$299 2TB Build, Please Check
#1
Hello everyone,

This is my first post. I've decided to build a XBMC box mainly to cut my current cable bill. I've played with Sabnzb+, Sickbeard and Couch Potato on my Mac to get the hang out the setup for the past week. I haven't installed XBMC yet, but I think I'm ready for a build (thinking of a Linux box).

I popped over to newegg and found the following:

LOGISYS Computer CS305BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Enhanced SOHO Computer Case 480W Power Supply
Item #: N82E16811148046

SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5 SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152245

ASRock A75M FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS ASRock A75M FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Item #: N82E16813157260

AMD A4-3300 Llano 2.5GHz Socket FM1 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6410D AD3300OJHXBOX

G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS G.SKILL NS 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNS

Grand Total: $299.78 Shipped

Does this build look okay? I've been having a hard time building a box for less than $300 that has a 1-2TB drive, I thought I'd jump on the $99 2TB this weekend while I can (hope it doesn't sell out!). Also, I needed a MB with HDMI and audio optical out for my setup.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I'd be using this box to run as a server, automagically downloading content and running XBMC to display mostly 720p content, but my TV does support 1080p (50" panasonic) and I may watch some movies at the higher resolution.

Thanks in advance!
Reply
#2
I think that's an amazing price point for a full HTPC with significant internal storage, great work!

I don't have any experience with the A4-3300 APU, but, for $15 more I think the A6-3500 APU is a better value for the performance and better has a better GPU.

Regardless, to me, it looks like a good system but I'm sure one of the pros will chime in soon enough with an educated opinion. ;-)
HTPC 1 - AMD A8-3870K, ASRock A75M, Silverstone ML03B, Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR3 1866, Crucial M4 64GB SSD
HTPC 2 - HP Stream Mini, 6GB Ram
unRAID 6 Server - Intel Celeron G1610, 20TB Storage

Reply
#3
(2012-05-19, 22:31)AoyamaJPN Wrote: Any comments would be greatly appreciated. I'd be using this box to run as a server, automagically downloading content and running XBMC to display mostly 720p content, but my TV does support 1080p (50" panasonic) and I may watch some movies at the higher resolution.

Thanks in advance!
Welcome aboard my friend. XBMC is a great community to learn and get great advice about the latest HTPC tech and media info!!

Two things...

First, you say you'd be using this build as a server to distribute content downloaded from Sabnzb+, Sickbeard and Couch Potato. I'm curious to know which type of server tech you've considered, whether software or RAID controlled...and have you considered any sort of back-up option for your files?

Second, I understand the goal is to keep your build under $299, but you may want to consider adding a smaller drive to your build in addition to your 2TB HD, preferably an SSD, but even a cheap spinner would be fine just as a boot option + XBMC assuming you will be using this build as your front-end for XBMC! If XBMC will be on a separate device then you'll be fine...

Welcome to the FCC(Fu*k Cable Club), very small right now, but our community is growing thanx in part to XBMC and their third part ad-on's!

GoodLuck...and happy HTPC'nWink
Reply
#4
(2012-05-19, 23:57)CpTHOOK Wrote: First, you say you'd be using this build as a server

Thanks for your reply.

This build would actually be the server and also the playback system... I hear you on the SSD. Maybe down the line, right now boot-up speed and such are not a priority, saving money is. I would just cancel cable all together, but I don't think that'd work for our family. I'm looking for a bare minimum type setup and opted for large storage. When I get to a point of where I would care if I lost anything, I may consider RAID/backup, but again, this is not a priority at this time.

You do bring up a good point though, I could build a NAS drive where all the media is housed and just about anything to run XBMC off of.

But, basically, unfortunately $300 is my price point, or cancel cable wait a few months for a nicer setup...
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
$299 2TB Build, Please Check 0