I want to build a very low-cost HCPC. How low can I go?

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Deleted member 68110

Deleted member 68110

I want to build a HCPC and try out Mythbuntu. Ideally it would be able to:-
  • Play DVDs
  • Stream HD to my telly
  • Allow me to watch iPlayer on my telly
  • Surf the net

I was thinking something like this:-

Media Centre barebones including Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo E Chassis, 250W powersupply, socket775 motherboard, 3.0GHz Intel Pentium Processor, 7.1 Audio, LAN, USB - £130
512MB Palit 8400 GS Super, HDMI, PCI-E(x16), Mem 800MHz GDDR2, GPU450MHz, 16Cores, DSub, DL DVI-I - £27.22
A Hauppauge TV card ~ £50
DVD burner ~ £15
1 GB PC3200 DDR400 RAM ~ £30
250GB HDD ~ £30

Total = £300

Does this seem feasible?
 
Product Name Qty Price Line Total
FS-058-AS_60.jpg
Asus T3-P5945GCX Barebones System - Intel Core 2 Duo (LGA775) £105.79
(£91.99) £105.79
(£91.99)
HD-246-WD_60.jpg
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA-II 32MB Cache - OEM (WD10EADS) £76.99
(£66.95) £76.99
(£66.95)
CP-251-IN_60.jpg
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 "LGA775 Core 2" 2.50GHz (800FSB) - Retail £62.09
(£53.99) £62.09
(£53.99)
GX-010-ZT_60.jpg
OcUK GeForce 9500 GT 1024MB DDR2 HDTV/DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £49.44
(£42.99) £49.44
(£42.99)
MY-097-CS_60.jpg
Corsair Value Select 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C5 Dual Channel (VS2GBKIT667D2) £24.14
(£20.99) £24.14
(£20.99)
CD-090-LG_60.jpg
LG GH22NS40 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.99
(£16.51) £18.99
(£16.51) Sub Total : £293.42 Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : FREE VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £45.70 Total : £339.37
 
garnett said:
Media Centre barebones including Fujitsu Siemens Scaleo E Chassis, 250W powersupply, socket775 motherboard, 3.0GHz Intel Pentium Processor, 7.1 Audio, LAN, USB - £130
A Hauppauge TV card ~ £50
DVD burner ~ £15
1 GB PC3200 DDR400 RAM ~ £30
250GB HDD ~ £30

Total = £300

Does this seem feasible?
Click to expand...

One problem I can see is the "fanless cpu cooler" in that Fujitsu box for cooling the Intel Pentium D 630 processor (3.0GHz). Quoting from Wikipedia : "Cedar Mill had a lower heat output than Prescott, with a TDP of 86 W." That's still a whole lot of wattage to get rid of...

I personally would prefer a el cheapo dual-core Core 2 (Celeron) for a HTPC because they much more efficient than the Pentium 4 series. (So the newer CPU is both more responsive and requires less cooling power = quieter rig.)

Another issue is that you might need a 1/2 height graphics card.

Bob
 
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Nope, 6800GT doesnt support bluray in hardware.

Back to the original question, the Pentium D 630 inside that barebones runs very hot, I would guess that case doesnt run very silent as it would need quite a lot of cooling. It does seem good value, but I'd be wary. Its old technology and that's why its cheap.

Maybe buy the thing and hope it supports dual core celerons or something, as they run cool and probably offer simular performance to an old Pentium D.

Ideally you'd want a Nvidia 9300 motherboard or AMD 780G with a low wattage cpu. I'd have media centers going back years, using various configs (old northwoods, Pentium D's, etc), and its only with these newer chipset/cpu combos that I'm finally happy with my setup.
 
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Thanks for all the replies so far. All good info and much appreciated.
RJC said:
garnett better remove the competitor links before a mod see's.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads-up. I ddn't realise (stupidly) that this was a "no no".

However... I won't remove them unless/until a mod says so explicitly because I think KennySevenFold's excellent spec sheet shows how much better a system is available for a similar price from Overclockers.

It's a bit more expensive and I'm trying to do it as cheap as possible but I can trim money of that system by using a smaller hdd (and possibly cutting a few other corners.

An expert has recommended looking at:-

* AMD Athlon X2 5050e Socket AM2 45W Energy Efficient
* ASUS M3N78-EM GeForce 8300 Socket AM2+ VGA DVI HDMI 8-channel Audio MATX Motherboard

Also, because I am an awkward bu@@er, I'm hoping to find a desktop profile case rather than a tower so that my HCPC will fit into my TV Stand...

Any more help and tips gratefully received!
 
You can do without the gfx card by buying a better mobo, saving power and heat. I have an ASUS P5 board with HDMI output that runs fine.
I also wouldnt use a p4, a dual core would help you surf and playback and be cooler and quieter.
I had one of those trackball keyboards and it sucked !
No idea about Ubuntu support for tv card , I guess you have checked that out already ?
 
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Asus P5Q-EM Intel G45 Micro-ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £106.94
(£92.99) £106.94
(£92.99)
In-Win BM648 Mini-ITX Case - Black (120W PSU) £59.98
(£52.16) £59.98
(£52.16)
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2200 "LGA775 Core 2" 2.20GHz (800FSB) - Retail £59.79
(£51.99) £59.79
(£51.99)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500418AS) £43.99
(£38.25) £43.99
(£38.25)
Corsair 2GB (1x2GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C5 200-Pin SODIMM Module (VS2GSDS667D2) £20.69
(£17.99) £20.69
(£17.99)
LG GH22NS40 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.99
(£16.51) £18.99
(£16.51)
Sub Total : £269.89
 
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Sounds like a PS3 fits your needs, Will do everything you want and play blu rays and games. You can also buy a Play TV device for £49 that will let you watch and record digital TV.

Shop round and you will find PS3 and Play TV for £300
 
Thanks a lot. Tim, I like that system a lot.

Pumaz, I like your thinking! However, I'm not sure the missus will welcome a second console into the house! And I want the solution to be as "1 Box" as possible for ease-of-use. I think Mythbuntu is pretty self-contained which means only one GUI to get used to, which I think might be more missus-friendly too!
 
Thanks Tim. I found a different case that wasn't a slimline thing. As I need to incorporate a few other bits in my build costs, at the moment I have:-
  • Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 "LGA775 Core 2" 2.50GHz (800FSB) - Retail £62.09
  • Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H - NVIDIA GeForce 7100 graphics chip, HDMI out £57.49
  • Corsair 2GB (1x2GB) DDR2 PC2-5300C5 200-Pin SODIMM Module (VS2GSDS667D2)£20.69
  • ******** Opera Media Centre Case FULL SIZE ATX & MICRO ATX + POWER SUPPLY ATX-500W £46
  • Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA-II 16MB Cache - OEM (ST3500418AS) £43.99
  • Nova-T 500/Dual Digital Freeview tuner (watch 1 ch, rec 1 ch or rec 2 at same time) w/RC £57.50
  • Keysonic KB-616-RF Wireless multimedia mini keyboard with laser track ball and 2 mouse buttons £31.04
  • LG GH22NS40 22x DVD±RW SATA Dual Layer ReWriter (Black) - OEM £18.99
Total 337.79
 
Dont get the Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H, as the 7100 IGP is rubbish and doesnt do HD.

You need to get a AMD 3200, 9300/9400 or Intel x4500 based IGP if you want solid Bluray/HDTV playback.

Personally I'd get a 780G board with a Athlon 5050e.
 
its a good link,
be careful not to cut corners on the mobo if you want to avoid a gfx card, htpc can be worse than useless
500W is more than you will need that comes with you case, maybe keep looking for a case with a smaller psu, it will run quieter and cooler too ?
 
Hmmm. I'm starting to think I just can't afford to do this project. Money's pretty tight.

I was wondering about possibly stripping my plans right down, and taking out the DVD, the HDD (I have a spare old 200gb sata I can use), and the TV card.

This would allow me to go online using the TV and so access iPlayer etc.

I can then add TV card and DVD/Bluray if and when I want (and can afford).

I don't understand what is wrong with the Mobo

Gigabyte GA-73PVM-S2H - NVIDIA GeForce 7100 graphics chip, HDMI out £57.49

It's been recommended as being pretty much comparable with the Asus

Asus P5Q-EM Intel G45 Micro-ATX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £106.94

...Just cheaper.

How will the cheaper mobo fail to handle HD?

Thanks for any advice - I'm a little out of my depth here.
 
Because the Nvidia 7100 doesnt support Hardware H.264 decoding, making your CPU do all the work.
 
Ah. So what about a cheaper Mobo and a dedicated graphics card? Is it just a case of louder operation and a need for a bigger and louder PSU?
 
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