HTPC For a Friend

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SlyByte

Commendable
Aug 24, 2016
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1,510
First off, Hello community!
I've often come here to get answers, but this is a first for writing my own question. I however can't seem to find any recent questions related to my HTPC curiosities.

I'm currently building an HTPC for a family friend, and its one of those situations where I just honestly don't know where to start... I'll honestly say I don't know as much as I should, as its only my second build.
The PC will mainly be used for 4k video, blue-ray movies and the mundane.

He's stated that he would like an SSD and a Blue-Ray capable cd drive for sure, and I'm currently looking at a $600 CAN budget for a complete pc, including a copy of Win10.

Now my problem is that I haven't the slightest clue what an HTPC should have, and what's overkill for one.

How important is a good cpu for an HTPC?
Should an HTPC have a dedicated graphics card?
Is 8gb of RAM enough?
Can I cut costs anywhere?

Here's what I've got based on assumptions: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ywKJf8
I know I should get a slightly better PSU, but the budget is unforgiving...
Any and all help is appreciated!
 
Solution
madmatt30
Can't let you get away with a raidmax psu for an htpc which is likely to be running 12 hours+ a day mate


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A8-7600 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($48.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.43 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: A-Data S511 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($58.76 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX)...
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madmatt30

madmatt30

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Jan 1, 2013
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Can't let you get away with a raidmax psu for an htpc which is likely to be running 12 hours+ a day mate


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A8-7600 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($94.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-H Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard ($48.99 @ NCIX)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($36.43 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: A-Data S511 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($58.76 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($42.95 @ Amazon Canada)
Optical Drive: LG UH12NS40 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($63.99 @ PC Canada)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($114.98 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $581.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-24 02:32 EDT-0400

Good compromise.


 
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Solution
S

SlyByte

Commendable
Aug 24, 2016
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1,510


Valid Point, thanks for the suggestion!
Will definitely get a better psu, and will consider the a8-7600.
Will the a8-7600 suit his need for a few years? He's the kind of person who keeps a pc for a decade.
 
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madmatt30

madmatt30

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For htpc use the 7600 is fine , also faster ram only affects the 3d GPU performance of the chip not 2d so cheaper 1600/1866 ram is fine.
Dump the ssd , its the only way to cost cut.
While its nice to have its not a necessity , win 10 can resume from hibernate/standby in under 15 seconds even on a platter drive .
I'd argue bluray isn't essential , if he must have one then at least pick one that writes bluray aswell

http://
 
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S

SlyByte

Commendable
Aug 24, 2016
4
0
1,510


With the a8 price, I can afford to give him the SSD.
He has specifically requested the SSD and Blue-Ray, so ditching those are completely undo-able.
But I'm feeling much better thanks to your suggestions. I really appreciate all your help! :)
He wants the blue-ray because he has a wall full of Blue-Ray movies.
I'll definitely run it by him, but I have a feeling he doesn't care about writing blueray, as long as it can play them.
Again, thanks for your help!
 
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madmatt30

madmatt30

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The one I suggested is same price mate & bluray writers tend to have better quality lasers generally .

Bear in mind there is no native bluray playback in windows so he will have to budget for playback software :-/

There are a few freeware options but they do not offer menu support.
 
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