First attempt at a HTPC

[manny1222]

I had been thinking of doing some upgrades on my gaming rig, but I decided to venture into the world of HTPCs. Still in the process of convincing my girlfriend that it is needed . One request at this time is that if fits in with the rest of the entertainment center (you know, not look awkward)

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
HTPC, file server.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Was hoping not to spend more than $400 shipped, but I don't know if it is possible

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US, Michigan - 65 miles from microcenter

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
Case, Mobo, CPU, GPU, PSU, Blue ray drive, Hard drive(s)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Kingston HyperX 2x4gb 1333

6) Will you be overclocking?
Nope, don't think i need to

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1080p, 50 inch Plasma TV

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
November 8 (hopefully have enough after bills are paid)

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
HDMI, maybe RAID?

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I'm not sure if I'm able to use the same one I'm using on my gaming rig. I'm hoping I can. If not, guess I need one. It's OEM W7 HP 64bit


This is what I've come up with so far.
https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=18218551
I know the ceton is what's driving my cost up, but I figure if I'm building a HTPC, I'll make full use of it and get rid of my cable box. I could also wait on the Blue ray drive, since my PS3 is sitting in the living room for now, and just use one the old IDE DVD drives I have laying around here somewhere. I figure the APU is a good way to go to cover both cpu and gpu, and should be enough for any media needs from a HTPC. I was gonna get two 1TB HDDs for RAID1, but I'll start with one for now. I realize my current total is above my intended budget, but that's why I'm coming to [H] for help. Tried to search for similar products on microcenter website, but their prices where not any better.

 

[wtburnette]

Link takes me to my wish list, not yours...

Without knowing your parts, I'll say good luck. I have a similar setup in my living room. A 50" HDTV with my PS3 hooked up for Blu-Ray playback and my HTPC with a Ceton card in it for watching TV and acting as a DVR. The setup works very well. I have it running through my Onkyo receiver going out to a 5.1 speaker setup and it's great. I absolutely love the Ceton card and it does a great job, paired with Win 7 and WMC. I occasionally have to unplug my video card and plug it back in (the mini HDMI cable) as it tends to lose the signal, but otherwise the system works great. I'm using spare parts I had lying around, a Q6600, 4GB RAM, a GTX 460SE all in a standard mid-tower case. I started out with a 1TB hard drive, but found I was keeping more stuff recorded so I added a 2TB drive as well. Good luck with your build

 

[Dangman]

As wtburnette pointed out, that link takes me to MY wishlists, not yours.

Just post a list of the parts.

With that said, considering that you're planning on building in November and you want to save money, it's a tad too early to start planning since Newegg's October combo deals expire at the end of the month and we don't know what Newegg's November combo deals will be until November 2nd at the earliest. So if you can't buy in October at all, please come back on November 2nd and we'll see if Newegg's November combo deals are fully out then.

 

[manny1222]

Sorry I guess I didn't do something right. Here they are

Case $51.99 + $9.99 shipping
Mobo $49.99 + $6.98 shipping
CPU $64.99
PSU $44.99 (before $20.00 MIR - if still applicable when I buy)
HDD $59.99
BD-ROM $54.99
Tuner Card $199.99

Total: $526.93 + $16.97 shipping (before $20.00 MIR)

 

[Dangman]

So no chance of buying any part before November?

Yeah your $400 planned budget isn't happening here if you want to keep that Ceton. You're already going with lowest-end but still decent parts possible. Any lower and you're just getting shit quality. Also, you will have to buy a new SATA DVD drive since no FM2 mobo has IDE.

 

[manny1222]

I think I have a couple of IDE to SATA converters so that shouldn't be a problem. I guess I could go with the Hauppauge 2250 or 2650 which are cheaper but only dual tuners instead of the quad of the ceton.

 

[manny1222]

I decided to slowly pick up the parts for this build, saving a lump sum might be impossible. I just got a good deal on a i3 2100. Is the integrated graphics good enough for a media streaming and live tv @ 1080P? Just wondering if I still need a GPU.
I also got a Biostar H61ML which I just noticed comes with a 4 pin auxiliary CPU power port (instead of I think 8). Do I need a special psu for this or will the CX430 somehow still work?
Edit: just checked out the corsair website and its 4+4.

 

[beto]

I decided to slowly pick up the parts for this build, saving a lump sum might be impossible. I just got a good deal on a i3 2100. Is the integrated graphics good enough for a media streaming and live tv @ 1080P? Just wondering if I still need a GPU.
I also got a Biostar H61ML which I just noticed comes with a 4 pin auxiliary CPU power port (instead of I think 8). Do I need a special psu for this or will the CX430 somehow still work?

The IGP on the i3-2100 should be fine. It isn't the best out there but you shouldn't need a discrete GPU I don't think. And that is a good question about the CX430. It doesn't appear to have a 4pin connector. Is there a molex to 4pin adapter or something out there? Hopefully Danny will chime in about that PSU. He is big on not skimping on the PSU and seemingly knows the different models well.

Edit to add: This is the PSU he recommended to me a couple weeks ago. It has a 4 pin (2 actually in case you need the 8 pin) and it is ~$45 right now with a promo code.

 

[Xonim]

I decided to slowly pick up the parts for this build, saving a lump sum might be impossible. I just got a good deal on a i3 2100. Is the integrated graphics good enough for a media streaming and live tv @ 1080P? Just wondering if I still need a GPU.

The 2100 is plenty for 1080p playback. Won't break a sweat.

You may get some purists saying integrated graphics are no good due to the 24hz vs 23.976hz "bug". Ignore them for now. Try and it and see if you have problems, as most people aren't able to even notice it. If you have problems, it may come up in your research.

 

[J Macker]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
HTPC, file server.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Was hoping not to spend more than $400 shipped, but I don't know if it is possible


Case, Mobo, CPU, GPU, PSU, Blue ray drive, Hard drive(s)

.... I was gonna get two 1TB HDDs for RAID1, but I'll start with one for now.

File server and $400 just doesn't add up.

That's only part of the base cost for a home file server. I figure the cost of my home server is well over $1200. But I have 19 TB now.

 

[Dangman]

I decided to slowly pick up the parts for this build, saving a lump sum might be impossible.

Why is it impossible?

I just got a good deal on a i3 2100.

For how much?

Is the integrated graphics good enough for a media streaming and live tv @ 1080P?

Yes.

Do I need a special psu for this or will the CX430 somehow still work?
Edit: just checked out the corsair website and its 4+4.

The CX430 will still work.

 

[manny1222]

The IGP on the i3-2100 should be fine. It isn't the best out there but you shouldn't need a discrete GPU I don't think. And that is a good question about the CX430. It doesn't appear to have a 4pin connector. Is there a molex to 4pin adapter or something out there? Hopefully Danny will chime in about that PSU. He is big on not skimping on the PSU and seemingly knows the different models well.

Edit to add: This is the PSU he recommended to me a couple weeks ago. It has a 4 pin (2 actually in case you need the 8 pin) and it is ~$45 right now with a promo code.

I think the CX430 should still be fine. I don't imagine I'll be using all that power

File server and $400 just doesn't add up.

That's only part of the base cost for a home file server. I figure the cost of my home server is well over $1200. But I have 19 TB now.

I did realize after the original post that it was unrealistic, which is part of the reason why I'm planning to slowly put it together

Why is it impossible?

For how much?

Yes.

The CX430 will still work.

I guess impossible isn't the word to use here. I just have a lot going on right now, and coming up with a reasonable amount all at once might not be feasible for me right now. If I miss out on fast food and my energy drinks (I drink a lot of em, I guess since I don't drink coffee), I can afford to pick up something every other week or every month.

I got the i3 2100 and a H61ML for $115 shipped.

If the integrated graphics is good enough for all that including blue ray playback, I'll be happy to just use it, at least for now until like someone said, it starts to bug me.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

That's a nice tuner card.

 

[manny1222]

That's a nice tuner card.

I know, right?