Plex HTPC $500

madcar86

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Jul 23, 2012
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Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week (the closer the better)

Budget Range: less than $500

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Streaming video/video from Plex server. and play DVD/Blu-ray. Maybe use for small games.
Are you buying a monitor: No, will using TV/Projector

Parts to Upgrade: All

Do you need to buy OS: Yes, if plex

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Where ever it is cheapest and reliable.

Location: City, Acworth GA

Parts Preferences: Whichever is best for the buck

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Max and beyond. May be getting a new ultra HD tv/projector.

Additional Comments: This is for my parents, they are not super tech people, so it does not have to be top of the line gear. It would be nice if the case had a remote, bluetooth, wireless, or IR. If it had built in wifi and bluetooth that would be great also.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Parents building their dream home and want a top of the line media room. I told them that a HTPC would be easier than buy separate appliance for each function. And cheaper over the long run since they would only need to update the GPU.
 
Solution
I just completed a similar project for my folks new theater room projector. Weighed all of the setup top and OS options for quite awhile.

I went with a Phenom x3, 8GB ram, 3TB WD Red, HD 6570, slim case and Win 8.1 =<$500, more than sufficient for flawless 1080p playback. Since this build I have transitioned all of my personal HTPCs to 8.1. The Metro app ecosystems has virtually all of the streaming services and you can navigate to them with arrow keys on a WMC remote. Metro is actually quite useful for a HTPC, desktop use not so much. In addition I setup TeamViewer for remote access so I can log-in and trouble shoot anytime.

Having a plex server is nice but for a premier setup and lag-less performance its far superior to...

bjaminnyc

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Jun 17, 2011
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I just completed a similar project for my folks new theater room projector. Weighed all of the setup top and OS options for quite awhile.

I went with a Phenom x3, 8GB ram, 3TB WD Red, HD 6570, slim case and Win 8.1 =<$500, more than sufficient for flawless 1080p playback. Since this build I have transitioned all of my personal HTPCs to 8.1. The Metro app ecosystems has virtually all of the streaming services and you can navigate to them with arrow keys on a WMC remote. Metro is actually quite useful for a HTPC, desktop use not so much. In addition I setup TeamViewer for remote access so I can log-in and trouble shoot anytime.

Having a plex server is nice but for a premier setup and lag-less performance its far superior to have media stored locally on the HTPC. Fortunately large HDs are relatively cheap.

Unless your folks are really computer savy I'd also suggest they go ahead and get a separate Blu-Ray stand alone player. The HTPC will be flawless 99.9999% of the time, until people are over and you want to play a new movie. Therefore having BR separate just removes a bit of complexity from the equation and they're really cheap these days.
 
Solution

bjaminnyc

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Jun 17, 2011
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Ultimately my decision making priorities came down to reliability, speed with a large library, ease of use, access to popular streaming services, Silverlight (xFinity), and remote maintenance.

You're not too far from Microcenter in Sandy Springs. They have killer deals for A-series + MBs. With an A series you won't need a video card, therefore far less heat. I would have gone with an A6 or A8 if I didn't have an extra AM3 MB sitting in my closet.