(Crosspost from The Dolphin Forums)
Hey all, a couple of months ago I had an idea about building an HTPC for my living room that could also run high end game emulators like Dolphin and PCSX2 - and I did, thanks to some awesome help from all the HTPC / Emulator communities I frequent.
I wanted to post to show it off, and also so I can outline exactly how I put the build together, for future reference, and to any newcomers to PC building, HTPC, or Dolphin setup. (Also I just wanted to show it off and show off Dolphin, but that's beside the point 
)
I'll try to post a new aspect of the setup periodically, then put it all together into a .PDF file at the end. For starters, here's the first video I've made of it. A second video, with commentary, will probably be out soon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRjVK05qS1c
And here's how it looks in our TV stand: (yes it's an old TV, but it works )
Feel free to ask any questions while I add in the build log.
PART 1: HARDWARE (Video Updated)
PART 2: SOFTWARE (Video coming soon!)
PART 3: CUSTOMIZATION (Will be updating this over the next week or two. Bear with me, I can't do this off the top of my head like I could with the other two sections )
PART 1 - HARDWARE
Disclaimer
Just a head's up - this was not the cheapest HTPC project. Although I had a lot of parts already, the total cost of everything was about double the price of other HTPC builds like this excellent LifeHacker article.
Why the increased cost? Because I wanted to game as well using this. Unlike the lifehacker article, I wanted to show off the graphical prowess of a PC over a console, future proof the system, provide it the capabilities to act as a "hub" and transcoder for other systems like the raspberry Pi, and above all, make it powerful enough to play modern emulators like Dolphin and PCSX2, or powerful enough to run multiple programs (DVD Rips, Internet Streaming, Music) at the same time. This build could even be used as a more than capable PC on its own, but as an HTPC it can take anything you throw at it.
Furthermore, if you use this exact build, this HTPC will be QUIET. Unless I'm ripping a DVD at full disc reading speeds, this build is nearly impossible to hear from your couch.
Before diving into this build log, please consider your needs from an HTPC. Do you want to play PS2 and Wii / Gamecube games in 1080p and at full speed with your HTPC? Do you want to play PC games in 1080p on high / ultra settings at full speed with your HTPC? if so, please continue. If not, then I'd recommend using the LifeHacker article as a build guide. Their machine can play up to N64 / PS1 / Dreamcast emulators well, and most modern PC games on medium settings, and can handle all other media center needs, much better than budget media centers such as the Roku or Boxee box.
VIDEO:
Photos:
Part 1: Parts List
This is the list of everything used in the build, excluding software, and of course the TV / Sound Setup used with it. That's because you might want to tweak the software to suit your needs, and the HTPC is semi-mobile, meaning it should be able to work with any sound system and any monitor / tv that supports HDMI, VGA, or DVI inputs.
Links to each part will be edited in.
Case
LIAN LI Black Aluminum PC-C33B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
Reasoning: I already owned this case, leftover from an old build. It fit my space requirements perfectly, and the build quality is quite excellent.
Alternatives:
nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
The nMEDIAPC case is also a great one, and should support the beefy hardware this build requires. Of course, as with all builds, please make sure to check your space / hardware choices and ensure everything is compatible and will work well together. The hardest part of any build is choosing your parts!
Motherboard
ASUS P8Z77-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Reasoning: I needed a board that could support 6Gb/s SATA for reading data, had HDMI and SPDIF Optical out natively supported (in case of integrated graphics use), and would be a solid, reliable motherboard. ASUS hasn't let me down yet.
Alternatives: Any M-ATX board that supports Optical out, really. I use Optical out for surround sound support with my reciever, but if your reciever supports HDMI input that should be enough. Motherboards come in all price ranges and preferences, so as long as it is compatible with your processor socket type and components, and fits in your case, you're good to go.
Processor / CPU
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Reasoning: The processor, for me, is the hardest component to replace. A solid processor will keep your computer relevant for years to come. I also needed a processor that was easy to overclock, and efficient enough to handle high resolution emulator play. With this build, you can easily overclock this processor to 4.3 / 4.5 GHz, with very little sound levels even at heavy load.
Alternatives:
the i5-2500k is an excellent alternative, although it will require more overclocking and is more power hungry than the i5-3750k, for high resolution emulator play. AMD also has pretty decent processors, but at the higher end I prefer Intel processors, and this build is assuming you're using an Intel processor that fits an LGA 1155 socket.
Graphics Card / GPU
GIGABYTE GV-N66TWF2-2GD GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB
Reasoning:
Graphical Power. The 660Ti can run nearly anything on high settings, and quite well too. The GIGABYTE 660Ti is quiet, and small compared to MSI / EVGA cards of the same type. With this card, you can run Battlefield 3, Guild Wars 2, Crysis 2, and more at High or Ultra High settings, without a drop in framerate. Dolphin and PCSX2 will run at 1080p rsolution with a bit of AA as well.
Alternatives:
The GTX 550 series is also good, but not as powerful of course. The GPU is one of the biggest costs in this build, and with the larger Lian-Li case SLI is possible so look around to see what card suits your graphical / price range / space / power needs. Remember, most CPUs come with integrated graphics that can handle playing High Def content on their own, so the graphics card should be purchased with gaming in mind.
Power Supply
PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III 600W Modular 80PLUS Bronze Power Supply
Reasoning:
The Lian-Li case can support a full PSU, and I chose to use one that is silent, as well as modular just to make the build process a bit easier on myself. 600W supports all the parts used, and has some power to spare for overclocking.
Alternatives:
You could use a non modular PSU, but that means you have to plan your build out a bit more carefully, especially if you're using a case smaller than the Lian-Li listed above. Choose your Power Supply based off of what wattage you need and your price range, of course. Silent Power Supplies are preferrable for HTPC builds due to their decreased noise levels.
Hard Drive(s)
Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F240GBGT-BK 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
and
Seagate Barracuda ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Reasoning:
Both of these drives were on sale for about 65% of their normal price when I bought them. They both preform quite well, and go on sale often. The SSD drive is for programs and the OS only, to lower boot times and program load times. The HDD is for media, obviously. With 3TB, you should have quite a lot of space for anything you could want to store.
Alternatives:
Pick an SSD and an HDD that fit your price range and performance needs. You don't have to get an SSD, but the increase in speed is very much worth it. The Lian-Li case can handle multiple HDD drives, so if you do happen to fill 3TB of space, you can always add more drives.
RAM
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
Reasoning: the ARES series is slim, so my heatsink will fit properly with no issues. 8GB is plenty for 2-3 tasks at once or heavy gaming.
Alternatives:
8GB of RAM, preferably DDR3 1866. There are numerous manufacturers of RAM so find one that suits your price / form factor range.
Blu-Ray drive
LITE-ON Black 12X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM
Reasoning: This drive is fast enough to play anything. Used for ripping Blu-Ray and DVD discs to the hard drive as well. Burning was not needed.
Alternatives:
ASUS and SONY make excellent Blu Ray drives as well. If you don't want Blu-Ray Disc Support, feel free to choose a DVD-ROM Drive instead.
Cooling:
Noctua NH-C12P SE14 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
Thermaltake ISGC Fan 8 AF0043 80mm Case Fan (2)
Prolimatech PRO-BV14 140mm Case Fan
Reasoning:
The Lian-Li case supports 2 80mm Case Fans, and 1 140mm case fan. These, along with the CPU cooler, needed to be quiet under load. No whines, no hum, nothing. Even while overclocking. Noctua is pricey but it is silent and efficient. Idles at about 20-25 celsius, hits about 40 under heavy load, while still quiet.
Alternatives:
For the price, the Thermaltake and Prolimatech fans can't be beat. There are Logisys 140mm fans that are the same price as the Prolimatech, and just as good, so if one is unavailable look for the other. The noctua cooler can be replaced with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for a bit less performance and a bit more noise, at a fraction of the cost. It all depends on how loud you want the build to run.
(Continued in next post)
HARDWARE, Continued:
Misc
Rosewill RNWD-N1502UBE IEEE 802.11b/g/n, USB2.0 Wireless-N Mini External Antenna Adapter (For Wireless Internet Connection)
Asus Mini Bluetooth Dongle (USB-BT211) (For Wii Remote Support)
Nyko Wireless Sensor Bar for Wii (For Wii Remote Support - the price on this has skyrocketed though. Look for alternative wireless sensor bars if possible)
Logitech F310 Gamepad (x4) (For Gaming and Emulators)
Wii MotionPlus Remotes and Nunchuk attachments (x4) (For Wii Emulation)
USB Extension Cables (x4) (For Cord Length Issues)
Powered USB Hub (For Controllers and any other USB devices)
HP IR Remote Reciever (For Remote Support)
Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad-Tuner Card (For the ability to use Windows Media Center alongside with cable to record and watch live tv)
Logitech Harmony 880 Universal Remote (We've had this for years, and lo and behold it works perfectly with the IR Reciever)
NOTES
With this, your build should be near identical to mine. Part prices and availability are always subject to change though, so keep that in mind.
Also, while putting the parts together may seem easy compared to all the shopping you had to do getting all the parts together, there are still plenty of opportunities
to mess something up. If you're new to building a PC from scratch, I recommend using a guide to help you, like this one.
PART 2 - SOFTWARE
Disclaimer
The software is where your media center will really shine. However, it can also be where you spend most of your time, and encounter the most frustration in doing so. Since the computer we've built is, for all intents and purposes, a full fledged PC (assuming you stuck close to the specs I listed), this media center won't be restricted to the file format, DRM, and visual restrictions many of today's pre-built media center options, such as Boxee or Apple TV, may have. However - this guide is strictly for windows PCs, more specifically, all of this was done using Windows 7 Home Premium, which I will explain in detail later. You are on your own using Linux or Max OSX, however there are plenty of people on the internet willing to help if you wish to use a different OS.
Customization of these programs will be outlined in the next section. This is just an inventory of the programs being used. Program prices, links, and reasonings will be added in shortly.
[url=]VIDEO: (To Be Added Soon)[/url]
Operating System:
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Bit (This is for, and includes, windows media center. I'll explain why later) - 100$
ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 5 (My Blu Ray player of choice) - 100$
AISuite II (For ASUS boards / Intel CPUs. I also like the AISuite's Overclocking Software) - FREE
AutoHotKey (For various scripts -to be outlined later- that will make using the Media Center much easier) - FREE
AutoIt (Modifying programs and apps to be a bit easier to use) - FREE
Bing Desktop (I use it for the daily wallpaper - for a nice background) - FREE
Bulk Rename Utility (Very useful for batch renaming files for media content organizing) - FREE
Daemon Tools Lite (On the odd chance you might be using .ISOs) - FREE
Ember Media Manager (An excellent Media Metadata scraping and editing tool. XBMC can detect most of your media and tag it properly, but if you want to customize what cover and background art it has, use Ember) - FREE
EVGA Precision X (Despite having a Gigabyte GPU, I really like EVGA's Overclocking Software. It's quite nice) - FREE
Handbrake (Hands down, the best compression software I have used) - FREE
Hulu Desktop (For Hulu, obviously) - FREE
K-Lite Codec Pack (The only codec pack you'll need. Very useful and allows your media center to play anything you throw at it) - FREE
MakeMKV (One of the excellent Blu-Ray and DVD ripping programs I've used. Combined with Handbrake, it's incredible) - FREE (For now)
Microsoft Silverlight (A lot of windows apps use it) - FREE
PCSX2 (PS2 Emulator) - FREE
Project64 (N64 Emulator) - FREE
ZSNES (SNES Emulator) - FREE
Dolphin (x2) (One for Wii, one for Gamecube emulation) - FREE
MAME (Arcade Game Emulation) - FREE
NullDC (Dreamcast Emulation) - FREE
SlySoft AnyDVDHD (For DVD / Blu-Ray decryption) - 100$ (If you use MakeMKV and don't watch Blu-Rays often, you most likely won't need this)
Steam (PC Gaming) - FREE
WinRAR (Many uses) - FREE
XBMC (The Crux of the media center. Without XBMC, the media center lacks the same "pop" and is much less intuitive to use) - FREE
Many of these are free, and a few of them aren't, most notably Windows 7, AnyDVD HD, Arcsoft TotalMedia Theatre, and MakeMKV (Once it's out of beta) You can find alternatives to many of these programs, but this guide assumes you'll be following my setup. Your mileage may vary otherwise. Of course, I can't really stop you if you decide to obtain the paid programs in... other ways, but you're really on your own there.
PART 3 - Customization
Disclaimer
Customization is really up to you, in the end. This is where I spent the bulk of my time building and setting up this HTPC, and it's an ongoing process even as you're reading this. One of the downsides to making a HTPC / Media Center yourself is that you also have to maintain it yourself. With that being said, here is a basic overview of how I configured the programs I outlined in the previous section. Feel free to configure these programs and any additional programs you're using in the way you see fit, but to mimic my demo video you should follow my configurations.
Also, unless stated otherwise, assume all software is installed to your Solid State Drive, for speed and performance.
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit - 100$
Configuration: 64 bit to make full use of our RAM, and to ensure fast performance when coupled with the SSD. Why Home Premium though? For Windows Media center, which is in my opinion, the best way to watch live and recorded TV via your PC, with the proper equipment. (I use a Ceton InfiniTV, which you can find in the Hardware section of this guide) As for the OS, there's no real customization done apart from disabling most notifications and making sure that the display stays on for at least 2 hours before going into screensaver mode / hibernating. Why the long amount of time? For my family, when the TV isn't in use, the TV is turned off 90% of the time. So I don't need to worry about screen burn in, and when XBMC is running, there's enough moving content to prevent burn in. Apart from that, it's like the notifications being disabled -it helps blur the line between PC and Media Center by making sure there's no interruptions while browsing or playing media.
Also, make sure to clear your desktop of shortcuts / links, once you've finished setting things up. Worst case, if you end up crashing to desktop or something like that, you don't want your guests / significant others seeing a bunch of shortcuts and such. I just have a wallpaper that changes daily, for when I have to venture behind the scenes to configure things. Be sure to set up folders for your media as well, but not on the SSD. I have over 200 movies, multiple games and TV shows, and about 50GB of music I've accumulated over the years. There is no SSD on the market that could store all of that. That's where the massive Hard Drives come in to play. I like to use the folders MOVIES / TV / MUSIC / GAMES to sort my media, but you can label them whatever you like. Just remember where they are located for when we set up Ember Media Manager and / or XBMC.
ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 5 (My Blu Ray player of choice) - 100$
Configuration:
COMING SOON
AISuite II (For ASUS boards / Intel CPUs. I also like the AISuite's Overclocking Software) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
AutoHotKey (For various scripts -to be outlined later- that will make using the Media Center much easier) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
AutoIt (Modifying programs and apps to be a bit easier to use) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Bing Desktop (I use it for the daily wallpaper - for a nice background) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Bulk Rename Utility (Very useful for batch renaming files for media content organizing) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Daemon Tools Lite (On the odd chance you might be using .ISOs) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Ember Media Manager (An excellent Media Metadata scraping and editing tool. XBMC can detect most of your media and tag it properly, but if you want to customize what cover and background art it has, use Ember) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
EVGA Precision X (Despite having a Gigabyte GPU, I really like EVGA's Overclocking Software. It's quite nice) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Handbrake (Hands down, the best compression software I have used) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Hulu Desktop (For Hulu, obviously) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
K-Lite Codec Pack (The only codec pack you'll need. Very useful and allows your media center to play anything you throw at it) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
MakeMKV (One of the excellent Blu-Ray and DVD ripping programs I've used. Combined with Handbrake, it's incredible) - FREE (For now)
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Microsoft Silverlight (A lot of windows apps use it) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
PCSX2 (PS2 Emulator) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Project64 (N64 Emulator) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
ZSNES (SNES Emulator) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Dolphin (x2) (One for Wii, one for Gamecube emulation) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
MAME (Arcade Game Emulation) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
NullDC (Dreamcast Emulation) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
SlySoft AnyDVDHD (For DVD / Blu-Ray decryption) - 100$ (If you use MakeMKV and don't watch Blu-Rays often, you most likely won't need this)
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Steam (PC Gaming) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
WinRAR (Many uses) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
XBMC (The Crux of the media center. Without XBMC, the media center lacks the same "pop" and is much less intuitive to use) - FREE
Configuration:
COMING SOON
Feel free to ask any questions or leave any comments while I finish updating this