$350 to $450 Build....

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BW78

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Oct 25, 2013
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10,510
First, let me thank you all for the very helpful and informative website.

I'm looking for a HTPC to use Windows Media Center as a DVR, rip Blu rays/DVDs, stream movies and music and surf the web.

I need a quad core processor. I would like Windows 7 because it comes with Windows Media Center. I would also prefer something that isn't too loud. And an SSD drive would be great, but I can upgrade that later. USB 3.0 would also be nice.

I have a 1TB WD Green in an external enclosure, an external pc tuner, an external blu ray/DVD RW drive, and wireless mouse and keyboard.

Also, is it really practical for me to build this since I've never done it before? If not, are there any pre built systems that come close to what I need?

Thanks again for your help. Here is the form...

Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: within the next month

Budget Range: $350-$450 after rebates/after shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: DVR, streaming videos, watching HD tv, surfing the internet

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: none

Location: Sacramento, CA

Parts Preferences: none

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: don't know

Your Monitor Resolution: 50 inch HD TV

Additional Comments: I would like a quiet PC.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: cutting cable cord
 
Solution
assasin32
If your willing to rip out your 1tb HD from the enclosure and toss it into the computer we can get rid of the need for the harddrive purchase for now. Which give us just enough money to pick up an i5 which has the benefit of Quick Sync which will make ripping dvd/blu-rays a lot faster if your program uses it. This assuming we don't take the price of mail in rebates into consideration, but if we do that leaves close to $50 till we hit your budget so we can squeeze in a 1tb HD in there while stretching the budget slightly.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ihOF
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ihOF/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ihOF/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz...
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ScrewySqrl

ScrewySqrl

Champion
Aug 2, 2010
11,199
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53,540
oh, lordie, we can do better than a 5 year old chip

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($119.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: PNY XLR8 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xion XON-560 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $398.94
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-10 15:53 EST-0500)

Quad core, SSD, good enough graphics for light gaming, plenty of RAM, and on Budget
 
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camohanna

camohanna

Distinguished
Oct 21, 2012
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This, if you want more HTPC look just swap in a mini itx mobo and case
 
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assasin32

assasin32

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Apr 23, 2008
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19,515
If your willing to rip out your 1tb HD from the enclosure and toss it into the computer we can get rid of the need for the harddrive purchase for now. Which give us just enough money to pick up an i5 which has the benefit of Quick Sync which will make ripping dvd/blu-rays a lot faster if your program uses it. This assuming we don't take the price of mail in rebates into consideration, but if we do that leaves close to $50 till we hit your budget so we can squeeze in a 1tb HD in there while stretching the budget slightly.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ihOF
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ihOF/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ihOF/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($52.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: A-Data XPG Gaming Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($82.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $400.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-10 16:20 EST-0500)

If you don't use Quick Sync (or don't care about getting the best ripping speeds) I think a build based on an AMD APU like Screwysqrl posted may be better as you get your SSD in the build from the get go. I would just downgrade to 4gb of ram as I don't see an HTPC using anywhere close to 8gb of RAM.

Though I wouldn't get that case, it has a lot of good ventilation but with how open the side is it will let a lot of noise bleed through. The fractual design has the same problem to some extent but not as much as where the CPU fan is located there is only the rear vent and that can easily be directed away from you. Side vent is lower and won't let as much sound bleed through when the CPU is running at 100% while ripping a movie which is when you will most likely the only time you really notice the CPU fan.
 
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Solution
A

Aristotelian

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Jun 21, 2012
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Yes, you should build your own, especially for HTPC, where aesthetic value is a consideration and you don't want some big Dell box computer in your living room. I would recommend giving XBMC a try running through Ubuntu because Windows really isn't necessary if you are strictly doing HTPC applications. You could do something similar to assassin's build but ditch Windows, then upgrade the case.

The one thing you have to be careful about HTPCs is checking to make sure the case will take an ATX-size PSU. Otherwise you have to get an alternative form factor PSU. Something like this would be pretty slick and fit your budget if you are able to ditch Windows or compromise elsewhere:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163205
 
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B

BW78

Honorable
Oct 25, 2013
16
0
10,510
Thanks so much for the excellent info!

I don't use Quik Sync (perhaps only because I don't know what it is, I'll have to look into it.)

In ScrewySqrl's build, I recently bought an exteneral Blu Ray RW drive, that cost more than a 1 TB drive. If I returned the Blu Ray drive and bought another 1 TB drive, is there room in the build for a storage drive? Even if not, I could just add another external 1 TB drive, correct? Then I'd have an SDD, two 1 TB drives and a blue ray drive that would read and write?

As for the cases, I'm most concerned about sound, cooling and expandability than the look (although it would be great if it looked good as well).

 
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assasin32

assasin32

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Apr 23, 2008
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@ Aristotelian, there was the whole blu-ray/dvd ripping which is why there is an Windows OS in the build. As well as OP's preference.

Short version of Quick Sync for your use, it's Intel's solution to being able to quickly rip dvd/blu-ray videos. It's speeds up the process greatly you just have to check to see if your software supports it. A quick google search of quick sync and your software of choice should bring up the result. If you do a lot of dvd/blu-ray ripping it is well worth the premium, more so than the SSD in my opinion. As once the OS is loaded it's usually pretty snappy from my experience and you can negate the boot time on a normal HDD by putting the computer to sleep or hibernate (it's what I do 99% of the time).

As I said earlier if you care about speed of your dvd/blu-ray rips and the software supports it go intel i5 to get quick sync. If you don't mind longer times go AMD APU to save money. Both cases that me and Screwsqrl reccomended will easily meet the not so demanding needs for cooling and mine to some extent expandability. Sound on both as I said before the fractual design will have an advantage but only when the CPU fan is being maxed out will it probably be noticeable, so another words when your ripping something. During idle, movie/music playback I expect both to be close to inaudible at a distance if your playing something.
 
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