spec me a htpc

[adbp1]

ok so I know this is another spec me thread but who else is gonna give the best advice like you guys.

m looking to get rid of my stereo amp etc but keep my speakers, and come away from using main pc connected to t.v to watch films etc.

budget: £400 max (maybe more if i can sell some stuff)
case style: like amp style prefere black
blueray: prefered!! i like the look of the slot loading on ocuk pre order
remote control: yes
os: any as long its easy to use with remote and reliable

i been lookin at the msi diva motherboard which has amp built in so i can use my stereo speakers, bu not sure how reliable it is.
i would prefere i the motherboard and cpu were capable to handle HD so not havin to spend extra on gpu etc.

 

[nathanc]

I don't see why anybody would want to put amplification inside a computer case! Even digital amps generate heat - and as we all know, heat and computers don't go!

PC's have enough trouble shifting heat outside the case without sounding like a jet engine especially in the constraints of a HTPC case!

Despite that, I recently acquired a Silverstone LC10-e case. It's quiet and takes a full size ATX board - I suspect you would need a case of similar dimensions to fit all that in.

I'd be surprised if you could build one with that budget!
To give you an idea, this is what I've just built:

- Silverstone Tek LC10S-e (£90)
- Asus P5Q Pro Turbo (£92)
- Scythe Shuriken Quiet Low Profile (£23)
- Core2 E6600 (free)
- 8gb Corsair 800mhz DDR 2 (second hand £35)
- WD Green Power 500gb (£40)
- SATA DVD-RW (from another PC)
- Auzentech Prelude Hifi (from my main PC)
- Enermax Pro82+ 425W (£49)
- Asus HD Silent 4350 512MB (£25)
- Edimax EW-7318UG (£7)

So I just spent £360 and I don't have a BD-Rom. I could have saved with a cheaper board, no dedicated GPU and 4Gb of memory but I didn't have to pay for the CPU and wanted to make sure that Win7 is silky smooth. A full size ATX board ensures that I have the flexibility to add PCI(e) cards in the future.

 

[adbp1]

thats pretty good, im not to fussed about BD-rom a that can come at later date.
ive been looking at 2 cases the antec fusion remote or the chieftec ht-01, chieftec comes with 300wat psu and remote so could potentially save a few quid there.

 

[95thrifles]

Have a look at third section/post of this thread, comes in over the 400 but has everything you want, other than built in amp which is strange request. What speakers are you using? high end? might be worth selling and getting some self powered ones like Aego Ms or Audioengine A5s

 

[adbp1]

coincidence, ive jsut been reading that guide and its very good he must have taken a lot of time doing that.
my speakers are from my seperates system, all high quality. cinema amp, dvd player etc

plus all the speakers are mounted on stands and wall brackets so right pain to replace!!