Advice on building / buying cheap HTPC (mainly videos, not games)

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aylien

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Hi everyone,

I was wondering if anyone could help educate me about building / buying an HTPC (home theater PC), at no more than $600.
The main purpose of the HTPC would be to stream video off the internet (eg, HD Youtube, Netflix instant streaming, mkvs) via HDMI to my HDTV, as I'm trying to cut out my cable TV subscription.
Probably windows-focused, so I'm guessing Windows 7 Home Premium would be my best bet?
I might do some light gaming, but as I have a PS3, the HTPC won't be my main gaming platform. Still, I'd like the ability to try out certain indie games which appear on Steam once in a while, eg World of Goo, Aquaria.
Blu-Ray player is not necessary, but a DVDR/W would be nice.
I'm also looking for a small-ish form factor, preferring a Mini-ITX, MicroATX at most.

I'm not totally adverse to building it myself, but I worry about my technical competency. The most tinkering I've done in the guts of a computer are changing out the dvd drive of a laptop and installing a video card in desktop (but this was ages ago).

So I guess my questions are:
1) How hard is it to build an HTPC, in a Mini-ITX/MicroATX case? Is it all snap-click, or would I need to solder, apply cooling gel, etc?

2) If I go the pre-built route, any suggestions for good value HTPCs under $600? The Zino from Dell seems to be a good bet, but I'm not sure about value. Thoughts?

3) Lastly, kind of off-topic and bit of weird question, but how fast should my internet speed be? I'm trying to cut costs from my utilities, so if my current internet plan is too much for my usage, I'd like to reduce it.
Like I mentioned above, I'd like to watch Youtube HD videos and Netflix instant streaming without stuttering. Also, I do some online gaming on my PS3.
I'm not really looking to torrent large video files, nor am I purchasing/downloading huge games of Steam.
Going off Speedtest.net, my current readings are:

Download - 20Mb/s
Upload - 5Mb/s
Ping - 27ms

I get the feeling this is a little overkill for my needs, but I was wondering what the experts thought.


Phew!
Thanks very much in advance for any advice / help, much appreciated!
 
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I think $600 is more than enough for an HTPC. If you are going the Itx route, be aware components are going to cost more.


Your upload speed is the same as my download speed and I am able to stream HD video fine.

You mentioned that you are trying to save on utilities. Do you still have landline phone service? I disconnected mine and bought an Ooma VOIP device. I got a refurb unit from Fry's for $130 and now have no more monthly phone bill. Its great.
 
I built a HTPC in January for about $375. In march I added a HD TV Tuner and media drive for that. All in all it was under $500.

It was the first PC I've built and it was a lot easier than I expected. Just read some forums and make sure everything you are getting is compatible. You won't be doing any soldering, or anything crazy just pretty simple stuff that if you take your time and are careful, won't be a problem.



About the pre-builts... A friend of mine just purchased the Acer Revo, and I'd highly recommend it from what i've seen at his house.

Super small footprint, plays HD video perfect, streams HD perfect, comes with wireless keyboard and mouse. Only downside is not that much internal storage and no DVD-R, but just get a big external hard drive and you're set.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...103235&cm_re=acer_revo-_-83-103-235-_-Product

I haven't personally had any experience with the Dell Zinos, but they seem like decent machines, and have an optical drive, which is a plus, but they are a bit pricier than the revo.

Also your internet speed will be good, but I wouldn't bump it down any lower than that if you want to stream HD video.
 
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Whoa...$600 seems like way to much to me. Heck, I built my gaming rig for $600, and it still plays every game out today on high settings and high resolutions.

Definitely build your own. You will be able to save some money, and there is nothing hard about building a computer (no soldering or anything). I built my current HTPC for roughly $285, and it streams HD video and plays most games on at least medium setting.

My breakdown was:
Motherboard (Foxconn Micro ATX): $50
Case/ 300w Power Supply combo: $50
Processor (AMD X2 6000+ 3.1GHZ): $55
Harddrive: 500GB Samsung: $40
Video Card (ATI 4650 w/HDMI port): $40
Ram (2GB DDR2 800MHZ): $20
DVD Drive w/lightscribe: $20
Wireless Card: $10

I ran Windows 7 Beta on it for a while until I got my 8 free copies of Win 7 64 bit (Legally from IEEE):D.

So I made my entire build for just under $290 total (all shipping was free/no taxes). Thank you Newegg and Ebay :) This was about a year ago, so you should be able to get even better parts for roughly the same price.

Even with having to throw the cost of an O.S. into that, your total should still sit in the $300-$400 range max.
 
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