Build me an HTPC for 1080p Streaming and Gaming

R

rage3324

Gawd
Joined
Aug 1, 2002
Messages
1,023
Budget
Possible to stay $500 or below? If not, that is okay

Goal
To centralize my media streaming to one device and play games

Current setup
Living Room
Panasonic 65 VT50
AVR
PS3 (games, netflix, amazon prime)
Xbox 360 (games, netflix, amazon prime)
AppleTV 2 (airplay)
Router
Synology ds213air w/ 2x 3gb WD Red raid 1

Bedroom
Pioneer Kuro 500m
AVR
Roku 2 XS

Requirements
Generic
1. Quiet as possible
2. Cool as possible

Steaming
1. 1080p streaming of mkv files on nas
2. Runs plex/xbmc
Soft Requirement 3. 1080p streaming of netflix and amazon prime - can utilize TV/ps3/xbox for this if necessary
Soft Requirement 4. Accessible via internet - I can utilize the synology plex/videostation apps to do this

Gaming
1. Run latest games (Bioshock infinite) in 1080p
2. Future proof for 1-2 years?

Question(s)
1. Is there a dual hdmi solution to split the streaming feed to the bedroom? Or is it best to use the roku+plex?
2. What OS is best for this?
3. Is it possible to reduce quality when streaming to ipad/iphone to reduce bandwidth?
4. If I just wanted this to be a streaming set up at first, can I eliminate the gpu and add one later to reduce initial cost?
5. 4. Is a mini-atx case possible since I only want 1 HD?

I already have 1 TB WD Green hard drive.. is this fast enough for games?
 
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You didn't mention if this is wifi or wired gigabit. Also, are your mkv's bit-perfect bluray rips or have you transcoded them?

You want to play games on the HTPC with high res and all the goodies maxed? If so, that makes the HTPC much more pricey because you are essentially building a gaming PC.
 
AQ_OC said:
You didn't mention if this is wifi or wired gigabit. Also, are your mkv's bit-perfect bluray rips or have you transcoded them?

You want to play games on the HTPC with high res and all the goodies maxed? If so, that makes the HTPC much more pricey because you are essentially building a gaming PC.
Click to expand...

Wired gigabit, some mkvs are transcoded (10gb, dts), some are full video hd audio rips

I'd like to play at 1080p, nearly max if it can be had for the right price. I'm not 100% sure I am going to build this for gaming, but I'd like to at least spec it out. I was hoping a mid-range ($200 gpu) would do the trick for 1080p..

If a gaming htpc is going to be extremely loud (noticeably louder than a ps3/xbox), then I probably won't go down that road.
 
Cool. Wired gigabit and get you 1080p with integrated graphics, which means for the movie part you don't need a gpu at all.

I don't know that a $200 gpu will need to be loud...I'm not really a gamer. I have an HD6850 on my PC and it is super quiet, but this is not the HTPC.

How much room do you have for a case?
 
AQ_OC said:
Cool. Wired gigabit and get you 1080p with integrated graphics, which means for the movie part you don't need a gpu at all.

I don't know that a $200 gpu will need to be loud...I'm not really a gamer. I have an HD6850 on my PC and it is super quiet, but this is not the HTPC.

How much room do you have for a case?
Click to expand...

Plenty. 20" d, 12" h, 20" width or I can place it on the floor next to my TV stand.

Basically, I want this set up to be silent/quiet during streaming. During gaming the fans can rev up as long as it is not like a vacuum! I would accept a bit louder than an xbox 360

Is there a way to stream Amazon and Netflix 1080p/5.1dd with an HTPC?
 
AQ_OC said:
I don't know that a $200 gpu will need to be loud...I'm not really a gamer. I have an HD6850 on my PC and it is super quiet, but this is not the HTPC.
Click to expand...



you should try running the 6850's fan on 100% and see if it is loud :D

I have my 2 6970's running crossfire in my gaming rig and to keep the temps manageable they are at 70% when around 60C and they scream like banchies! :eek:

gaming on a HTPC is lame, i tried it... with wireless logitch controllers (like PS2 ones) and it just is lame

use the built in GPU and be done with it
 
Adidas4275 said:
you should try running the 6850's fan on 100% and see if it is loud :D

I have my 2 6970's running crossfire in my gaming rig and to keep the temps manageable they are at 70% when around 60C and they scream like banchies! :eek:

gaming on a HTPC is lame, i tried it... with wireless logitch controllers (like PS2 ones) and it just is lame

use the built in GPU and be done with it
Click to expand...

Agreed. That's why I posted as I did, so someone else could provide the info needed. in my HTPC, I use either IG or a fanless ATI card.
 
rage3324 said:
Is there a way to stream Amazon and Netflix 1080p/5.1dd with an HTPC?
Click to expand...

Yes, this is not really a challenge. Even a simple i3 in that Intel NUC box I pointed to in the other thread can handle this.

If you build an HTPC, then get a mobo that has HDMI ports...plug into your AV receiver...and set your software to bitstream the DD5.1 signal to your receiver and let it do the decoding.

Silverstone (and others) make cases that integrate well into a home theater system as they look like your standard receiver, settop box, or bluray player. So you probably want something like that. Get a decent power supply...make sure you get one that can drive whatever vid card you get for gaming. Some of these cases won't take full height boards, so you have to pay attention to that. Also, with games you may want more than an i3...so saying you want to game on this box is driving up in terms of components and cost.

If you didn't want to game, then the Intel NUC is enough.

Go pick out some parts and post them here for folks to comment on.
 
Adidas4275 said:
gaming on a HTPC is lame, i tried it... with wireless logitch controllers (like PS2 ones) and it just is lame

use the built in GPU and be done with it
Click to expand...

I would be using an Xbox 360 controller for most games and occasionally using a keyboard/mouse

AQ_OC said:
Yes, this is not really a challenge. Even a simple i3 in that Intel NUC box I pointed to in the other thread can handle this.

If you build an HTPC, then get a mobo that has HDMI ports...plug into your AV receiver...and set your software to bitstream the DD5.1 signal to your receiver and let it do the decoding.
Click to expand...

How is netflix and amazon HD streaming achieved with an HTPC? XBMC, WMC, Windows 8, Browser?
 
rage3324 said:
How is netflix and amazon HD streaming achieved with an HTPC? XBMC, WMC, Windows 8, Browser?
Click to expand...

WMC plugins and a web browser will both only deliver 720p streaming for Netflix and Amazon (Netflix plugin is built into WMC; Amazon plugin is third-party). You can achieve 1080p Netflix if you want to use Win8 and the Netflix Metro app.
 
staknhalo said:
WMC plugins and a web browser will both only deliver 720p streaming for Netflix and Amazon (Netflix plugin is built into WMC; Amazon plugin is third-party). You can achieve 1080p Netflix if you want to use Win8 and the Netflix Metro app.
Click to expand...

Does Win8 support Amazon?
 
If your goal is a gaming box at high settings, for hardware at least you are best served in the SFF systems forum.
 
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