Tech Essentials: Barad Dur Home Theater PC
This is the first in a new series called “Tech Essentials”. In Tech Essentials, I will go in depth into the various essential parts of my tech and gadget arsenal.
If you’ve never built a computer before, you might be missing out. There truly is something wonderful and magical about taking all of these components and creating a computer that you use on a daily basis. It makes you feel like an electronic Dr. Frankenstein of sorts. With all of the great (free)resources available designed to make building a PC more approachable, there is little argument that one shouldn’t give PC building a shot at least once. Building my first PC changed my life, it was a fantastic learning experience(because I messed up a lot).
I have two main PC builds I use. The first, is my monstrous Super Tower, aptly named “Orthanc”. I use this to write a majority of what you read, and to edit a majority of the photos you see. This is my personal workstation that I have spent the past three years building, upgrading, upgrading, and replacing all to create a crazy powerful monster PC. But we’ll talk about that soon.
Most people don’t need all of that power. In the PC department, I’m a crazy person. So I carefully, crazily went back to the drawing board and conjured up another PC build. This build is designed to be a Home Theater PC as well as a Steam In-Home Streaming PC. Based on the usage this computer would be facing, I could make certain sacrifices based on price and performance needs. At the same time, I took money saved and pushed it towards versatile components for longevity and cooling as well as aesthetics.
Here is my HTPC build, Barad-Dur
Intel Pentium G3258
This is the little chip that could. I could go on and on about how this chip is on the 1150 socket, has 16 PCI 3.0 Express lanes, 22nm architecture, so on and so forth. But for most people, you need to know three things.
First the price, the G3258 runs roughly $70 right now. That’s insanely cheap for a surprisingly capable chip. Second, the CPU is a dual core chip that runs at 3.2Ghz. This is more than enough for some light gaming and daily tasks. Unfortunately, the chip does not have hyper threading support which some CPU-intensive tasks take advantage of. But for $70, I’m not complaining. The final and arguably most impressive thing about the chip that you need to know is that it is an unlocked chip. This means you can overclock the G3258 in order to get better speeds and performance. In real world usage, daily tasks such as web browsing, streaming, and Steam In-Home Streaming worked wonderfully.
Corsair H100i Closed Loop Liquid Cooler
If I plan on overclocking, which I do. I will need a little bit more cooling prowess to keep temperatures down in my HTPC. If you’re interested in overclocking, the H100i is a great solution. The Corsair H100i is a closed loop liquid cooling system. This means you have no reservoir or upkeep to worry about. To install, you have to install a bracket behind your motherboard, mount the heatsink to the CPU, and install the radiator to some fans and the case. That’s really all it takes, from there Corsair’s cooling system does the rest to keep your CPU cool under pressure.
EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti
The 750Ti is no slouch in the GPU department. In fact, it can handle most every game at 1080p by itself. Now, it won’t hit the glorious 60fps the PCMR is accustomed to. But it does hit a passable average of 45fps on it’s own. For my usage, I’ll be utilizing Steam In-Home Streaming. Meaning I will rely on my primary desktop in my office for the hardware prowess, and my internet connection to stream the game to my HTPC. But the 750Ti is a great budget card for anyone looking to get into PC gaming without breaking your bank. The EVGA model I purchased does not need it’s own 6pin connector for power. A big allure for my Mini-ITX build, where space is an issue.
Asus H97I Plus Mini ITX Motherboard
You can find any size motherboard with virtually any feature set that you need. I chose the Asus H97I Plus because I really wanted to build with a Mini-ITX form factor. When you build with the ITX form factor, you will pay a premium for the tiny form factor. Some reasonably priced ITX motherboards are available, but this is not one of them. The premium you pay for the H97I is for the inclusion of a great warranty and even some military grade build quality. I have an Asus board in my main rig and it has not hiccuped once after three years of near constant usage.
GSkill Ripjaw 8GB RAM
RAM used to be cheap, but recently the prices have been on the rise. Basically, you pick the size and amount of DIMMS you need, head to PC Part Picker, and find the cheapest set from a good brand. I have used GSkill and Corsair in most of my builds and both offer consistently great performance and reliability. For an HTPC, 8GB might be overkill. But I opted for 8GB now so I wouldn’t have to upgrade down the road.
Crucial MX100 128GB SSD
While RAM prices have risen, SSD prices have dropped tremendously. If you are building a computer and don’t include an SSD, you need to reevaluate your build. SSDs are the single most noticeable upgrade you can stuff into your case. The Crucial MX100 is a great, affordable SSD. Seeing as this is primarily a streaming machine, 128GB is more than enough for Windows and my programs. If I ever want to add more storage, I can add another SSD or a larger mechanical hard drive.
Corsair RM450 Power Supply
When building in a small form factor, heat and space are always variables you need to be aware of. The joy of a modular power supply lies in the flexibility it offers. Every power connector can be disconnected, allowing you to only attach the ones you need. In the usage for Barad-Dur, I needed the Motherboard, CPU, SATA, and Molex connectors. If I did not have a modular PSU, I would have a large accumulation of wires resting in valuable airflow space. Modular PSUs are more expensive, but in a small form factor like this, it is worth it. 450 Watts is also plenty for my current hardware in my PC. With the G3258, 750Ti, and one hard drive. 450 watts will more than meet my needs for my (mostly) modest build.
Corsair Obsidian 250D
There are plenty of small form factor cases that support Mini-ITX motherboards. These other cases are potentially smaller and less expensive than the 250D. But the Corsair Obsidian 250D is the smaller twin brother to my Super Tower Obsidian 900D. Both offer metal construction and tool-less design. The Obsidian 250D also allows you to remove many aspects of the case to fit your needs. I do not have an optical disc drive in my build, so I took the mounting for that out, giving myself more room. This is one of the only cases that is an ITX case that can support a dual 120mm radiator. I love the simplicity, quality, and flexibility that the entire Obisidan series offers, so this was a no brainer for me.
If you need any help or resources for getting your own PC build together. Feel free to reach out to me on any of the many social media platforms I am on(listed below). Also, check out these great resources which have helped me a great deal.
