sam9s HTPC Project! powered by XBMC!!

[harpreetz]

i have to get a new desktop anyways, hence,will be making it a desktop cum htpc and will get rid of P4...if the long distance connectivity will not be possible, then have to go for a separate htpc.

 

[sam9s]

Processor: Decided for Inter I3 3rd Generation :Any advice on which particular one should I go for.
Motherboard: Recommendation please : Should be able to decode till 7.1,all the HD formats, no 3D requirement rite now(2D hd plasma),however, should have slot so in future GPU can be added for 3D.
Should have HDMI out and Optical Out :: Reason: My current ht system, Sony DHC Fl 5d supports Optical In. Hdmi to plasma, and optical to Sony system,which outputs DTS 5.1
Hard disk: 1 TB : any recommendations ?
Ram: 4 GB: Kingston or Simtronics .Any recommendations ?
Dvd Writer: Samsung
Cabinet : ? : Not looking for a HTPC cabinet
PSU: ? A good quality PSU, since pc will be mostly on for d/l,u/l.
Display: will get a Samsung 21or 23: led monitor.

Now comes the tricky part, I will using this desktop as a HTPC also and my Plasma/Ht system, is in the adjoining room
Display & Sound: To connect the PC to Plasma(non smart) for display and to my Ht system for sound, Plan to use 20 Ft/30Ft, HDMI cable and Optical Out cable, available on Ebay for under btw Rs 1K-3K. Is anyone using such a long cable ?Is this a feasible option ?, will there will any loss in picture/sound quality by using such a long cable ? Any other recommendation?

Controlling the XBMC/Pc :: I want to use an actual remote rather than any tablet/cell. Saw some wifi Xmbc remote control on Amazon.We are looking at a distance of around 20-30 ft btw display room and the room where Desktop will be placed.Recommendations on such remotes, IR repeaters. What should be the best way of doing this.

Get the cheapest i3 , (if that is what you want), else even a P4 with dedicated GPU will run the HTPC with XBMC fine. But it you want to invent get cheapest i3. Core i3-2100 Processor is the cheapest I presume (around 7K). But if I were you I would go for Intel G2010 Pentium Processor, LGA 1155 for 3500.

Again Get the cheapest compatible mobo. Since both the processor are LGA 1155, I would go with ASUS P8H61-M LX Motherboard fro around 3500.


RAM ::: What is SIMTRONICS .... ..... 1990s is gone ..... Get G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 4 GB for around 3000.

DVD Writer ::: Samsung sucks big time ...... get ASUS (1500) or LiteON (1000) I would prefer ASUS

HDD :: 1TB WD Green

Cabinet ::: CM ELITE series starts from 3000

PSU ::: Corsair VS350 for around 2000

Display :::: Get DELL 21" or 24" IPS panel price I am not sure. its a bit expensive then other but THE BEST monitor I have purchased in my entire computer span of 20 years.

Coming to the remote, I would go with manniraj on this. I would not spend on a physical remote and purchase 2 other things (IR emitter and receiver) for the same. Android XBMC remote works perfectly. About that lock screen hindrance, I would just create a profile called movies (or use tasker) on my cell which would keep the display on, reduce brightness to almost nil (coz I will be seeing the movie, all lights switched off), put the phone on vibration and lasty disable the lock screen.... all in one go. So before I start the movie all I need to do is activate that "movie" profile and I am good to go.

 

[baijuxavior]

IMHO a dvd writer is not needed for htpc. When was the last time you burnt or played a dvd disk? I would rather up the budget and get a blu-ray writer and make the htpc a region free 3d bd player. I think you can get LG BD writer for around 6K.

 

[sam9s]

^^ Makes sense ......

 

[harpreetz]

hi Sam9s,
thanks for your inputs.
on the motherboard part,ASUS P8H61-M LX doesn't has a onboard hdmi and Optical out.
Need a motherboard with should have both, plus the provision of fixing a gpu for 3d in future.
Ram : lol, : , getting back to pc assembling post 2000 now.. been some time i guess .G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 looks perfect.

Coming back to the remote part: still thinking over a actual remote.

Hi Baijuxavior,
This is going to be a desktop cum htpc,hence,comes the need for dvd writer, but yes, in future, can upgrade it to blue ray.. my plasma is a 2d.

How about the connectivity part.
Thoughts on 30ft connectivity for display and sound through hdmi and optical out ?
any experiences with such connectivity ?
if this works, my desktop will act as htpc also. if doesn't , then desktop remains desktop and i have to settle with another htpc :sad:

 

[sam9s]

hi Sam9s,
thanks for your inputs.
on the motherboard part,ASUS P8H61-M LX doesn't has a onboard hdmi and Optical out.
Need a motherboard with should have both, plus the provision of fixing a gpu for 3d in future.
Ram : lol, : , getting back to pc assembling post 2000 now.. been some time i guess .G.Skill RipjawsX DDR3 looks perfect.

Coming back to the remote part: still thinking over a actual remote.

Hi Baijuxavior,
This is going to be a desktop cum htpc,hence,comes the need for dvd writer, but yes, in future, can upgrade it to blue ray.. my plasma is a 2d.

How about the connectivity part.
Thoughts on 30ft connectivity for display and sound through hdmi and optical out ?
any experiences with such connectivity ?
if this works, my desktop will act as htpc also. if doesn't , then desktop remains desktop and i have to settle with another htpc :sad:

I was under the impression a GPU will be added, (hence no HDMI on board) which I would always recommend and have always recommended, that is one single component that is imp and needs to be future proof, specially if you go 3D way. Onboard GPU doesn't work (atleast for me; and I guess lots of other as well who took GT440 route).
And why would you need optical?

I can understand the urge of actual remote. Touch remote does not give that feel of watching a movie/TV ...right .... I felt that way as well initially, but once you start using it, you get the hang of it and then you don't want a physical remote.

About HDMI length, I have tested HDMI for about 10f and no different or issue. Technically I think 25ft is the limit of HDMI, also depends on the quality. I would always try to keep the HDMI length as less as possible, also would get good high quality HDMIs in this case. If the distance is too long I would probably look in to other solutions like HDMI over Ethernet adapter

 

[Mithun ganjam]

1. It should definitely have the feel of a media player,
no windows feel at all, should boot directly in to my
Media Center. Though the base would ofcourse be
windows (one can opt for linux as well) but I opted to
go
for windows .....
2. Boot time as fast as possible (just like media
player), will upgraded to SSD later.
3. Quality YAMJ and polished look and feel...... with
the entire interface drooling with quality. (This was one
of my main reason to ditch media player along with HD
audio support)
4. Support for HD audio. (DTA MA and DD THD
streaming)
5. Remote for HTPC just like a conventional Media
Player

 

[harpreetz]

I was under the impression a GPU will be added, (hence no HDMI on board) which I would always recommend and have always recommended, that is one single component that is imp and needs to be future proof, specially if you go 3D way. Onboard GPU doesn't work (atleast for me; and I guess lots of other as well who took GT440 route).
And why would you need optical?

I can understand the urge of actual remote. Touch remote does not give that feel of watching a movie/TV ...right .... I felt that way as well initially, but once you start using it, you get the hang of it and then you don't want a physical remote.

About HDMI length, I have tested HDMI for about 10f and no different or issue. Technically I think 25ft is the limit of HDMI, also depends on the quality. I would always try to keep the HDMI length as less as possible, also would get good high quality HDMIs in this case. If the distance is too long I would probably look in to other solutions like HDMI over Ethernet adapter

All my media is currently non 3d as i don't have a 3d display. In future, whenever, i get a 3d display, i will add appropriate GPU, but for now, its only 2d
Reason for optical is that my current ht system,Sony DHC-FL5D has optical input.
Are you refering to Full HD 1080p Up To 30 M 100FT HDMI Extender For HDTV By Cat5e/6 Cable RJ45 | eBay ?

 

[sam9s]

1. It should definitely have the feel of a media player,
no windows feel at all, should boot directly in to my
Media Center. Though the base would ofcourse be
windows (one can opt for linux as well) but I opted to
go
for windows .....
2. Boot time as fast as possible (just like media
player), will upgraded to SSD later.
3. Quality YAMJ and polished look and feel...... with
the entire interface drooling with quality. (This was one
of my main reason to ditch media player along with HD
audio support)
4. Support for HD audio. (DTA MA and DD THD
streaming)
5. Remote for HTPC just like a conventional Media
Player

Why have you listed, my own written points form page 1 .. ??????

 

[sam9s]

All my media is currently non 3d as i don't have a 3d display. In future, whenever, i get a 3d display, i will add appropriate GPU, but for now, its only 2d
Reason for optical is that my current ht system,Sony DHC-FL5D has optical input.
Are you refering to Full HD 1080p Up To 30 M 100FT HDMI Extender For HDTV By Cat5e/6 Cable RJ45 | eBay ?

Even without 3D, the quality of dedicated GPU cannot be matched by an build one, there can be other issues as well, which I have discussed in lots of other threads (sorry you have to search of your own). I would alwas save on the cost of a lesser priced board (without HDMI) and invest the same saved money in a GPU

so your HT does not have an HDMI ?? Then why do u need a long HDMI ...sorry I must have missed something, please re discribe your connections ...
and yes the ebay adv, that is hdmi over lan, however the quality of the product that you listed on ebay is something I would not be sure about .... but yes thats the technology to go for.

 

[harpreetz]

Even without 3D, the quality of dedicated GPU cannot be matched by an build one, there can be other issues as well, which I have discussed in lots of other threads (sorry you have to search of your own). I would alwas save on the cost of a lesser priced board (without HDMI) and invest the same saved money in a GPU

so your HT does not have an HDMI ?? Then why do u need a long HDMI ...sorry I must have missed something, please re discribe your connections ...
and yes the ebay adv, that is hdmi over lan, however the quality of the product that you listed on ebay is something I would not be sure about .... but yes thats the technology to go for.

still can think about gpu.No HDMI in my ht.. Only optical. This desktop will be in my study room,with a 30ft hdmi connection running down to my living room into my plasma. Thats covers the display part. For audio, another 30 ft optical out connection,which goes to my ht

 

[harpreetz]

Hi Sam.. thanks for your advice on Intel G2010 Pentium Processor instead of I3, did some comparisons and this one does looks good one, plus,it's half the price
So will be opting for this one for my desktop.

Still looking out for a compatible motherboard, which should have an onboard hdmi and optical out.
Need your suggestions/advice on the motherboard ? Optical out is must required,due to old receiver.

Going back to your's and Manniraj's comments, about using P4 as a htpc.
The motherboard which i have is a Via motherboard, it only has pci card slot :sad:

Can a P4- some 2ghz,used with GT440,2gigs of ram, act as a HTPC for 1080p encoding ?
Can a GT440 be used on my existing motherboard which only has a pci slot ?

Looking out for your valuable suggestions on the above..

 

[sam9s]

Hi Sam.. thanks for your advice on Intel G2010 Pentium Processor instead of I3, did some comparisons and this one does looks good one, plus, will its half the price
So will be opting for this one for my desktop

Still looking out for a compatible motherboard, which should have an onboard hdmi and optical out.
Need your suggestions/advice on the motherboard ? Optical out is must required,due to old receiver.

Going back to your's and Manniraj's comments, about using P4 as a htpc.
The motherboard which i have is a Via motherboard, it only has pci card slot :sad:

Can a P4- some 2ghz,used with GT440,2gigs of ram, act as a HTPC for 1080p encoding ?
Can a GT440 be used on my existing motherboard which is only has a pci slot ?

Looking out for your valuable suggestions on the above..

Man your optical, requirement is tough, even on a bit expensive boards optical is tough to find. I could not find any 1155 ASUS board under 10K with optical ( if any fellow member can suggested, that would be good)
I was only able to find

1. Intel Intel DH77EB price around 7K
2. Gigabyte. GA-H77N-WIFI price around 8-9K

both of them also have HDMI.

COming to P4, which mobo model you have. (also is it a slot 1 loading P4?) GT440 is PCIe so I dont think its gonna work.

 

[sud98]

Hi Sam,

I am looking at HTPC primarily playing XBMC using probably openelec. However, I need a slim cabinet as it will be in the living room and USB3.0 support. Can you give suggestions?

 

[sam9s]

THere are loads but the main issue is, availability and how to get them. Plus most of branded ones are pretty expensive... There is one from ANTEC, but no usb 3 I guess. Then there is one from Silverstone ........ few generic ones like APEX

Then we have couple from our good old cooler master ....

 

[haisaikat]

Hi Sam,

I am looking at HTPC primarily playing XBMC using probably openelec. However, I need a slim cabinet as it will be in the living room and USB3.0 support. Can you give suggestions?

did not mean to hijack sams thread

I am using zebronics slim series cabinet, good desi branded product. It is working fine, as for USB 3.0 I am assuming you want USB 3.0 in the front which you can do with the below (zebronics cabinets have a default usb 2.0 front panel which you have to replace).

Cabinets - Slim - Zebronics - Always Ahead - Largest Range of Peripherals

USB 3.0 20 Pin 2 Ports Front Panel Floppy Disk Bay Hub Bracket Cable for Desktop | eBay

You will get a slim cabinet combining the above 2 in max 3K INR.

 

[harpreetz]

Man your optical, requirement is tough, even on a bit expensive boards optical is tough to find. I could not find any 1155 ASUS board under 10K with optical ( if any fellow member can suggested, that would be good)
I was only able to find

1. Intel Intel DH77EB price around 7K
2. Gigabyte. GA-H77N-WIFI price around 8-9K

both of them also have HDMI.

COming to P4, which mobo model you have. (also is it a slot 1 loading P4?) GT440 is PCIe so I dont think its gonna work.

Thanks for the suggestion Sam, Intel one looks like a good option.
Motherboard which Iam using right now is from MSI actualy, Model# .P4MAM2-V

 

[haisaikat]

Thanks for the suggestion Sam, Intel one looks like a good option.
Motherboard which Iam using right now is from MSI actualy, Model# .P4MAM2-V

Even if you do not get motherboards in your budget with onboard hdmi and optical out, look if that has optical out headers which you can easily convert to optical ports that are made for that purpose, would require a power connector 5 v too. However there has been several threads in this forum where it has been discussed that onboard SPDIF out is inferior to optical out from a pci / pci-e sound card that offers digital out. Also some usb devices exist that convert USB to optical out out, Behringer is one such company who makes those devices and in India bajaao.com stocks them apart from 3rd party products that are available in abundance on ebay at much lesser price.

I have ASUS M5A88M mobo for my home nas which has both hdmi and optical out and was available once for 5.5K and was the best all rounder budget mobo in that price range, AMD (like intel) has discontinued that and call it marketing or otherwise their successors with similar features are now 40% costly.

 

[baijuxavior]

OT - There is a silverstone htpc case for sale in erodov. Disclaimer - I have no affiliation with the seller.

 

[baijuxavior]

Hi Sam,

I am looking at HTPC primarily playing XBMC using probably openelec. However, I need a slim cabinet as it will be in the living room and USB3.0 support. Can you give suggestions?

Have a look at

Buy Online COOLER MASTER Mini 110 USB 3.0 Mini-ITX MIN-110-KKA200 Cabinet in India

Buy Online COOLER MASTER Mini 210 Slim microATX MIN-210-KKR300 Cabinet in India

The first cabinet accommodates miniITX boards only.