- Mar 13, 2012
- 754
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I have a few left over parts, and thanks to a MicroCenter deal I now have enough components to cobble together another PC. I have not built with AMD since the Athlon 64 days in the early 2000's, and I'm excited/curious to work with an AMD system. I have also wanted to build a very small system (mITX). I figure I may even take a shot at Linux with this system.
I am aware of the potency of AMDs products vs Intel's (the lack thereof). I realize I'm better served with just about any Celeron, or even a bigger die AMD product. This is a Kabini, but I feel I won't be asking too much of it for what it is.
I really enjoy tinkering with computers, and with the deal I got, I think this is in impulse buy territory. I got an Athlon 5350 APU and an ASROCK AM1B mITX board for 50 bucks. I already have fast DDR3 RAM, and a slower laptop mechanical drive. So far I have the CPU, GPU (which is the APU), Mobo, RAM, and HDD for 50 bucks (if you don't count the original price paid on the stuff I already had).
I know it will probably be a PITA...but I see these builds where people take old NES cases and build a system in it. I want to do this, but I'm sure it's going to push the boundaries of my skill level. I really want the nerd points though.
1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
HTPC. Casual browsing, movie playing, and emulator gameplay. Maybe a few non-intensive steam games (like don't starve).
2. What YOUR budget is.
As little as possible?
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Merica. I have a microcenter nearby.
4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
I don't.
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts?
As stated previously, this is a build made from a few recycled and freshly bought components:
CPU: AMD Athlon 5350
MOBO: AsRock AM1B-ITX
GPU: Using APU
RAM: G.Skill Ares DDR3 1866 8GB (2x4GB)
HDD : 500GB 5400RPM (Haven't pulled from the laptop yet, not sure of brand)
6. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I'm leaning towards no here. With what I want to do, I assume I'll need a tight lid on the thermal envelope. If it's safe, I imagine I'll need the performance...but at the same time then I'd need to get a custom cooler.
7. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1080p. It's a 50" TV.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
As soon as I get the rest of the parts I need. OS, PSU, Case, Optical Drive
9. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
As indicated earlier, the OS. Do I really need some special software to play Blu Ray movies?
My research is ongoing. My wishlist here is to have an optical drive (Blu Ray reader) pop out of the cartridge port of the NES system, and USB 3.0 ports where the controller ports were. I would also like to have this thing run Linux in a smooth, generally bug-free way. I realize these may be pipe dreams.
My questions for the community:
1) Does anybody have a HTPC that runs a Linux distro? What have you tried, and what works best?
2) I feel quite lost when it comes to finding a PSU that is great quality and in the right shape for this. I'm guessing I need either one of those oblong PSUs (is that a shape specific to the mITX format?), or a PicoPSU with an external power brick. Who makes the good stuff?
I am aware of the potency of AMDs products vs Intel's (the lack thereof). I realize I'm better served with just about any Celeron, or even a bigger die AMD product. This is a Kabini, but I feel I won't be asking too much of it for what it is.
I really enjoy tinkering with computers, and with the deal I got, I think this is in impulse buy territory. I got an Athlon 5350 APU and an ASROCK AM1B mITX board for 50 bucks. I already have fast DDR3 RAM, and a slower laptop mechanical drive. So far I have the CPU, GPU (which is the APU), Mobo, RAM, and HDD for 50 bucks (if you don't count the original price paid on the stuff I already had).
I know it will probably be a PITA...but I see these builds where people take old NES cases and build a system in it. I want to do this, but I'm sure it's going to push the boundaries of my skill level. I really want the nerd points though.
1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
HTPC. Casual browsing, movie playing, and emulator gameplay. Maybe a few non-intensive steam games (like don't starve).
2. What YOUR budget is.
As little as possible?
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Merica. I have a microcenter nearby.
4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
I don't.
5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts?
As stated previously, this is a build made from a few recycled and freshly bought components:
CPU: AMD Athlon 5350
MOBO: AsRock AM1B-ITX
GPU: Using APU
RAM: G.Skill Ares DDR3 1866 8GB (2x4GB)
HDD : 500GB 5400RPM (Haven't pulled from the laptop yet, not sure of brand)
6. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
I'm leaning towards no here. With what I want to do, I assume I'll need a tight lid on the thermal envelope. If it's safe, I imagine I'll need the performance...but at the same time then I'd need to get a custom cooler.
7. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1080p. It's a 50" TV.
8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
As soon as I get the rest of the parts I need. OS, PSU, Case, Optical Drive
9. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
As indicated earlier, the OS. Do I really need some special software to play Blu Ray movies?
My research is ongoing. My wishlist here is to have an optical drive (Blu Ray reader) pop out of the cartridge port of the NES system, and USB 3.0 ports where the controller ports were. I would also like to have this thing run Linux in a smooth, generally bug-free way. I realize these may be pipe dreams.
My questions for the community:
1) Does anybody have a HTPC that runs a Linux distro? What have you tried, and what works best?
2) I feel quite lost when it comes to finding a PSU that is great quality and in the right shape for this. I'm guessing I need either one of those oblong PSUs (is that a shape specific to the mITX format?), or a PicoPSU with an external power brick. Who makes the good stuff?
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