Ideas for PC spec

[trimmer]

Hi all im looking to build my own custom pc and was wondering if anyone has done this if so what set did you go for, im looking to build a Blue-ray player with a 5.1 surround sound card, if someone has done this i would love a list of components!!! i.e which graphics card and voltage of PSU

[john_h]

I'm a bit of a geek in this area and also a highly qualified IT specialist amongst other skills in comms equip...so i could be your friend here

personally i am a big fan of building your own computer to personalize it.

my current pc specs are:

AMD Phenom 64bit quad core (2.3ghz each core) - equiv to 9.2ghz
4gb of ram (windows only sees 3.25gb due to the nature of the 32bit windows)
1TB sata2 hdd.
160gb sata2 hdd
2x dvd dual layer rw
500mb graphic card (not a big gamer)
memory card reader
800v power pack
1000mb network card and self made cable
bluetooth
wireless b/g/n capable
5.1 built in sound card.

i orginally built this computer around 3 years ago but obv added a few new things. new graphic card and blue-ray burner i reckons.

the biggest tip i can give you is to shop around...stay away from highstreets for parts they add £££'s.

what is going to be the primary purpose of your new machine?

[Stubbo]

Originally Posted by john_h

4gb of ram (windows only sees 3.25gb due to the nature of the 32bit windows)

Why arent you on 64bit yet!!!

[john_h]

for what games i have, medieval total war 2 and supreme commander 2...they will only work on 32 or as some may know 86x. but other than that i dont spend much time on it...just there for holding all my movies, music and downloaded apps....oh and porn!

[trimmer]

Originally Posted by john_h

I'm a bit of a geek in this area and also a highly qualified IT specialist amongst other skills in comms equip...so i could be your friend here

personally i am a big fan of building your own computer to personalize it.

my current pc specs are:

AMD Phenom 64bit quad core (2.3ghz each core) - equiv to 9.2ghz
4gb of ram (windows only sees 3.25gb due to the nature of the 32bit windows)
1TB sata2 hdd.
160gb sata2 hdd
2x dvd dual layer rw
500mb graphic card (not a big gamer)
memory card reader
800v power pack
1000mb network card and self made cable
bluetooth
wireless b/g/n capable
5.1 built in sound card.

i orginally built this computer around 3 years ago but obv added a few new things. new graphic card and blue-ray burner i reckons.

the biggest tip i can give you is to shop around...stay away from highstreets for parts they add £££'s.

what is going to be the primary purpose of your new machine?

I plan on having it sat down by my TV and use it as a media box primarily, i have been told by a mate to go with a i3 motherboard cos they have the build in graphics card that support blu ray and then get a i3 processor, he reckons they run a lot cooler so you wont get the fan noise during a film all in a nice mini itx system.

I have originally looked at purchaseing bits and bobs through ebay? it all seems cheap enough!

[amir6662003]

2.8 GHz CPU Intel 7000+
5.1 on-board sound + LAN or W-LAN and Bluetooth
4Gig+ Ram
1 Gig Nvidia G-force VGA
DVD burner
HDD SATA 500gig+ depends on your needs
wireless keyboard and mouse.

and if you want to record stuff, TV tuner or capture card

this would do you quite well, anything less is useless and anything more is all depends on your usage requirements,

eg: movie editing needs more ram and higher CPU

[trimmer]

Originally Posted by amir6662003

2.8 GHz CPU Intel 7000+
5.1 on-board sound + LAN or W-LAN and Bluetooth
4Gig+ Ram
1 Gig Nvidia G-force VGA
DVD burner
HDD SATA 500gig+ depends on your needs
wireless keyboard and mouse.

and if you want to record stuff, TV tuner or capture card

this would do you quite well, anything less is useless and anything more is all depends on your usage requirements,

eg: movie editing needs more ram and higher CPU

would this set up run a blue ray set up also have you got a HDMI out on this sound card?

[john_h]

most card nowadays will come with hdmi or the new vga connector which is HD. typically the orginal VGA was HD aswell...especially if you had 720x1024 selected

Mini ATX form factors are pretty niffty as, especially with the desktop layout, you could have it next to your digi-box on the shelf.

if it was me, i would place the computer in a cupboard out the way somewhere. setup remote connect so i can access it from a laptop to download movies and what not. setup media server and connect to the tv via the new internet enables ones, or using a games console such as xbox or ps3.

for media as by the sounds of it, i would get at least a dual core processor (the norm nowadays) single core and you will be looking at a slowly dying pc as it wouldnt be able to keep up.

buying a decent sound card, with optical connection, would be a good place to keep decent sound quality as with fibre there is no signal loses. unlike running sound through copper, where loses are in its nature.

also if you want it to keep quiet, make sure all parts are what amd call "cool 'n quiet" says it on the tin really...

[amir6662003]

i actually didn't read your last post that you said you want it for media home box

something im after myself too, for media box you don't really need high VGA or hdd,

what i had in my mind was, i use my PC i got in my computer room to share files to my media box, this way i save costs on HDD,

to answer you question, i can not see why it wont run blue-ray. and hdmi it all depends on what mother board you are buying, but most mother boards dosen't have hdmi,

but what i would suggest, you connect your 5.1 plugs to your dvd player and use VGA HDMI to watch movies

[Afo]

I build systems quite often and sometimes find it's easier to work backwards starting with a budget...what's yours?

A mini-ITX system would indeed be ideal for a home entertainment base, and yes an i3 processor will be ideal if you're not looking to run any CPU intensive applications.

Obviously make sure you have a suitable graphics output, HDMI most likely. Also you'll want to consider hard drive space as Amir said - if you already have an external drive with a lot of stuff on it then one option to consider is a smaller (in capacity) SSD drive for the operating system and programs.

Jumping ahead, I use a Logitech MX Air mouse and it'd be excellent for your needs - acts much like a Wii remote so you can navigate your mouse effortlessly from your armchair

Ebay can be good but once you know what you need I'd also look at sites such as scan.co.uk and sometimes dabs.com