HTPC with a budget between $500 - $800

MattSchilling

Honorable
Apr 30, 2012
2
0
10,510
Approximate Purchase Date: May/June 2012

Budget Range: $500 - $800 before rebates but would be willing to go a little higher if it meant dramatic improvements.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: HTPC for movie playback, burning and storing backups of my dvd's and blu-rays, and occasional internet surfing/playing youtube videos.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg, tigerdirect, or e-bay. Not really particular where i purchase from as long as it is reputible and has the best pricing.

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: I'm partial to intel CPU's but am open to AMD as well.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 55" UN55D7000 @ 1080p

Additional Comments: What I want it to be able to do: Copy DVD's and Blu-Ray's for backup purposes, play back HD video without a hitch, do minor internet surfing and play the occasional youtube video. Gaming is not an objective with this HTPC. Also it won't be near a router so it would need a wireless card installed. I would also like it to have expandability within the case so that if I choose to add another hard drive or two in the future for additional space, that wouldn't be an issue. I would also like it to be as close to silent as possible. I was hoping to build someting in the $500-$600 range but would go as high as $800ish if it meant dramatic improvement. I also would like some advice on a good wireless keyboard and mouse combo to control it from the couch with.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/332962-31-recommended-builds-price
I attempted to use this post as a guide but the CPU is double the price, the HD went up considerably, and the MB and GFX cards aren't in stock any longer.
 

aicom

Honorable
Mar 29, 2012
923
1
11,160
You might want to consider AMD's Llano APUs. They will probably get you the cheapest build and a great experience. They're practically an HTPC on a chip. The AMD GPU will do 24 Hz without a hitch (unlike Sandy Bridge). Since your not doing anything CPU intensive, it might be the way to go.
 

MattSchilling

Honorable
Apr 30, 2012
2
0
10,510
So, based on that suggestions I came up with this system within my budget. Could I get some opinions please? Also, do you think it would be adequate to copy dvd's and blu-ray's without taking forever?

ASUS F1A75 M PRO MB - $99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131764

AMD A8-3850 APU - $119.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942

FORCE 3 SATA III 60 GB - $89.00 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233223

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8 GB DDR3 1866 F3-14900CL9D-8GBXL $59 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231455

LG Black Blu Ray $65 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136246

Silverstone ML03B Milo low-profile M-ATX HTPC case $59.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163174

Antec Earthwatts 430D PSU $54.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034&Tpk=Antec%20Earthwatts%20430D%20PSU

D-link Xtrene Wireless Card $59 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833127218

Seagate Barracuda Green 2tb - $119 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148681