HTPC build advice

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testudoAubreii

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Jun 20, 2012
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Budget & Location:
Budget: $500
Location: US

Use:
I will be using this as an HTPC and a Steam streaming device. I have a gaming rig, but it is in the office and I would like to be able to jump on and play a streaming Steam game if I wanted to. I will be running XBMC, as well as playing and streaming HD/3D media files to HDTVs on my wired home network.

Monitors & Peripherals
This will only be hooked up to my 1920 x 1080 HDTV. I do not need an OS, and although I have a wired mouse and keyboard, I think I would like a bluetooth setup to make searching and game playing easier.

I have an i5/256GB/8GB RAM Surface Pro 3 that I thought about using, but I think that I am going to return it because it gets kind of hot when running HTPC stuff and I am afraid that will lessen its lifespan. Plus, it is a really expensive option.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice, suggestions and help.
 
Solution
logainofhades
This is the closest you are going to get to an Nvidia equivalent.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($137.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze...
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logainofhades

logainofhades

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Apr 27, 2009
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: HIS Radeon R7 260X 2GB iCooler Video Card ($120.05 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $497.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 11:54 EDT-0400
 
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testudoAubreii

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Jun 20, 2012
329
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Thank you very much for your response and build suggestion. This will do everything that I need it to? I guess I am a little worried about the CPU. I though I would have to go for at least an iX series.
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

Titan
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Apr 27, 2009
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An i3 would have been better, but that would have taken you over budget, and you would have been stuck with a worse GPU.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GT 730 1GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $502.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 12:15 EDT-0400
 
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testudoAubreii

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Jun 20, 2012
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Dohhh! I didn't even see the GPU you have listed. That looks like it would be great. Can you recommend a Nvidia GPU equivalent?
 
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dottorrent

dottorrent

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May 20, 2012
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A8-7600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($107.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($42.27 @ TigerDirect)
Keyboard: Microsoft 2LF-00001 Wireless Standard Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $500.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 12:29 EDT-0400

This is miles better for watching movies than the Surface Pro. This has a Hybrid drive, which gives the benefit of the speed of an SSD with the storage of a hard drive. It can also just sit beside your television for the convenience and a BluRay drive for the 3D and high definition content.

Let me know what you think.
 
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logainofhades

logainofhades

Titan
Moderator
Apr 27, 2009
37,551
3,221
143,290
This is the closest you are going to get to an Nvidia equivalent.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($137.98 @ OutletPC)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($19.30 @ Amazon)
Total: $525.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-16 12:31 EDT-0400
 
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Solution
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testudoAubreii

Honorable
Jun 20, 2012
329
0
10,780


Thank you for the response.

I have not used an AMD APU before, but I do like the idea of having the CPU/GPU in one chip. I have read, though, that they tend to run high power and heat. Is that true?



That is not a bad card, at all. What do you think about the AMD suggestion?
 
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testudoAubreii

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Jun 20, 2012
329
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10,780


Thanks!

I will only be gaming through Steam's In-Home Streaming service, so no actual gaming will be done on the HTPC. Would that be good to go?

Edit: If I went with the AMD, do I have to use 2133 RAM or can I use 1866?
 
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