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Full Version: Cheapest HTPC build. Need help finding the cheapest hardware.
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yes,
its the second cheapest,,,
as E350 is cheaper,,,,
but this will be a sweet system!

i suggest you get this ram
[RAM: 2x2GB DDR3 1333 CL7] Kingston HyperX ($38 + $0)

and this case
[CASE+PSU] Apex MI-100 Black mITX 250W ($55 + $0)

For GPU, i would get the Asus HD6450 Silent
$49.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping

your HTPC = $327 + $HDD = ?
eskro Wrote:yes, its the second cheapest,,, as E350 is cheaper,,,, but this will be a sweet system!

So:
Intel Celeron E3400 Processor 2.60 GHz 1 MB Cache Socket LGA775 $48
ZOTAC GeForce WiFi LGA 775 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard G45ITX-B-E $125
MI-008 Tower Black P4 Chassis with 250W Itx Psu+sata Power Supply $50
Scythe Slip Stream SY1225SL12SL - Case fan - 120 mm $12
Kingston ValueRAM 4 GB Kit (2x2 GB Modules) 1333MHz PC3-1066 DDR3 $29
SUB TOTAL $264

Asus ATI Radeon HD6450 Silent 512MB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI $50
SUB TOTAL $314

About the memory, why do you suggest it? Better performance? Stability?

About the MI-100, I really like the 008 better, is there any problem with it? (i won't have a DVD/BluRay inside).

Last you once mentioned the Zotac GeForce ITX WiFi LGA 775 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard GF9300-K-E, which is $115. Is it still good, so I can save $10, or is not worth it?
the MI-100 has a mirror finish all around, is only $5 more,
and mainly has an additional cooling feature which is good for miniITX HTPC's,,,
feature is, it has holes on each side of the case,, not only 1 side,,,
check images online,,,

Performance on the RAM is suggested is a bit better because of the timing it has,,,
it has Case Latency 7 instead of 9,,,
oh and, they look better Tongue

what about the HDD now?
Here's the perfect OS drive for you:
WD SCORPIO BLACK SATA-II 80GB 7200RPM
($18.33 + $7.49 shipping)
Damm it, you are asking me to spend about 370! :|

HDD I would use either a 500GB Laptop or a 1.5 TB desktop drive. I want to use this thing to do some downloading.
im not asking you to spend anything lol

im only suggesting you whats good
I'll drop in.. I think you'll do just fine with the MI-008 and the kingston value ram. Yeah, case latency 7 is not as fast as 9, but I bet you won't notice anything.. unless you run a ram test.

About the case, it's you personal preference, it should be fine.

About the mobo... I think pci-e 2.0 vs 1.0 shouldn't be important. A pci express 1.0 slot should still be good using a 2.0 card. I wouldn't recomend that for a gaming machine, but for adding a graphics card to decode 1080p, I think it should. However, I'm not entirely sure, just to make that clear. I once had a pci-e 1.0 mobo and I installed a 2.0 9600 gt card and it worked fine, and the specs say they should be backwards compatible.
About bandwith possible bandwith issues.. the ION2 uses a pcie x1 lane and still does 1080p decoding just fine.
eskro Wrote:im not asking you to spend anything lol

im only suggesting you whats good
I know! I'm trying to fit the almost 400 in the 200 i said i would spend Big Grin

The advantage here is that I won't need to buy the 3D converter that is about 250 ... so that is a plus.

One of the things is that at least here ASRock has not a very good reputation, and Zotac is pretty much known to me.
I was told that that if I have to go mini-ITX (which I do), I should better choose socket 1155 or AM3. Is this correct? Any motherboard on more or less the same range of price? Advantages/disadvantages? Thanks again!
trust me,
good luck in finding a best bang for the buck AM3 mini-ITX HTPC,,,
i checked thoroughly, to me, there's none,,,
INTEL reigns supreme in the miniITX department,,,

However, LGA1155 socket miniITX is good!
very good!
but more pricey then an LGA775 miniITX build,,,

check my HTPC guide again,
you'll see what i suggest for miniITX HTPCs,,,
Thanks for all your help with this.

If I go the MICRO ATX route, and considering I would be adding a GPU to watch 3D, do you think there could be a simpler/cheaper option? (yes, seen your guide Wink but there, all are more expensive).

As far as I understand mini-itx is 17cm x 17cm, and micro-atx is 24cm x 24cm, so not that far, and wikipedia says that there are even some boards small as 17.15 cm × 17.15 cm.

Thanks again.
kwanbis Wrote:I was told that that if I have to go mini-ITX (which I do), I should better choose socket 1155 or AM3. Is this correct? Any motherboard on more or less the same range of price? Advantages/disadvantages? Thanks again!
either one of these will serve you well-

ASUS M4A88T-I Deluxe AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX AMD Motherboard
ASUS P8H61-I (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61
kwanbis Wrote:Wow: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/03/zotac...razos-apu/
have you make up your mind yet?

oh, the zotac nano is discussed here- zotac release nano
hehe, if it was so easy. I was just reading engadget and saw it. But i would have to make numbers and decide.
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