I just picked up my new custom-built HTPC today from a local (quite an expert he is) custom-builder of computers.
He told me that it would be best to start by building a strong foundation, as a weak foundation crumbles when put under stress. Then we would select components for the higher levels building from the foundation up. Here's what we selected.
Case We chose a SilverStone Crown CW01 Black Aluminum rack-mount ready (ATX) HTPC case as it would suit my needs for the application I was going to use it in (good ventilation capabilities as well).
Power Supply We decided we would need a beefy enough power supply to support the rather high power requirements the components would put on it. We chose a SilverStone OP 1000 1 kilowatt unit designed to fit standard ATX.
MotherBoard The motherboard needed to be able to support the latest video technologies and processor technologies etc. We chose an Asus Extreme Striker because of it's specific fine-tuning abilities and high-speed capababilities.
Processor The processor being one of the main important components of a system Bill had done some research and we decided that Intel's EX6800 (Quad 2.93 GHZ) would do well for the task of an HTPC that could also end up as a server later on.
Memory Bill said memory is a component of the system that can really improve performance if you do it right. He said the best could produce some amazing results for what I'm after. We chose a full 8GB of Corsair's Flagship XMS2 Dominator which is designed to run at 1250hz or greater. I think it was a good choice (man I'm excited to see how this thing revs).
Hard Disk Drive When it comes to hard disk drives, we wanted to take maximum advantage of the 6 total 3.5 bays on the case, so we opted for 6 SeaGate 10k RPM Sata2 500gb drives in a raid configuration. I'm sure 3TB will be enough to last a while plus it's high speed combined with the raid config will be zippy I'm sure.
Optical Drives Since this is an HTPC, Bill and I thought that two high-end multiwriter drives w/Lightscribe technology from LG would be satisfactory for when the family wanted to create their own specially-labelled DVD's (of course we need to be able to install programs).
Sound Card Since this is going to be optimized for a high-end in the near future, we decided that to integrate correctly with the HT's components and to sound the best, we would use none other than the X-Fi Elite Pro with enough connectivity to serve as a component all by itself in a more entry-level home theater (Home Recording Studio anyone?).
Graphics Card We knew that the graphics card was going to have to integrate well with a high-end projector and that the projector would be able to show the Graphics Cards full capababilities. No ordinary graphics card would cut it here. We chose none other than the GeForce 8800 GTX. I can't wait to try it out.
As for cooling, we used 1 pci slot to help cool the Graphics cards. Bill told me he made use of the other 6 with some high-end cooling, and one for firewire/USB 2.0 (gotta keep it cooled down right?)
The reason for all the cooling is that Bill optimized the usage of better components by overclocking the system as far as he safely could using the advantages of the Extreme Striker bios and direct access. He optimized everything from variable fan-speeds to variable clock speeds! He says that when it's required the clock speeds will vary affecting the cooling system "cooling level" as well.
