tNok85

Heya,

Looking to build a quiet, small HTPC that can play 1080p (both from video and possibly blue ray in the future). Would prefer W7, as the people using it most are not comfortable with Linux or anything like that.

I have a spare P4D 3.0GHz, but that thing is not really great on heat or power so I'd prefer a lower power setup.

Need recommendations on basically everything, except HD and RAM. (I have extra 1GB and 2GB sticks of DDR2 800 240pin around, and HDs are HDs)

I do NOT need a video card, unless this really is inadequate: HD4350 (with HDMI out)

Looking for quiet, low power, and small! Cheap is great! The IONs look good for this but for the price... considering I already have an HD4350 around... I could do a LOT cheaper with a lower end dual core and a small motherboard.


I would like the option to expand with a TV tuner in the future, as well as a remote setup - for now I would use a wireless mouse/keyboard or LogMeIn from another PC/Laptop in the room to control it.



Have:
HD4350 (HDMI including sound)
HDs
Keyboard/Mouse
Monitor
RAM

Need:
CPU
Motherboard (Needs to accept 240Pin DDR2)
Case
PSU

Budget... as cheap as possible! Couple hundred preferably.

Thanks!

DuckieHo

I have a Corsair 400CX for sale.

__________________
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AMG

AMD Athlon II X2 240 AM3

BIOSTAR A785GE AM2+/AM3 AMD 785G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard

COOLER MASTER Elite 330

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W (Or DuckieHo's)

That system will play Blu-ray/1080p content just fine. Good luck!

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We Are Gr33n Machine

EvilGenius007

AMG has you on the right track. You might consider a full-size ATX motherboard for addt'l expansion options if you go with a full size case. If you're looking for something smaller I'd consider the Antec MicroFusion (currently $85 shipped incl. PSU with code EMCMMLP23) or the inexpensive and functional, if somewhat unattractive, Rosewill Micro ATX case.

So: Biostar mobo, AMD Athlon II X2 240. With the Rosewill, you're at $175 + S&H. With the Antec you're at $205 shipped.

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new001

Some new, low power Athlon II X2 variants are being released. They will be 45 watts, so if you're in to energy efficiency, you may want to wait.

EvilGenius007

The 45W 235e is already available on eBay, but with the need to purchase your own cooler can become a bit more costly.

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tNok85

Not too worried about power, more concerned with heat generation.


Thanks a bunch guys.. +rep, good info.



Would a silent Atom setup be able to handle 1080p though? Just out of curiosity.

EvilGenius007

My understanding is that the Atom + Ion set-ups have stuttering during action scenes. This may have been fixed by bios/firmware/driver updates since I read about it a couple of months ago.

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Gunslash

+1
I built a new HTPC recently and prior to that was doing some reading on the Atom/Ion for the HTPC and they seem like a great idea and are very low power & quiet, but the current generation just doesn't have enough to run all HD content smoothly...

I'd stick with the built that AMG posted ( mobo has a built in HD4200 so you won't need to use that 4350 unless you want to) or go the Intel route. Plenty of budget CPUs /mobos on both sides that will run HD content just fine.

On the Intel side of things I'd go with:

E3200 $53 CPU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116265

Biostar G31 Micro ATX mobo $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813138145

or

Foxcon G31 ATX board $53 if you want more expansion slots
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813186146

PSU that was recommended above is great...I just used this case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811144231 for my HTPC build and it's pretty good, but won't fit a long video card... but if you're gona go with a full size ATX board, I'd just go with a basic, cheap mid tower case, will make life easier if space is no problem.


PS Don't forget to check the for sale section, this IS an overclockers & enthusiasts forum after all...a lot of people upgrade way too often...

tNok85

I remembered I had an E2140 laying around. So this will make it easier.

Going with this as a startup build:

CPU: E2140 (1.6GHz 1MB L2 Cache 65w)
It's... free, since I have it. 1.6GHz should be more than enough. If it's not, I can always swap it with the E6750 I have in a machine that's mainly used for Internet and light gaming (Sims 3 and such). So I'm definitely set on the CPU.
FREE!

Mobo: ASRock G41M-S
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157165
$5/$10 more than similar Biostars, but this one has a PCI-E 1x slot as well, which will be very useful if I end up wanting to use a PCI-E 1x Tuner (like a 2250 or something).

GPU: ASUS 3450 256MB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121259
Oops. Thought I had a 4350. Checked my records and it's a 3450. Will this really be any issue? It's fanless, which is nice.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148433
Should be enough space for a while anyway... and fast enough.

RAM: 2x1GB DDR2 800MHz Corsair
Got this laying around.

Case/PSU: Generic case (temp) and a ~300w Antec PSU. Don't remember all the specs, it's older but works. I will replace this as soon as I find a case since if I get a very small form factor, don't want to have wasted money. :P

All in all this is costing me $140 to get started. Once we're sure we like it, we'll probably spend up to $100 on a small case/PSU, and then another $100 or so on a tuner.



Any thoughts?