Help with building Media PC

[trev1976]

Im thinking of building a nice media centre PC but ive never build a PC before and i dont really know what im talking about so please bear with me.
Im very interested in the shuttle SG33G5 but im a little confussed as to what components i can put in this,I asked a friend recently to price me up on some components (see photo) that i would need to build a PC that could handle the latest PC gaming and full HD content and also be able to play bluray and HD discs but these are components for a normal sized PC and i dont really want a PC that big as i want to add this to my home cinema system and i really want a stylish pc case like the shuttle so it wont look out of place
Also ive never done any PC gaming before but i really fancy the look of the crysis games but are these easy to install and run and can i use my 360 pads with FPS type games ? also id need resolutions 852x480 and 1366x768 as thats the native of the 2 plasmas i own and would be swapping the PC between both.
Any help would be great
Thanks

[trev1976]

[Zaki]

Im thinking of building a nice media centre PC but ive never build a PC before and i dont really know what im talking about so please bear with me.
Im very interested in the shuttle SG33G5 but im a little confussed as to what components i can put in this,I asked a friend recently to price me up on some components (see photo) that i would need to build a PC that could handle the latest PC gaming and full HD content and also be able to play bluray and HD discs but these are components for a normal sized PC and i dont really want a PC that big as i want to add this to my home cinema system and i really want a stylish pc case like the shuttle so it wont look out of place
Also ive never done any PC gaming before but i really fancy the look of the crysis games but are these easy to install and run and can i use my 360 pads with FPS type games ? also id need resolutions 852x480 and 1366x768 as thats the native of the 2 plasmas i own and would be swapping the PC between both.
Any help would be great
Thanks

Case:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-060-AN&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=1114&name=Antec%20Fusion%20HTPC%20Case

I think the shuttle may be too small for the components you're using. 4850 should run Crysis quite smoothly at this resolution: 1366x768.

I know that Crysis DOES support the 360 pad (Bioshock does too), not sure about any other FPS games.

The hard drive in your list is very good. I have one in my desktop. It's very quiet and very fast.

Can't go wrong with the Q6600 Get this motherboard and you can overclock this thing up to 3.2Ghz on air!

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-143-AB&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=913&name=Abit%20IP35%20Pro%20XE%20Intel%20P35%20(Socket%20775)%20PCI-Express%20DDR2%20Motherboard

(Waits for Chain's input)

[Matt]

LOL!

Specs look more or less alright. You don't need a 1gb gfx card for your screen resolutions, but then if it's only a tenner more than a 512mb card, it won't hurt.

Regarding a Shuttle case, forget about that. You won't get anything you want inside it. Look for the case I have, the SG1:

http://www.custompc.co.uk/reviews/79316/silverstone_sg01b_sugo.html

Mine is silver and looks great, I also got it around £85 so shop around. It fits normal sized PC cards, I have a 8800gts in mine which is fine, but the extra long GTX and 280 series cards wouldn't fit. I think a 4850 would be fine, but please research. You'll also need a mini-ATX mobo to fit, do some research they're never good at overclocking but a Q6600 should hit 3GHz on a good one.

There is a psu and CPU HSF for the case you're probably best getting, though I got alternatives I'd recommend getting items you can be assured will fit. Again, research the case, you'll get the correct components. In a small case, air flow is important.

You can also fit a combo BR/HDDVD drive inside it, the case can actually take 2 drives and a couple of HDDs, though I'd suggest sticking to one of each, again for airflow/heat reasons.

Connect to the TV via VGA and you'll be away. I have no idea on the low res you need though, on nVidia cards I think you can do it via PowerStrip but I've not owned ATI for a while, sorry.

Then, and this is important, do not install lots of codecs and ****! For a HTPC, just installed the drivers for the components, connect your PC to the amp via optical (make sure your mobo has this, a lot don't, it's likely to be called SPDIF on the mobo spec, which is the same as optical sound). And then read this:

http://forums.iconzarena.com/showthread.php?t=42961

Install only what it tells you, NOTHING else - no codec packs! FFDshow plays everything. I used to write extensively about this, but recently I found this link so it saves me having to explain it

[Matt]

Also ive never done any PC gaming before but i really fancy the look of the crysis games but are these easy to install and run and can i use my 360 pads with FPS type games ?

Most PC FPS games will play like **** on a pad. PC games are faster, more vertical, and more frantic than console designed games - yes some games come out on both, but then one version may be nerfed to account for the different control versions (ie console UT3 being slower). I play on the couch with a large mouse mat on a dinner tray on my lap, with my left hand on a Logitech Nostromo 52 controller. It's not ideal, I'll never play as well as I do on a desk, but it's comfortable, practical, and means I can enjoy PC games.

A 360 WIRED pad plugs directly in via USB, but a wireless pad needs one of the XFire wireless dongles. You can't use a plug and play kit as a USB cable, it won't work. With the wireless dongle in the PC, you can use a 360 wireless headset as well and that is detected on the PC as it's own sound device, so in a program like TeamSpeak you can set the voice comms exclusively to the headset, and keep the game sound via the amp, and it's just like XBLive

[trev1976]

hi thanks now im confussed as i really like both styles of case especially in black , so if i decided not to go the gaming route and just want it for media , how much cash could i save ? + what is the best media program to use and is vista better than XP

Thanks

[trev1976]

also how does crysis play on a pad ? any good ? does seem a lot of extra money to spend just for one or two games id like to play im really into my emulators so would want it for online gaming like 2DF and GGPO , also is it pos to run apps from a front end with custom art like in XBMC for XBOX on PC media programs like media portal and such ?

Thanks

oh yes and forgot to ask what is the best solution for a media keyboard and mouse

oh and can you use harmony remotes with antec cases

[Matt]

I think Media Portal can run games, though maybe it'll run in to issues with something like Steam. No idea on XMBC, do some research and let us all know

Choose whatever wireless kb and mouse you like.

For BR, you need at least a core2duo, look on the Cyberlink webpage they have a spec for PowerDVD HD requirements. If you go slim case, you won't get gaming out of it, but saves a bit of money, maybe a hundred or two. I'd go for the gaming variation, more flexibility.

Use XP as well, not Vista, esp for games - if it's media, don't worry. If going XP, may as well stick with 2gb RAM (2x1gb sticks, 800mhz).

[trev1976]

Thanks chain you have been a great help im sure ill get the hang of it once i start building , also is it difficult to install a OS

Thanks

[trev1976]

just been looking at the powercolor HD 4850 PCS Graphics card and its dual DVI but im going to need a VGA for my lower res screen , so could i get a pretty much same spec graphics card with VGA and DVI out , also ive seen this motherboard

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-257-AS

is there any point to getting this or should i just stick with zakis idea

sorry for all the questions i really am a noob at this

[Matt]

Your card will come with a DVI to VGA adapter. All cards are DVI these days, but DVI carries both digital and analogue signals to it's not a problem.

OS is easy to install, make sure you have the driver disk that your mobo comes with handy as without it you [probably] won't have sound or network port working. I always get down the latest mobo drivers before I install the OS, it saves time.

[trev1976]

ok thanks