Cheap HTPC Build

[I_H8_Crawford]

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice - want to set up simple HTPC box to hook into my TV so I can watch movies easily.

Want to do it as cheap as possible - what would I be looking at in terms of processor, etc?

Want to have HDMI connection, it will be outputting audio to my 5.1 setup, and will be used to watch 1080p movies.

Is i3 processor enough, or should I bump it up to an i5 (or AMD equivalent)?

How about video card? Those are the 2 most expensive pieces, but it will be used strictly for movies, no gaming.

I already have HDDs, OS, case, and Power Supply.

Thanks!

[Red Ice Player]

Originally Posted by I_H8_Crawford

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice - want to set up simple HTPC box to hook into my TV so I can watch movies easily.

Want to do it as cheap as possible - what would I be looking at in terms of processor, etc?

Want to have HDMI connection, it will be outputting audio to my 5.1 setup, and will be used to watch 1080p movies.

Is i3 processor enough, or should I bump it up to an i5 (or AMD equivalent)?

How about video card? Those are the 2 most expensive pieces, but it will be used strictly for movies, no gaming.


I already have HDDs, OS, case, and Power Supply.

Thanks!

I use an i5 for my HTPC, but an i3 will definitely be sufficient for streaming HD, especially since you won't be gaming. If I was building a box like you are, I would just look at the relative costs between i3 and i5 motherboards. If it is close, I would choose the i5. Its always nice to have that extra computing power if the cost difference isn't significant.

[sa226]

Depends what your idea of cheap is.

I use an older Pentium dual core e5200 and it works just fine.

I also put a Radeon HD 6650 in it for 20 dollars extra to take the graphics load off of the CPU and even that can be a tad overkill.

You can find used CPUs for quite cheap on ebay or Kijiji or whatever. It is however a bit tougher to find the older motherboards.

Very rough ballpark price estimates
CPU= used 50$
Video Card= 20$ (NCIX)
Mobo= 50$ to 125$ depending on what cpu you choose.

[Top Shelf]

Here is a thread at RFD that should have some good info for you...

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/ncix-...570-a-1252248/

[J Diddy]

The i series Intel processors are really overkill for a HTPC.

If you are interested I have some HTPC parts for sale:

- Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1GHz 7MB
- Heat Sink: Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
- Mobo: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G mATX AM2+
- RAM: Mushkin 4GB XP2-8500 (4x2GB) 1066MHz (8GB Total)
- Video card: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5450/PCI-E 2.0 1GB

I also have a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850E Dual Core Processor for sale.

We are a match made in heaven because you already have the case, a PSU and a harddrive, and OS.

Otherwise check out this HTPC hardware guide: http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=160

[DownInFlames]

What I did was upgrade my regular gaming/video PC and used the old parts as an HTPC. Killed two birds with one stone.