2014-04-08, 15:44
Hey guys. First time poster, long time lurker.
I'm finally going to put myself to the test and build my very first HTPC. I read this thread but I'd prefer extra guidance along the way.
I'm someone would be willing to walk me through the entire compoentn selection, assembly and build process, I would appreciate that very much. I'll start this off by explaining which components I already have and then lead into the way I'm currently set up.
This is my Samsung TV's model: LN40D551K8FXZC (Version AA01)
I have a brand new 3TB Seagate external desktop HD. Still not used yet, in packaging.
I have a 500GB internl SATA HD that I store TV shows on.
I have a 3TB internal SATA HD that I store movies on.
Both the last two SATA drives are mounted internally into this desktop computer which is shared with the family.
I also have a spare optical drive that I can put towards the new HTPC if needed.
These are the desktop's specifications:
CPU: AMD A6-3670
Mainboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. F1A55-M LE R2.0 (FM1)
Memory: 4.00GB DDR3 @ 800MHz (9-9-9-28)
Hard Drive: 500GB, 1TB, 1TB, 3TB
Video: 512MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 6530D (ASUStek Computer Inc)
Sound: Realtek High Definition Audio
CD Rom: ATAPI iHAS224 B ATA Device
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W
Printer: Lexmark X5450
OS: Windows 7 Ult. 32-bit SP1
I have a long CAT5E cable bridging my wireless router (which is located near my desktop PC) to my Samsung TV about 15 feet away (since the TV does not have WiFi capabilities). Usually, I used to just stick my USB flash drive into the desktop PC and copy a film onto it and then stick it into the TV's USB port to watch that way. This process has suddenly become cumbersome now that I see there are other viable options (i.e.: streaming, servers, NASes).
I recently tried Plex Home Server for the first time I liked it enough to keep it for a week until I discovered the beautiful UI that XBMC can give in this user's video:
I've fallen in love with XBMC and would like to make the transition. I am ready to build a dedicated HTPC to have XBMC running on it. I think it would be a good idea to stop storing the media on this family PC and to either download the media here and then move to the HTPC later or to simply have a server to stream the media to the XBMC HTPC, but the server idea will cost more and I'm on a budget. Bottom line is I don't want the media store on this PC anymore. Where should I start?
Thanks,
Solidify
Edit: To help visualize the setup, here's a video from when I had Plex.
I'm finally going to put myself to the test and build my very first HTPC. I read this thread but I'd prefer extra guidance along the way.
I'm someone would be willing to walk me through the entire compoentn selection, assembly and build process, I would appreciate that very much. I'll start this off by explaining which components I already have and then lead into the way I'm currently set up.
This is my Samsung TV's model: LN40D551K8FXZC (Version AA01)
I have a brand new 3TB Seagate external desktop HD. Still not used yet, in packaging.
I have a 500GB internl SATA HD that I store TV shows on.
I have a 3TB internal SATA HD that I store movies on.
Both the last two SATA drives are mounted internally into this desktop computer which is shared with the family.
I also have a spare optical drive that I can put towards the new HTPC if needed.
These are the desktop's specifications:
CPU: AMD A6-3670
Mainboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. F1A55-M LE R2.0 (FM1)
Memory: 4.00GB DDR3 @ 800MHz (9-9-9-28)
Hard Drive: 500GB, 1TB, 1TB, 3TB
Video: 512MB ATI AMD Radeon HD 6530D (ASUStek Computer Inc)
Sound: Realtek High Definition Audio
CD Rom: ATAPI iHAS224 B ATA Device
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W
Printer: Lexmark X5450
OS: Windows 7 Ult. 32-bit SP1
I have a long CAT5E cable bridging my wireless router (which is located near my desktop PC) to my Samsung TV about 15 feet away (since the TV does not have WiFi capabilities). Usually, I used to just stick my USB flash drive into the desktop PC and copy a film onto it and then stick it into the TV's USB port to watch that way. This process has suddenly become cumbersome now that I see there are other viable options (i.e.: streaming, servers, NASes).
I recently tried Plex Home Server for the first time I liked it enough to keep it for a week until I discovered the beautiful UI that XBMC can give in this user's video:
I've fallen in love with XBMC and would like to make the transition. I am ready to build a dedicated HTPC to have XBMC running on it. I think it would be a good idea to stop storing the media on this family PC and to either download the media here and then move to the HTPC later or to simply have a server to stream the media to the XBMC HTPC, but the server idea will cost more and I'm on a budget. Bottom line is I don't want the media store on this PC anymore. Where should I start?
Thanks,
Solidify
Edit: To help visualize the setup, here's a video from when I had Plex.