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Sub-$300 HTPC

S

ssbsts

n00b
Joined
Oct 6, 2006
Messages
50
I have been out of the HTPC game for a bit and a friend of mine recently asked me to help him build one. His requirements are as follows: Record OTA ATSC signal (720p/1080i), wifi connectivity, HDMI out to his TV, and the ability to access iTunes and ESPN3. I admit I don't know all the latest and greatest but have been reading here and AVS and came up with the following list...

NewEgg Wish List


Right now its ~$312+taxes and it still needs $30 for OS (Win7 student deal) and ~$25 for wireless keyboard/mouse. So he is $60-70 over his (super tight) budget. Can anyone see any spots where I could reduce the price a bit? Shave some here or there, or do I just have to tell him, "Look, with a budget like that you get what you pay for?".

Thanks

Rosewill RNX-G1 A-Type USB 2.0 Wireless Black Dongle w/ External 2dBi SMA Antenna
KWorld ATSC TV Stick UB435-Q USB 2.0 Interface
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Antec Basiq BP350 350W ATX12V v2.01 Power Supply
Kingston ValueRAM 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model KVR1333D3K2/4GR
MSI H61M-E33 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium G620 Sandy Bridge 2.6GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623G620
HEC 6T Series 6T18BB Black 0.6mm SECC MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
Subtotal: $312.92
 
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Save $15 and get 2GB of RAM.
AMD X2 250 for $60 and MSI 880GM-E41 for $50 (after $15 rebate) saves you $38.

So, those together puts you at about $55 less, after rebate. Getting a used hard drive or mouse/keyboard could also save money (tons of us have stuff like that just laying around). Another option would be to get an Ion/Zacate sort of solution, where the CPU/GPU and motherboard are all together. I don't know much about what to recommend, or even if something in the sub-$100 range would do well with HD content. But maybe someone else knows more about those products and can say if that is a viable solution or not. Just some thoughts.
 
Another option, get a scratch and dent/refurbished Dell Inspiron 560/570 for $259. Use the 15% off coupon to bring it down to $220 (I think the coupon expires tomorrow, but they come and go frequently). Tax depends on your state. Then just buy the tuner and wireless dongles. Comes with the OS and mouse and keyboard (not wireless). The Dell Outlet stock changes frequently also, so deals come and go as the particular models and options come and go.
 
Also remember to factor in shipping costs as well. With large items like the case they can start to add up. Maybe consider a free Linux HTPC OS, but that might be too hard to set up and run if he is not used to linux.
 
thanks for the input. im not opposed to amd/ati and/or linux. but i would like to make sure this setup just works for him as he is not particularly tech savvy. I have used mythtv for many years, but flash (espn3) leaves a lot to be desired and as that is one of his main requirements im not sure it would be a good recommendation for him. Also he needs to use iTunes, which I guess he could run through Wine, but again its not an optimal solution. From an OS perspective I think it will be win7.
 
demografik, i like the recommendation. Do you personally have this setup? Can you vouch for Flash performance, specifically ESPN3? My friend is intent on using itunes on his setup as well, any chance you have any experience running itunes on your htpc and if so, is it fairly smooth?

I read that anything that is accelerated with the IGP is very smooth, but things that are not, i.e. an application like itunes might not perform so well.

Thanks for the input!
 
I like the idea of the e-350 + the Sugo case. The e-350 should be able to handle the needs you've mentioned and the Sugo case, while pricey, is a case worth keeping from build to build to build.

As far as I'm concerned, there are two things you shouldn't skimp on - the case and the monitor - as those are the two things you replace the least often.
 
ssbsts said:
demografik, i like the recommendation. Do you personally have this setup? Can you vouch for Flash performance, specifically ESPN3? My friend is intent on using itunes on his setup as well, any chance you have any experience running itunes on your htpc and if so, is it fairly smooth?

I read that anything that is accelerated with the IGP is very smooth, but things that are not, i.e. an application like itunes might not perform so well.

Thanks for the input!
Click to expand...

i do. i can't vouch for ESPN3 or itunes but HD youtube videos stream just fine. i use it for XBMC almost exclusively. if you want me to test something specifically, i'd be happy to. send me a PM.
 
For recording, I do not recommend the E-350 unless the tuner is able to handle the recording without off-loading work to the cpu.
 
Vengance_01 said:
For recording, I do not recommend the E-350 unless the tuner is able to handle the recording without off-loading work to the cpu.
Click to expand...

Wow. Do they still make crappy software tuners? I haven't seen them since everything went digital. ATSC/QAM has minimal CPU impact since it's already a digital signal.

The only reason to think about going with a Fusion/E-350 is for Netflix HD stream since Silverlight is broken for GPU acceleration for now (update later this year).
 
I personally build an HTPC around January and it cost me less than $300 for part. I spent the most on the case because I wanted it to blend in with the TV stand and all. I got the Antec MicroFusion 350 with build-in power supply.

Specs:
AMD X2 245
Biostar 880G mATX w/ intergrated graphics and HDMI out
Antec MicroFusion w/ 350w power supply
Western Digital Green 2TB
4GB Corsair XMS3 RAM

If you pick a cheaper case with power supply built in, should be no problem =D The only regret I have with this case is that it only has one HDD bay, so I put the biggest HDD I could in it. Hence the 2TB, I could always go external if I needed more. For a low budget build, you would want to go AMD.
 
Uh, both of those are highly under powered for an HTPC. I wouldn't touch either of them due to pure crappiness.
 
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