First Build: ~$300 HTPC

fritos96

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Hi, I'm currently looking to build my first computer and was looking for some comments on a couple potential part lists I assembled as well as any other ideas anyone has. I would like to keep it close to $300 but no higher than $400 (Not including the OS which will be Windows 7 which I already have).

The computer will be hooked up to a 50" 720p TV.

Requirements: An HDMI port. Wifi (I have a dual band network, so i just need a card good enough to stream Netflix in HD). A TV Tuner (I have basic, analog i think, cable). Enough processing power to decode the mpeg video from the tuner if it doesn't have a hardware decoder (not sure if this would be an issue, but I thought I would add it anyways). 1TB+ HDD. Being quiet would be nice.
This htpc will not be used for any gaming.

Potential Build #1 PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
Type Item Price
CPU AMD A4-5300 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor $46.99 @ Amazon
Motherboard ECS A55F2-M4(1.0) Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard $44.98 @ Newegg
Memory A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory $32.99 @ Newegg
Storage Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive $59.99 @ Amazon
Wireless Network Adapter TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter $17.49 @ Staples
Case Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case $36.98 @ Newegg
Power Supply Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply $29.99 @ Newegg
Optical Drive LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer $15.99 @ Microcenter
Other Hauppauge HVR-1250 PCI-Express x1 NTSC/ATSC TV Tuner $69.99
Total
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. $355.39
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 21:56 EST-0500

Potential Build #2 Using the parts in this combo, and adding the wifi card and TV tuner from my first parts list. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1570545
1x AMD Gift – Saints Row IV Digital Coupon (Model:Saints Row IV Coupon)
$39.99 1x XION XON-560 mATX/ ITX Meshed Mini Tower Case, USB 3.0, White/Blue LED (Model:XON-560-WT)
$39.99 1x MSI A78M-E35 FM2+ / FM2 AMD A78 (Bolton D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard (Model:A78M-E35)
$59.99 1x LOGISYS Computer PS550E12 550W ATX12V Power Supply (Model: PS550E12)
$24.99 1x AMD A8-5600K Trinity 3.6GHz (3.9GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 7560D AD560KWOHJBOX (Model:AD560KWOHJBOX)
$99.99 1x Crucial Ballistix Sport 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS4G3D1609DS1S00 (Model:BLS4G3D1609DS1S00)
$45.99 1x Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive (Model:ST1000DM003)
$64.99 1x LG Internal Super Multi Drive SATA Model GH24NSB0 (Model:GH24NSB0)
$20.99
TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter $17.49
Hauppauge HVR-1250 PCI-Express x1 NTSC/ATSC TV Tuner $69.99
Total: $390.47 (Is the extra performance from the processor worth it, or overkill?)

Thanks in advance for the help.

Edit: Would using a Haswell Celeron be better (performance wise and economically) than an APU for this build?
 
Solution
I ran an AverMedia PCI-E TV Tuner card with an AMD Athlon II x2-240 and a discrete AMD HD4670 and it all worked perfectly. I don't think you need to worry so much about the processor. I never thought much of Celeron processors. I always thought them to be light-weights and not meant for much more than browsing web sites/checking e-mail. I think if you want to go with an Intel path, I'd be looking at least at a pentium processor or Core I3. Otherwise, the AMD APU you originally thought about should still be more than enough.

-Wolf sends
another option for you :)
miniITX build

just add tvtuner and DVDdrive

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A4-6300 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Zotac A55ITX-B-E Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($82.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Rosewill RS-MI-01 BK Mini ITX Tower Case w/250W Power Supply ($42.24 @ Newegg)
Total: $278.17
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 22:25 EST-0500)
 

Wolfshadw

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Does your cable set up require the use of a set top box? If so, you'll want to go with a TunerCard TV Tuner solution. If not, you'll want to look at a TV Tuner card that has a QAM (cable) tuner (upon further review, the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1250 does have a QAM tuner).

Also, I'm not a big fan of trying to stream Netflix over a wireless network. If at all possible, go with a wired network.

Just from a quality component perspective, I think I prefer the first build. For strictly media, you don't need all that much of a processor. I ran a Ceton InfiniTV4 card on an Athlon II x2-240 processor.

-Wolf sends
 

fritos96

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As long as it would be good to run Windows 7, watch HD videos/movies (and Netflix), watch and record TV with a tuner, and do some web browsing without any noticeable lag a ~$250 build would be great, thank you.
 

fritos96

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Thanks :)

 

fritos96

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Thanks for the advice. I do not have a set top box for cable. Also, I currently have a HVR 1600 and the cable is plugged into the analog cable TV port (http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr1600.html), so I think the 1250 would be compatable with my cable provider (Am I right?).
 

Wolfshadw

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OK. Since you already have the Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 ATSC/ClearQAM/NTSC (digital/cable/analog), you don't need any other TV Tuner card. The one you currently own should work in the new system (assuming the new system accepts full height cards) and your cable company.

-Wolf sends
 

fritos96

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Thanks. I'll still be getting the 1250, as I am keeping the 1600 in my current computer. Also, would a Haswell Celeron work better than an A4 for this build (In terms of both the processor and integrated graphics performance, as well as economically, although I don't think cost should be an issue for a Celeron)?
 


I just found it
Motherboard: Asus C8Hm70-I/HDMI $84.43 TigerDirect
Memory 2x2Gb Crucial CT2K2G3S1339M $30.90 Amazon
Cooler Master elite 130 $49.99 Amazon
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply $29.99 @ Newegg
Storage $45.99 Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5"
Wireless Network Adapter TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter $17.49 @ Staples

Total 258.79

I left the Drive out since it didn't sound like you wanted blu ray.

 

fritos96

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Thanks. How do you think the processor (both in terms of the CPU and integrated graphics) would work for what I want to do with it?

 


I've got mine set up to play Bluray on my TV at the moment and stream media from a NAS box Netflix too. I wouldn't use it too encode or anything but it doesn't lag under my use, I was actually surprised by how well it worked. I've not worked with tuner cards really but I can't imagine that would take more power than 1080p bluray.
 

StarBG

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Like this?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3420 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($70.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($36.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $280.82
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-04 16:01 EST-0500)
 

fritos96

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Yeah, thanks. I need an HDMI output so I think I would use this motherboard http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-h81me33 (unless there is a comparable one with HDMI at/below that price, $45 it looks like right now)

Which build (Intel or AMD) do you think would work better for what I'm trying to do?

 

fritos96

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Thanks. Should I go with a Pentium over a Celeron for the build I am going for? How are the Pentium's integrated graphics?

 

fritos96

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Thanks. The main thing I'm worried about with that is my tuner card doesn't have a hardware decoder and I'm wondering if it may be worth it to put the money into a better processor instead of a card with a hardware decoder.
 

Wolfshadw

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I ran an AverMedia PCI-E TV Tuner card with an AMD Athlon II x2-240 and a discrete AMD HD4670 and it all worked perfectly. I don't think you need to worry so much about the processor. I never thought much of Celeron processors. I always thought them to be light-weights and not meant for much more than browsing web sites/checking e-mail. I think if you want to go with an Intel path, I'd be looking at least at a pentium processor or Core I3. Otherwise, the AMD APU you originally thought about should still be more than enough.

-Wolf sends
 
Solution

brian powell

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Whichever motherboard you go with, I wouldn't recommend ECS. I've used ECS, MSI, ASUS, and Intel. The only one that gave me any issues was ECS. The others are much more user friendly in my opinion.
 

fritos96

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Thanks, I was suspicious of this as I had never heard of ECS until I started looking at parts for this build.
 

fritos96

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I'm leaning towards an AMD build right now:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A4-5300 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($46.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI A55M-E33 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($44.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Edimax EW-7811Un 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($9.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Xion XON-560 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Other: Hauppauge HVR-1250 PCI-Express x1 NTSC/ATSC TV Tuner ($69.99)
Total: $340.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-05 17:57 EST-0500)

I have a few questions:

1. Any comments or suggestions?

2. Since the case has a usb3 port but the motherboard I selected doesn't support it, is it possible to use the port at usb2 speeds?

3. Is the stock cooling good enough for this build (cpu cooler/case fans)?

4. Is 4gb DDR3 1600 ram a good amount and speed for the ram?

Thanks again for the help.
 

Wolfshadw

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2. Since the case has a usb3 port but the motherboard I selected doesn't support it, is it possible to use the port at usb2 speeds?
I don't think the two are compatible, meaning you cannot plug a front USB3 cable into a motherboard USB2 port.

1. Any comments or suggestions?
I'd probably spend the extra cash to get a motherboard that natively accepts USB3.0. Something like this GIGABYTE GA-F2A75M-HD2 (rev. 3.0) motherboard.

3. Is the stock cooling good enough for this build (cpu cooler/case fans)?
It's good enough for now. After the build is up and running and you've used it for a few days/weeks, then you can decide if you want to replace the stock cooler with something else. For me, I cannot hear my stock cooling solution over the other ambient sounds in my apartment, so it works well enough for me.

4. Is 4gb DDR3 1600 ram a good amount and speed for the ram?
That should be plenty.

-Wolf sends
 

fritos96

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Thanks. One more question (I think), any recommendations on case, between the Silverstone, Xion, or otherwise?

 

Wolfshadw

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Since it's an HTPC, I've always been partial to actual HTPC cases. They just look better with my other components (HTIB/HDTV), but you're not going to find one at that price range. I really cannot speak to any particular manufacturer as I've not tried or tested the vast majority of them. When I look at a case, I ask these questions:

1) Does it create a proper airflow to keep my components cool (front intake to rear exhaust)?
2) Will it house all the components I want to install and still allow for the desired air flow?
3) Is it aesthetically pleasing to me?
4) Can I afford it?

Usually, it boils down to what I can afford.

-Wolf sends
 

fritos96

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Ok, looks like I just have to pick a case and then I am good to order everything. Thanks for all of the help!