Spec Check : HTPC : £600

orange_smurf

orange_smurf

orange_smurf

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Joined
18 Apr 2009
Posts
235
Hi,

I'm looking at putting together a tidy HTPC. To be used for:
- streaming HD movies over ethernet from PC
- watching HD content stored locally (various formats)
- playing bluray
- image viewing
- internet browsing
- NOT used for gaming
- might add sky card in future...
- fast boot
- compact setup

I plan to use HDMI on mobo to connect to TV via home theatre system.

I've put the following spec together although i'm not sure if i'm missing something or could spend my money on a better config/product ...

I would appreciate your thoughts???

Cheers.


 
Other than spending 2.5x too much, that's not too bad ;)

Personally, I use Intel Atom based systems with ION graphics for the back end. The "sexiest" of these at the moment is the Shuttle XS35GT2 but doesn't have an expansion for Sky card. If you want something with expansion - one of the Zotac IONITX boards will do.

As to h/w specs, be guided by the software you want to run....
 
Overall looks good and personally I wouldnt bother with the SSD, you dont need it for movies.

My movie center PC is a 3 year old laptop with dual core Intel CPU, with 4GB ram, Windows 7, Antivirus and various codex, and it plays HD movies with no lag at all. You really dont need anything too special for playing movies even MKV files ;)
 
No power supply and that case does not support space to install a 3.5" HDD. Also presumably no media will be installed on the SSD so a 64GB SSD will be more than enough to install OS and software. I've got a 64GB Crucial M4 in my HTPC and it works great, plenty of room for Windows 7 Home Premium, drivers, XBMC, media portal etc etc. Also no need for a quad core cpu for your needs. A dual core or tri core will be more than enough. I use a AMD Zacate in my setup and it works fine with 1080p video and large MKV files. Also has the advantage of being silent as it is passively cooled.
 
thanks for the responses guys. as always you have given me lots to think about.

i have a preference over a custom build so have revised the spec having thought about this a bit more. might ditch the ssd too.... maybe...

the hdd is 2.5" so should fit in the case.

if anyone has had experience with the Lian Li PC-Q09FB it would be great if you could share your thoughts... this case does come with a psu??

cheers.


YOUR BASKET
1 x Samsung SpinPoint M7 640GB 5400RPM SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HM641JI) £80.99
1 x Lian Li PC-Q09FB Mini-ITX HTPC Chassis - Black £76.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 64GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT064M4SSD2) £76.99
1 x Gigabyte A75N-USB3 AMD A75 (Socket FM1) DDR3 mini ITX Motherboard £74.99
1 x AMD Llano A4-3400 2.70GHz (Socket FM1) APU Processor (AD3400OJGXBOX) £53.99
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP2G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £23.99
1 x Samsung SN-208BB/BEBE Slimline 8x DVD±RW SATA Drive - OEM £18.98
Total : £420.42 (includes shipping : £11.25).

 
I think this is could be a good use case for intel smart response tech. Why not increase the hdd and use the htpc like a nas? You wouldnt need to stream content to the htpc attached tv then but rather out from the htpc being the center of your media storage.

These seagate 2tb drives @ £99 look a better option imho.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HD-255-SE&groupid=1657&catid=1660&subcat=1954

I think intel do a very small ssd 20gb model 311 which you could use for srt.

Having more local storage will help for using pvr capabilities if you add a tv card.

You wont need to have more than the htpc switched on, rather than streaming from another pc.
 
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