The $1500 HTPC: Powerful, yet Silent

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This system in short:

This system was designed to be a powerful, yet silent HTPC.

Equipped with:

1. An Intel 2.66GHz 65W Quad-core processor.
2. 4TB of storage (Upgradable to 8TB).
3. A high-quality LIAN LI Case.
4. A silent dedicated video card to decode all your HD content, ready to be upgraded for an Hybrid HTPC/Gaming System.
5. A Blu-Ray Burner.
6. Aftermarket low-noise CPU Cooler, After-market low-noise case fans equipped with fan controllers and an optional after-market video card cooler if you upgrade the video card.

Regarding Blu-Ray playback:

While you do not require any special software, codecs are essential to ensure functionality and smooth playback. Codecs are available for free on the Internet and I recommend downloading/installing the K-Lite Codec Pack, which is what I use personally.

But I have never built a PC before!

Make the jump. Do not be afraid. Building a computer has never been more simple.

While the whole process may look overwhelming, if you look at it one part at a time, you’ll realize how simple it really is.

There are countless resources on how to build a computer, which you can find by doing some research on Google or Youtube.

Here are two guides on how to build a computer that I recommend:

This one, from DriverHeaven.net: http://bit.ly/4bhlwb

This one, from maximumpc.com: http://bit.ly/1TgR7X

If you take your time, are careful and follow guides/videos:

You’ll end up with a fully functional computer, either at a lower cost than a comparable Dell PC or with higher performance for the same price, because you will get the best parts that your money can buy, instead of “ok” parts chosen by Dell. The best part? You’ll be proud of a job well done

What if I get stuck or need help?

Simply drop a comment at the end of this post and either a helpful member of this community or myself will answer you. You can also Contact me directly for some assistance. While I’m pretty busy, I’ll try my best to answer you quickly.

What if I’m outdated on what are the current best parts or simply don’t know which parts to pick?

If you don’t have the knowledge or time to choose your parts, simply stick to my recommendations below (In Bold) and you’ll be more than happy. That’s my promise.

Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?!

My name is Mathieu Bourgie, a computer expert with nearly a decade of experience in building the best computers for a given price and I share my knowledge by blogging on Hardware Revolution, where I offer various custom computer builds designs, along with useful articles such as the Best Video Card for your money, to help you figure out what are the best parts for a computer at a given price.

You can read opinions, comments and more left by my readers on the testimonials page.

What if I don’t agree with your choices?

This is the great part of building your own computer(s), you can customize it to your taste. If you have the knowledge and/or the time to learn, you’re free to use my recommendations as a base and then to customize any build just how you want it.

~$1500 HTPC Hardware Parts Recommendations Summary:

In Bold, you’ll find my recommendations, which offers the best performance possible for a price that fits the overall budget. All parts have been verified to be compatible with each other and only parts proven to be reliable have been hand-picked by me.

What if I want more performance than this build has to offer?

No problem. Included in Italic are the best possible upgrades. They are still priced reasonably in regard to the budget and are all compatible with the rest of the system. (You’ll find the price difference over my recommendation in parentheses).

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are other upgrades, but I focused on telling you which ones offered the most value for your money

In simple terms, if you want more storage capacity or a different case, simply pick it from the list of recommended upgrades that are in Italic.

Component:	Make and Model:	Price
Motherboard	GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-UD3LR S775 Intel P45 ATX	$100
CPU	Intel Core 2 Q9400S 2.66GHz S775 65W Quad-Core Intel Core 2 Q9550S 2.83GHZ LGA 775 65W Quad-Core	$260 $350 (+$90)
Video Card	HTPC Usage: Outputs: VGA/DVI/HDMI. Supports DirectX 10.1 Sapphire Radeon HD 4550 512MB Silent Hybrid HTPC/Gaming Usage: Outputs: 2xDVI/HDMI 1.3/Displayport, DirectX 11 Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1 GB XFX RADEON HD 5870 1 GB Consider a ZALMAN VF900 for a more silent solution	$45 $320 $430 $37
RAM	G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 For 8GB, upgrade the motherboard first. 2x G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 for a total of 8GB	$90 $180 (+$90)
Hard Drive	Four Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA	4×85=$340 $190 each
Optical Drive	LG Black SATA 8X Blu-ray Burner	$150
Case	LIAN LI PC-C33B ATX	$190
Power Supply	CORSAIR 650W 80 PLUS BRONZE Modular Antec 850W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular	$120 $140 (+$10)
Cooling	ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 Two Rosewill RFX-80 80mm Case Fan Rosewill RFX-120 120mm Case Fan ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 Thermal Compound If you upgrade the video card, get a: ZALMAN VF900	$35 $8 $8 $8 $37
TV Tuner	Hauppauge Dual TV Tuner with the Remote	$140
Sound Card	Onboard 6 Channels or 7.1 via HDMI or S/PDIF Out via Optical or Coaxial Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 Channels PCI ASUS Xonar D2X 7.1 Channels PCI E x1	Free $30 $70 $200
Network	10/100/1000 Mbps integrated on motherboard Rosewill RNX-N300  802.11b/g/n Wifi PCI Card	Free $25
Total	Not including shipping, handling nor OS	$1528

Is this the right type of PC for me?

If you’re looking for a PC to listen to music, look at pictures, watch TV, DVD or Blu-Ray Disks on your computer or HDTV, you’re at the right place. If this is not what you’re looking for, check out our other Computer Systems instead.

~$1500 HTPC Hardware Parts Recommendations, Detailed Version:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-UD3LR S775 Intel P45 ATX

A nice, solid motherboard, that is a full sized ATX motherboard based on Intel P45 chipset.

Features eight USB ports, two PS/2, FireWire, LAN, 8 channels HD audio and 1 x Optical, 1 x Coaxial S/PDIF outputs. PCI-Express 16X 2.0, four PCI-Express 1X and 2 PCI slots, six SATA ports and the usual IDE port, etc.

LGA 775 socket, DDR3 RAM and PCI-Express 2.0 slot, so it’s ready for this system.

CPU: Intel Core2 Q9400S 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W Quad-Core

The Intel Core 2 Q9400S isn’t your usual Quad-core Processor. Clocked at 2.66GHz, it only consumes 65W. No other CPU offers as much performance for the little power draw, making it ideal for this HTPC build.

Upgrades:
The Intel Core 2 Q9550S 2.83GHZ LGA 775 65W Quad-Core not only offers an extra .16Ghz, it also has an extra 6MB of L2 cache. This is THE most powerful 65W processor on the market.

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4550 512MB Silent

This Radeon HD 4550 will take care of handling 1080p HD content by assisting the CPU when it comes to decoding. Avivo HD technology on the GPU takes on the processing-intensive video decoding task, freeing the CPU and 3D engine to run other applications while playing a high-definition movie. Lower CPU utilization can result in reduced power consumption, heat and noise.

Upgrades:
If you decide that you want to game with your HTPC, I’ll assume that you have your 1080p HDTV plugged in it, so you’ll need a pretty powerful video card to handle gaming at such a high resolution. Here are my recommendations:

1. Sapphire Radeon HD 5850 1 GB Ready to handle gaming at 1080p resolutions and offers DirectX 11 support.
2. XFX RADEON HD 5870 1 GB
   Like the Radeon HD 5850, gaming at 1080p and DirectX 11 are supported on this card. However, this card is even more powerful than the Radeon HD 5850, meaning that this card will last you longer before you’ll have to upgrade.
   

I also highly recommend that you consider a ZALMAN VF900 for a more silent solution if you upgrade to a Radeon 5850/5870. Their stock coolers are noisy and are to be avoided for an HTPC. No need to purchase it for the default recommendation though, as the Radeon HD 4550 consumes very little power and only requires a passive heatsink for cooling, so it’s already silent.

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333

4GB is pretty much the same price as 2GB, so you might as well load the motherboard with as much RAM as possible. 4GB is preferable in any case, to make the OS and video playback smoother.

Upgrade:

If for any reason, you wish to upgrade to 8GB, to be more future-proof for example, simply grab two kits of G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 for a total of 8GB (4 x 2GB).

Hard Drive: Four Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA

For a total of 4TB

Seeing as this is an HTPC, I went for a “Green” edition hard drive, that spins slower at 5400 rpm. That allows for lower noise, power consumption and heat. No worries though, 5400 rpm is still plenty fast enough for video playback, even at 1080p.

Four drives will give a total storage capacity of 4TB, which should offer you more than enough storage capacity for all your videos. Note that you can upgrade to 2TB drives, allowing for up to 8TB of storage capacity.

Upgrades:

1. Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB SATA – Much more pricey at $190, but interesting nonetheless if you want a LOT of space.

Optical Drive: LG Black SATA 8X Blu-ray Burner

This is a Blu-Ray Burner that can also burn CDs and DVDs.

Note that for Blu-Ray playback, you’ll need the appropriate codecs. These are available for free on the Internet, no need to buy a special software, you can use WMP or VLC for example. I recommend downloading/installing the K-Lite Codec Pack, which is what I use personally.

Upgrades:

Although media are not available yet, you can now get a 12X Blu-Ray Burner if you wish to.

1. Pioneer Black 12X SATA Blu-ray Burner

Case: LIAN LI PC-C33B ATX

LIAN LI are known for making unrivaled high-quality case, hence why I went with them when I saw this great looking case.

So yes it has the looks, but it also has plenty of space to handle your system with space for up to four internal 3.5″ hard drives. It allows for the use of an ATX motherboard and some after-market CPU coolers and long video card (Up to a Radeon 5870, a Radeon 5970 would be too long).

Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular

This is an HTPC with a quad-core processor, four hard drives and a dedicated video card which can be upgraded, hence my 650W recommendation. Seeing as this is an HTPC, my main recommendation and my upgrade recommendation are modular, allowing you to plug only the cables that you need, to make cable management easier on you.

You can be sure that I went for high-quality models that are silent here.

Upgrades:

1. Antec 850W 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular

Cooling:

CPU Cooler:

Seeing as this is an HTPC and that it’s equipped with a 95W quad-core processor, you want to make sure to keep it cool while keeping your system silent. Hence why I include the ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 Pro Rev.2 in the budget. I’ve verified that this cooler will fit the motherboard AND the case. Equipped with a 92mm fan and a PVM controller that speeds up or slows down the fan depending on your system needs, this after-market cooler will keep your cpu at reasonable temperatures while producing as little noise as possible. Note that you can control the speed of the fan with an utility such as Speefan.

Case fans

While the case comes with a 120mm and two 80mm case fans, they are not exactly the best nor the most silent. For higher performance and lower noise, I recommend that you replace it them with the following low-noise fans, that come with fan controllers on PCI brackets, allowing you to adjust the fan speed/noise on the fly:

• Two Rosewill RFX-80 80mm Case Fan
• One Rosewill RFX-120 120mm Case Fan

Thermal compound

While both the CPU Cooler and the Video Card Cooler come with some thermal compound, you can maximize your investment performance by using the ARCTIC COOLING MX-2 which is some of the best thermal compound on the market and on top of that, is non-conductive, unlike Arctic Silver 5 for example. It costs only $8 and can easily drop the temperatures by many degrees, allowing the fans to slow down and your system to be more silent.

Upgrades:

If you intend to upgrade the video card to a Radeon 5850 or Radeon 5870, I highly recommend that you get a ZALMAN VF900 after-market cooler for the video card, as the stock coolers for the Radeon 5850 and 5870 are quite noisy at higher speeds.

TV Tuner: Hauppauge Dual TV Tuner with the Remote

Two tuners for recording one show and watching another or record two at a time, comes with a remote, what else can you ask for?

Just make sure to download the latest drives from the website for the best results.

Sound Card: 6 Channels Audio Jacks, 7.1 via HDMI or S/PDIF Out via Optical or Coaxial

This motherboard does include integrated onboard sound, but you can also decide to get it via the HDMI connection on the video card. You can also choose to output sound via S/PDIF Out Optical or Coaxial.

While onboard sound or sound via the video card will be good enough for the vast majority of people, if you have serious audio equipment or are au audiophile who enjoys high fidelity sound, the following upgrades will suit you better:

1. Creative Sound Blaster Audigy SE 7.1 Channels PCI
2. Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi 7.1 Channels PCI
3. ASUS Xonar D2X 7.1 Channels PCI E x1

Network: Rosewill Wireless-N and 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN

The motherboard includes 10/100/1000Mbps LAN onboard and I included the Rosewill Wireless-N PCI adapter for wifi 802.11n.

Recommended operating systems:

The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reason for this are that the cost represents only hardware and because you may be able re-use a previous license, go with an open-source OS such as Linux or , if you’re so inclined and are aware of what you’re doing, use torrents. Nevertheless, here are some recommendations:

Windows 7

Despite Linux gaining more and more support, Windows still is the platform of choice for compatibility at the moment. Considering that you’ll have 4 or 8GB of RAM along with a dedicated video that also has memory (512MB or 1GB), you’ll need a 64-bit version, as 32-bit is limited to 4GB of memory for the entire system, which is not enough now, nor in the future if you upgrade.

Windows 7 is by far better than Windows Vista, looks better, more functional, less annoying, consumes less resources and brings DirectX 11 to the table.

Three Available Versions:

1. Windows 7 Home Premium: The basic edition, with all the looks, most of the functionality and DirectX 11.
2. Windows 7 Professional: If you want the virtual XP mode, you’ll need at least the Professional edition. Also required if you want to backup to a network, using the built-in backup mode in Windows.
3. Windows 7 Ultimate: To help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker and to work and switch between 35 languages.

OEM vs Retail:

The OEM version allows you to only install it once on a computer. You cannot transfer the license to another computer in the future and you do not receive support from Microsoft. It’s the same type of license you get when you get Windows on a desktop or laptop that you buy from Dell, HP and such. It’s less expensive, but gives less flexibility. Ideal if you intend on keeping your computer for many years.

The Retail version is the full version, which allows you to transfer the license to another computer in the future and you can call Microsoft if you need any form of support. Ideal if you intend on upgrading/changing your computer down the road.

Other than that, you get the same features on both, only the license differs. The price between the two differs obviously.

OEM Versions:

1. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM – $105
2. Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM – $140
3. Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM – $175

Retail Versions:

1. Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail – $184
2. Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail – $275
3. Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail - $292

Linux

A lot of people these days boots more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distributions and have fun! For Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandrake, try Distrowatch.com, Cheapbytes.com, LinuxQuestions.org or one of the many others.

What about Word processing, Excel and other Windows-based programs that Iyou need? Linux being an open platform, there are many free alternatives that will answer your needs. For Word/Excel and such, try OpenOffice.

Cost: Free

Conclusion

Did you like this computer build? What you would do to improve the build or this article?

I’m always open to your suggestions and ideas to improve this blog, your blog.

If anything, I invite you to comment on this computer build, share your opinions, what you think about it, etc.

Building this system?

Contact me and let me know how it goes, send me your story, pictures and I’ll publish it on the blog, to share with and help bring confidence to others who are thinking of building a computer for the first time.

Did you enjoy this build? Support me and Hardware Revolution

For each article, I spend many hours of research and many hours of writing/editing and I generously offer it to you and everyone else for free. If you appreciate my work, you can help me cover my costs (Hosting, living, etc.) and support our community by making a donation.

How much should you donate?

I suggest $10 because if you think about it, a consultation for a custom computer like the one in this article, from an expert with a decade of experience like me would cost you $50, if not even more.

Have I mentioned all the time and money that I have saved you through this and all of the other articles available on Hardware Revolution?

Obviously, this is a suggestion. Donate what you can to support us. Thank you very much.