all that's really needed for a htpc is

[Ahumado]

Case
Mobo
Cpu - with graphics
Mem
HD
PSU

I can put all my movies on the HD then hook the HTPC to my TV via HDMI or other input

I will need a keyboard as well with some kind of pointing device.

If I want to surf the net I can hook the HTPC to my wireless network

I'm not showing off or anything like that I am looking for confirmation cause that's all I think
I really need.


Thanks

 

[dagamer34]

I've had an HTPC for about 3 years and have never really found a satisfying keyboard for the living room. It just doesn't exist. I've tried the Lenovo HTPC keyboard, the diNovo Mini, a standard wireless keyboard/mouse and they all have their shortcomings. Here's what I eventually settled on:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboards/wireless-touch-keyboard-k400

Keyboard with integrated touchpad for about $40. Cheap and easy to use. USB so it works in BIOS. (make sure that the wireless dongle is horizontal, it looses range if vertical). Not backlit, but then again, that would drain the battery. Light enough to hold in one hand comfortably while standing. It's decent.

Other parts are rather commoditized, so I'd get whatever you can afford. That's all I have to add!

 

[mshan]

Optical drive?

Noise can be an issue with htpc, so might want to read around Silent PC Review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/section5.html

Haven't kept up with current video cards for htpc, but these older, passively cooled cards should be available very cheaply now (under $20 with or without rebate?): http://www.anandtech.com/show/2630

 

[Rio Rebel]

Core i3 Sandy bridge is the only way to go now...no video card needed, which is not only less power but also one less chip to cool. And it's 3D capable...and none of the headaches of audio bitstreaming with a video card.

 

[Ahumado]

I like the Logitech product. I have become a fan of touchpads. I agree on the i3 cpu. Looks like it can all get done for $330

 

[Ahumado]

Optical drive?

Noise can be an issue with htpc, so might want to read around Silent PC Review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/section5.html

Haven't kept up with current video cards for htpc, but these older, passively cooled cards should be available very cheaply now (under $20 with or without rebate?): http://www.anandtech.com/show/2630

I think I can pass on that. I have a bluray, dvd/vcr combo hooked up

 

[Ahumado]

Is Win 7 my best bet for an OS?

 

[vshah]

what HTPC software will you be running?

 

[mmntech]

Playback devices don't need a lot of power. I like Zotac's nano boxes a lot for that purpose. Really any nettop style PC will work provided it has decent graphics. nVidia Ion or AMD Fusion based.

If you want to negate noise, Bigger case with bigger fans will help. Check out some of the miniITX offerings if you don't want to go with a prebuilt or barebones system. I'd go with the AMD Fusion A series APU chips for a more powerful build. Intel integrated graphics have gotten better but you need to get up into the i3 range to get decent performance.

For OS, you've got a few options. I went with XBMCbuntu with mine, but for an HTPC or Linux neophyte, Windows is your best bet. Especially if you use iTunes a lot. Remember that a Windows 7 license will add $100 to your build.

 

[PhoenixEnigma]

The best OS for an HTPC, I think, depends on what you want it to do.

For BluRay playback, as far as I am aware, you will still need Windows software - there's nothing free that can handle it yet, though we seem to be getting close.

On a low-powered machine, I'd probably opt for some flavour of Linux, as it tends to be pretty lightweight. The only caveat is that if you don't already know *nix, you'll have to learn both your media software and the OS as you go, so it might be a little more difficult.

 

[Harrod]

Is Win 7 my best bet for an OS?

You could use linux if you aren't planning on using netflix streaming.

 

[Charlie98]

I decided to use W7 for my HTPC OS... I won't be the only one using it and I need to keep it simple. Besides, I can use it for internet browsing, Netflix, etc.

 

[2timer]

I'm still waiting for a ARM or X86 device with an integrated ATSC chip.

I wonder if one will eventually come to the market. (Crosses fingers)

 

[Ahumado]

what HTPC software will you be running?

I tried out Windows media center on my system and it seems to do all I need it to

 

[Eug]

Playback devices don't need a lot of power. I like Zotac's nano boxes a lot for that purpose. Really any nettop style PC will work provided it has decent graphics. nVidia Ion or AMD Fusion based.

Yep. I have a dual Atom Win 7 machine with nVidia ION and SSD and it works fine for 1080p H.264 video playback as well as Blu-ray playback.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmgxSxb6prM

If you want to negate noise, Bigger case with bigger fans will help. Check out some of the miniITX offerings if you don't want to go with a prebuilt or barebones system. I'd go with the AMD Fusion A series APU chips for a more powerful build. Intel integrated graphics have gotten better but you need to get up into the i3 range to get decent performance.

A nettop has essentially no noise of course.

For OS, you've got a few options. I went with XBMCbuntu with mine, but for an HTPC or Linux neophyte, Windows is your best bet. Especially if you use iTunes a lot. Remember that a Windows 7 license will add $100 to your build.

The beauty of a pre-built nettop is that the OS premium is not much. You can get the entire computer including OS for less than $300. However, the one thing I did add to mine that increased the cost was the SSD.

 

[Aikouka]

I used to use a normal wired keyboard with a long USB extender from Monoprice. It wasn't always attached as I didn't need it often. I found this Logitech Bluetooth keyboard on Slickdeals for a good price:

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboards/cordless-mediaboard-pro-for-ps3

I also bought an ASUS Bluetooth USB adapter from Newegg for $0 after rebate, which just made it all the much sweeter.

When I built my i3-540-based HTPC, I opted to nix the optical drive as well. You can simply copy the files from the Windows 7 install DVD to a thumb drive and boot from it. If you don't have a Windows 7 + SP1 disc, you can find download links (straight from Microsoft's CDN) for ISOs. I considered using it for Blu-Ray play back, but the drives weren't terribly cheap at the time. Also, if you're using a nice looking, small case, it might require a slim drive. That will just add to the cost. This doesn't include the fact that these drives usually do not include BR playback software, and if they do, it's crummy OEM junk. The OEM will playback the video, but the audio is typically limited to some reduced capacity (such as 2-channel). The good BR playback software will run you between $80-100. This also doesn't include the fact that not all media centers integrate with it well. WMC does, but it also doesn't natively handle all popular formats without a little tinkering. Personally, I could never get MKVs to work in it.

Yeah, I just use my PS3 for Blu-Rays.

In regard to using the integrated graphics, I'm not a huge fan of them. I just don't like the Intel configuration tool. I still cannot get it to properly fix the overscan on my TV, but it's close enough that I'm only cutting off maybe 3-5%. XBMC has settings that allowed me to correct it the rest of the way (in XBMC only).

EDIT:

I also threw a 40GB SSD in it. I mostly just care about the snappy response and quick rebooting. I will usually randomly perform Windows Updates on it.

 

[Eug]

However, I use my nettop as a surfing machine actually. For Blu-ray and MKV playback I just use an $80 Sony BDP-S380. It supports external storage via USB (including both flash drives and hard drives), and supports NTFS for those big MKV movies we all have. And it comes with a built-in IR sensor and remote.

 

[Ahumado]

Thanks for all the replies. Give me more to think about. I was about to pull the trigger on some gear but now I am waiting for the proper sales and looking into a really long network cable to network just the blu-ray player to my PC

 

[Aikouka]

Thanks for all the replies. Give me more to think about. I was about to pull the trigger on some gear but now I am waiting for the proper sales and looking into a really long network cable to network just the blu-ray player to my PC

Since I'm in an apartment, I don't exactly have the option to properly run wires. So, I just run really long Ethernet cables as well. I have a 100ft cable that goes from my router to the switch at the (currently busted ) TV downstairs.

 

[Ahumado]

Since I'm in an apartment, I don't exactly have the option to properly run wires. So, I just run really long Ethernet cables as well. I have a 100ft cable that goes from my router to the switch at the (currently busted ) TV downstairs.

Sounds like my kind setup. I can drill into the crawl space but last time I did that I twirled up the berber and wife had a cow. I would have to be more careful this time

 

[Aikouka]

Although, I can't imagine having a cable run along the floor like that would pass the "wife acceptance test".

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I drifted into over-clocking, gaming and "media center" use gradually over more than a decade. Tried different generations of tuner-capture cards, with input from OTA antenna, basic cable and subscription cable SD. We finally upgraded to cable-HD last year.

I have more computers than I need, and now -- more computers than for which I'd want to pay an electric bill if they're all running much of the day.

So I violated the usual recommendation for HTPC configuration: My HTPC isn't "dedicated" to HTPC use.

But it integrates a SiliconDust HDHomeRun PRIME, OTA HD and internet TV. Works flawlessly, driving two monitors with different resolutions (one 1920x1080 -- the HDTV; the other a non-HD 1680x1050). It utilizes Lucid Virtu, for whatever it's worth -- with the Sandy Bridge Intel Graphics iGPU and a GTX 570 dGPU.

Since I chose to build a Sandy Bridge Z68 machine first, utilize all its features and over-clock, I never followed this "What is minimum that I need for HTPC" logic, although I can appreciate it.