Possible to build a HTPC for under £200?

523 Views 2 Replies 2 Participants Last post by woodpigeon4, Mar 13, 2009

woodpigeon4

Discussion Starter · Mar 12, 2009

Hi guys,
You may have seen my thread here asking about options for connecting a HTPC to my old CRT TV.
Now that I've established that it is possible, I'd like to see how cheaply I can build one. At the moment, it'll only be used as a glorified DVD player to replace my recently dead one, but I'd like the option to upgrade in future if I need to play HD video. I was thinking of buying something like this and installing the nescessary components.
However, do you think I should build from scratch using 2nd hand components? I'd like to have specs similar to this:

At least P4 3.0Ghz
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
SCART/AV output
PCI-E 16X slot
Look fairly nice below my TV

So, any comments or suggestions? Can it be done or have I set an impossible task?

Thanks

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EvilGenius007

· #2 · Mar 13, 2009

I'd consider combining the following with the barebones system you found:
Â£20 DVD-RW DL: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Liteon-Ihap3...dp/B001GT2NZO/
Â£58 CPU: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001ENB1FA/
Â£29 RAM: http://www.pcwb.co.uk/catalogue/item/CRUC012 (also avail for Â£33 at Amazon)

You'd need to have the 160GB HDD lying around. If you're going to buy a new one, it doesn't make much sense to go smaller than 640 GB (Â£54). Even 1 TB drives can be had for just a few more bills (Â£82), and you may find that the Samsung 1.5TB drive is the cheapest per GB (Â£119).