Any ideas for a $350 HTPC that fits the following needs?
#16
Here's a build I did recently (however with a G530 not G1610) that turned out really nice: The motherboard has on-board power built-in so all you need is the right AC adapter for it. The ECS motherboard has really good fan control so that K199 cooler runs silent.

ECS H61H2-TI LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard $76
Intel Celeron G1610 $43
Dynatron K199 side-blowing HSF $29
Realan E-i3 case (PSU removed) $90
19V 4.74A 90W AC adapter $20
4GB G-Skill DDR3 SO-DIMM $34
Plextor 64GB mSATA $75

Comes out to around $367.

It might even work in this case: Morex 557 for $40 less -- all depends on your taste in PC cases.

If you're not afraid of eBay you could save another $30 here with this 64GB mSATA SSD: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...0918465673
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#17
That looks pretty good Dougie, thanks. I think that's what I'm going to put together.

Just out of curiosity (and I know it's going way above my budget) but could I use those same components but throw an i3-3225 in there?
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#18
might look into this build too punking, if your going with windows,
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=166543

good value and full 3d
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#19
(2013-06-06, 20:01)punking Wrote: That looks pretty good Dougie, thanks. I think that's what I'm going to put together.

Just out of curiosity (and I know it's going way above my budget) but could I use those same components but throw an i3-3225 in there?

I haven't tried the i3-3225 with that motherboard, but I don't see why not.

Just the i3-3225 alone is about $90-100 more expensive than the G1610. This is the most popular build that I do but it'll cost over $100 more:

Realan E-i5 case with 84W AC adapter $125
i3-3225 with ASRock B75M-ITX $217 (though if you live near MicroCenter, the i3-3225/H77M-ITX is a better deal)
Kingston 4GB DDR3-1600 $46
Crucial M4 64GB SSD $77
Dynatron T549 low-profile CPU cooler $30

Total: $495
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#20
I tried to justify the extra cost for the i3, but I can't. So I'm 99% (ha!) certain this is the build I'm going for. Thanks for all the advice and I think this thread has been useful for seeing a variety of builds at different prices.


AW NUTS - Eskro has his windows builds up..... Now I'm wondering again.


(2013-06-06, 16:40)Dougie Fresh Wrote: Here's a build I did recently (however with a G530 not G1610) that turned out really nice: The motherboard has on-board power built-in so all you need is the right AC adapter for it. The ECS motherboard has really good fan control so that K199 cooler runs silent.

ECS H61H2-TI LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard $76
Intel Celeron G1610 $43
Dynatron K199 side-blowing HSF $29
Realan E-i3 case (PSU removed) $90
19V 4.74A 90W AC adapter $20
4GB G-Skill DDR3 SO-DIMM $34
Plextor 64GB mSATA $75

Comes out to around $367.
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#21
The build above will work fine.
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#22
(2013-06-07, 17:32)punking Wrote: AW NUTS - Eskro has his windows builds up..... Now I'm wondering again.

Tongue
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#23
When you put it together please post some pictures.

Also, when you install Windows, install the ECS eSF utility and you can set the fan anyway you like. It works great.
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#24
Everything's ordered, so now it's time to sit back and wait. I'll post pics when I'm done (and that ECS utility is going to be very useful).
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#25
There's no way the K199 fan can fit on this motherboard. The backing plate's have to go over components on the back so they don't sit right (no matter where you place them) and the heatsink of the fan is pressed tight against capacitors without being tight on the cpu
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#26
I have the ECS thin mini-ITX running with a K199 and G530 as an office PC for my wife. I've had no issues with it. It's tight enough without crushing anything.
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#27
Trust me. Get an Intel i3 NUC. Its SSD. Boots windows 7 very fast. Can use it for xbmc and also for netflix via wmc as a shortcut. I've done lenovo q190 and returned it. then got the i3 nuc. Its very silent and speedy. and a very good small factor as well.
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Any ideas for a $350 HTPC that fits the following needs?0