Component advice for a HTPC

hohingday · 3 Mar 2011 at 17:13

Hi All,

I am looking to build a HTPC to watch 1080p content.
I will also later purchase a surround sound system to go with it.

I have been looking at this following link:
http://mymediaexperience.com/guide-to-build-optimal-htpc-in-2010/

But I was looking for a second opinion on parts.

The only thing I have decided on so far is the Antec Fusion Remote Black Case

Many Thanks in advance for the help.

Grimley · 3 Mar 2011 at 17:57

Budget?

Brian8bit · 3 Mar 2011 at 18:02

You really don't need an i3 to playback 1080p media. The AMD Hudson M1 APUs are looking like the best bang for buck HTPC base going and of course there's Atom/ION. Not only that, but they can be passively cooled, which is ideal for an HTPC in a living room environment.

hohingday · 3 Mar 2011 at 18:50

Budget is upto 500, however the htpc will be for pure media so I don't want to pay over the odds for components I don't need!

hohingday · 3 Mar 2011 at 18:57

The AMD Hudson looks interesting, will they really play everthing with no probs?

In terms of sound, how does onboard compare to a dedicated card?

Nameless_87 · 3 Mar 2011 at 19:17

hohingday said:
The AMD Hudson looks interesting, will they really play everthing with no probs?

In terms of sound, how does onboard compare to a dedicated card?

I'm in the same boat as you, and what I learned is that if you are going to buy an AVR and 5.1 surround speakers, you do not need a sound card as the decoding would be done by the AVR.

hohingday · 4 Mar 2011 at 15:34

This is what im thinking, what are peoples thoughts?

Antec Fusion Remote HTPC Case - Black Antec Fusion Remote HTPC Case - Black £138.88
(£115.73) £138.88
(£115.73)
Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail Intel Core i3-2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £93.59
(£77.99) £93.59
(£77.99)
Asus P8H67-M Pro Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 MicroATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) Asus P8H67-M Pro Intel H67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 MicroATX Motherboard - (Sandybridge) £81.98
(£68.32) £81.98
(£68.32)
Samsung SpinPoint F4 EcoGreen 2TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD204UI) Samsung SpinPoint F4 EcoGreen 2TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (HD204UI) £68.99
(£57.49) £68.99
(£57.49)
Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM DVDRW DL & RAM Lightscribe SATAII Optical Drive - OEM Black Samsung SH-B123L/BSBP 12x BluRay ROM DVDRW DL & RAM Lightscribe SATAII Optical Drive - OEM Black £47.99
(£39.99) £47.99
(£39.99)
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Ultra Low Voltage Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3P1333C9ELV4GK) OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Ultra Low Voltage Dual Channel Kit (OCZ3P1333C9ELV4GK)