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+--- Thread: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? (/showthread.php?tid=94199)
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - HuskerJohn - 2013-04-17
OK, its been a long time, and to tell you how BIG a newbie I am, XBMC was new to me until today. [I've been dealing with computers since the original PCs and have built over the years, but nothing since P4s.] So I must apologize in advance.
For reasons I wont go into, I have several of these available.
Brand: Dell Processor Speed: 3.00 GHz
Model: Optiplex 620 Graphics Processing Type: Integrated/On-Board Graphics
Type: PC Desktop Memory: 2 GB
Product Line: Optiplex Hard Drive Capacity: 80 GB
MPN: GX620 / 745 Operating System Edition: Professional
Operating System: Windows XP Bundled Items: Windows License, OS Installation CD, Network Card
Screen Size: None Warranty: 1 Year Warranty
Processor Type: Intel Pentium D
So my question is...other than the obvious....RAM up to 4 gigs, HD to a 3TB, would this be suitable for a starter. I wont categorize myself as any class because I have hardware...I want to know what I can do with it.....
I am assuming the onboard video must go......any suggestions......[Remember, up til this point, essentially the other components are FREE for me.]
Of course something with HDMI out....
I am not a gamer....and this is just more of a fun project.
I am curious if I can get by using XPPRO. Although I have access to win7, my feeling is...it is EXTREMELY slow, so if I can use the XPPRo, that would be a preference.
Again, I apologize for my newbiosity. IT really has been a long time since I considered a HTPC. [I did waste a couple hundred bux on a ATI card 3-4 years ago...but abandoned the project due to time requirements. Now I am more interested because I am excited how XBMC looks so promising.]
Thanks again in advance.....
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - Sneddy - 2013-04-19
So I've been scanning these forums for years, previously using XBMC on my Windows PC but now I'm going dedicated with XBMCbuntu install on spare parts lying around and wanted some feedback. These are just temporary till I can buy a mITX system, but I'm sick of my buggy as hell WDTV Live and need to get some XBMC.
Have 2 possible computers I could build.
Option 1:
CPU: Phenom 945 (1.8Ghz)
MB: Asus M3A
RAM: 4GB DDR2 800Mhz
HDD: 1TB WD Green
Option 2:
CPU: Sempron 140 (2.7Ghz single core with second core unlocked by M/board)
MB: Asus M4A78LT-M-LE
RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600Mhz
HDD: 1TB
Only thing I need to buy for either is the video card, which I'm looking at either of these 2 cards.
Asus 1GB 6450
Asus 1GB GT610
They're about the same price here in Australia, and would mean my temp system would only cos around $40 to get me away from the WDTVLive.
I need to stream over network (from PC and soon FreeNAS) 1080p. All via GbLAN.
Will these computers be able to do what I need??
Cheers for the help, Sneddy!
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - alda - 2013-04-22
I want buy new HTPC for XBMC. Planned is celeron G1610, but which mainboard ?
I need mini-itx platform, mSATA support and 5.1 analog output.
I don't want buy a expensive mainboard with features which I don't need.
maybe this ?
http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/motherboards/desktop-motherboards/desktop-board-dh77df.html
Thanks for help
Alda
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - rwight - 2013-04-22
Currently building this machine and would like some opinions. If you have any suggestions or other options I am happy to hear! Only question, do you think this would be able to play 3D content? (I only have 720p content as it takes up less space until I have all my drives up in this box)
CASE: Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352020
CPU:Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Intel HD Graphics 2000 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=19-115-078&Tpk=N82E16819115078
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-131-837&Tpk=N82E16813131837
GPU: On board as I will be SOLELY playing movies (no gaming or other functions)
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144
PS:Corsair Professional Series HX850 Modular 850 Watt 80PLUS Silver Certified - http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=33_443&item_id=023484
AUDIO: Running through optical audio via MB as I don't have HDMI throughput on my receiver at this point.
STORAGE: 1 SSD for OS with four 3TB WD Green drives for media storage
I am planning on running this machine in Windows 7 Ultimate (currently the version I own) with FLEX RAID or UNRAID (will try both to see which suits me best) and XBMC to play the media. This computer will be used for NOTHING MORE. No streaming, no gaming, nothing. Just local media storage and play. What do you guys think?
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - Mick1152 - 2013-04-23
Looks awesome to me. unRAID is a Linux operating system specifically for storage only, you wouldn't be able to run windows on the same system you are running unRAID on. However, my RV system is using a similar configuration on a Core i3 with Windows 8 and FlexRAID to manage my storage pool. In my home I have a dedicated home server running unRAID.
I have never tried 3D content with my i3 system, not a fan of 3D crap, however, I doubt it would have any issues with it.
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - rwight - 2013-04-23
(2013-04-23, 07:58)Mick1152 Wrote: Looks awesome to me. unRAID is a Linux operating system specifically for storage only, you wouldn't be able to run windows on the same system you are running unRAID on. However, my RV system is using a similar configuration on a Core i3 with Windows 8 and FlexRAID to manage my storage pool. In my home I have a dedicated home server running unRAID.
I have never tried 3D content with my i3 system, not a fan of 3D crap, however, I doubt it would have any issues with it.
Ok, so looks like FlexRAID it is then! (Since this will be running XBMC and have the RAID'ed drives all in one machine). I am not a huge fan of 3D content either, but my nieces love it so I figured I may download/rip some 3D content and try it out on the projector once this XBMC machine is up and running.
Have you tried the WD Red drives with FlexRAID?
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - JChin - 2013-04-23
Hi, I'm new to XBMC and will be setting up a htpc media center for the first time. I was looking to purchase a desktop from Best Buy either Gateway (this) or Asus (this). Does the Gateway or Asus seem good for a XBMC setup? What else is needed beside a pc (I read about external storage)? Or is there something better than using a pc for XBMC? Also can someone point me where I can learn how to import dvd and blu-rays (as you can tell I'm a noob to all of this
? Any info or suggestions are appreciated, thanks.
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - rwight - 2013-04-23
(2013-04-23, 21:45)JChin Wrote: Hi, I'm new to XBMC and will be setting up a htpc media center for the first time. I was looking to purchase a desktop from Best Buy either Gateway (this) or Asus (this). Does the Gateway or Asus seem good for a XBMC setup? What else is needed beside a pc (I read about external storage)? Or is there something better than using a pc for XBMC? Also can someone point me where I can learn how to import dvd and blu-rays (as you can tell I'm a noob to all of this
These look like good places to start for an XBMC machine. The only thing you will want to concern yourself with is your amount of storage. Lot's of us have TB's worth of media so we need machines that can hold multiple drives, or have a separate server/NAS (network access storage) for your media. You can always get external NAS drives later on down the road as your collection expands for sure. I think if you start here, the only thing you should worry yourself with at this point is maybe a remote. Check amazon for windows media center remotes, they are great. Here is the forum discussion for peoples favorite remotes. XBMC Remotes Forum
Once you get your machine, you are going to want a dedicated MEDIA folder (unless you are going to use an external or separate drive, then make the whole drive MEDIA). In this folder place a MOVIES and TV SHOWS folder (and music and pictures if you want). Make sure your media is separated into their folders AND labelled correctly! This will make XBMC's job a lot easier when scraping your media (gathering media info, posters, fanart, etc). See this page for the correct label formating ----> Labeling Media
Ripping DVD's and Blu-rays can be complicated. Keep in mind there are MANY ways to rip movies, but these are the ones I have and do use myself. For DVD's these days you could get away with using Handbrake to rip and compress the DVD. Handbrake is free and it's a simple program to use. It makes ripping movies and shows from disc a breeze. For blurays you will need something of a higher caliber to get the BEST quality you can and get it a decent size (unless you aren't worried about drive space) I personally use Pavtube's Byte Copy for my bluray rips but it is a $50 program. I do not regret paying for it as I rip a ton of movies I own to my drives (rip is term used when talking about importing and compressing a movie from disk to your computer).
Hope this helps some
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - Mick1152 - 2013-04-23
(2013-04-23, 16:30)rwight Wrote:(2013-04-23, 07:58)Mick1152 Wrote: Looks awesome to me. unRAID is a Linux operating system specifically for storage only, you wouldn't be able to run windows on the same system you are running unRAID on. However, my RV system is using a similar configuration on a Core i3 with Windows 8 and FlexRAID to manage my storage pool. In my home I have a dedicated home server running unRAID.Have you tried the WD Red drives with FlexRAID?
I have never tried 3D content with my i3 system, not a fan of 3D crap, however, I doubt it would have any issues with it.
No, honestly I just buy whatever is cheapest at the time for the size I'm looking for or bigger. Most of my drives are Seagate 3TB 7200 RPM drives that I removed from USB enclosures when they were on sale for $110 a while back. Those are the drives I'm using in my RV system with FlexRAID. My unRAID server has a couple of Seagate 4TB drives and the rest are 3TB drives, mostly Seagate with a couple WD's thrown in there too.
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - JChin - 2013-04-25
(2013-04-23, 22:45)rwight Wrote:(2013-04-23, 21:45)JChin Wrote: Hi, I'm new to XBMC and will be setting up a htpc media center for the first time. I was looking to purchase a desktop from Best Buy either Gateway (this) or Asus (this). Does the Gateway or Asus seem good for a XBMC setup? What else is needed beside a pc (I read about external storage)? Or is there something better than using a pc for XBMC? Also can someone point me where I can learn how to import dvd and blu-rays (as you can tell I'm a noob to all of this
These look like good places to start for an XBMC machine. The only thing you will want to concern yourself with is your amount of storage. Lot's of us have TB's worth of media so we need machines that can hold multiple drives, or have a separate server/NAS (network access storage) for your media. You can always get external NAS drives later on down the road as your collection expands for sure. I think if you start here, the only thing you should worry yourself with at this point is maybe a remote. Check amazon for windows media center remotes, they are great. Here is the forum discussion for peoples favorite remotes. XBMC Remotes Forum
Once you get your machine, you are going to want a dedicated MEDIA folder (unless you are going to use an external or separate drive, then make the whole drive MEDIA). In this folder place a MOVIES and TV SHOWS folder (and music and pictures if you want). Make sure your media is separated into their folders AND labelled correctly! This will make XBMC's job a lot easier when scraping your media (gathering media info, posters, fanart, etc). See this page for the correct label formating ----> Labeling Media
Ripping DVD's and Blu-rays can be complicated. Keep in mind there are MANY ways to rip movies, but these are the ones I have and do use myself. For DVD's these days you could get away with using Handbrake to rip and compress the DVD. Handbrake is free and it's a simple program to use. It makes ripping movies and shows from disc a breeze. For blurays you will need something of a higher caliber to get the BEST quality you can and get it a decent size (unless you aren't worried about drive space) I personally use Pavtube's Byte Copy for my bluray rips but it is a $50 program. I do not regret paying for it as I rip a ton of movies I own to my drives (rip is term used when talking about importing and compressing a movie from disk to your computer).
Hope this helps some
Hi rwight, thanks for the links thats very helpful info. This should get me started at least.
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - tkilla1979 - 2013-04-29
Hi Guys (and girls of course),
i am a little bit confused, why:
1. The initial proposed systems have been posted almost 2 years ago, no info about current / updated setups.
2. I am watching movies on 3d Full HD Beamer ( 3m diagonal) so, the better quality the better for experience. (For sound Denon 1911 with 7.1) I am also using 3D ISO BD images as source ( playing them with TMT6). To bad, so far i have not found specific information which (htpc) hardware is capable of doing that.
Currently, i am using my desktop / gaming pc for that, but i hate the small probs coming with that ( no able do play, while my girlfriend watches a movie, driver issues, software issues,...) So i want to have a separate and clean setup for and as my Media Center.
Any help? Would appreciate it.
Edit: visited my local dealer 2 hour ago, he also has not that experience, suggested some hardware peaces, without being able to answer my questions. But he also suggested me to think about mac mini as hardware platform, if the price is not too high for me (about 600€). (but Mac Mini is not able to "play" Frame Packing.
Edit2: So on nvidia hp: GT 610 is fully capable of playing 3d Blu Rays, i assume that includes 3D .iso images of BluRays. What means for me, by spending 40€ extra for GPU i'll get what i need.
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - yakub26 - 2013-05-02
New to the Great world of XBMC and HTPC and wanted to say everyone here is awesome and hope one day I will be as great as you
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - annonymouse - 2013-05-10
Ok so I'm looking to build my first htpc/nas heres what I have in mind. I know that sounds counterproductive but I would like to incorporate my whs with my htpc. I was thinking about running the os off of an ssd and the storage off of the hdd. I have 3 hdd ranging in size from 3tb to 1tb from a whs that I was looking to incorporate into this system. I was wondering if it would be possible to spindown or sleep the hdd while no data is needed while keeping the htpc running. This is what I was thinking for parts. I want to do bluray, 3d, hd audio and also stream 1080p
Case:
COOLER MASTER RC-120A-KKN1 Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
Power supply:
COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-I3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply
Motherboard:
ASRock FM2A85X-ITX FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
CPu:
AMD A10-5700 Trinity 3.4GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11
Ram:
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00
Bluray:
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-ray Burner, Bare Drive, 3D Play Back
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - Dougie Fresh - 2013-05-10
(2013-05-10, 15:29)annonymouse Wrote: Ok so I'm looking to build my first htpc/nas heres what I have in mind. I know that sounds counterproductive but I would like to incorporate my whs with my htpc. I was thinking about running the os off of an ssd and the storage off of the hdd. I have 3 hdd ranging in size from 3tb to 1tb from a whs that I was looking to incorporate into this system. I was wondering if it would be possible to spindown or sleep the hdd while no data is needed while keeping the htpc running. This is what I was thinking for parts. I want to do bluray, 3d, hd audio and also stream 1080p
Case:
COOLER MASTER RC-120A-KKN1 Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
Power supply:
COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-I3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply
Motherboard:
ASRock FM2A85X-ITX FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
CPu:
AMD A10-5700 Trinity 3.4GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11
Ram:
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00
Bluray:
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-ray Burner, Bare Drive, 3D Play Back
This is a very good start. However, you might get more attention with a new thread of your own.
RE: Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start? - yakub26 - 2013-05-11
(2013-05-10, 15:29)annonymouse Wrote: Ok so I'm looking to build my first htpc/nas heres what I have in mind. I know that sounds counterproductive but I would like to incorporate my whs with my htpc. I was thinking about running the os off of an ssd and the storage off of the hdd. I have 3 hdd ranging in size from 3tb to 1tb from a whs that I was looking to incorporate into this system. I was wondering if it would be possible to spindown or sleep the hdd while no data is needed while keeping the htpc running. This is what I was thinking for parts. I want to do bluray, 3d, hd audio and also stream 1080p
Case:
COOLER MASTER RC-120A-KKN1 Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case
Power supply:
COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-I3 460W ATX12V V2.31 Power Supply
Motherboard:
ASRock FM2A85X-ITX FM2 AMD A85X (Hudson D4) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
CPu:
AMD A10-5700 Trinity 3.4GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Quad-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11
Ram:
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00
Bluray:
LG Black 14X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 5X DVD-RAM 12X BD-ROM 4MB Cache SATA BDXL Blu-ray Burner, Bare Drive, 3D Play Back
I am almost positiv ethe A10 is over kill unless your running games on it the A6 has all the capabilities that you want, so save a lil cash and go for the A6 maybe A8 (better 3d)