i3 HTPC

Baboonanza

Baboonanza

Baboonanza

Associate
Joined
10 Nov 2009
Posts
1,099
Location
London
I've been speccing up an i3 based HTPC. Using the H55 chipset the benchmarks suggest that the i3's Integrated GPU is good enough for normal HTPC stuff. Is also supports direct bitstreaming from Blu-Ray, which otherwise you'd need a Radeon 5xxx for.

Here's the spec:
baskete.png

I'd like to add the £35.99 mini-ninja, but it doesn't support the socket :(

It's a little pricey at the moment, but I would hope prices will come down a bit since both the i3 and H55 are still very new. I'd definitely jump for £450ish.

So, is this a sensible build? can it handle the HTPC load without an aditional GPU? Is 2GB RAM enough? This year will see the release of DVB-2 (Freeview HD) tuners, so it seems like an ideal time to go HTPC.

Edit: Changed to use cheaper mobo
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I know the tuner will be pricey, but I don't have and don't want a dish so there aren't many options.

I must say I don't much like the Fusion either, but then I've had problems finding any mATX HTPC case that I like. I want one that supports full-size PCI cards and normal sized optical drives, but they're all ugly.

I also agreed abou the i3/H55 combo, they are more expensive than they should be IMO, but I think the price will go down. Many things are more expensive than they should be at the moment.
 
Partly it's just more fun getting new tech but there are additional benefits. The idea behind the i3 system is that you can avoid having a GPU and get a nice low power consumption, plus there are defintiely things you can/may do with an HTPC that can use the extra umph.

So while an older AMD chip would be cheaper, I'd consider paying the extra for something a bit more exciting. And even then to get all the same functionality you'd have to add one of the unreleased low-end Ati 5xxxs which would mean that the price difference isn't *so* big.

As said though, I still think it's too expensive at the moment. I'll be looking to get one later in the year maybe, but really I just thought it would be an interesting approach to discuss.

And thanks for the case recommendations guys. I've found some Silverstone cases in particular that are really nice!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom