Sample HTPC Builds for under $1,500

Read through Tom's Hardware first.

It's a website.

And I can post it after this post (less than 3 posts, you cannot post a link)

Here: http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/...d_cost_system/

I actually just completed a low end build just a few weeks ago. I was working on a MUCH tighter budget, so I was trying to keep it as far under $1000 as I could. Most of the components are solid HTPC choices, but I bought a cheap case because it isn't sitting right out in the open with the rest of the AV gear... (I've included the Newegg part numbers for your convenience)

Case: Apevia Q-Pack2 (N82E16811144140)
Mobo:GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H (N82E16813128056)
Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2x1GB) (N82E16820231098)
PSU: Included with the Case
CPU:AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane 2.5GHz (N82E16819103778)
Hard Drive: Samsung SpinPoint 500GB (N82E16822152052)
Graphics Card:On-board ADI x1250
Tuner: HDHomerun (Newegg doesn't carry this, but just Google it and you'll find a retailer)
Sound Card: On-Board

Now for some commentary...
The case is obviously not a typical HTPC case. It was small, cheap, and included a power supply, so that's why I decided to go with the QPack2. It's definitely not the quietest case with the stock fans...but I've replaced them with Noctua fans (from CoolerGuys.com) and it's nearly silent.

I would highly recomend the gigabyte mobo if you're looking for a micro atx mobo. It has an onboard HDMI out which is perfect for HTPCs (it's HDCP compliant) and it's been able to handle all the HD content I've thrown at it (everything from 720p to 1080p)

The CPU, Ram and HD are all performing quite well...I believe newegg had a deal on the RAM CPU combo so you might want to take a look at that.

Lastly is my recomendation for the HDHomerun. I get quite a few QAM channels (both digital SD and HD), so the HDHomerun is perfect for me. It was an absolute breeze to set up and it has worked flawlessly from the minute it was setup. Not to mention the fact that the picture quality has been superb. I really can't say enough good things about this tuner.

As I said this was all done on a pretty tight budget, so you'll probably want to go for a nicer case. The onboard graphics can't really handle much gaming, but if you're just looking for something capable of 1080p then the onboard will suffice. Also forgot to mention, I'm using spdif optical to get DD and DTS sound to my pioneer receiver, so a sound card really isn't necessary. If you'll using SPDIF or digital coaxial for your audio there really isn't any need for an additional sound card.

Best of luck with your build and let me know if you have any questions!

Forgot to mention...I'm running Vista Ultimate x86 and all the components above are running and installed smoothly. The final price for this system was in the $600-$700 range

Believe it or not I have spent most of this week researching this exact idea. After reading tons and tons of user reviews and manufacturer websites, I have my system all speced out, and ironically it totals up to just under $1,500. Amazingly, NewEgg carries every single part (except of course the HDHomeRun), and, happens to have the best (or close to it) pricing that I found on each part as well.

Here's what I came up with. It includes everything except a remote control, which I've yet to decide on. Total price without the remote is $1,496.


300 Western Digital WD10EACS 1 TB HDD
199 Antec FUSION black microATX media center computer case w/ 430W power supply
195 Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 2.66GHz processor
180 Vista Ultimate
125 MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ Radeon HD 2600XT 512MB PCI-e x16 DVI/HDMI silent heat-pipe video card
120 ASUS P5K-VM LGA 775 Intel G33 MicroATX mainboard
70 Western Digital WD2500AAKS 250 GB HDD
58 CORSAIR XMS2 2 GB DDR2 800 MHz SDRAM (2 DIMMS)
42 Iogear GKM541R wireless keyboard & mouse
29 ASUS black SATA DVDRW drive
9 Zonet ZEW1602A b/g PCI wireless adapter w/ extended antenna
169 HDHomeRun

TOTAL: $1,496

You might want to check out some of the cases at PCAlchemy.com. They specialize in HTPC components and though it's not a huge selection I've heard very good things about most of the cases on their site (Especially the Zalman and Origen cases).

One case you might want to take a look at is the Antec Fusion (I believe PCAlchemy and Newegg both have them). I have yet to work with one, but the reviews I've seen have been generally positive. It includes a 430W PSU, has 2 120mm fans, and a VFD all for under $200. Regardless of the case decision you make I'd definitely recomend swapping out the stock fans for Noctua 120mm (or 80mm if that's all your case fits) fans. They're practically silent when controlled by the mobo, yet they still move quite a bit of air (and they're under $20 at CoolerGuys.com last I checked).

As for the Gigabyte motherboard...I haven't seen a full size version or similar version. As you said, the reviews are generally quite positive. I know that in my experiences I've been VERY impressed. In my other HTPC I used an Asus A8N-E and swapped the north bridge fan for a heatsink. It was a full size board and though it has been generally stable, I would definitely rather recomend the Gigabyte board.

I do agree though that if you're not overly concerned with space a larger case is the way to go. It will allow for easier cooling which usually leads to slower fans...which ultimately results in less noise. It's not impossible to acheive good cooling in a small case, but it does take a bit more effort. If noise is a concern then I'd definitely suggest looking for a case with 120mm fan(s). This will significantly limit your choices because few HTPC cases have the 120s, but personally I find the 80mm and 60mm fans are just too noisey.

Ralph...

That looks like a nice setup. I've never been much of an Intel guy because they've always run hotter than AMD chips, but from what I hear their newer chips do run cooler.

The only comment I have is be careful with the Radeon HD 2600XT graphics card. From what I hear it's a great card, but many people realize after buying it that the heat pipe on the card is HUGE. I've heard many HTPC builders say they had to send the card back because the card was too tall and wouldn't fit in the case. In many cases it also takes up the adjacent PCI slot. By no means am I saying it definitely won't fit in the Antec Fusion case or that it will take up an extra slot on your mobo, I haven't had any experience with them so I don't know.

Anyways, just thought I'd pass along the warning because we all know the let down when components arrive and don't work/fit. Good luck!

Last night I finished testing a new build. I purchased the Dual-Core E2180 processor ($92) and overclocked it to 3500 Mhz. It can run at 3000 Mhz on stock voltage. I also purchased the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 to cool the processor. I tried the stock cooler, but the Arctic Cooling one was about 10C cooler on load. The Abit IP35-E motherboard (no firewire) is very good and I have seen it for about $70 with rebate.

For a video card I purchased the Sapphire 2900Pro when it was $264 at newegg. I used the Overdrive feature of the Catatlyst Control Center to automatically overclock the card to 856/900. Last night I 3DMark06 several times and my highest score was 13,131. Using Rivatuner, the fan can be set to run at 25% and is inaudible at that speed.

I was building a couple computers, so I purchased both GSkill and Geil 800 Mhz RAM. The Geil Esoteria was able to run up to 1080 Mhz. It is only $45 after rebate.

I have a Silverstone LC14 case and love it, but I don't see it at newegg (a different build than the one I just did). I have also built an HTPC with the Silverstone LC17 and it is also a very nice case. This case with a Corsair 520HX is very quiet. I just paid $80 for my 520HX (at buy.com). It is an excellent modular power supply with the 8-pin connector for the 2900PRO.

You can save money on the processor and spend more on the video card, have a more powerful computer, and possibly spend less money altogether. The only problem is that the 2900PRO is usually only in stock at newegg for a few hours.

DesertDome...

Just curious...why did you spend so much on your video card? Unless you do a significant amount of gaming that kind of card is complete overkill for an HTPC. Decent on-board video is capable of playing 1080p with a dual core processor. Even if you feel the need to get a separate video card, the sub-$100 8600GT cards are plenty for 1080. Especially with how cheap hard drives have gotten you could have added 1TB of storage and an 8600GT instead of the Sapphire 2900Pro.

By no means criticizing...just curious why you went with such a powerful card.

Why not save yourself $100 and get 2x500GB HDD's instead? If you want to have it appear as one physical drive just do RAID-0, you will also get a performance boost.

GA-MA69GM-S3H

Fred

I've got the following components in a NewEgg WishList right now, trying to stay under $500 before adding on an OS and an HDTV tuner:

Antec New Solution NSK2480 Black/Silver 0.8mm cold-rolled steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 380W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: NSK2480
(a no-brainer case selection for me)
Item #: N82E16811129034
$114.99

GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-MA69GM-S2H
(selected based on great recent feedback here)
Item #: N82E16813128056
$79.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ Windsor 2.4GHz Socket AM2 65W Processor Model ADO4600CUBOX - Retail
Model #: ADO4600CUBOX
(went with 65W power to reduce heat)
Item #: N82E16819103749
$87.99

A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K - Retail
Model #: ADQVE1A16K
(good bang-for-the-buck, right voltage for this mobo)
Item #: N82E16820211066
$56.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3320620AS (Perpendicular Recording Technology) 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3320620AS
Item #: N82E16822148140
$84.99

SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM
Model #: SH-S203B
(top rated by MaximumPC)
Item #: N82E16827151153
$29.99

Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler - Retail
Model #: SCMNJ-1000
(got the idea from SilentPCReview.com - I may run it without its fan)
Item #: N82E16835185046
$29.99

Subtotal: $484.93

I'm just going to use MCE 2005, which I'm planning on getting via my MSDN Universal subscription.

I'm hoping to rip and watch my DVDs, watch and record OTA HDTV, and listen to my music collection. I'll run HDMI to my projector, and S/PDIF to my A/V receiver. In the future, I'd like to add a card reader and maybe upgrade the optical drive to a high-def version, once prices become reasonable.

Comments?

GA-MA69G-S3H

(M indicates microATX.)

Looks like a pretty good build. I too tried to stay as close to $500 as possible for my low end build above. The one suggestion I would make is that if you're planning to rip DVDs and record HDTV then you might want to think about a bigger hard drive. The 320GB Seagate you've listed above is a very nice drive, but a little extra space might help.

OTA HDTV recordings take up anywhere between 5-8 GB per hour and your standard DVDs are about 2GB per hour. So you start with 350GB...shave off 15GB to start (the drive is actually more like 335GB to begin with)...then subtract out another 50-75GB for the operating system and some software. So now you're down to around 270ish. It seems like a lot of space, but once you start recording shows and ripping dvds it disappears FAST. I'd suggest the 500GB Samsung SpinPoint I listed above. It's essentially the Seagate's equal as far as reliability and noise (or lack there of). So for an extra 25% of the cost ($20) you can get 40% more space (150GB).

If you're on an absolutely rigid $500 budget I'd suggest rooting through the couch cushions for the extra $$ to get the 500GB drive. You can never have too much space...especially in an HTPC that's recording HDTV. Good Luck!

Thanks! I don't have a hard-stop at $500... it was more of a goal than a limit. But I definitely don't have the OP's limit of $1500!

I liked the 5-year warranty on the Barracuda drive - maybe I'll spring for the 500GB version by Seagate.

Or I could just add a second hard drive later, when I need it.

For a HTPC, does it make sense to have one smaller hard drive for the Operating System and the application software, and a different hard drive for the media files (music, movies, tv shows)? Are there performance gains with this kind of approach? Sorry to get off-topic a bit...

That's a fair point regarding the warranty. If that piece of mind is important to you then you should just go with the Seagate and add HDs later if/when needed.

As far as separate drives for the operating system goes, personally I don't think it's necessary. Both of my HTPCs have 2 drives, but none of the drives are specifically designated for the operating system. Both my computers use the Samsung SpinPoint drives and they're plenty quiet, even while seeking and writing. From what I've read the Seagate drives are equally if not more quiet.

Some people choose to go with a notebook HD for their operating system (or another drive that spins slower than 7200), but I don't believe the benefit is worth the cost. Usually reliable notebook drives are more expensive than their larger counterparts despite their smaller capacity and the noise savings isn't THAT noticeable. In my own experiences you'd be fine with just a single drive that holds your OS and media.

If you're concerned about constantly writing and erasing to the drive with your OS another option would be to put the OS on a separate partition, although I've never tried it, so I can't speak to its effectiveness.

Bacause the Antec Fusion only has room for two HDDs. And since I'm already installing a 250 GB system drive and a 1 TB media drive, that's all I'll have room for. Plus, I'd rather spend the extra money for a single drive anyway. More drives = more heat and noise.

I could go with one of the silverstone cases, and the slower CPU, and the 2900Pro, but that build wouldn't make sense for me. First, I'm not one to overclock. I just run 'em at what they're rated for, and am fine with that. I like the price/performance ratio of the E6750 right now. Second, I like the Antec Fuison over the Silverstone cases that you mentioned because I want a mATX case, and, I like the built-in VFD and IR receiver, which neither of the Silverstones have. And because I want a mATX case, I of course need a mATX mainboard, so that Abit board wouldn't work for me. Lastly, I'm not a gamer, so I don't need a more powerful videa card than the HD2600XT. A fanless 2600XT is perfect for a box that's going to be wearing its HTPC hat most of the time.

Thanks jbilich,
I did take that into consideration. I guess I'm going on blind faith that it won't be too tall for the case. lol Might be a bad move, we'll see.
And as for the width of the card, I believe the extra width is on the "back" of the card, which is the side toward the CPU. That's one reason I went with the P5K-VM, it appears that there should be enough room between the PCI-ex16 slot and the CPU placement. I'd like to be able to know this for sure before ordering, but I guess the best I can do is eyeball the pictures of the video card and the mainboard, and make the call based on that.
That is, unless someone on here has actually tried this exact pairing of a P5K-VM and a MSI RX2600XT-T2D512EZ Radeon HD 2600XT before and can tell us definitively.

Ralph...

Sounds good! Looks like you've got this planned out with the hard drives and the video card. As far as the width of the video card goes, if you don't mind sending it back for a different card if it doesn't fit then I'd say just go for it. The only reason I mentioned the size is that when I get components that don't fit or don't work I get frustrated since I'm so anxious for everything to arrive. Good luck in your build and let us know how it goes

I use this computer at work and during lunch I play games or watch a movie. I don't do any gaming at home.

I just built the latest extremetech.com htpc http://www.extremetech.com/article2/...2186980,00.asp. This is the best design I've come across yet in terms of quietness and bang for the buck. It has no fans except for the 2 case fans which are noiseless for all intents and purposes. Loyd Case, the author, gives 3 different build configurations over a wide price range.

Ha! I love it. The $445 system that ExtremTech came up with is EXACTLY the same thing I speced out, and I haven't been to that site in ages.

And, I guess that tells me that the MSI fanless ATI 2600XT will indeed fit in the Antec Fusion and in the ASUS P5K-VM. Perfect!

I spent a little more going with the E6750 and the fanless 8500GT. It was the Scythe Ninja Mini CPU cooler sitting right next to the 2 side case fans eliminating the need for a cpu fan that made me jump on this build. It stays cool under the prime 95 torture test.

I'd switch out the VC for the 8600 GTS Silent. VC fans will eventually start to wobble/collect dust/heat warp/whatever and make you wish you spent the extra $30 for a fanless design.

As far as a case - a hollow block of steel/aluminum. Not a big deal. PSU is a big deal! Buy your case without a PS and buy a Seasonic/Antec/PC Power/Fortran/quality and silent PS. Your VC will need a power connector - maybe not this generation, but surely for the next. The 8600 needs one.

Make sure your case uses only 120 mm fans. Buy Yate Loons, switch out one's in the case and not hear them.

Seagate drives w/5 year warranties + speed. One internal drive is fine. You will need one external if you want some portability. The portable can connect to your DVD player, if it has a USB input. Make sure that the portable is formatted FAT. Using two internals is fine. I use a WD Raptor for speed and two 500 GB Seagates and a 500 GB external.

Dual DVD - one to read, one to burn. I use an external Firewire so I don't need to expend calories by getting up and walking the one step to the HTPC next to my desk.

You will want a quiet CPU fan. Super important!

The thread dedicated to that Gigabyte mobo suggests you won't need a separate video card, as the onboard graphics of the mobo gets the job done, especially if you're going with a 6000 for your CPU. I guess this suggestion assumes you won't be doing any gaming on this PC. Just throwing that out there in case it could save you $150.