First Time Potential Builder (HTPC Build)

rodders666

Reputable
Jan 30, 2015
8
0
4,510
Hi,

I'm looking to build a pc which is used for streaming movies/tv in HD. I would ideally like to spend less than £250 (£200 being the magic number to keep my wife happy) but can't seem to get a decent combination on budget, at least with my knowledge of parts.

It's basically going to be a HTPC via my 42" 1080P TV via HDMI.

As of now, I have got it to ~£295 using partpicker (and using amazon as main supplier).

My main criteria is small form factor, and somehting that can be left running almost 24/7. My wife is disabled and I am her full time carer so we spend a lot of time watching tv I'm afraid.

List at the moment:
AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor
Asus F2A85-M PRO Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard
Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer
EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply
Zalman ZM-T3 MicroATX Mini Tower Case

I don't game on my pc, at all, so is the above overkill for my needs? I do want some good longevity, and I want to make sure all streaming and movies/tv I have on my HDD play smoothly and at HD quality. Aesthetics isn't an issue as it will be hidden from view, quietness would be a bonus.

I have picked some of the components based on that I would like easy access to usb 3.0. so a mobo with onboard usb 3.0 and a case with front panel usb 3.0. This is for when helping my daughter with homework so fast copying would be a bonus (she has usb 3.0 on her laptop).

WiFi is not needed as it will be wired direct to router (24Mb/s down/5Mb/s up).

I am happy to use a different CPU and add a graphics card if I can get the quality at a lower cost.

Sourcing from multpile suppliers isn't a problem.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thanks in advance for your help.


Rodders
 

grgnbeers

Honorable
Oct 30, 2012
18
0
10,510
Hi Rodders,

First, your AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz is a 100W baby, so it just might burn a hole in your pocket if run 24/7. Also heat inside the box...Also the 500W PSU seems an overkill for a rather simple HTPC. I am no expert, but the following links might help you in
your quest. Personally, I am about to go ahead with an HTPC build based on the AMD Athlon Kabini 35W, but I have not yet finished all the necessary harware research. I like the APUs from AMD. Costwise, it is your choice of OS that will make the big difference. Can you go with free Linux? Something like Linux Mint 17?
Good luck!
http://www.homemediatech.net/3-budget-htpc-builds-for-under-250-january-2015/1059
Here read the last few lines: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2014/04/24/amd-athlon-5350-kabini-review/9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113364
http://www.computershopper.com/feature/reviewed-four-budget-motherboards-for-amd-am1-processors
http://mymediaexperience.com/first-htpc-tips/
http://mymediaexperience.com/updated-htpc-recommendations/
http://www.tomshardware.com/faq/id-1961311/build-home-theater-htpc.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=best+htpc+build&gws_rd=ssl
 

Math Geek

Titan
Ambassador
i got it down to 250 pounds by changing to the pentium g3258 cpu. the intel hd 4600 gpu is good enough for hd movie streaming and dvd watching. the a10 has better gpu by a bunch but was trying to cut corners as much as possible. this is about as cheap as you can get and still be a complete system.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£52.39 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£34.57 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£52.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£41.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Zalman ZM-T3 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£19.77 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£38.87 @ Scan.co.uk)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£10.50 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £251.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-28 19:50 GMT+0000