Basic stream box

[captaindiptoad]

So i'm looking to hook up a computer to my living room TV (1366x768 40")

I just want it to be very very basic, No wireless remotes or media programs and other crap.

I'm going to share my 4TB HD from another computer across the network and store all my files on it.

I basically just need the damn thing to put a pretty picture on the screen.

I have read a few of the posts but everyone is doing crazy things with remotes and software and adapters and crap. I don't want that. Ill just hook up a wireless keyboard and mouse.

I was thinking with going with
Corsair 300R $100
Asus wireless adapter PCE-N53 $35
EVGA GTX 750 1GB 128 $130
Seasonic 520W Modular PSU $70
Gskill 2x2 4GB 1333 $35
MSI H81M-P33 1150 $45
Intel Celeron G1820 Dual Core 2.7Ghz $45
850 EVO 120GB $80

TOTAL : 540

Im not sure what OS to use though, i enjoy using Win7 but is there any way i could use linux? I dont know my way around linux though, is it easy to set up? I have been wanting to play around with it and I think this would be a great opportunity to.


Also raspberry, no graphics card though do I need one? (this thing looks stupid)

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2886...e-revolutionary-35-micro-pc-supercharged.html

My problem is I dont want to buy a case for it or retrofit anything, and software and crap

 

[Dangman]

I'm pretty sure others will chime in with other non-HTPC solutions so I'll just focus on the HTPC aspect. You're going overkill and underkill at the same time:
- Drop the video card as the onboard video of most CPUs are more than sufficient to play back 1080P content.

- Upgrade the CPU to this faster Pentium G3220 with a more suitable onboard video:
$57 - Intel Pentium G3220 CPU

- Upgrade the motherboard to this AsRock mobo since it has a HDMI port, more RAM slots, arguably higher quality, and a greater potential for future upgrades:
$75 - ASRock H97M Pro4 Intel H97 mATX Motherboard

- That Seasonic M12II 520W PSU is an older but decent Seasonic PSU design. In fact, I actually have that its bigger 620W brother powering my own HTPC. However, I cannot recommend spending the $70 + shipping for it considering the planned specs (you really don't need 520W of power for most HTPCs) and the fact that there are better quality PSUs out there. If it wasn't for the fact that I got the M12II 620W for $50 shipped without any rebate, I would not have gotten it for my HTPC. For your HTPC, you're better off with this significantly higher quality PSU:
$65 - Seasonic G Series SSR-360GP 360W PSU

- At $100, the 300R is ridiculously overpriced. Not to mention a bit overkill for a system like that. For tower-style mATX setup, I recommend the following case instead:
$90 - Corsair Obsidian Series 350D mATX Case

Also check out this HTPC style case as well:
$100 - Silverstone GD05B mATX HTPC Case


Oh and the Raspberry 2 has onboard video, dude. Linux is a lot easier to install and use (Specifically Ubuntu Linux and Linux Mint) than in the past but you still have to be willing to get your hands dirty and do some command-line work as well as configuration.

 

[jwhazel]

I'm going to share my 4TB HD from another computer across the network and store all my files on it.

I basically just need the damn thing to put a pretty picture on the screen.

You're going way overkill on the price and specs then. With those 2 requirements, you could easily get away with one of these:
http://www.amazon.com/WD-TV-Media-Player-WDBYMN0000NBK-HESN/dp/B00JXFM75Y


If it has to be a PC, then something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/MeeGoPad-T01-...F8&qid=1424625255&sr=8-1&keywords=intel+stick

 

[captaindiptoad]

Hey dangman, Thanks for the reply.

The CPU looks good, ill upgrade it and rip out the GPU

Didnt even notice the MOBO I picked out didnt have HDMI Im a dummy

For the PSU ever since I had my first modular PSU i can never go back. I just cant. Also Seasonic because seasonic.

For the case Im going with the 300R because I already own one, my problem is, its to small. The head syncs around the CPU collide with my H100i fans so I had to take a dremel to them to get it to work. So In reality I'm going to buy the 750D and swap parts and just re-use the 300R. (Pic included)

IDK the Raspberry freaks me out, its small and weird. also I need the case upgrade so i think ill just build a new one.

I would love to try linux out, will probably need help with that when I get the stuff.



As you can see I took a dremel to the fans, a bigger case is needed.

 

[captaindiptoad]

jwhazel

no "media box" just not going to happen, I want to go with things I am familiar with. Also in previous post, need the case upgrade.

And as for that stick, Win 8 can blow donkeyballs and nadella needs to be flogged for what he did there.

 

[Dangman]

For the PSU ever since I had my first modular PSU i can never go back. I just cant. Also Seasonic because seasonic.

Yeah I thought the same too until I realized that A) good cases have enough room to hide cables and B) lower wattage PSUs have a relatively low amount of cables and therefore a lower amount of cables to hide. For the former, the 300R has plenty of space and methods to hide and manage cables. For the latter, look at how many cables the Seasonic SSR-360GP 360W actually has:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules/NDReviews/images/SeasonicG360/DSCF7420.JPG

There's a total of six cables there. You're guaranteed to use the 24Pin ATX and the 8Pin CPU connector. You'll more than likely end up using both of the SATA power cables for good cable management/looks. So that leaves just the molex and the PCI-E cable. Not exactly hard to hide two power cables in a case like the 300R unless you don't know what you're doing.

If you still want a modular PSU, the cheapest bang for the buck modular Seasonic PSU that I can find is this which is complete and total overkill for your needs:
$95 - Seasonic G Series SSR-650RM 650W Modular PSU

Again, a solid 360W PSU would be enough. So a 650W is just beyond necessary.

As for the OS, you might want to check out Kodibuntu. It's Ubuntu Linux already bundled with Kodi, one of the more popular HTPC software for Linux. But again, fair warning: You're more than likely going to be frustrated at one or another trying to do something relatively simple in Linux. Remember that Linux has a different way of doing things and therefore you have to adapt. It's basically like Windows 8 in that regards.

 

[jwhazel]

jwhazel

no "media box" just not going to happen, I want to go with things I am familiar with. Also in previous post, need the case upgrade.

And as for that stick, Win 8 can blow donkeyballs and nadella needs to be flogged for what he did there.

I'm not sure why a media box is out of the question. Your requirement was "I basically just need the damn thing to put a pretty picture on the screen" in relation to streaming files from a network drive which is exactly what the WD does for a fraction of the price, power, and space as a full blown pc. As for the Meego stick, not sure where the win 8 hate is coming from but okay. Nothing stopping anyone from installing win7 or linux on it... it's just a tiny low powered x86 computer designed for streaming.


But it's your money, if you want to spend +$500 instead of ~$100 more power to you.

 

[captaindiptoad]

jwhazel,

As I said before, I need the case anyways. Its also in-case I ever want to upgrade it into more (IE steam machine). There is a reason i don't like consoles, you cant upgrade them, they are old useless piles of junk.

Dangman,

That PSU looks better than the one I picked out, i like it.

Kodibuntu looks interesting, But it appears to have built in libraries and stuff...
ill just add my own really.
Is there a way to have it come "empty"? or "disconnected" from their "service"?
I saw something called PLEX but cant seem to find more info on it.
Is there something out there that basically just acts like a player and doesn't connect to some online library, only one I specify on my network?

I dont mind using something like linux and ubuntu as they are different OSs. Win 8, i just don't like because it has the windows name but doesnt feel or act like windows without 3rd party applications/programs. the other 2 are different and I know they are different so i wont get so frustrated that I give up.

 

[Dangman]

Kodibuntu looks interesting, But it appears to have built in libraries and stuff...
ill just add my own really.

Wait, what are you talking about? Point out exactly where you saw that.

I saw something called PLEX but cant seem to find more info on it.

That's Plex Media Center. However, IIRC, it requires you to install Plex Media Server:
https://plex.tv/

Is there something out there that basically just acts like a player and doesn't connect to some online library, only one I specify on my network?

There's GeeXbox and the various MythBuntu releases.

I dont mind using something like linux and ubuntu as they are different OSs. Win 8, i just don't like because it has the windows name but doesnt feel or act like windows without 3rd party applications/programs. the other 2 are different and I know they are different so i wont get so frustrated that I give up.

Not sure why you're so hung up on the 3rd party aspect: Is whatever browser you're using a 3rd party program? Do you not use Steam or another game service rather Microsoft's Game for Windows live? Do you not use a different messaging program other than Messanger? Do you not use a different image manipulation software rather than MS Paint? So what's another 3rd party program to transform Windows 8.1 into a usuable Windows OS? I mean how many different 3rd party software do you have right now installed on your main PC right now?

 

[captaindiptoad]

I saw them on some videos of it,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A8vcgZKLW4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdY3suSBzcg

It appears that, depending where you get the software, certain programs\addons come pre-installed. But I still see nothing that shows me how to link it to my HD on another computer.


Hmm... plex looks similar as it has integrated libraries and such...

GeeXbox looks good. I think I will go with that.

I like to download 3rd party things that are fully functional, not modifying something. I shouldn't have to modify WIN, it should just work the same way every time.

So far on my computer I have
Origin, Uplay, Steam
VLC, MusicBee
Malwarebytes, AVG, Revo Uninstaller, Spybot S&D, CCleaner
Mumble, Skype, TS3, Ventrilo
OpenOffice, Chrome
YTD Video Downloader, Flac Squisher, Tuneup
UTorrent, Peerblock

Literally none of these programs alter the look/feel of WIN. On WIN8 I literally have to D/L 3rd party apps just to get my freaking startbutton and taksbar to work the way they where intended to work.

On a side note, for the life of me I cannot figure out how to bring up DXDIAG on WIN8. And eveything else is hard a fuck to find and navigate.

 

[Dangman]

I saw them on some videos of it,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A8vcgZKLW4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdY3suSBzcg

It appears that, depending where you get the software, certain programs\addons come pre-installed.

That's just the customization that other people did to their Kodi install.

But I still see nothing that shows me how to link it to my HD on another computer.

Same way you share anything with Linux. That's something you have to look up.

Hmm... plex looks similar as it has integrated libraries and such...

No it doesn't. Just to be clear: What exactly do you mean by "integrated libraries"?

I like to download 3rd party things that are fully functional, not modifying something. I shouldn't have to modify WIN, it should just work the same way every time.

So far on my computer I have
Origin, Uplay, Steam
VLC, MusicBee
Malwarebytes, AVG, Revo Uninstaller, Spybot S&D, CCleaner
Mumble, Skype, TS3, Ventrilo
OpenOffice, Chrome
YTD Video Downloader, Flac Squisher, Tuneup
UTorrent, Peerblock

Literally none of these programs alter the look/feel of WIN. On WIN8 I literally have to D/L 3rd party apps just to get my freaking startbutton and taksbar to work the way they where intended to work.

One extra program dude. If you're annoyed this much about adding one extra program to modify Windows to your liking, Linux is going to be a real pain for you. Considering that one program makes Windows 8.1 far more useful, I'm not seeing what's the big deal is. Yes it sucks that it requires a 3rd party app but again it's just one 3rd party app for an OS that has under the hood performance improvements over Windows 7 and far easier to install and use than most Linux distributions.

 

[captaindiptoad]

When I say "integrated libraries" i'm not sure what term to use. What i'm referring to is that it acts like netflix in that it connects to some library on some server somewhere that's not mine.

The WIN8 thing is less of an "inconvenience thing" and more of a... I hate you microsoft for making a crappy product and I will never support it. I'm skipping it and going straight to WIN10. which looks much better.

In the meantime I think that using linux will be a good alternative. I also want to learn it and maybe some day make this thing into a steambox.

The Geexbox looks good. I will stick with that.

 

[captaindiptoad]

So back to the build, This is what we have so far

Case - 300R (buying 750D ($150) recycling old case) $100
MOBO - Azrock H987m $75
CPU - Pentium G3220 $60
RAM - Gskill (2x2) 4GB 1333 MHz $35
PSU - Seasonic SSR-650RM $100
Disk - Asus DVD/RW $20
Interwebs - Asus Dual band N600 $35
SSD - 850 EVO 120GB $80
TOTAL $500 ($550) S+H+T $600

 

[Dangman]

When I say "integrated libraries" i'm not sure what term to use. What i'm referring to is that it acts like netflix in that it connects to some library on some server somewhere that's not mine.

Wholly incorrect. That's not the right terms. Netflix is a steaming media service, not a video player per se. In any case, Kodi doesn't access streaming services by default.

The Geexbox looks good. I will stick with that.

I really don't recommend it to be honest: It uses an older version of XBMC. In fact, it's two versions behind Kodi which is what XBMC was renamed to after it was realized that it was now odd calling software XBMC when it could not run on any Xboxes.

In the meantime I think that using linux will be a good alternative. I also want to learn it and maybe some day make this thing into a steambox..

You can technically do that now if you use Windows. Steamboxes aren't anything special. If you have Windows, Steam with Big Picture mode enabled, and a PC hooked up to a TV, voila, there's a Steambox. Bonus points if you have controllers.

So back to the build, This is what we have so far

Case - 300R (buying 750D ($150) recycling old case) $100
MOBO - Azrock H987m $75
CPU - Pentium G3220 $60
RAM - Gskill (2x2) 4GB 1333 MHz $35
PSU - Seasonic SSR-650RM $100
Disk - Asus DVD/RW $20
Interwebs - Asus Dual band N600 $35
SSD - 850 EVO 120GB $80
TOTAL $500 ($550) S+H+T $600

Up the RAM to a single stick 8GB as more RAM doesn't hurt and it leaves you more room for upgrades. Besides you're already going overkill on the PSU so might as well get a more useful overkill:
$60 - Crucial Ballistix BLS8G3D1609ES2LX0 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

If you stick with that Asus wireless adapter, this is what you'll have to do get it to work in Linux:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2203226

 

[captaindiptoad]

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2203226
Well that looks like fun.
How often do you have to reinstall stuff when you update your os on linux/unbuntu? lol

Ok Ill probably go with Kodi then if its been updated more.

Changed the ram out.

 

[Dangman]

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2203226
Well that looks like fun.
How often do you have to reinstall stuff when you update your os on linux/unbuntu? lol

Not often. Every once in a while.

Changed the ram out.

One last thing for the hardware side:
At$80, that SSD is a bit expensive for that small amount of space. So either drop down to this SSD:
$63 - Crucial MX100 128GB SSD

Or upgrade to this SSD:
$105 - Crucial MX100 256GB SSD

Either way, you'll do far better from a price to performance standpoint.

 

[captaindiptoad]

Thanks for all your help dangman!

Parts are on their way!

 

[Dangman]

Good luck with the build!