[eskro]

publicENEMY, even a 2GB USB Flash Drive is enough if u use OPENELEC version of XBMC....

if you use XBMC Live, at least a 8GB drive is required...

[publicENEMY]

thanks for the headup eskro. i didnt know xbmc live require at least 8gb. im looking forward to this openelec.

by the way, whats your opinion on compact flash card versus other memory cards. my plan is minimal storage capacity on the htpc. media content is served from network drives (nas etc). is cf is the best choice for xbmc htpc main storage? from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_memory_cards, cf, sd, minisd and microsd all have superior read and write rate(propably sequential). what about random seek rate? what about durability? did xbmc writes a lot of cache/temp data on the storage?

your hardware recommendation is super. right now, im trying to find the cheapest storage possible(media content is stored in other storage)

thanks.

[eskro]

if you plan on using OpenELEC,
i would buy this USB Flash Drive
not because its 8GB, but because its cheap, $12 after rebate,
and has amazing read speeds for a USB device!
Perfect for OpenELEC!

[lightshow12]

Just an update. I've finished building my HTPC using eskro's awesome reccomendations here:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=797987&postcount=2

I've configured most of my XBMC setup and I'm working on integrating

a) Advanced Launcher -> SNES, NES, Genesis, N64 + PC Games (Resident Evil 4, etc.) mapped to Xbox 360 Gamepad
b) Maximus Arcade -> Front end for all emulators (if Advanced Launcher doesn't play nice)
c) Possibly Hyperspin Project -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hys709rgQYU *It requires over 1.5TB of space, but binaries are on usenet to make it faster!
d) Voice activation and control though VoxCommando -> http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=73006&page=8
e) Handful of Windows 7 OS tweaks to make it all work together seamlessly (like automatic sleep after inactivity -> which turns off all fans, etc.)
f) Still can't get my Windows MCE remote to bring it out of standby.. Working on that one.

[eskro]

keep it up lightshow12!!

[johnnyb138]

Just an update. I've finished building my HTPC using eskro's awesome reccomendations here:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=797987&postcount=2
c) Possibly Hyperspin Project -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hys709rgQYU *It requires over 1.5TB of space, but binaries are on usenet to make it faster!

I've been looking for these binaries on usenet but I can't find them, could you provide which site you are searching on and what you're searching for? Thanks!!

[LanternsLight45]

Hello! I'm a total noob around here, looking to build my first HTPC. I'm excited. I was wondering, with the second build (marked cheapest linux) I want to run this off of Ubuntu 10.04 or 11.04 (recommendation?)

I'm not looking to run this as a DVR, but mostly for our movies. We have a huge dvd collection and I'm tired of scratches and replacements. What I want is to have the movies as a file on my external hard drive. Is this possible? The full menus are important to my wife and I because we love all the features and such. Is this possible with this build? Thanks so much!

LanternsLight456

[eskro]

which one exactly?

[LanternsLight45]

because of driver issues regarding ATI + Linux,,,
for Linux, its Nvidia chipset that works best driver wise...
all you have to do is, get the $50 Celeron E3400 CPU
and buy the $100 Zotac 9300-k-e motherboard...
so remove the $117 Zacate motherboard from there...


[CPU] Intel Celeron E3400 Dual-Core 2.6GHz LGA-775 65W ($50 + $0)
[MOBO+iGPU] ZOTAC GF9300-K-E LGA-775 WiFi Mini-ITX ($100 + $0)
[CASE+PSU] Apex MI-008 Black mini-ITX 250W ($40 + $0)
[FAN] SilenX IXP-74-09 120mm 800RPM 38CFM 9dBA ($13 + $0)
[SSD] Kingston SSDNow 30GB 2.5" SATAII Trim Read:180MB/s Write:50MB/s ($56 + $0)
[RAM] CORSAIR 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 DDR3 1333 ($22 + $0)
TOTAL: ($281)

there you go, $281 is the cheapest LINUX build one can get!!!

This build. :-)

[eskro]

well, yeah thats a great build!
but this one's packs a bit more punch because of its PENTIUM CPU


[cpu] Intel Pentium E5700 3.0GHz Dual-Core LGA-775 65W ($66 + $0)
[MOBO+iGPU] ZOTAC GF9300-K-E LGA-775 WiFi Mini-ITX ($100 + $0)
[CASE+PSU] Apex MI-008 Black mini-ITX 250W ($40 + $0)
[FAN] SilenX IXP-74-09 120mm 800RPM 38CFM 9dBA ($13 + $0)
TOTAL: ($219)

now to run XBMC Live (linux), you only need an 8GB SSD....
but i suggest the 16GB Kingston SSD at $50 because it has better read&write speeds..

for ram, 2x1GB is enough....

[LanternsLight45]

now I'm not looking to run a live CD. I'm planning on installing it. It's going to be a strictly HTPC build, Basically Ubuntu 10.04 with XBMC and that's pretty much it.

I've heard of people using large heat sinks instead of fans, or in order to use fewer fans at lower speeds. Is this recommended or would it increase the cost of this build? Would it risk harm to the system? What would be a good bluray drive to add for this particular build?

With this build will streaming netflix and hulu be possible? YouTube? (I'm not only a HTPC noob but a Linux noob so if this part of the question needs to go somewhere else, just let me know)

Thanks

[eskro]

LanternsLight45:
that build will play anything....
1080P MKV's, Netflix-HD, you name it!

Now, what can't it do?
well, it cant BitStream HD-AUdio to a compatible HD-Audio/Video Receiver to decode,
and it cant play 3D movies on your 3D-HDTV,,,,

but even then, if you'd need to do those 2 things,
you can simply buy a Video Card like the GeForce GT520 (~$60)....
of course, you'll need a new Power Supply too but thats just to tell you
that the build can be upgradable!!

now when i said if you wanted to run XBMC Live (linux) its because,
you have an option to install it to hard drive from their....

but you can use OPenELEC too!
its a compact version of XBMC (Linux)...
google it
many use it here!

now as Bluray Optical Drive, i suggest LG or Samsung...

[jackh]

What is the cheapest remote that have keypad? logitech is insanely overpriced.

your suggestion is highly appreciated.

It does not get much cheaper (nor much better) than this:
[REMOTE] $35 Handheld Rechargeable 2.4G Mini Wireless Keyboard with TrackPad and Red Laser

[eskro]

It does not get much cheaper (nor much better) than this:
[REMOTE] $35 Handheld Rechargeable 2.4G Mini Wireless Keyboard with TrackPad and Red Laser

yes it does

[REMOTE] $32 ProMini 2.4GHz Tiny Wireless Keyboard (Built-in TouchPad/Laser Pointer) - Black

[jackh]

yes it does

Man, how can you find those prices...?