cheap HTPC build

[master7045]

I'm looking to put together a HTPC that will play DVD disks and rips now, but have enough horsepower to handel Blu-ray disks down the road. I'm pretty sure Intel/AMD onboard graphics can handle this fine, but I haven't built a PC in a while. I would like this to be as small as possible so I'm trying to accomplish this with Mini itx parts. I've got a spare 3.5" hard drive, an optical drive and a windows 7 license. Here is what I've put together so far. I'm also concerned about audio quality as I have a decent surround sound system. So 5.1 is a must with 7.1 ability a bonus. I've read that the AMD onboard stuff isn't quite up to snuff compared to intel, but I can't remember where I read that.

Case - Apex MI-008 $40

MOBO - Asus M4A88T-I $125 (this may be overkill, but I've never used a Jetway/Zotac board. If they are good enough, I'm all about saving money!

Athlon II X2 210e $50 I realize this product is deactived at the Egg, but it sounds perfect for HTPC use, hopefully I can find it somehwere else. I would also need a cooler for this as it's OEM.

2GB Crucial RAM - $30 Pretty much you're standard cheap RAM.

Thats roughly $300 for the whole thingy. Like I said I've got a SATA 3.5" hard drive and optical drive. I was planning on using XBMC as the media portal. So whats everyone's thoughts?

 

[Davidh373]

Looks good, except the case looks but ugly... If you're fine with it, go for it.

As for the Athlon II, just get a normal Athlon II X2, the power consumption won't be any different between the two for your purposes.

 

[HarlanPepper]

I've been looking at a similar build - and am intrigued by mini ITX. Here's what I am considering, along a similar price point to you:

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 ($105)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128448

CPU - Intel Core i3 540 ($105 after instant rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115221

RAM - Cosair XMS3 2x2GB kit ($39.99 after instant & mail-in rebates)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145260

Together with the case you have, about $295 before tax & shipping at the egg - and you get more RAM and a pretty quick CPU & stock cooler. I have another HTPC with a i3 530 and it's been great so far... though it was $80 at Fry's on a special.

Interested in what you decide to do.

 

[pcsavvy]

For integrated graphics, AMD motherboards are your best bet. For your build, you can get an htpc case that will fit a microboard for the price of that ITX case. This will give you more choices in your build. I would avoid NVIDA chipsets for AMD there have been issues in the past.

If you check around you can get a case that is made to be a htpc/media case for the same price.

Depending upon whether you want to use DDR2 or DDR3 memory, you can get a microboard for anywhere from 50-90 dollars depending the brand and features you want. DDR2 is coming to the end of the line so you might as well invest in some DDR3.

You can get a sempron cpu (single core)for less than 40 bucks. If you're lucky you might be able to unlock the second core. This is if you get an AM3 cpu which is backward compatible with AM2+ boards. You would probably be happiest with either a tricore or quad core and there is not much difference in price between the Athlon II series of tri and quads. edit: The Athlon II tricores run around $70 dollars while the quads run about $80-90.

Memory, to get a little more performance try to get dual channel. Prices for DDR3 are coming down so you should be able to find some DDR3 1333 2x 1G for around 30 bucks. But 4 gigs is better especially if you have 64 bit OS.

You really do NOT want to go super cheap on this build.D: You can do this inexpensively relative to a gaming system. You want to be sure that your system is powerful enough to do all you want it to do and yet be stable and run for a long time. Have the ability to at least add in a TV tuner card when you can afford it, this way you can use this to run your tv. I would stay with the major brands of motherboards, there is less chance of having quality issues.

For your audio needs, most motherboards have integrated sound that is just as good as a soundcard if not better.

So really all you need is nice case (power supply?), microATX motherboard, cpu and ram which you can be had for around 300 dollars. This is a HTPC build so you don't need very powerful parts, ie the power supply, memory, etc. If possible get a combo deal and save money there.
Last year I got a microATX m/b and a tricore combo for around 76 dollars with a 10 dollar MIR. The m/b I eventually replaced but I am happy with my tricore.

Also read up on various DIY guides on HTPC's so you can get a good idea on what is required to build a good quality budget HTPC.

Edit:

Case estimate $60
M/b estimate $90
Quad Athlon II estimate $85
Ram DDR3 1333 2 x 1 G = 2 Gigs estimate $30 or
Ram DDR3 1333 2 x 2 G =4 Gigs estimate $55
Antec 380w power supply: $60
Total around $320-345

Your cost may vary due to special pricing, combo deals and what part you actually decide on.
But I think this list would cover all the stuff you currently need.
If you go the Intel route, then the CPU and M/B will most likely cost you at least $200-250 alone.
For a budget build, you can not beat AMD.


If you look at my sig. I can play bluray, watch tv, surf the web, and play board games while having some programs running in the background. I will eventually put in a 4 gig dual channel but I must wait till my budget allows me. Some of my parts are overkill for what I do but.....

 

[Davidh373]

I've been looking at a similar build - and am intrigued by mini ITX. Here's what I am considering, along a similar price point to you:

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H55N-USB3 ($105)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128448

CPU - Intel Core i3 540 ($105 after instant rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115221

RAM - Cosair XMS3 2x2GB kit ($39.99 after instant & mail-in rebates)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145260

Together with the case you have, about $295 before tax & shipping at the egg - and you get more RAM and a pretty quick CPU & stock cooler. I have another HTPC with a i3 530 and it's been great so far... though it was $80 at Fry's on a special.

Interested in what you decide to do.

That is a great build!

 

[master7045]

Thanks for all the comments everyone. I realize that by going with a micro atx system will allow more expansion, drives, etc, but I am limited by where this box will be going. Harlan, that is a good Intel build. It looks like Intel boards have adopted the mini itx standard faster than AMD as there are a few more choices. The intel board linked is pretty much an exact copy of the AMD one I listed as far as features go. (and it's cheaper!) that may be all I need to sway me back to Intel. Any advise or real world comparatives against the intel HD graphics vs ATI 42xx series?

Does anyone have any other mini itx case recommendations that aren't in the $100 range?

 

[hoorah]

HTPC building is all about connectivity, power efficiency, and expandability, not so much price/performance.

When it comes to HTPCs, the hardest thing to do is tune multiple digital encrypted channels and share them to extenders. You may not have plans for that now, but once you get the HTPC built and see what it can do, theres a good chance you'll want to expand features (I know I did).

I would suggest at least 2 pci-express slots open. If you do decide to tune digital TV in the future, there are only two options on the market now - a Ceton PCI-E card, and a not-yet-released SiliconDust Network-based tuner. If you're planning on wireless for everything, the SiliconDust tuner may be troublesome based on how good your wireless is. If you go the Ceton route, you've taken up your only PCIE slot.


Additionally, as your media use/collection grows, you'll start to think about adding tons of hard drives locally.

As you said before, built in video and most run-of-the-mill dual core processors will be fine for doing most media center tasks until you get into transcoding formats. Hope this gets you started!

 

[mfenn]

What you have looks pretty good. I've got my router MI-008 case, and while a little chintzy, it does the job and look decent (to me at least!).

The ASUS mobo isn't that bad of a deal once you consider that it has WiFi built in. Of course, it is kind of a waste if you don't plan on using said WiFi. Since you have a surround sound setup, you'll obviously want to take advantage of the S/PDIF output on the mobo as well.

 

[master7045]

I pretty much went with the build outlined by HarlanPepper.

I picked up an i3 550 for $100 at Micro Center

Blu-Ray drive - $50

Case - $40

Motherboard - $105

2GB RAM - $23

Everything came out to approx 330 after shipping & tax on the CPU. I just got my tracking # last night and should have everything before the weekend!

 

[master7045]

After a bit more reading, it looks like i'm going to need a 120mm fan to help cool things down. I don't really know much about fans so can anyone suggest a quiet, high flow fan from this Micro Center?
(There is a MC close by so I'd rather buy there then have to wait for shipping from Newegg.)

 

[mvbighead]

Most 120mm are fairly quiet, and provide excellent airflow. If it were me, I'd just go into the MC and look for the fans. If they have an adjustable one for not too much coin, just buy it. Set it where it spins and you can't hear it, and leave it at that. If you want a quiet one, would be best to order it most likely if you can't find it at MC.

 

[mfenn]

This Scythe looks pretty good. Decent CFM and its pretty much guaranteed to be the quietest fan in the case.

 

[master7045]

So to update everyone, I ended up with a 120 Watt pico PSU and a 102 watt brick picked up off ebay. I ditched the side fan and the thing plays SD movies perfectly from the network. I need to adjust the PQ on my TV set, but that's another story. I'm currently looking for a 2TB hard drive to put in my main rig, as I'm running out of space w/ all of my movies (approx 150 SD dvds). Future upgrades will be a SSD or a small laptop drive as my old 250 GB Samsung HDD is the source of most of the heat.

I have put together about 4 Intel builds over the past 8ish years and I hate their HSF mounting system. When I first put this system together, my CPU temps were idling around 50 Celsius, which I knew was way off, but still freaked me out. I reseated the HSF and my idle temps are around 19 now. I don't have a Kill-A-Watt so I can't measure wall output. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[mfenn]

So to update everyone, I ended up with a 120 Watt pico PSU and a 102 watt brick picked up off ebay. I ditched the side fan and the thing plays SD movies perfectly from the network. I need to adjust the PQ on my TV set, but that's another story. I'm currently looking for a 2TB hard drive to put in my main rig, as I'm running out of space w/ all of my movies (approx 150 SD dvds). Future upgrades will be a SSD or a small laptop drive as my old 250 GB Samsung HDD is the source of most of the heat.

I have put together about 4 Intel builds over the past 8ish years and I hate their HSF mounting system. When I first put this system together, my CPU temps were idling around 50 Celsius, which I knew was way off, but still freaked me out. I reseated the HSF and my idle temps are around 19 now. I don't have a Kill-A-Watt so I can't measure wall output. Thanks again for all the help!

Glad you got it working!

This Samsung F4 2TB would be my choice. The WD Greens are good as well.