Help for a new HTPC

[Vj@HiFi]

Hi,

Of late I have been browsing our forum for some HTPC configs Yes that upgraditis bug has got to me.

I do have the wdtv (version 1) and one thing that bothers me is the laborious navigation with its rudimentary remote. Sometimes a file has a bug after say 1hr 36mins. Its very painful to comeback to the same point or by-pass that section in wdtv.

Further, since my collections of flacs and videos grows I think the best solution is to build the HTPC. I seek your help in finalising a config for the same. My budget is not really fixed, but I think about 20k should suffice for what I am looking for. It doesn't need to be top of the the line stuff so am not looking to hang a kilo off the mother board! (Thad, you got some stuff going on there..)

I wouldn't mind a second hand rig as an alternative.

Would be grateful for any and all pointers (and or links) for the above. I do have an option of sourcing components from US, when my brother visits this summer.

Thanks.

 

[Bluu]

I use a Zotac MAG HTPC and can recommend it. I run Win7 with Shark's 007 hardware codecs to maximize the hardware potential. Plays all formats without issues and the RAM is upgradeable if you so wish. Well within your budget as well.

 

[Kittu]

+1 to the above , and you can also wait for xtreamer ultra to release.

 

[Bluu]

Never used the Xtreamer but I know that one huge advantage is that you can browse the net via the Zotac HTPC. It's really cool for HD Youtube videos!

 

[Vj@HiFi]

Thanks Bluu and Kittu, I'll look this one up..

 

[n_sachin84]

motherboard-ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L Micro ATX RS-2500
PROCESSOR-AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz RS-3100.
RAM- 2GB DDR3 CORSAIR RS-1300.
CABINET- RS1500
PSU- IBALL 500W RS-550
LOGITECH WIRELESSKB AND MOUSE- RS -1350
ZOTAC 9800GTX 1 GB PLUS - RS -6500 OR
Radeon HD 5670 (Redwood) 512MB RS- 4400
500GB SEAGATE SATA HDD RS-1820
ALL MAY BE AROUND RS 18500
MONITOR OF UR CHOICE.I HAVE CONSIDERED U DONT WANT MONITOR OR U CAN GO FOR ATI HD GRAPHIC CARD HD4650 FOR RS 3100 AND SAVED MONEY CAN BE USED FOR MONITOR.
IT IS GAMING CUM POWERFUL HTPC .ADD ROUTER FOR RS 1800-2400 .

 

[vaibhavyagnik]

^ good config, but i would suggest some changes.
1. Change the PSU to gigabyte superb 460w or corsair 400CX
2. go for ATI5450, 5550 because they have fanless design so make less noise and can do HD audio over HDMI.
3. If you want to further cut the cost, the default motherboard has a 780G chipset (ATI HD3300 GPU) which will easily handle blu ray 1080 playback. you wont get HD audio only through analog then or you can use SPDIF for digital 5.1

 

[sachinaik]

^ good config, but i would suggest some changes.
1. Change the PSU to gigabyte superb 460w or corsair 400CX
2. go for ATI5450, 5550 because they have fanless design so make less noise and can do HD audio over HDMI.
3. If you want to further cut the cost, the default motherboard has a 780G chipset (ATI HD3300 GPU) which will easily handle blu ray 1080 playback. you wont get HD audio only through analog then or you can use SPDIF for digital 5.1

Why go for 5450/5550 when Radeon 6450 is available ?
It has HDMI 1.4a and is capable of outputting Blu Ray 3D video along with DTS-HD-MA or Dolby-True-HD.
TDP is 27 watts only and as vaibhav suggested go for a fanless design.

To OP: If you are building a HTPC, then Radeon 6450 is best choice. It is also future proof with HDMI 1.4a.

 

[vaibhavyagnik]

^Agree. was not aware that 6450 was released.

 

[spirovious]

nvidia has GT430 for Rs.5k with HDMI 1.4-
eBay India: Palit NVIDIA Geforce GT 430 1GB GDDR3 Graphics Card (item 170627928278 end time 20-Apr-2011 13:22:59 IST)
eBay India: Galaxy GeForce Nvidia GT430 1GB DDR3 - GT430 - 2YR (item 310311553253 end time 20-Apr-2011 19:38:55 IST)