Building an HTPC on the cheap...

[MulletMan13]

Hey everyone,

Ditching cable at the end of the month, and figured that I might as well build an HTPC to fix the situation. I'm trying to make this 'project' as cheap as possible (under $300), and here is what I have right now:



(My wish list hasn't been approved yet for public linking)

You'll see I have a couple of open box items-- I've ordered open box before and am completely fine with that. Additionally, I have a DVD-RW drive around here that I could slap into the box.

Debating on whether or not to throw a tuner card in there, or just download from Torrents/Usenet. I think the latter will be fine until I can get the funds together for a tuner.

To be honest, I don't know a damn thing about the AMD line, or how it compares to Intel, so if anybody has any suggestions on cheaper mobo/CPU then I'm all ears. I am really just looking for something that can store a crapload of content, and will throw it out at 720p without a hiccup.

Not really looking to keep this computer around in the future to upgrade or anything, just using it for this purpose for now, and later will probably turn into a server.

I was also thinking of selling the PS3 (considering I only use it as a Blu-Ray player) and picking up a $90 blu ray drive instead...

[DaMadFiddler]

If you already have a PS3, why don't you just use that? There are MythTV distros you can get that will run on the PS3, if a DVR is what you're looking for... if you're mainly looking for something to play back content you already have, you can just copy your music and movies over to the thing (or, if you have too many for the PS3's hard drive, upgrade the drive or plug in a USB drive. Seriously: if you already have it, why would you want to spend the money to get something else?

[Ex-Cyber]

Do any of those MythTV distros actually run well on PS3? Last I heard, lack of decent Cell support and the messed up way that PS3 Linux handles resolution settings made HTPC uses less than ideal.

[MulletMan13]

I have looked at Myth distros for the PS3-- and nearly everything is rubbish. I appreciate the effort they are putting towards it, but it is nearly useless in current form. Basically I could sell my PS3 since I don't use it-- and actually have a useable computer/media center.

[curt_grymala]

You could buy an AppleTV and run Boxee on it.

[DaMadFiddler]

You could buy an AppleTV and run Boxee on it.

I thought about this before getting a PS3 (well, with XBMC in general; it was before Boxee was available), but the lack of an optical drive really killed the idea for me. I really prefer to own my media in hard copy to keep as an archival backup (and in case I'm in the mood to use any of the special features). However, if you can hold out, there has been chatter on the Boxee forums about an XBMC port at some point in the future.

If you are sold on the HTPC route, though, it may be in your interest to wait another six months or so. nVidia and Intel are both getting ready to launch integrated graphics solutions that are leaps and bounds above current integrated crap (read: designed to serve up HD content without issue) while still being far, far cheaper than buying an actual graphics card. Neither solution is set to start appearing on motherboards until later this year, though.

[MulletMan13]

You could buy an AppleTV and run Boxee on it.

I thought about this before getting a PS3 (well, with XBMC in general; it was before Boxee was available), but the lack of an optical drive really killed the idea for me. I really prefer to own my media in hard copy to keep as an archival backup (and in case I'm in the mood to use any of the special features). However, if you can hold out, there has been chatter on the Boxee forums about an XBMC port at some point in the future.

If you are sold on the HTPC route, though, it may be in your interest to wait another six months or so. nVidia and Intel are both getting ready to launch integrated graphics solutions that are leaps and bounds above current integrated crap (read: designed to serve up HD content without issue) while still being far, far cheaper than buying an actual graphics card. Neither solution is set to start appearing on motherboards until later this year, though.

Thought about the AppleTV-- but then I realized that for $75 more I could essentially make something much more expandable, and capable of other things. Pretty sure that I'm going to end up building this for use as a media center/PC in my room, and extend it to my living room via my 360. Regardless, I've also added a $20 2600PRO with 512mb RAM that will dominate HD content. The NewEgg Open Box store is amazing when it comes to decent hardware on the cheap. I feel that the CPU is a bit of overkill, but I really don't want to step down to a dual core Celeron. The word 'Celeron' just brings up gobs of bad memories...

[curt_grymala]

What operating system are you planning to run on this box?

If you're going to run a 64-bit OS, and your motherboard can handle it, you really might want to load up on the RAM, as that (along with a good graphics card) is about the most important part of an HTPC. The more RAM, the less buffering and skipping you're going to encounter.

I just don't see 2 gigs being enough for anything intensive.

[MulletMan13]

What operating system are you planning to run on this box?

If you're going to run a 64-bit OS, and your motherboard can handle it, you really might want to load up on the RAM, as that (along with a good graphics card) is about the most important part of an HTPC. The more RAM, the less buffering and skipping you're going to encounter.

I just don't see 2 gigs being enough for anything intensive.

I don't know anything about Windows and how it behaves with 64 bit items. Last time I tried Vista 64, the drivers for the video card I had were atrocious, and it was a horrible experience. That was nearly a year and a half ago, so I assume things have gotten better.

Agreed on the RAM-- the 2gb was just to start out until I can afford to get more. This project has somewhat shifted into a box that will be in my room that will be downloading 24/7, and playing videos through media center, or via 360.

[Wagh]

That cpu will crawl trying to decode 1080p

[MulletMan13]

That cpu will crawl trying to decode 1080p

The CPU is inline with other C2Ds of the same frequency. But I've also added a Radeon HD 3450 (for an additional $20)-- and all the reviews/writeups on it says it handles 1080p just fine.

[Quzar]

I only have 1gb and can playback 1080p conent fine (plus multitasking
). You people using ffdshow or something? On Windows CoreAVC is a good 2-3x faster and much cheaper than RAM.

[MulletMan13]

Alright! Made the purchase!

Here is a list of the items I got:

ASUS P5GC-MX/1333 LGA 775 Intel 945GC Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

MSI R4350-D512H Radeon HD 4350 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card

Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E5200 - Retail

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F DT HD502IJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

Rosewill R379-SM Black/ Silver 0.8mm SGCC Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case PSU ATX12V Flex 300W Power Supply - Retail

Rendition by Crucial 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) Desktop Memory Model RM25664AA667 - Retail

I know the MoBo is a little 'outdated', but it is just fine for what I want this for, and what I'll be using it for. Pretty excited to be throwing together a Slimline PC-- I miss customization, putting them together and even the troubleshooting. While the 300w supply is small, I've checked out everything and it seems at peak the system is only going to be using 235w at max. Also made the decision to sell my PS3 and I'm going to throw in a Blu-Ray drive in here as well. Total cost for all the above components is $251.