Help me compile my HTPC

[frank_dude_007]

So i am in the market for a new HTPC and while researching got very confused as i need some specific features of which finding all of them in one mother board and CPU combo was a big hassle. So i am here for help.

My main requirement includes
3.0 USB ports
HDMI 1.4 output
enough juice to play Blu ray rips and 3D HD movies
and low power consumption as it will be used almost 24x7 because it will have a external HDD and network connection to the house.

If it has Wifi and bluetooth inbuilt then it will be better.
My budget is around 15k but is flexible upto 20k.

 

[vaibhavyagnik]

recommend that you go with AMD APU based solution. look around flipkart, ebay, primeabgb.com, theitwares.com, theitdepot.com for best prices.

 

[mowgli80]

Search ebay for "mini pc" and you will get lots of nice stuff. AMD APU based mini pc is highly recommended for Windows, as Vaibhav said. If you plan to use Linux, buy only Nvidia as AMD is not as good on Linux. Stay clear of PCs with Intel graphics as they do not have enough juice to decode complex HD videos.

 

[frank_dude_007]

I am leaning towards an AMD build but it's harder to get all the features i require within the budget, a few suggestions are appreciated.

 

[k2max6]

ASUS F2A85-M Motherboard 7700
- Has AMD 3D graphics,HDMI 1.4,supports crossfire
AMD A4-4000 3100 (No idea on processor, performance wise)
4 GB DDR 3 2000
HDD 1 TB 3700
Cabinet 2000
Wifi Card - 900
Bluetooth dongle - 200
Total 19600

 

[frank_dude_007]

ASUS F2A85-M Motherboard 7700
- Has AMD 3D graphics,HDMI 1.4,supports crossfire
AMD A4-4000 3100 (No idea on processor, performance wise)
4 GB DDR 3 2000
HDD 1 TB 3700
Cabinet 2000
Wifi Card - 900
Bluetooth dongle - 200
Total 19600

Thanks for the suggestions, this is exactly what i was looking for.
BTW a doubt regarding the MOBO, what is the difference between these 3 ?
1st Mother board

2nd Mother board

3rd Mother board

 

[k2max6]

Thanks for the suggestions, this is exactly what i was looking for.
BTW a doubt regarding the MOBO, what is the difference between these 3 ?
1st Mother board

2nd Mother board

3rd Mother board

1&3 have memory support of 64GB in 4 slots while 2 has upto 32GB in 2 slots, which is more than sufficient for years to come.
The other difference is the form factor if it is of concern to you ,depending on your choice of cabinet/ space constraints.
1&3 are Micro ATX boards while 2 is mini atx. If you can go with mini atx then go with 2.

 

[raghumailbox]

1&3 have memory support of 64GB in 4 slots while 2 has upto 32GB in 2 slots, which is more than sufficient for years to come.
The other difference is the form factor if it is of concern to you ,depending on your choice of cabinet/ space constraints.
1&3 are Micro ATX boards while 2 is mini atx. If you can go with mini atx then go with 2.

I believe this has optical out and USB 3.0.
I have a 3TB Seagate Baracuda, can this MoBo support it fully?

 

[k2max6]

I believe this has optical out and USB 3.0.
I have a 3TB Seagate Baracuda, can this MoBo support it fully?

All have them have digital outs as well as usb 3.0 ports. The 10k one has 4 usb 3.0 & 2usb 2.0 others have 2 usb 3.0,4 usb 2.0. All will support your hdd.

 

[devilwearsprada]

Processor : AMD A10-5800K - AMD: Flipkart.com

MoBo :ASUS F2A85-M-LE Motherboard - ASUS: Flipkart.com

RAM : Transcend DDR3-1333 DDR3 4 GB PC RAM (JM1333KLN-4G) - Transcend: Flipkart.com

Cabinet : Zebronics Bijli - 1800.

Hard Drive 1 TB - WD Caviar Green[4.5K]

 

[dheerajjotwani]

Get wgat I got. Zbox nano id61

tapped on Note II cdma

 

[Froggy T]

For HTPC in current market with all those green power loving setups n build, go for AMD Richland based APU.You don't need an top of line APU for this nor will you be required to get external GPU.You can even play modern games at 1080p on this system with medium setings.
Here is what i say will best bang for HTPC in 15K or so range.

1. A8 6500 ( Non Overclocker ) or 6600K ( Overclocker ) : 7.8Krs for K version
2. Asus F2A85-M-LE ( Better board ) : 6K Rs
3. DDR3 1866 Ram - 4Gb ( 2x2GB sticks would be great if you can find it) 2.5~3K Rs
4. FSP saga PSU. : 2K Rs
5. Hard Disk - Left over's or buy WD Blue 500 Gb. : 3.5K Rs
6. Cabinet - Silverstone HTPC cabinets or any zebronics cheap cabinet to hide behind furniture'shyeah: : 5Krs for Silverstone
7. Sound Card or DAC of you choice.


If this is over your budget then any dualcore proccesor with AMD 6570 card and 4GB ram in total will do fine, then gradually add DAC or Soundcard for better audio.

 

[frank_dude_007]

1&3 have memory support of 64GB in 4 slots while 2 has upto 32GB in 2 slots, which is more than sufficient for years to come.
The other difference is the form factor if it is of concern to you ,depending on your choice of cabinet/ space constraints.
1&3 are Micro ATX boards while 2 is mini atx. If you can go with mini atx then go with 2.

Aah ok then the 2nd one it is.

Processor : AMD A10-5800K - AMD: Flipkart.com

MoBo :ASUS F2A85-M-LE Motherboard - ASUS: Flipkart.com

RAM : Transcend DDR3-1333 DDR3 4 GB PC RAM (JM1333KLN-4G) - Transcend: Flipkart.com

Cabinet : Zebronics Bijli - 1800.

Hard Drive 1 TB - WD Caviar Green[4.5K]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Get wgat I got. Zbox nano id61

tapped on Note II cdma

How is yours working out ? Have you played Blu Ray rips or 3D movies on it ?
I am a little skeptical of it's capabilities for the price it commands, how much did yours cost ?

For HTPC in current market with all those green power loving setups n build, go for AMD Richland based APU.You don't need an top of line APU for this nor will you be required to get external GPU.You can even play modern games at 1080p on this system with medium setings.
Here is what i say will best bang for HTPC in 15K or so range.

1. A8 6500 ( Non Overclocker ) or 6600K ( Overclocker ) : 7.8Krs for K version
2. Asus F2A85-M-LE ( Better board ) : 6K Rs
3. DDR3 1866 Ram - 4Gb ( 2x2GB sticks would be great if you can find it) 2.5~3K Rs
4. FSP saga PSU. : 2K Rs
5. Hard Disk - Left over's or buy WD Blue 500 Gb. : 3.5K Rs
6. Cabinet - Silverstone HTPC cabinets or any zebronics cheap cabinet to hide behind furniture'shyeah: : 5Krs for Silverstone
7. Sound Card or DAC of you choice.


If this is over your budget then any dualcore proccesor with AMD 6570 card and 4GB ram in total will do fine, then gradually add DAC or Soundcard for better audio.

This setup sounds like it can easily handle all my needs and then some more, thanks.
I will take all the configurations mentioned and research and go to nehru place, see which one suits me the best.

 

[frank_dude_007]

Hey guys,
So i consulted my Computer guy and he suggested i go with Intel instead of AMD due to reliability and performance difference. Any suggestions ?

 

[k2max6]

Hey guys,
So i consulted my Computer guy and he suggested i go with Intel instead of AMD due to reliability and performance difference. Any suggestions ?

I haven't used amd processors but a lot of people recommend it for htpc. I would also go with intel processors as i have tested them extensively and they are very reliable.Although i don't think AMD would be unreliable.
Secondly upgrading a pc with AMD is very difficult for me. No one in my circle would buy a 2nd hand pc with amd.
Even if someone does it would be less than half the price of the intel counterpart.
Intel would be costly as compared to AMD. If you can go for it.
HTPC users would be able to guide you better.

 

[Froggy T]

Hey guys,
So i consulted my Computer guy and he suggested i go with Intel instead of AMD due to reliability and performance difference. Any suggestions ?

BS may be he is trying to clear his old intel lga 1155 socket CPU's/mobo's.
Only thing that can cause reliability concerns will be motherboard nothing else.Yes if you choose RAM of 2133 Mhz kit then performance will increase with the configuration that i suggested.

In HTPC or PC building setup everything comes to how much money one is willing to spend and i see AMD APU's as better HTPC components.

 

[frank_dude_007]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, my HTPC will be compiled by the end of this week.
I decided to go with AMD afterall

 

[funguykk]

I am considering this link below because I researched the Motherboard with the onboard APU and it seems to be very good for full HD video playback and still have the two cores on the CPU almost free to do anything else. I'm not worried about the small HDD as I mostly will play files off of my external media.

Assembled HTPC / Media Player / Compact PC / Computer / Barebone kit | eBay

 

[manniraj]

I am considering this link below because I researched the Motherboard with the onboard APU and it seems to be very good for full HD video playback and still have the two cores on the CPU almost free to do anything else. I'm not worried about the small HDD as I mostly will play files off of my external media.

Assembled HTPC / Media Player / Compact PC / Computer / Barebone kit | eBay

It looks good with the final price coming around 13k. In fact the listing says barebones but I think it has all the components to run a HTPC. I think 320gb is fine with just the OS and some jukebox software like XBMC as you are going to use your external HDD for playing your movies of. It also has a pico PSU which is energy efficient as well as no fan noise.

 

[frank_dude_007]

I am considering this link below because I researched the Motherboard with the onboard APU and it seems to be very good for full HD video playback and still have the two cores on the CPU almost free to do anything else. I'm not worried about the small HDD as I mostly will play files off of my external media.

Assembled HTPC / Media Player / Compact PC / Computer / Barebone kit | eBay

Seems like a good option, I also checked it out earlier but i think i enjoy the DIY method that's why bought the following,

Thank you so much for the help guys, it really helped me make a decision.

Motherboard - ASUS F2A85-M-LE
APU - AMD A4 - 4000
RAM - Corsair XMS3 4GB
HDD - WD Green 1TB (for much more silent operation)
Cabinet and PSU - Iball baby 315

Also bought WD My book 3TB external HDD for making it a central server storage.

Now the cabinet i bought because it was compact and mostly because it was cheap and i have heard iball makes decent quality stuff but i didn't like the red border on the front, hence contemplating a repaint. If anyone has already done it then please help me go through it.