Cheap HTPC

syke · 10 Feb 2007 at 23:56

Looking to buy a cheap HTPC for my room.

Just wanting it to play DVD's and Downloaded Movies etc, so doesnt need to be that great of a spec, although will be used for Internet Browsing etc.

Been looking at the Mac Mini but not sure yet.

Budget is £500-600 including 19-22" Monitor.

Operating System not needed. Keyboard/Mouse preferably in budget, and wireless too if possible.

What do you guys recommend?

Needs to be quiet, and good enough to play movies & general use occasionally.

TIA

Adam

squiffy · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:01

A basic single core or dual core (AM2 X2 dead cheap now might as well) 1GB RAM, MATX with onboard Nvidia 6150 will do. Add quiet PSU and case of your choice. Since it'll be a HTPC you need remote control and receiver, that's £22.

Just build up that sort of spec PC. As for case, the Antec NSK2400 will be suitable, comes with a PSU as well. Add a quiet CPU cooler that fits. Done.

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:02

squiffy said:
A basic single core or dual core (AM2 X2 dead cheap now might as well) 1GB RAM, MATX with onboard Nvidia 6150 will do. Add quiet PSU and case of your choice. Since it'll be a HTPC you need remote control and receiver, that's £22.

Just build up that sort of spec PC. As for case, the Antec NSK2400 will be suitable, comes with a PSU as well. Add a quiet CPU cooler that fits. Done.

Similar to what i was thinking, but the NSK2400 isnt that 'small' though is it?

I mean i dont need it to be THAT small but i wouldnt want something overly chunky.

Would it be worth considering the Mac Mini or go PC Based?

squiffy · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:06

I hate Mac's.

But at least you can build up PC spec as you need it. The Antec NSK2400 is about the size of the VCR. But at least it has standard ATX PSU and space around the CPU for a larger cooler and two 12cm case fans.

If you get a small cramped case it means PSU will be non standard with tiny fan, case fans will be 6 or 8cm, therefore loud and low amount of airflow. And you're limited to CPU cooler too. So the smaller case will probably end up louder.

I have a Silverstone TJ-08, the two case fans are at 7v, fitted a coolermaster 12cm fan to the CPU at 7v, passive mobo, I can use a ATI X300 to get S-video output that's passive too. Seasonic S12, silent. Loudest now are the two hard drives. It's pretty darn quiet with the two HD's disconnected.

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:11

Ive never used a Mac, but the size of it seems the selling point.

Main reason for a HTPC for me, is it to be small & have some power behind it, when needed. Any spec with monitor/case that you'd recommend?

squiffy · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:20

Add in the cost of more memory and a larger HD and it's not that cheap. Connectivity is pretty lousy, at least coming from HTPC viewpoint. At £400+ it's not cheap.

Forget hardware upgradability on the Mac. For £530 I can build (base unit only)

Pioneer DVR-111BK 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Black) OEM £18.99
(£22.31) £18.99
(£22.31)
Antec NSK2400 Desktop Case - 380W SmartPower PSU £51.99
(£61.09) £51.99
(£61.09)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ 2.00GHz (Socket AM2) - OEM £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Asus M2NPV-VM Micro ATX (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB 3200KS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £51.99
(£61.09) £51.99
(£61.09)
Corsair 1GB DDR2 Value Select PC5300 Dual Channel Kit (2x512MB) (VS1GBKIT667D2) ( £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre 2005 Remote Controller £19.99
(£23.49) £19.99
(£23.49)
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music 7.1 Soundcard - OEM £43.50
(£51.11) £43.50
(£51.11)
Zalman CNPS7000B-CU Ultra-Quiet CPU Cooler with Blue LED - Retail £21.99
(£25.84) £21.99
(£25.84)
Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB 5000AAKS SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM £79.99
(£93.99) £79.99
(£93.99)
Sub Total : £448.41
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.95
Vat : £80.39
Total : £539.75

Granted it's bigger. But you WILL need the space, I have 320+250GB in the HTPC and I still need more. 200GB for music, and the rest of re-encoded movies. Obviously bundled price to match the higher specced mac mini. 512MB on the mac isn't enough.

oh just noticed accidentally added two hard drives, so that's 500GB + 320GB for the same price as the mac 80GB? 2.5" probably. Since you're on a lower budget remove one hard drive. If you're not fussed with sound quality ditch X-Fi for onboard. That's about £140 quid already saved.

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:24

Good spec but will take price to around £700 with Monitor.

Dont need 320GB, as if needed i can use an External. The unit will be for just Movies, as it will be to play DVD's and Stored Movies if needed.

squiffy · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:29

How's this? Removed both hard drives for a 2.5" laptop drive. Might want to replace Pioneer with a quieter DVD.

Pioneer DVR-111BK 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Black) OEM £18.99
(£22.31) £18.99
(£22.31)
Antec NSK2400 Desktop Case - 380W SmartPower PSU £51.99
(£61.09) £51.99
(£61.09)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ 2.00GHz (Socket AM2) - OEM £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Asus M2NPV-VM Micro ATX (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Corsair 1GB DDR2 Value Select PC5300 Dual Channel Kit (2x512MB) (VS1GBKIT667D2) ( £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre 2005 Remote Controller £19.99
(£23.49) £19.99
(£23.49)
Zalman CNPS7000B-CU Ultra-Quiet CPU Cooler with Blue LED - Retail £21.99
(£25.84) £21.99
(£25.84)
Western Digital Scorpio 60GB WD600VE 2.5" 8MB Cache HDD - OEM £36.99
(£43.46) £36.99
(£43.46)
Sub Total : £309.92
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.95
Vat : £56.15
Total : £377.02

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:33

squiffy said:
How's this? Removed both hard drives for a 2.5" laptop drive. Might want to replace Pioneer with a quieter DVD.

Pioneer DVR-111BK 16x16 DVD±RW Dual Layer ReWriter - (Black) OEM £18.99
(£22.31) £18.99
(£22.31)
Antec NSK2400 Desktop Case - 380W SmartPower PSU £51.99
(£61.09) £51.99
(£61.09)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3800+ 2.00GHz (Socket AM2) - OEM £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Asus M2NPV-VM Micro ATX (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £49.99
(£58.74) £49.99
(£58.74)
Corsair 1GB DDR2 Value Select PC5300 Dual Channel Kit (2x512MB) (VS1GBKIT667D2) ( £54.99
(£64.61) £54.99
(£64.61)
Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre 2005 Remote Controller £19.99
(£23.49) £19.99
(£23.49)
Zalman CNPS7000B-CU Ultra-Quiet CPU Cooler with Blue LED - Retail £21.99
(£25.84) £21.99
(£25.84)
Western Digital Scorpio 60GB WD600VE 2.5" 8MB Cache HDD - OEM £36.99
(£43.46) £36.99
(£43.46)
Sub Total : £309.92
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
City Link Parcel Next Day (Delivered Mon-Fri)
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.95
Vat : £56.15
Total : £377.02

Thats not too bad actually.

But the main selling point (personally) with the Mac Mini is how small it is, and the freedom to add an External if needed.

I hear the Mac Mini is very quiet too.

Although, for the price of that i guess it may even be better to just get that.

Would it be worth looking at a shuttle?

squiffy · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:39

Shuttle's work out considerbly more. I've removed the case and motherboard from that spec, and added. the £217 A64 Shuttle. Total is now £472.

Not forgetting working in shuttles is a pig. MATX is a nice size that provides plenty of room to work in without requring double jointed hands.

What's the big deal about size? Just push it to one side or fit it into racking system. Unless you live in a cupboard I think in the long run you will prefer MATX for upgradability/ease of fitting.

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 00:43

squiffy said:
Shuttle's work out considerbly more. I've removed the case and motherboard from that spec, and added. the £217 A64 Shuttle. Total is now £472.

Not forgetting working in shuttles is a pig. MATX is a nice size that provides plenty of room to work in without requring double jointed hands.

What's the big deal about size? Just push it to one side or fit it into racking system. Unless you live in a cupboard I think in the long run you will prefer MATX for upgradability/ease of fitting.

True,

Another idea is to use my laptop with an external Monitor.

Although the laptop does come with a remote and Media Centre..im not sure whether there would be any delay by using the 2nd monitor?

I dont mind paying extra for a HTPC, but perhaps the idea of the laptop is just as good?

That first spec sounded perfect though.

The laptop specs are:

C2D 1.66ghz
2GB RAM
120GB HDD
Media Centre + Remote

Perhaps i should look into paying extra for a larger Monitor instead of the HTPC?

Dark_Angel · 11 Feb 2007 at 01:20

Why not just get the cheapest stuff possible.

An old Socket A Barton would even be enough for playing DVDs and the like. Even go to MM and see if anyone has any stuff that would be useful.

afraser2k · 11 Feb 2007 at 09:45

If it's just for DVD/move file playback then you don't need to spend £500-£600 on one. I'm running Windows MCE 2005 on the following:

Shuttle SB75G2
Intel P4 2.4GHz 'Northwood' CPU
1x512Mb Crucial PC2700 DDR
1x300Gb Maxtor SATA hard disk
NEC ND-2500A DVD+RW
Hauppauge HVR-3000 TV Card

It copes with DVD/movies no problem and recorded from my old NTL box until I upgraded to TV Drive earlier this year, so try and look in the Members Market for second-hand parts that will suit you. You don't even need MCE 2005 as you could get away with using MediaPortal.

I think you only need a powerful setup if you're encoding DVDs or recording HDTV?

Will_3rd · 11 Feb 2007 at 10:03

The mini is good choice unless you want to play DVDs then it becomes significantly more expensive with the addition of a DVD burner.

But then again it does have Front Row software on it.

The mini is also perfectly upgradeable the RAM, HDD and Optical Drive can be replaced it just proves more difficult because to make it that small it is highly engineered and everything is compacted together.

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 12:45

afraser2k said:
If it's just for DVD/move file playback then you don't need to spend £500-£600 on one. I'm running Windows MCE 2005 on the following:

Shuttle SB75G2
Intel P4 2.4GHz 'Northwood' CPU
1x512Mb Crucial PC2700 DDR
1x300Gb Maxtor SATA hard disk
NEC ND-2500A DVD+RW
Hauppauge HVR-3000 TV Card

It copes with DVD/movies no problem and recorded from my old NTL box until I upgraded to TV Drive earlier this year, so try and look in the Members Market for second-hand parts that will suit you. You don't even need MCE 2005 as you could get away with using MediaPortal.

I think you only need a powerful setup if you're encoding DVDs or recording HDTV?

True, i could look at perhaps getting an Old S939 System, they can be had cheap nowadays?

Will have a look at whats on offer.

What sort of spec should i be looking at minimum?

512mb..1gb ram?
160-320GB HDD?

Edit:

Just found an old Socket A 2800+ lying around, with an A78NX-Deluxe Motherboard, and 2x256mb ram. Should i look at using this and replace the ram perhaps?

Although would this restrict the use of a HTPC case?

TIA.

afraser2k · 11 Feb 2007 at 13:36

I think a s939 system would be ideal for a HTPC setup. They are very cheap at the moment as people are getting rid of them for Core 2 Duo and I think 512 Mb memory would be minimum, 1 Gb would be ideal. Hard disk space really depends on how much you want to store on hard disk rather than backup to DVD as I have done. If that's the case then even 80 Gb would be suitable, though most DVD recorders seem to have 160 Gb these days.

If the deluxe motherboard is ATX then you could look at Silverstone HTPC cases though a little expensive most look very nice, or perhaps the Zalman range. If it's a MicroATX board then maybe the Antec Fusion as it's a fair bit cheaper. Also consider the space for TV card and video card for TV-Out.

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 14:03

afraser2k said:
I think a s939 system would be ideal for a HTPC setup. They are very cheap at the moment as people are getting rid of them for Core 2 Duo and I think 512 Mb memory would be minimum, 1 Gb would be ideal. Hard disk space really depends on how much you want to store on hard disk rather than backup to DVD as I have done. If that's the case then even 80 Gb would be suitable, though most DVD recorders seem to have 160 Gb these days.

If the deluxe motherboard is ATX then you could look at Silverstone HTPC cases though a little expensive most look very nice, or perhaps the Zalman range. If it's a MicroATX board then maybe the Antec Fusion as it's a fair bit cheaper. Also consider the space for TV card and video card for TV-Out.

Yeah, its ATX.

Although i now remember it having problems, so maybe ill perhaps look at getting a S939 System.

What would a cheap P4 system be like? (the £30-50 processors in OcUK).

Or perhaps go for a decentish system used on MM or something?

As well as this, at a later date i could upgrade it too i guess.

Chingoo · 11 Feb 2007 at 17:26

£500-600 for something that you simply want to play DVD's, Mpeg4, H264 ..etc is overkill tbh.

A second-hand Xbox and modchip can be had for £50 and unless you want it to play >720p HD it's the perfect solution imho. XBMC ruleZ

Roll-on XBMC360

syke · 11 Feb 2007 at 17:38

Chingoo said:
snip

Yes but i do want to have some HD Movies and also Rips, so i want large storage. It will be used for general use occasionally too. Just mostly movies.

Chingoo · 11 Feb 2007 at 17:44

Syk3 said:
Yes but i do want to have some HD Movies and also Rips, so i want large storage. It will be used for general use occasionally too. Just mostly movies.

You can put a 750Gb Hard-drive in a modded Xbox if you like, personally I have a 320Gb Seagate but thats pretty much filled up with all my Xbox games so that I don't have to keep getting the discs out. For films I simply stream them from my media server/downloader which has 2TB of storage :eek:

(Although there is nothing stopping you from filling up the Xbox HD with films)

And it does play HD but not anything greater than 720p