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Budget HTPC help!!

post #1 of 31
11/29/11 at 11:07am
Thread Starter 
Hi Guys...

I've been reading and reading and I'm finally really to purchase a mobo/processor for a HTPC build. I'm reusing parts from an old compaq persario desktop pc (PSU 400w, DVD drive, Case). Looking at 4 or 8g of ram to ensure no hiccups.

I just can't settle on the mobo/proc. So far, I'm at:
Mobo Zotac H67-ITX WiFi $140
CPU Intel Core i3-2100T $135
To be purchased later on: Pioneer Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BDR-206DBKS $99

The thing is, I really wanted to stay under $200 for the mobo/proc, but really want 7.1 and full 1080p without any problems (don't care about 3d).

Does anyone have something better/info they can share? Is this looking pretty good?
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post #2 of 31
11/30/11 at 10:55am
Thread Starter 
I am looking for it to be strong enough for anything i throw at it... nothing crazy but mild editing, photoshop, emails, office... would be nice...
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post #3 of 31
11/30/11 at 11:01am
You'd better be careful with that case as to whether it has standard standoffs and connector locations, whether the PSU has standard wiring layout and connectors, and whether you will need to rewire things like the front panel power switch.

I don't know about your old Presario (or even what model Presario you are using) but many of these off-the-shelf units use non-standard layouts, connectors and parts.
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post #4 of 31
11/30/11 at 11:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zon2020 View Post

You'd better be careful with that case as to whether it has standard standoffs and connector locations, whether the PSU has standard wiring layout and connectors, and whether you will need to rewire things like the front panel power switch.

I don't know about your old Presario (or even what model Presario you are using) but many of these off-the-shelf units use non-standard layouts, connectors and parts.

Its a S5000CL model from 2003

I did check out the mobo video on newegg, seemed like it wont be a problem... ??
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post #5 of 31
11/30/11 at 11:42am
I guarantee that optical drive from 2003 is IDE which won't work with that motherboard. The PSU likely just has molex connector and not SATA. For about $30-$40 you can buy a new PSU and i would definitely recommend this.

You can save money by buying a motherboard and adding a external USB wireless adapter. I have one that is simply awesome that is recommended in my sticky guide. If you don't need 3D then get an Sandy Bridge Pentium CPU. They can play everything you throw at it and are about $50 cheaper than the i3 at Newegg's price.

There you go.
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post #6 of 31
11/30/11 at 12:49pm
I just built one with these, and with the ram right at $200. Plays everything just fine.

BIOSTAR TH61 ITX LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium G860 Sandy Bridge 3.0GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
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post #7 of 31
11/30/11 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys... i admit I'm not up to speed on everything (but a pretty fast learner) so i appreciate the advice... i haven't really been on this side of the avs fence, so i should probably spend the weekend reading a few threads here.

I like that biostar mobo, looking into it now... thanks.
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post #8 of 31
11/30/11 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 
there you go! that psu is 200w and no sata... ( you were right )

Will be looking for a psu now...

budget up to $250.
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post #9 of 31
12/3/11 at 2:11pm
Thread Starter 
If i want to control my htpc with my logitech 1100, what should i be looking for???
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post #10 of 31
12/7/11 at 11:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman2 View Post

If i want to control my htpc with my logitech 1100, what should i be looking for???

You would need to attached a usb receiver in order to control your htpc.

Many video sources do not have 7.1 channel sound. If you want to always have 7.1, you'll need an avr that can re-matrix from 5.1 to 7.1.
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post #11 of 31
8/10/12 at 10:59am
Thread Starter 
Hello,

I'm finally back and ready. After researching I've decided on the below layout for a HTPC. What do you all think?
I will be ordering from Newegg on Monday. If anyone has any suggestions or input, please let me know.
I gave up on my original budget as I wanted something I can throw anything at (aside from heaving gaming) and will likely continue to upgrade over time.

Total $438 includes shipping and taxes (this is in Canada).

Notes:
- I'll be reusing an old COMPAQ tower case (it'll be behind a wall in another room anyhow) and an old DVD burner (I'll upgrade to Blu-ray later, since this won't be for blu-ray initially).
- I can't find a IR receiver with extension from case to my av rack, so I can use a harmony 1100 remote. (I do have a wireless keyboard/mouse, should reach the distance for the time being - 8 feet with wall in between).
- I will be connecting to a USB drive, full of photos/videos, therefore the 64g SSD size.
- I do already have access to win 7 or win xp; but I might give ubunto a try first.
- I will be adding a TV tuner down the line, if not real soon. Any suggestions would be great.

AMD A8-3870K Unlocked Llano 3.0GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD ...
ASRock A75M-ITX FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
RAIDMAX HYBRID 2 RX-530SS 530W ATX12V V2.2/ EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Modular Power Supply
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post #12 of 31
8/10/12 at 11:19am
Looks good to me. Make sure the case supports standard hardware. Not sure if a Compaq tower case would have support for an ITX mobo.

As far as the tv tuner I would just be sure that the type of tv you plan to watch will play nice with ubuntu. Would be a bummer to have it all setup to realize that the setup can't do tv
and have to start over.

For example cablecard requires WMC for protected content.
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post #13 of 31
8/10/12 at 12:07pm

Here's two items at Newegg that are better than what you have listed for less money (by the way, your listed power supply is simply higher output than you should use for what you're building)

 

Intel 330 Series Maple Crest SSDSC2CT060A3K5 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive  - $59.99

 

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply -- $24.99 after rebate.

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post #14 of 31
8/10/12 at 12:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whiteboy714 View Post

Make sure the case supports standard hardware. Not sure if a Compaq tower case would have support for an ITX mobo.

 

 

I second this.  If it takes a standard motherboard at all, it's almost certainly a Micro-ATX.  I'd be really surprised if there are ITX standoffs in that case.

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post #15 of 31
8/10/12 at 5:18pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Guys.

The case will work with a minor fix that I'll have to make to bolt her in. The reason I'm going with the itx is I'll eventually swap to a smaller case (case is the presario s5000cl case).

Is the Intel SSD really better than the crucial m4? Seems the M4 is better ???

Yes, I was going for at least 500w for future proofing, but I don't think I can pass up $25. Big thank you.
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post #16 of 31
8/11/12 at 10:36pm

First, Intel SSDs have a well deserved reputation as the best of the best.  When you can get them for the same price or less, jump on it.  That's not to say the Crucial is bad, but it's certainly not worth paying more than for an Intel.

 

Second, getting too big a PSU doesn't futureproof anything, it just means it won't run efficiently.  Besides, you should be much more concerned about getting a quality power supply.  That's not something to buy a because it's cheap.  Buying a Seasonic is a worthwhile investment, but if you don't want to spend that much, that Corsair is a fine unit.  Go read the review on JonnyGuru.com.

 

Third, what "minor fix" is going to make an ITX mobo fit in a case without ITX standoffs?  You need to be careful not to short out the back of the board.

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post #17 of 31
8/12/12 at 4:34am
I think you are making a big mistake with that compaq case AND throwing more money towards it with that power supply. Why on earth do you insist on going through that hassle? Besides forcing your stuff to fit in that case, you know that power supply is going to be useless if you did eventually move into a propper ITX case right? Nearly all ITX and a lot of mATX cases do not use ATX power supplies. Rather then go through all that, why dont you let go of another $20 and just get a propper ITX case with included power supply right off the bat? If you must save ever last penny, i'm sure you could find a whole new cheap ATX case with included power supply for not much over $30. It's not like the power supply you picked out is a good one anyways. I'd do this before springing on an SSD for such a budget build.
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post #18 of 31
8/12/12 at 6:42am
Thread Starter 
I wanted a bigger PSU for using in another build down the line (should have mentioned that); but I was unaware of it harming efficiency... but if I can find a really nice ITX case for under $50 with psu, I'll jump.
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post #19 of 31
8/12/12 at 6:47am
Thread Starter 
[quote Third, what "minor fix" is going to make an ITX mobo fit in a case without ITX standoffs?  You need to be careful not to short out the back of the board.
[/quote]

I was just going to make my own connections, see pic:
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post #20 of 31
8/12/12 at 7:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Zon2020 View Post

Here's two items at Newegg that are better than what you have listed for less money (by the way, your listed power supply is simply higher output than you should use for what you're building)

Intel 330 Series Maple Crest SSDSC2CT060A3K5 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive  - $59.99

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply -- $24.99 after rebate.

+1 Here. Some good value.
Quote:
Originally Posted by C17chief View Post

I think you are making a big mistake with that compaq case AND throwing more money towards it with that power supply. Why on earth do you insist on going through that hassle? Besides forcing your stuff to fit in that case, you know that power supply is going to be useless if you did eventually move into a propper ITX case right? Nearly all ITX and a lot of mATX cases do not use ATX power supplies. Rather then go through all that, why dont you let go of another $20 and just get a propper ITX case with included power supply right off the bat? If you must save ever last penny, i'm sure you could find a whole new cheap ATX case with included power supply for not much over $30. It's not like the power supply you picked out is a good one anyways.

+1. Here. You can get a new case that is modern and designed to work for your entire build. It can look good. Work good. Offer features that are modern your current case does not.

Case does not have to cost much. Do it right the first time.
Quote:
Originally Posted by C17chief View Post

I'd do this before springing on an SSD for such a budget build.

-1 here.

Or should I say -1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ?

Terrible advice.

Get an SSD no matter what. PC without one is pretty much useless and unusable in my opinion. It's nothing but pure horribleness. At $59.99 for an Intel SSD there is no reason anyone should build any PC and clean install to a HDD an OS.
If you can't include an SSD in your build then don't build it.

I am pretty decided on this. My opinion is that if the SSD cost $60 then that is $60 that is just required to build a PC and the cost of a PC is simply $60 higher. It's not a negotiable factor that can be removed.

If it was $600 I might entertain otherwise but for only $60 there is no reason anyone should install an OS to anything but an SSD today on a new build. My time alone I would spend installing and setting up the new OS on HDD is worth more than the cost of a basic SSD when I factor in the extra time to do it again properly on a new SSD when I upgraded. Price is so low and the effort to clean install and set up a HTPC properly is so tremendous that I can not recommend doing on HDD or doing twice later. Save time and effort do it only once and do it properly on SSD.

I would recommend Assassin set up guides to make the process painless and easy. One of the cheapest things you can do to save time and increase performance.
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post #21 of 31
8/12/12 at 7:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mfusick View Post



-1 here.
Or should I say -1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ?
Terrible advice.
Get an SSD no matter what. PC without one is pretty much useless and unusable in my opinion. It's nothing but pure horribleness. At $59.99 for an Intel SSD there is no reason anyone should build any PC and clean install to a HDD an OS.
If you can't include an SSD in your build then don't build it.
I am pretty decided on this. My opinion is that if the SSD cost $60 then that is $60 that is just required to build a PC and the cost of a PC is simply $60 higher. It's not a negotiable factor that can be removed.
If it was $600 I might entertain otherwise but for only $60 there is no reason anyone should install an OS to anything but an SSD today on a new build. My time alone I would spend installing and setting up the new OS on HDD is worth more than the cost of a basic SSD when I factor in the extra time to do it again properly on a new SSD when I upgraded. Price is so low and the effort to clean install and set up a HTPC properly is so tremendous that I can not recommend doing on HDD or doing twice later. Save time and effort do it only once and do it properly on SSD.
I would recommend Assassin set up guides to make the process painless and easy. One of the cheapest things you can do to save time and increase performance.

I WANT TO SPELL THIS OUT VERY CLEAR SO IT AVOIDS AN ARGUMENT OR THREAD DERAILMENT.

FACT: A HTPC running of SSD will function and operate superior to an identical HTPC on HDD.
FACT: The entire user experience is improved with SSD. Faster boots, better performance, smoother launch of video players and smoother browse of media titles. List goes on and on.
FACT: The difference is extreme to the point it's not even close.

So- to put this in perspective it's not even possible to debate the improvement in performance and user experience provided by a low cost SSD drive. It's obvious and noticeable.

NOW- Yes you can build a PC without an SSD and use a HDD instead. Sure you can. I could also cancel my high speed internet with Comcast and go back to a dial up 56k modem to surf AVS and online access.
But- WOULD I DO THIS??? NO WAY!!!! It does not matter if it is cheaper or not because I must have the better performance of the high speed internet. SSD vs HDD is the same thing.
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post #22 of 31
8/14/12 at 1:30pm
Thread Starter 
No no, I was always going for SSD for a boot, for sure.

Any suggestions on cases?
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post #23 of 31
9/9/12 at 7:42am
Thread Starter 
Well... scrapped my old plan and started over from scratch if anyone is still interested smile.gif


CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139026
$20.00 USD Mail-in Rebate
$54.99

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504
$234.99

Pioneer Black Internal BD/DVD/CD Writer SATA BDR-207DBKS
$99.99

G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2
$50.99

ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$154.99

Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$69.99

SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum skin reinforced plastic front panel, 0.8mm SECC body MILO Series ML03B Micro ATX Media Center ...
$69.99

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 MC-Kit w/Remote PCI-E X1 1213 PCI-Express x1 Interface
$114.00


Grand Total including shipping/taxes/etc newegg.ca = $955.68 Canadian;
...or same build with shipping/taxes for $746USA newegg (BASTARDS! smile.gif

Going with this build;, will be shipping to usa address using friends USA CC, cause I don't like to waste $250. Hopefully up and running soon.
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post #24 of 31
9/9/12 at 2:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman2 View Post

Well... scrapped my old plan and started over from scratch if anyone is still interested smile.gif

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139026
$20.00 USD Mail-in Rebate
$54.99
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504
$234.99
Pioneer Black Internal BD/DVD/CD Writer SATA BDR-207DBKS
$99.99
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2
$50.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$154.99
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$69.99
SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum skin reinforced plastic front panel, 0.8mm SECC body MILO Series ML03B Micro ATX Media Center ...
$69.99

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 MC-Kit w/Remote PCI-E X1 1213 PCI-Express x1 Interface
$114.00
Grand Total including shipping/taxes/etc newegg.ca = $955.68 Canadian;
...or same build with shipping/taxes for $746USA newegg (BASTARDS! smile.gif
Going with this build;, will be shipping to usa address using friends USA CC, cause I don't like to waste $250. Hopefully up and running soon.

I think you should scrap this plan to. If you wan't intel I would go with the ivy bridge Core i3-3225, the extra cpu doesn't really do anything for you but you can benefit from the HD4000 graphics.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116774
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post #25 of 31
9/10/12 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman2 View Post

Grand Total including shipping/taxes/etc newegg.ca = $955.68 Canadian;
...or same build with shipping/taxes for $746USA newegg (BASTARDS! smile.gif
Going with this build;, will be shipping to usa address using friends USA CC, cause I don't like to waste $250. Hopefully up and running soon.

I wouldn't call that $250 a waste. You get "FREE" Healthcare that Canadians like to tout. Well, it is not FREE, it is paid for by the taxes you pay, mainly by the hidden VAT tax, and then partially by your PST and GST or if you are lucky enough HST.

When you bring the parts over the border, you will have to declare them, and they will assess the same $250 in duty on your parts. But, you will have to spend money on gas and time to get them from your friends. Unless you are planning on smuggling them. Getting caught smuggling $1000 worth of computer parts may cost a pretty penny, and possible hassles every time you cross the border in the future.

As the expresison goes, "There is no free lunch" :-)
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post #26 of 31
9/10/12 at 12:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman2 View Post

Well... scrapped my old plan and started over from scratch if anyone is still interested smile.gif

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139026
$20.00 USD Mail-in Rebate
$54.99
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504
$234.99
Pioneer Black Internal BD/DVD/CD Writer SATA BDR-207DBKS
$99.99
G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR2
$50.99
ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$154.99
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$69.99
SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum skin reinforced plastic front panel, 0.8mm SECC body MILO Series ML03B Micro ATX Media Center ...
$69.99

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 MC-Kit w/Remote PCI-E X1 1213 PCI-Express x1 Interface
$114.00
Grand Total including shipping/taxes/etc newegg.ca = $955.68 Canadian;
...or same build with shipping/taxes for $746USA newegg (BASTARDS! smile.gif
Going with this build;, will be shipping to usa address using friends USA CC, cause I don't like to waste $250. Hopefully up and running soon.

Sorry to chime in on the negativity but you could also save some bucks by going for an H77 mobo instead of the Z77. You probably won't be overclocking or doing crossfire so there's really no point in getting the higher grade board.
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post #27 of 31
9/10/12 at 8:30pm
Quite an evolution. I'll second an H77 or Q77 board to save $50 or more. Also, if you are spending $100 on a blu-ray, you might look at the 2207, which is their top of the line. If you want to save a bit more, Intel just released lower-priced i5/i3 processors with HD4000 graphics.
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post #28 of 31
9/14/12 at 7:47pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the input guys, but already ordered. (its hard to post for me nowadays with the old app being discontinued).

Should be getting everything in the next week or so. Many thanks to everyone's input - except that dude that probably works for border patrol biggrin.gif
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post #29 of 31
9/15/12 at 7:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Superman2 View Post

Thanks for the input guys, but already ordered. (its hard to post for me nowadays with the old app being discontinued).
Should be getting everything in the next week or so. Many thanks to everyone's input - except that dude that probably works for border patrol biggrin.gif

What was your final parts list?
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post #30 of 31
9/18/12 at 1:20pm
Thread Starter 
The last list above.
I ordered everything except the tuner and SSD (SSD only because I saw some great deals last few weeks on 128g so hoping to find one again). Figured I can wait to assemble until I get the deal on one.
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