Budget HTPC Help

catalan

Senior member
Aug 24, 2010
411
0
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Putting together my first htpc w/ spare parts I have and looking for opinions. It'll be used for streaming, some web browsing, playing dvds/dvr, emulator gaming, etc.

Win7 Home Premium 32x $0
Intel E7200 w/ E5200 Heatsink $0
Corsair 2x1gb 6400C4 $0
SilverStone LC02 "Clone" w/ 220w psu $35 ebay
EVERCOOL 80x15mm + 2x Scythe 60x25 Mini Kaze $26 jab-tech
Gigabyte G41M-ES2L $57 ChiefValue
Sony Slim Optiarc AD-7700S + Samsung 1TB SpinPoint F3 $91 ewiz
PowerCooler Go! 5450 512MK3-SH w/ low profile bracket $35 AMIR newegg
PCI-E 1x Ribbon Riser Cable + PCI-E 16x Ribbon Riser Cable $18 ebay
Internal USB IR Receiver w/ MCE Remote $25 ebay
AVerMedia A188 Duet or HVR-2250

Total w/o Tuner = $287

My main concerns are the mobo and tuner. AVSForums hd htpc guide recommends the ASUS P5G41C-M as the mobo, but the BIOS are rather poor since it's unable to adjust CPU voltage. As far as the tuner I'm still rather new in that department, but I've read that the duet has been having problems w/ it randomly disappearing from devices. Any advice is welcome, thank you.
 

ther00kie16

Golden Member
Mar 28, 2008
1,573
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0
If that remote doesn't work when the computer's off (has to do with motherboard function and/or psu wiring), then I'd recommend going with the $14 ps3 bluetooth remote (check slickdeals) with a $3 micro bt receiver from dealextreme. I found mixed reviews on AM cards when I was researching HTPC components and really came to the opinion that the SiliconDust HDHomerun network dual digital tv device was the best.

Otherwise, 2 major things: Why do you need a dedicated video card? You can try the integrated g41 to see if it's good enough for your needs and add a card later if it's insufficient. Or you can get a board with the 9300m (plenty of power) to start with, which would actually be cheaper and more energy efficient.
Also, why not just but the $49 auction of the case with a slim dvd burner for $14 more? 1Tb drives are down to $60 range all the time and 2TB Samsung F4 (although 5400rpm, but still fast enough for HTPC purposes) is going for $110 with free usb dock.
Lastly, do some research on the fans you are buying to make sure you aren't building a jet engine. I personally dislike 60mm fans (have them linked in series to 7V in mine so each only gets 3.5V to lower noise).