Is this overkill for a media PC - how about for the kids?

I wanted to build a media center PC to play dvd's, hulu, and itunes from (I know I'll have to get aftermarket software to make the two work together). I don't need to record on air stuff to it. It would be for playback only.

Is this ultra-budget pc overkill for that? (minus the monitor and keyboard/mouse)

If so, what can I cut back on?

I'm going to build something for the kids to. They just play online games (shockwave type). But again, this seems like overkill even though it's an "ultra-budget" pc.

http://www.custompcguide.com/ultra_budget_pc.html

I'd add this recommended card for the media center version:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121326

 

That system is a lacking in some areas, and overkill in others...but not realy good for anything.

Here is what I would go with:
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA74GM-S2 - $55
Processor: AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz AM3 Dual-Core - $60
Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 DDR2800 - $63
Video: POWERCOLOR AX4650 512 HD4650 512MB PCIe x16 HDCP - $50
BluRay: Pioneer BDC-2202B DVDR/BluRay reader drive (I might spend the extra $90 to upgrade to a bluray burner) - $110
Case: GIGABYTE GZ-X5BPD-500 Black SECC Steel Case - $35
HDD: WD Caviar Green WD15EADS 1.5TB SATA Hard Drive - $120
Misc: Arctic Silver 5 - $7

...These parts will cost you less, and do more for you as a media center/webgame machine.

 

The HD4770 is way overkill for an HTPC, it's a gaming card.
The system Killerbug posted is mostly sound, but for the graphics card, and the fact that it's missing a power supply.
Get this graphics card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102838
and this power supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008


As an alternative, this is a more energy efficient Intel-based Motherboard/CPU that will perform similarly:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128356
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116072

 

Neither of those board have any sort of digital audio output like the original board I was going to use for the HTPC. Is that a concern? If I had to buy a sound card, wouldn't buying the more expensive mb be worth the money?

Thanks Again.

 

If you truly care about sound quality, you should get an aftermarket sound card anyway.

 

So would even a mediocre sound card probably blow away the on board sound, digital or not?

 

for a video card get the radeon HD4350 (cost 40.00) it is capable of playing HD video. It comsumes 35 watts which will keep your computer cool, and it even plays most games at the low settings. I have it on my everyday computer and works great. The other video cards are more power hungry and will heat up your computer. If you won't be playing HD video/or newest games, the onboard video will work just fine. My media PC uses the onboard video card and plays standard dvd's very well.

The phenom is overkill for a mediapc let alone a kids PC. Get the lowest wattage dual-core you can find. My mediapc has the intel dualcore e2140 (cpu cost me $55.00). I have it running 24/7 for almost 6 months with no problems. It also runs very cool.

I also have the phenom quad 9750 with a radeon 4670 (very similar to the 4770) and I don't turn it on too often because it heats up my room. I only use it to do video editing/encoding. Before I use to like power, but now I prefer the smaller dualcore cpu's that run cool. None of my computers have more than 2gb of ram. Even my quad is running on a 400 watts "works" power supply (cost 40.00), you don't need to go overboard with the PSU.

 

The Phenom 9000 series was the weakest of the quad cores, it uses almost as much power as a core i7, but is slower than the cheapest Intel Quad core by almost a factor of half. The E2140 is likewise a good CPU, but it is older 65W technology, the newer E5000 series chips like I posted, despite the 65W TDP, actually only use 50W, and are very efficient. The HD4350 in practice never even uses as much as 35W, it's more like 16-17W.
Your gaming PC's HD4670 is not the cause of heat, it's the CPU. The HD4670 itself barely uses any more than 40W, versus the 130W CPU... Ouch!

 

My 9750 quad was running at 71 celcius on full load, I decided to remove the radeon 4670 and added two more case fans. I got the cpu temp down to 68 celcius. Your right the cpu does run hot. The cpu is not overclocked.

The amd cpu's have an advantage of having an easy to install cpu fan, but they do run hot. I also have amd x2 4800 and it goes up to 60 celcius under load.

The intels I have e6300 and the 2140 never go over 55 even on full load. That's what I recommend for everyday use.

 

The AMDs aren't necessarily any easier to install, in fact slightly more difficult in my opinion, they're just rather more secure. Of course, I've moved along from using standard coolers to using aftermarket coolers that mount with backplates, so no worries about this. That E2160 should really be running cooler than 55ºC if the cooler was any good

 

AMD has never been too good at coolers...even going back the the 486 dx2. I have a small collection of AM2/AM3 coolers that came with various AMD chips...you can see that they are trying very hard to increase cooling performance without increasing size...and they seem to do a poor job of it. Still, the current generation of OEM cooler is more than capable of cooling a low speed dual core.

Both the AMD mainboard and the Intel mainboard have Digital Audio Out through a CoAxial connection that almost all recievers support. The audio quality is not going to be stellar, but it is passable...this is a weakness of all onboard audio. The video card is also a digital sound card, but it's quality isn't much better than that of the onboard, and it only outputs through HDMI.

 

AMD's coolers now are better than intel's, but they need to be because AMD chips put out so much more heat than equivalent Intels. Intel have merely shrunk their old coolers in half though because they can, when the performance is needed they give you the proper one (i.e. 130W extreme editions)

 

Is it any worse than the audio out (headpone jack) from the iPod itself?

 

it's tricky, the audio itself will likely be better, but PC onboard audio is prone to interference, which an ipod won't have.

 

Yeah, I hear ya.

Not sure if it's related, but for some reason when I plug in my laptop I get a nasty subwoofer hum on my home audio system (bose). But it's only the laptop that does it, nothing else. Second laptop that's done that (2/2 actually).

 

Define hum. Most laptops have exceptionalyl poor quality audio when they're charging.

 

Allow me to rephrase that..

When I charge/plug in my laptop to the adapter, the subwoofer on my home audio system hums.

The laptop isn't making any noise, nor is it in any way connected to the home audio system.

But it's sharing the houses eletrical system with the powered subwoofer.

 

Might be a dodgy connector or charger - some subwoofers pick up electrical interference. Mine certainly does.

 

Just an update on the overheating phenom 9750.

Removed the maxtor 200gb hard drive (boot drive) because it was running hot, that was able to get my phenom down to 64 celcius when it was on full load. (I relplaced it with a western digital 320gb which was running cooler). The boot drive sits in front and has a 120mm cooling fan that was blowing towards the cpu.

Finally I decided to replaced the cpu fan
old fan http://www.mpcoutlet.com/thermaltake-tr2-r1-am2-fan-c-1493-p-2-pr-19734.html
cost $20.00

new fan http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1895
cost $30.00.

I didn't think it was going to make too much of a difference, but now my phenom at full load is 44 celcius. I was able to get the cpu temp from a high of 71 celcius to 44 and it idles at 31 celcius. I finally got it under maximun temperature which was 61 celcius.
http://www.pantherproducts.co.uk/Articles/CPU/CPU Temperatures.shtml

The new fan weighs 528 grams and looks larger, but it fit in my case with no problems and the weight from the old/new cpu fans where about the same. Also noise is not an issue it's no louder than the old fan.

I always use a stock fan or something that looks similar, but I learn a valuable lesson on the importance of using a good cpu fan.

 

Yeah Maxtor drives do get warm (not to mention they're loud and sometimes unreliable)
Good call on replacing the CPU heatsink, that's a much better cooler.