HTPC

spenncerr

spenncerr

spenncerr

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Joined
4 Jul 2011
Posts
690
Location
United Kingdom
Hey!

I'm going to university in September this year and I'm taking a 32" HD TV with me, I plan on taking my PC in my signature but I'm interested in building a HTPC to connect to the TV to act as a media center, probably some sort of Linux Distro/Win 7 and XBMC - not sure yet.

I'd like it to be able to play DVD files and music and general web browsing with a Wireless Mouse/Keyboard.

Would it be possible to connect it to my PC to pull the files from that?

I'm looking to spend in the region of £300-400 max. I don't currently have anything I can recycle. But I could have a Processor and a Motherboard but i'm not sure they will be up to the job.

Cheers!
 
 
I can get the storage from elsewhere.

Would I need any sort of GPU?

Edit: And is there any need for the PSU? The case comes with a 500w.
 
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For a simple browser & xbmc system, I don't think you can do better than a Shuttle XT35GTV2. Atom processor, Nvidia graphics, A4 vertical footprint. It has 2 internal SATA ports so you can install HDD/SSD and a second slot you can install either a slim DVD/Blu Ray or a second HDD. I've just put one together running xbmc and it cost £250 including 30GB SSD and 2GB memory (which is plenty if you're running Linux). The thing is totally passive and has a small lump-in-powercord adapter.
 
Ideally you want the next chipset up. The A75 it will add HDMI support, seeing as you want to run it through a HDTV it will make your life easier
 
Given that you already have a pretty high spec system that you'll also be taking I'd be tempted to go for something with very low power consumption especially if it'll be acting as a server and on 24/7. I use and AMD Zacate board in im my HTPC and for media playback it's perfectly fine. Runs XMBC on Windows 7 flawlessly. You could transfer your media storage drives from your existing PC to the server rather than trying to access it vice versa as that'll surely negate the point of a new system to act as a server?

Depending on the amount of storage you need and number of 3.5" drives there are plenty of HTPC AV receiver style cases although if you plan on adding more than two 3.5" drives you'll probably need to go with a more traditional mini-tower or a very large HTPC case.
 
spenncerr said:
@ Shadow_boxer

Can you give me a run down of the specs on your HTPC?
Click to expand...

Asus E350M1-I Deluxe (passive)
4GB RAM 1333MHz
Crucial M4 64GB SSD
Samsung F4 2TB
******** Vision Media Center Case (competitor) ;)
Silverstone/FSP 300W SFX PSU
LG Blu Ray ROM

Boots into XBMC in around 12 seconds. Browsing menus with XBMC is perfectly fine but occasionally when browsing firefox with a few windows open and some applications in the background it does become slightly sluggish. Playing back large 1080p mkv rips is flawless with the integrated Radeon HD6310.
 
Hi there,

You have probably already considered this, but howabout just using your existing PC and run a long HDMI cable to the TV? You can run XBMC so it defaults to run fullscreen on the second monitor (the TV). When running a sandy bridge CPU and HD 6870 just for playing HD videos it should run rather quiet (as they will both almost be idling) and the total power usage isn't going to be too much (buying a new low-power HTPC would take years to break even in terms of power costs saved) -plus if you plan to use your main PC as the file server then the power consumption benefit of a separate HTPC goes away.
 
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Thanks Shadow_boxer.

@ cmndr_andi

I've considered it but I'm unsure really. I've already got a 23 and 22" monitor hooked to my 6870, attaching a third monitor via HDMI may become a bit much for it? I'm not sure.

I've always wanted to build a second PC anyway, and this is a good excuse to do so. I'll take it into consideration though ;) I could always spend the money towards a better GPU instead! :D
 
spenncerr said:
@ cmndr_andi

I've considered it but I'm unsure really. I've already got a 23 and 22" monitor hooked to my 6870, attaching a third monitor via HDMI may become a bit much for it? I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

You would think so, but it really won't be an issue unless you start trying to play games across all three screens.

Just running a third monitor to run HD video will hardly affect your performance - even if you are playing a game at the same time. My friend with the less powerful HD 5830 1GB currently does this and it works great (his third monitor is also a HD TV).

The only bit of extra kit you will need (apart from the long HDMI cable) is an active mini-DP to DVI adapter - assuming your model 6870 uses the mini-DP instead of full-size DP (which you will attach between the graphics card and one of your DVI monitors). This is required for running a third monitor - since the standard DVI and HDMI ports on these HD 5000/6000/7000 cards can only drive two monitors in total - you need to use a displayport output to run more than two.
 
Excellent, thanks mate. I'll take that into consideration.

I'm either going to go down the HTPC route (more likely) or just go ahead and upgrade my GPU :)
 
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