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HTPC or media player

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  • Media Player
  • Blu-ray
Last response: in Other Consumer Electronics
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March 21, 2014 11:27:27 AM

Hi I am trying to decide between a HTPC because it has everything or a media player because it supports so many formats. Was wondering which is better/ easier either one I would have to buy a media player or buy a blu ray drive for my pc? Anyone have experience with either?

More about : htpc media player

March 23, 2014 10:29:22 AM

Im confused. An HTPC is just a really small PC with a focus on being a media center. 'Media Player' is just a generic term used for anything that plays media.
If you let me know exactly what it is you want this device to do, I can give you suggestions.
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March 24, 2014 9:45:25 AM

Eric Joh said:
Im confused. An HTPC is just a really small PC with a focus on being a media center. 'Media Player' is just a generic term used for anything that plays media.
If you let me know exactly what it is you want this device to do, I can give you suggestions.



Sorry thought it was obvious im talking a media player like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Live-Media-Player-Wi-fi-1080p/dp/...

The main thing is playing blu ray movies back with ease the media player supports a mass of file types then again an HTPC will to but which is better I herd its hard to find good blu ray playing software for pc. Then again PC will have better functionality.
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Best solution

March 24, 2014 5:04:14 PM

bigal80ak said:
Eric Joh said:
Im confused. An HTPC is just a really small PC with a focus on being a media center. 'Media Player' is just a generic term used for anything that plays media.
If you let me know exactly what it is you want this device to do, I can give you suggestions.



Sorry thought it was obvious im talking a media player like this.
http://www.amazon.com/Live-Media-Player-Wi-fi-1080p/dp/...

The main thing is playing blu ray movies back with ease the media player supports a mass of file types then again an HTPC will to but which is better I herd its hard to find good blu ray playing software for pc. Then again PC will have better functionality.


If you only have ~$100 or less and just want to play back media files and browse youtube/netflix/amazon prime etc. Just get a Roku 3 as your media player. If you want to play blu-rays as well, just supplement with a $50 blu-ray player.

If you are willing to spend a little more and get a HTPC, I would recommend something like this (just made one for myself). It will be like a regular PC and will be suprisingly quick. You should have no issues starting it up very quickly and loading things very quickly. It will not be able to do heavy tasks like play newer video games. It includes a blu-ray player.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fPQK
CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($55.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Apex MI-008 Mini ITX Tower Case w/250W Power Supply ($49.24 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($47.27 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $305.48


Im not sure if the stock cooler of the Intel G3220 will fit in that case, you will need to see for yourself. If it doesn't, get a low profile cpu cooler for socket 1150. If you need help with this let me know.

Now, If you wanted to go beyond all that and make a machine that acts like a PC like above AND plays video games just as well as a PS4/XB1, your cost would go up a little, but less than the cost of a new $400+ system. Here's how you would do it:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3fQV2
CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.93 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($30.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($46.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($47.27 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $621.92

Basically, I changed the case to allow for a dual slot graphics card (not many great single slot), and also allows for a ATX standard PSU. The small form factor ones (like in the case of the MI-008 from the first build), tend to cost a lot of money when you up the wattage to include support for a video card. I also included a GTX 750 ti which is about on par or better than graphics on an Xbox One. Also, threw in a 1TB HDD to store all those video games. You can now buy real xbox controllers designed for the PC and play steam games just like you would on a new system.

You could save money by going with a micro atx motherboard and case - your rig will be bigger, but you will save ~$10 or $20 (small designs cost a lot).

Also, if you have a little extra money, for $20 more, the Samsung Evo 840 120GB SSD is better than the Kingston I listed. Hope this helps. Let me know if you have questions or want something more specific.
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