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LarsM
Joined: 20 Dec 2010
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 Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:33 pm Post subject: Building a HTPC. Need some advice. |
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Hello,
I am planning to building a HTPC. I am not really up to date with the required hardware though. Would be nice if the experts could give me some advice which hardware I should get.
Here are my requirements for the HTPC:
Able to play HD files,
Blue Ray drive,
HDMI output (at least 1)
USB (3.0 not a must but would be nice)
VGA output,
LAN (Wifi not a must but would be nice)
Remote control, Keyboard for web browsing,
Quiet system,
Possibility to upgrade the system with a tv card. For now I am planning to put it on my router.
Tanks a lot!
Btw. I do have a Win XP Professional or should I go with Linux?[list=][/list] |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 2:34 am Post subject: |
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| What's your seriousness level about this...in other words, budget?!! |
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ulsanchris
Joined: 19 Jun 2003
Location: take a wild guess
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| Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 3:37 am Post subject: |
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i've been interested in doing this lately so i just googled it.
if you are not interested in gaming then a icore 3 cpu will do and you won't need a separate graffics card.
there are pages that will give you all the info you need. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:01 am Post subject: |
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| Check out www.avsforum.com for exact models right down to the mainboards, cards, and ram speeds. |
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LarsM
Joined: 20 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 3:42 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the input so far.
@eamo: I was hoping that 500 - 600 bucks are enough to build a decent system...??
I am not interested in gaming, just want that machine to play media and surf the web. |
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singerdude
Joined: 18 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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http://doityourselfhtpc.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/bitstreaming-dolby-truehd-and-dts-hd-with-intel-core-i3/
This link is for a Core i3 build, which is what I would buy if I were building a new one from scratch. Since I had an old AMD processor, memory and hard drive, I just added a micro-atx motherboard and an HTPC case(Silverstone GD04) with a Silverstone modular power supply(ST50F-P). I got a modular supply to lessen the amount of cables since there isn't much room in these cases. For my graphics card, I bought an Nvidia GT430, which can bitstream DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD. My receiver is a Denon AVR-1612. For the software, I recommend XBMC if you won't be using a TV tuner card. I get all of my shows on torrent using RSS feeds, which download them automatically. XBMC then scrapes all of the info(Cover art, plot, cast, etc). Great program.
With the i3 build though, you won't need a separate graphics card, so you can go even smaller and get a mini-itx case. |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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| LarsM wrote: |
Thanks for the input so far.
@eamo: I was hoping that 500 - 600 bucks are enough to build a decent system...??
I am not interested in gaming, just want that machine to play media and surf the web. |
$500-600 isn't much. Decent HTPC cases start at around 130,000 so there's a good chunk gone already.
Also, cheaper components tend to be noisier.
It's doable at $600 though. Especially if you use an APU. That's a CPU with graphics processing built-in. Not having to buy a graphics card will dramatically lower the cost (and noise!) of this build.
The AMD Fusion series of chips would make a great HTPC base to build on if you're not going to do any serious gaming. They'll certainly run HD video smoothly.
http://www.danawa.com/product/list.html?defSite=PC&cate_c1=861&cate_c2=873&cate_c3=960&cate_c4=35438
One of the A8 3850 APU's shown in the link above would be adequate for light HTPC use. Around 160,000 to take care of both CPU and GPU needs is a great deal. |
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Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
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| Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 12:01 am Post subject: |
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| How does the AMD Fusion work with Netflix (which uses the CPU instead of graphics card) running through Silverlight? |
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wishfullthinkng
Joined: 05 Mar 2010
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| Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:49 am Post subject: |
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| Swampfox10mm wrote: |
| How does the AMD Fusion work with Netflix (which uses the CPU instead of graphics card) running through Silverlight? |
it will run it fine. as a previous poster said an intel i3 would also be a good choice.
i would personally recommend:
i3 proc
4gb value ram
1tb hdd
a basic motherboard with hdmi, esata and usb 3.0 ports
a nice htpc case
a nice 27' led s-ips panel that runs at 2560x1440 that can be found ridiculously cheap (under 300usd @ gmarket such as http://english.gmarket.co.kr/challenge/neo_goods/goods.asp?goodscode=206132622&interest_group_no=1)
a lenovo N5902 for your wireless keyboard and mouse needs. (http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:item.detail?GroupID=38&Code=57Y6678¤t-category-id=E9ADAEB6787146E29B78400A33E7FE8A&&hide_menu_area=yes)
that's it. not too expensive. now if you plan on using it for anything else like gaming or photo/video editing then the parts list would be different.
also, if you have great speakers and i'm talking great like some maggies or some paradigms and plan on hooking it up to a nice receiver i would switch the proc to a cheaper amd and use the extra cash to get a nice gpu that supports all the bells and whistles like another poster recommended. however, it doesn't sound like you will be taking it to that level.
happy building!
Last edited by wishfullthinkng on Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:58 am; edited 1 time in total |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 1:52 am Post subject: |
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| Swampfox10mm wrote: |
| How does the AMD Fusion work with Netflix (which uses the CPU instead of graphics card) running through Silverlight? |
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4524/the-sandy-bridge-pentium-review-pentium-g850-g840-g620-g620t-tested
Here's an article comparing the APU's released this year from both Intel and AMD. It doesn't mention using netflix, but it does show that the AMD A8 3850 is a bit of a monster and will run even Crysis!! So I'm sure it will handle Netflix.
So a big recommendation for the AMD A8 3850 for the purposes of a HTPC. It's low power requirements mean you could leave your HTPC on 24/7, stick a couple of TB of HDD's in there and download HD movie packs to your hearts content.
Which brings up the question of power supply........I would definitely use the money saved from buying an APU into a really good '80 Plus Gold' PSU. This will make your HTPC whisper quiet and save even more on the power bill.
With an APU and an 80+ power supply, I'd guess you could have 24/7 operation for no more than about 10,000 won more on your electricity bill. |
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LarsM
Joined: 20 Dec 2010
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| Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:25 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the great input!
I am not planning on going high-end. Basically The Xtreamer Ultra would do everything I need except USB3.0, optical drive, able to upgrade, ($330 in Korea). It even comes with a mini keyboard for web browsing.
http://xtreamer.net/ultra/
The Xtreamer Prodigy looks also nice but is not available yet. ($149 in US)
http://www.xtreamer.net/xtreamer-prodigy-upgraded/
Both units claim to run Full HD 3D content, which seems a bit strange comparing the hardware of both machines...
Not really sure if I should go with one of those units. Just connect them to my 4Gb NAS.
That however would take the fun out of building my one machine and I am stuck with a htpc which basically can not by upgraded... |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 3:45 am Post subject: |
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Those xtreamer things have Intel Atom and Nvidia Ion processors. They're kind of last generation. The price is fine but they're pretty low-powered.
I totally agree you'll have a lot more fun building your own HTPC with better parts than what's in those things. |
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singerdude
Joined: 18 Jul 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:34 am Post subject: |
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I have an xtreamer pro. It's an ok choice if you want to save money in the beginning, but an htpc running xbmc or some other front end program is much better. The xtreamer was buggy, and the network was really slow. Also, going through the library lagged a bit.
On the plus side, it was the only one (at that time) that could play HD Audio inside mkv files, which was why I got it. |
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Swampfox10mm
Joined: 24 Mar 2011
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