[eskro]

[CASE/PSU] ANTEC ISK 110 VESA / 90W ($80)
[CPU/GPU] Intel Core i3-3225 55W / Intel HD 4000 ($134)
[MOBO] GIGABYTE GA-H77N-WIFI LGA 1155 USB3.0 SATA-III HDMI S/PDIF UEFI ($99)
[RAM] Kingston HyperX Plug n Play 4GB (2x2GB) 240-pin DDR3 1600MHz CL9 1.5V ($43)
[SSD] ADATA Premier Pro SP600 32GB SATA-III 2.5" Read:360MB/s Write:130MB/s ($50)
TOTAL: $406

Pros?
* FULL 3D 1080P Ready!!
* Bitstreams DOLBY TRUE-HD & DTS-HD MASTER!!
* Built-in WiFi!!
* Built-in Bluetooth!!
* 1 x HDMI output!!
* 2 x SATA-III ports!!
* 1 x Optical (S/PDIF) output!!
* 4 x USB 3.0 ports!!
* 2 x USB 2.0 ports!!

Cons?
* no Multi Card Reader slot!!

[tential]

Do you think we could get this all in one sticky?
"Small Easy HTPC Build Recommendations"

I feel like they're all going to get lost.

[eskro]

Really?

Look here http://ow.ly/1s4Jcf

[tential]

Ok didn't realize you were just updating the links in a sticky. Haha way ahead of me!

I knew everything looked familiar.

[eskro]

Now bookmark it :-D

[CommodoreBlitz]

Hi,
New here, but I have been building PCs for over 20 years.
I was thinking of building my own xbmc box, but never built a HTPC before, normaly go for the "Big Rig" pcs.

Here is what I was thinking of...(am on a tight budget right now)

Case-DIYPC MiniQ1-B Black SECC MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case w/ Dual White Fans $24.95 link
MB-BIOSTAR A55ML2 FM2 AMD Motherboard $44.99 link
CPU-AMD A4-4000 Richland 3.2GHz Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core $45.99 link
Ram-Crucial Ballistix Tactical 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Profile Desktop Memory $26.99 link
HD-TOSHIBA DT01ACA050 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s $54.99 link
total
-------------------
$197.95
with shipping its about $219


I all ready have a remote from a Sapphire Video card which testing on my current pc seems to work fine with Xbmc for windows.(USB)
and I have a spare 400watt ATX power supply left over from an older build for the case.

I do have an old Single core 2.ghz XP machine(P4 if I recall), being used just to run a Magic Jack Phone.(ya thats the only thing it does, sit in a corner connected to the internet with a phone hooked to it)
..but did not think that really had the horse power to do Xbmc right.

[eskro]

well your build is cheap, why not go with these?

[CASE/PSU] Rosewill FBM-01 ($29) http://goo.gl/BknoI
[CPU/GPU] Celeron G1610 / Intel HD Graphics ($43) http://goo.gl/mfEpg
[MOBO] ECS H61H2-MV ($45) http://goo.gl/pqQHc
[RAM] Kingston HyperX 4GB (1x4GB) 240-pin DDR3 1333MHz CL9 1.5V ($32) http://goo.gl/6FIUq
[SSD] ADATA Premier Pro SP600 32GB SATA-III 2.5" Read:360MB/s Write:130MB/s ($45) http://goo.gl/gWWdG
TOTAL: $194 Shipped!

[CommodoreBlitz]

well,

First I have not built a Intel machine since my P4 2.4 Asus p4800s (If I recall the model number) a very good machine that lasted about 7 years..

But I prefer the Amd mb/cpu as it is better for HD Video playback and perhaps some gaming (though playing Pc games on a TV for me will be an experament so thats not too importing)

I plan on using Win 7 so I'd like a bit more then 32gb, and so far I don't like ssd drives. I've only owned 2 so far and both only lasted about 2 months. (they were two 32gb ($32 Newegg I forget which brand but the case was brown and black)

And seeing how you seem to know a lot, as I have seen some of your older posts..

what do you think about a machine like this its a Android stand alone box, that has coaxle input (I am guessing I could hook my local Tv ant to it so Xbmc could use it for Local TV/dvr_

http://www.pandawill.com/et02-android-tv...74104.html

I've read that it has Xbmc built in and that it has "modified" to stream HD which the current basic Xbmc on Windows does not..(well, I know for a fact that there is HD content on the Windows version but you have to search for it, as most of the Tv shows and movies are SD, from 1channel plugin for example when its working has tons of TV shows and movies but as far as I can tell its all SD, still good enough to watch though)

[grin]

I'm about to buy this build, but I have three questions:

1. This has 4gb of RAM for $43. It seems you can get 8gb for a few dollars more. Is there a reason to get the more expensive 4gb as opposed to 8gb?

2. When I plug these parts into PCPartPicker, it says it requires more than 90 watts. Will the 90 watt PSU in this case be suitable?

3. Is the stock cpu cooler sufficient? How loud is it?

Thank you

[Dougie Fresh]

90W will be fine. In my own testing of the i3-3225 I measured 30-40W doing normal HTPC tasks (watching 1080p video, etc.) and around 70W under maximum load test.

If you run Windows on this consider a 64GB SSD.

8GB is fine if you want it but it's not necessary.

[eskro]

i run Windows on a 32GB SSD.and its perfect!

[Scottes]

I'm looking to purchase this build, but wanted to make it as quiet as possible. Would a cooler like this one be correct? Worthwhile?

http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Preventio...940&sr=1-8

[eskro]

wont fit, get this one -> http://www.xoxide.com/scythe-kozuti-cpucooler.html

[wryphotography]

hey guys, first post. Special thanks to eskro, these are fantastic threads.

Was wondering if you guys could help me out. I'm trying to build a HTPC for XBMC to stream off my NAS(1080p MKV of blu-ray rips, essentially demuxed). I was looking at this build, however the Antec case isnt available on amazon right now(its available by some other seller and they charge 10 bucks for shipping) so I was looking at Antec ISK 300-150 Mini ITX Desktop Case w/150W Power Supply, because my fiance likes it better anyway, and pcpartpicker says the mobo in this build wont fit in that, would the Gigabyte GA-H61N-USB3 Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard, work or would i run into some other issues?

any help would be much appreciated.

[jeks]

Can I add a PVR PCI card like this one in this case? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6815116037
90 watt will be suffisent? Thanks. Good job by the way, very usefull.