[west1134]

Hey all! I had a buddy in college talk me into buying an old Xbox and having him mod it and it was the best thing I've ever done!! Now thats going on 5 years ago and my xbox is not quite cutting the bill anymore, not to mention I've got the bug with wanting to build a HTPC!

So I have been searching for a few days now getting people's ideas of what is a good setup, what has worked for them etc. etc. When building a HTPC.

Now I feel its about time for me to configure my own HTPC and like many others just wanted to get some input from other users on the forum.

Here's my expectations:

-Build a HTPC to place in my living room in a case that blends with my other components and its primary function will to run XBMC to deliver media both streaming from other machines in the house and off the 1TB drive I plan to install inside the HTPC. No gaming, or TV tuner card planned. I will also occasionally surf the net using this machine.
-I plan on running Windows XP Pro 32-bit OS
-From everything I've read XBMC doesnt utilize video cards rather decodes video using the CPU so I'm looking to get a motherboard with built in video/audio etc. which I like as it will elliminate the need for muiltiple cards on the board.
-I'm thinking a Intel Core 2 Duo processor
-4GB RAM (even though I read 2GB is fine I figure its cheap enough to pump it up)
-I MUST have some sort of wireless remote (also since I plan on surfing the net from time to time I'd also like to have wireless keyboard/mouse capabilities but the primary functions must come from a remote.
-Finally I do plan on putting a Blu-Ray Player in down the road but right now as I'm trying to keep the cost down and since I dont have any Blu-Ray media I figure I can easily add it but I'll need to make sure the setup I build is capable of an upgrade such as that.
-I'd also like the ability to upgrade it with a second 1TB HDD to eventually rip all my DVD's onto this thing.

I guess my main goal is to have an all in one system that will keep me entertained in my home plus the flexibility to pick it up and take it with me when I housesit, or go on trips if I so choose.


So here's what I've picked out so far:
Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811204030
It seemed middle road on cost but I love the looks of it.
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo
HD: 1TB, Probably a Western Digital
Motherboard: Havent decided yet
Remote: Not sure yet
Wireless Keyboard/Mouse: Also not sure yet
Power Supply: No Clue...advice?
OS: Win XP Pro since I already have it

I'm going to be hooking this to a 50" Samsung 720P Plasma via HDMI and sound is to be pipped to my receiver then to the surround.

What version/build of XBMC should I run? I'm assuming its different than my Xbox XBMC.


I'm also curious...is there a way to boot directly into XBMC? Because that would be pretty cool. Also if there are people on here running these type of setups, when not in immediete use do you just set the computer into stanby mode vs. completely powering down?

I still have a plethora of questions but will do my best to research them. I just wanted to get some insight from everyone from my "requirements" above.

Thanks!!

Oh yeah...I'm shooting for around $500 on this build but I am a little flexible on that.

[akbr]

Hi there!

I recently put together my own HTPC and thought I'd share my specs:

---
SILVERSTONE Silver LC20-S ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811163066)

GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2HP Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128360)

AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819103255)

Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820148160)

Antec earthwatts EA430 430W Power Supply
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817371006)
---

I've been really happy with the AMD 780G mobo. I use the onboard HDMI for both audio and video out.

Between the CPU and the onboard gfx chipset, I have enough graphical oomph to run the XBMC interface and 1080p x264 content smoothly.

I used a windows media center remote in the beginning, but soon wanted something with a bit more functionality. I ended up settling on Logitech diNovo Mini, which I have been quite happy with.

As for your questions:

What version/build of XBMC should I run?

Just run the latest stable build for Windows.

is there a way to boot directly into XBMC?

You can load up XBMC automatically when Window starts. There is a tutorial to this effect in the "how to" forums.

do you just set the computer into stanby mode vs. completely powering down?

I simply use the "sleep" setting most of the time. This shuts down the HDDs and the CPU, but the case fans still run. It restores in about 2 seconds.

Good luck!