What sort of spec should I be looking for in a HTPC?

SiD the Turtle · 20 Feb 2008 at 20:10

I'm looking to put together a HTPC, however I haven't built a system since my P4 so I'm not up to date on the latest processors, chipsets, RAM speeds etc.

What sort of processor speed should I be looking at? I don't want to spend more than necessary but at the same time, I'm concerned about being able to play HD content such as Blu-Ray.

I don't think I need blisteringly fast RAM with tight timings, but what sort of speeds should I be going for? Also, as its so cheap should I grab the full 4GB or would that be overkill?

What are the major differences between the chipsets out these days?

Thanks.

SiD the Turtle · 20 Feb 2008 at 23:47

Anybody?

NoobieOCer · 20 Feb 2008 at 23:56

4GB is super overkill 0.0 i running pc 133 512mb on my media pc which my aunty was going to throw away. it plays HD content fine.... btw i am using a pentium 3 @ 1GHz!!!! not sure on the GFX card but when it boots it says 32mb so that cant be good lol

i think htpc is home theater pc? if not then ignore all what i just say

Bomag · 21 Feb 2008 at 01:29

If you want to play Blu-ray look for a HDCP card with full hi-def acceleration (ATI 2400/2600/3xx0 or nV 8500/8600/8800GT/8800GTS512). Any dual core processor should do and there is no need to have more than 2GB (or 1GB unless using vista).

SiD the Turtle · 22 Feb 2008 at 10:41

Thanks for the advice so far guys. Anyone else have any input? I don't want the CPU to become a bottleneck if I get one too slow, though I'd assume that the load would be taken on by the GC.

Furton · 22 Feb 2008 at 11:31

What sort of screen are you planning on using with the HTPC?