have turned on.

As a side note, i started assembling the htpc without the psu... Jesus!! What a job and a half to fit everything in there! This is way harder than building a desktop pc case. I managed to get 2 x 3.5" drives and one ssd (2.5") in there. I just hope the psu and case fans wont be a problem when they arrive. And i should have gone with an mini ATX mb because this is crazy tight, but i think ill manage. And also, now that i think abt it, all these sata ports are pointless since the case cant fit 7 drives (unless it was suggested for when i upgrade case.. )
 
#16 · (Edited)
Werebo, I'm like that too. But Newegg was extremely professional. The rep suggested me to buy another PSU that same day to minimize the downtime since I wouldn't get a replacement until they received mine. He sent me a prepaid return label and said they'd even cover the full shipping and tax charges on the new PSU I bought since it would cost more to send alone (as opposed to when I got reduced S&H for ordering in a bundle with the other parts).

BG, you're absolutely right. But I just couldnt resist the temptation. I'm still planning to buy the blower, even if it sets me back; it's more important than this HTPC. My back is already getting worse because I can't bend down properly because I can't put weight on my toes because off my pending operation.

I feel like a walking tin-can.

I keep putting of the operation because I'm terrified of the surgery. I keep telling myself that I can wait it out and my toes will grow back normally but that's proving to be untrue. At some level, I know that I will need to get it done, sk that's what's the most unsettling. It's gonna be a day that I just cant suppress the pain anymore and I'll rather do the surgery than live with the pain.
 
#17 ·
I was almost terrified of my last op (mostly from experiencing waking up during a vasectomy in the late 80's) but, although it's a slow recovery (still slight bleeding after nearly 2 months, when going to the loo) it is healing and I'm glad it's over and done with.

Do get your foot sorted mate before it's too late, the longer it's left, the more complications can set in and the slower the healing :wink:
 
#18 ·
I'm not afraid of waking up during the operation since I won't be put to sleep. I'm afraid of the pain. I read online of people that did the same operation and despite being anesthetized locally, they said there were instances where the nail was either clipped or yanked off that they felt sharp pains. Just talking about it is making me shrug because I know I'll have done the operation within the coming months, by the looks of how I can't go on like this.

The ideal would be to put to sleep but general anesthesia, I've been told, is completely unnecessary and I don't want to look like a fool.
 
#19 ·
Put under for a vasectomy, really? I was back at work that afternoon.

Get the surgery done before it gets worse. I am living prof what happens when you wait to long.

BG
 
#20 ·
BG, I'm not undermining the nature your health problems by not taking care of myself, I'm just very afraid of the surgery.
 
#21 ·
There's little to be afraid of really, OK the media splatters the news around when something does go wrong, but you never hear of the hundreds/thousands of ops that are done successfully every day :wink:

@ BG - When I went for the pre-op consultation, the doc asked if I had any allergies. After listing the few I do have, I jokingly mentioned I'm allergic to pain, it can make me a bit nasty - The result was they knocked me out for the surgery..... :lol:
 
#23 ·
I'm not worried about the risk or of it not going well, I'm scared that the procedure will hurt, that's why I thought about general anesthesia.
 
#24 ·
After a while, the pain will either become tolerable or pass entirely - Some painkillers work fine, other are a waste of time & money. Sadly, it's a matter of trial-&-error as to which works with your specific physiology, for me paracetamols do nothing, the ibuprofen ranges work a bit better though they work in different ways.
 
#25 ·
#26 ·
Obviously there must be some setbacks or risks to enabling these features, otherwise ASUS would have simply built them into the board.
 
#27 ·
WereBo, the teeth have officially entered the carpet! Getting impatient now haha
 
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