HTPC/Media Server build (first-timer) looking for advice

[turtlechief]

Hello All,

I am new to Tom's and a little rusty on my hardware, so I was looking to get some help before building a Home Theater / Media Server PC running Linux (probably Ubuntu).


Details

• 
  ■ I have no plans to use the PC for gaming (I have PlayStation for that).
  ■ I have no plans to overclock.
  ■ I will very likely run a few VM servers (LAMP webserver, mail server, ftp server, etc.) on top of the host linux OS, somewhat similar to the setup described in this tutorial: http://linuxhomeserverguide.com/initial/Plan.php
  ■ I already have a case (ATX or mATX form factor) and PSU.
  ■ I need to get a MOBO/CPU/RAM combination on a budget of around $200 (USD) or less. My absolute maximum budget woud be $250.

Since my budget is so small and I am not gaming or overclocking I figured a FM2/FM2+ APU would suit my needs, that way I would not have to spend money on a video card.


Here are my top choices so far, which are based off of this build: http://mymediaexperience.com/htpc-builds/budget-htpc/

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI FM2+/FM2 A88X (Bolton D4) Wi-Fi/BT4.0 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard
CPU: AMD A6-6400K Richland 3.9GHz Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
RAM: Kingston HyperX FURY 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM

My thinking is that this setup would get me a decent amount of features (wifi, bluetooth, etc) at a low price.

I have some questions however.

1) It appears that the motherboard only has an expansion slot for a video card? Are there expansion slots that I am missing? Will this motherboard limit my ability to add new features (for example if I wanted an eSata port, would it even be possible to add one?)

2) Are there better or comparable MoBo/Cpu combinations that would use a mATX motherboard and expansion cards (for video, wifi, etc...)? If so, what are they?

3) All other factors being equal, would it be worth it to go over my budget to get 8 gigs of RAM instead of 4 Gigs?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

It's true that the motherboard has limited upgrade possibilities. It has one PCI-E x16 slot that could be used for a PCI-E x1 card if needed. You will have a lot more upgrade options if you go with a larger motherboard. You could go with an Intel Pentium processor and use the integrated GPU for a HTPC/media server.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Zeus Yellow 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $195.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-06 12:44 EST-0500

Here is an option that uses a mATX motherboard and a separate PCI-E wireless adapter:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($58.90 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Zeus Yellow 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($19.22 @ Newegg)
Total: $191.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-06 12:50 EST-0500

And here is one that uses an ATX motherboard for the most expansion possibilities:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($53.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team Zeus Yellow 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN881ND 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($19.22 @ Newegg)
Total: $197.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-06 12:52 EST-0500

I would say it's certainly worth it to go with 8GB of RAM since it fits your budget and will allow you to run more VM machines.

 

[turtlechief]

Wow. Thanks for the excellent response. I am generally an AMD guy (I know I should have mentioned it), but at the end of the day anything that works well on my budget will be great. You certainly gave me a lot to think about.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

I understand being partial to one manufacturer. That being said, the Pentium is really a great option for a HTPC/media server since its CPU cores are more powerful than an AMD APU. The AMD has a stronger GPU, but that's not needed for a HTPC/media server. The Intel chip will also use considerably less power and run cooler which translates to a quieter machine in most cases. At the end of the day it will take some research on your part to decide which components will work best for you and your intended use.