# AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition 3.2GHz



## KidCharm (Aug 28, 2011)

Hello:

I am currently researching HTPC's and I trying to find a low cost solution to Puget's custom builds. I am looking to center the console around the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz CPU, and want it to be a smaller form factor.

Can you guys suggest the rest of the components to give me some ideas? I am looking to run Blu-Ray, my cable via the Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad-tuner Card, and record/store shows. Nothing really in SD, but a lot of stuff in high def.


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## jinjuku (Mar 23, 2007)

KidCharm said:


> Hello:
> 
> I am currently researching HTPC's and I trying to find a low cost solution to Puget's custom builds. I am looking to center the console around the AMD Phenom II X6 1090T Black Edition Thuban 3.2GHz CPU, and want it to be a smaller form factor.
> 
> Can you guys suggest the rest of the components to give me some ideas? I am looking to run Blu-Ray, my cable via the Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad-tuner Card, and record/store shows. Nothing really in SD, but a lot of stuff in high def.


First off dump the Phenom II X6. For what you listed there is no need for a CPU of that type. Get an AMD Brazos based system. 

Get a PSU with a 120MM fan to keep things quiet. 2GB of RAM should do if all you are running is Windows MCE and either Total Media Theater or Power DVD. Get AnyDVD HD and the MyMovies plug-in for WinMCE.


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## below20hz (Feb 7, 2010)

Actually I think if you're looking to record shows in HD (and maybe rip blu-rays onto your HTPC) the 1090T is a great choice. You could step down to the 1055T and still be very happy.

RAM - is incredibly cheap right now so why not grab 8gb (4gb x2) for $30-$50?

MOBO - I like ASRock for mobos, they are cheap and easy to configure but still have ASUS quality and innovation.

Video card - haven't looked in a while, so I'm not really sure what the best bang for the buck is right now. I own both ATI and NVIDIA cards, and although I like my 4870, I am not happy with my ATI 5770 cards at all due to stability issues, and the 6xxx series aren't much different so I'm going to recommend NVIDIA. I've liked all my cards from the green team.

PSU - I've been very happy with Corsair, Kingwin and XFX PSU's, but don't go for the "budget" models, go for the higher end. And get plenty more than enough wattage. A stable, reliable PSU is - as I'm sure you know - one of the most important parts of a rig.

For hard drives, as far as I've seen, Samsung 2tb HD204UI HDD's can't be beat. They are not slow drives for 5400rpms btw, my EcoGreen F4's actually come close to my Spinpoint F3 speeds. Also I would suggest a Kingston V+100 SSD for your OS drive. If you haven't gone SSD yet, you really need to give a try. You'll never want to put your OS on a HDD again.

Now you might have noticed, I haven't suggested the cheapest options - and for a reason. You can get away with much less powerful CPU and far less RAM and forget about an SSD. And I know APUs are tempting, and I've been looking myself, but the thing is they currently aren't very powerful GPU-wise. Just enough to render HD video and not much more. My point is, getting the bare minimum for your current needs/wants almost guarantees you will want to upgrade within _months _of your purchase. And another thing to consider: I tend to sell my old rigs to fund new purchases, and a rig with little gaming power really limits the number of potential buyers I can sell to since it'll already be at least a year or two old when I sell. That translates to less return on my investment.

Well that's my two pennies anyways. Happy shopping!


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## looneybomber (Sep 20, 2006)

I agree with below20hz. Build something faster than you need and may be considered a tad overkill. 2yrs from now, you will likely still be able to use the same hardware w/o an upgrade.

Also, checkout specials/deals going on. Microcenter had the intel i5-2500k on sale for $179 and gave you $40 off the purchase of a mobo. I grabbed this and the CPU for under $300 out the door because it too was on sale. For $10 more, I'd choose the 2500k over the 1090T for power savings alone. Out performing the 1090T is just the icing.

Just keep an eye on slickdeals.net


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## peterselby7 (Nov 29, 2008)

looneybomber said:


> I agree with below20hz. Build something faster than you need and may be considered a tad overkill. 2yrs from now, you will likely still be able to use the same hardware w/o an upgrade.
> 
> Also, checkout specials/deals going on. Microcenter had the intel i5-2500k on sale for $179 and gave you $40 off the purchase of a mobo. I grabbed this and the CPU for under $300 out the door because it too was on sale. For $10 more, I'd choose the 2500k over the 1090T for power savings alone. Out performing the 1090T is just the icing.
> 
> Just keep an eye on slickdeals.net


I agree. I just built a system using the i5 2500k processor and got mine from Micro Center. I have an AMD processor too BE960 overclocked to 3.9Ghz in another system. The 2500k just destroys it. Like you said, I paid 180.00 for mine.

Then I overclocked the 2500k to 4.6Ghz and the speed is just plain silly (it can go higher than this). You can build a system using this processor for very little money. If fan noise is an issue, put the PC in a closet or another room and you will like the extra speed. I can't stand a slow computer especially one that is used for my home theater room, but I do game occasionally with this system. Just my two cents.

Anyway the 1190 is a good chip too. Its just not as fast as some of the better Intel chips. The difference in price isn't much either, so all being the same (or close) I'd go with the i5. Don't think you'll regret it if you do.


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## Jasonpctech (Apr 20, 2010)

That system is like a Lamborghini on a bumpy road, looks awesome but you won't get to really enjoy it.
However, I would most likely build the same thing, the parts are cheap enough and even though HTPC wise it's overkill I like the idea it will continue to be a good system for a few years. I say do it and don't look back.

My current build runs everything perfect on a 3core AMD @3ghz 4gigs ram, Win7x64, Nvidia 260 & one of those Green WD slow hard drives. It's really about software. I'm not going to elaborate on now other than try Jriver, go look up my many posts on that subject.
I did add 4more gigs recently and it made no discernible difference I think 4gigs ram is plenty on any HTPC no running rendering or ram drive.


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