[brastaj]

I have search for a while in the forum here and there doesn't seem to be a list of sites or manufacturers for a good/economical bare bones HTPC, anyone care to share where they are getting a good bare bones pc for under $500 bucks, goal would be to add a card or 2 for audio / video that would juice it up, because it seems you can do that pretty cheap too just getting them separate.


Oh yeah, I also need a 'desktop' configuration so it sits in my cabinent on top of the reciever and actually looks like a component of my system.


I notice you can configure one on http://www.accessmicro.com/bto/index.phtml


however what to pick, then when you pick one of those, what components to choose. I guess I could just get the processor, memory and DVD, and add in my own sound and video card later...


Thanks in advance,


J

 

[chrisexv6]

Accessmicro is probably the best place to look. The problem there is that you cant choose from great motherboards like Asus or Abit, I think they mainly use Epox and ECS.


I got my dad a barebones machine from there........Athlon 1.5, 128MB, and an all-integrated board for 250.00 shipped. He loves it, and it runs better than his Compaq


I was thinking about going that route as well but I just dont like the limited motherboard choices. If it werent for that Id buy one right away.


-Chris

 

[sat_uplinker]

Got to pricewatch and do a search on "Systems- Kits" and you will find lots of case-mobo-cpu combos. You can get some good stuff for under $300 if you use AMD XP CPU's. Pricewatch is also a good place to get memory, drives, etc. to finish the system. They aren't a store, just a listing of current prices from a bunch of online retailers.


bob