HTPC Alternatives

Archer

Archer

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So I'm about to give away a whole lot of cash to some lucky 40" LCD manufacturer but need a media player of sorts. Was thinking of building a nice HTPC but after some thinking I realised I'll play games very little on it actually (unless someone can point out an easy way to play console games on a PC) so it will be used 99.9% of the time for movies/series.

But what alternatives are there that provide HDMI out and wireless (and preferably a Windows OS since most interfaces suck imo and with windows I'd be able to install whatever I like). I've only been able to find the Asus EEE but the cheapest comes out to about R4k for the features I want and could then just build a HTPC (I have a spare 5770 and 4gb DDR3 ram so it brings the cost down a lot).
 
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Archer said:
So I'm about to give away a whole lot of cash to some luck 40" LCD manufacturer but need a media player of sorts. Was thinking of building a nice HTPC but after some thinking I realised I'll play games very little on it actually (unless someone can point out an easy way to play console games on a PC) so it will be used 99.9% of the time for movies/series.

But what alternatives are there that provide HDMI out and wireless (and preferably a Windows OS since most interfaces suck imo and with windows I'd be able to install whatever I like). I've only been able to find the Asus EEE but the cheapest comes out to about R4k for the features I want and could then just build a HTPC (I have a spare 5770 and 4gb DDR3 ram so it brings the cost down a lot).
Click to expand...

You can buy a secondhand pc for a HTPC for about R1500. You can buy HD media players like the Xtreamer and WD Live for less, but no Windows OS then. The HTPC option (with MediaPortal / XMBC) is definitely a better option.
 
Get a Zotac MAG. Slightly pricey, but WAY worth it; small unit that can be mounted behind the TV (in the wall mount spot), has HDMI, WiFi, eSATA, etc. Can run XBMC. And has nVidia Ion, so you have VDPAU support, which allows you to watch 1080p video flawlessly.
 
I built my HTPC from spare and 2nd hand parts, only bought a case (plain one not htpc chassis), and an entry level nVidia card for proper 1080p decoding (using DXVA). Very happy so far.
 
sn3rd said:
Get a Zotac MAG. Slightly pricey, but WAY worth it; small unit that can be mounted behind the TV (in the wall mount spot), has HDMI, WiFi, eSATA, etc. Can run XBMC. And has nVidia Ion, so you have VDPAU support, which allows you to watch 1080p video flawlessly.
Click to expand...

Review. :(

http://www.pcbg.co.za/threads/11595-Zotac-MAG-HD-ND01-Review

Con's:
- Very noisy internal cooling fan.
- Could not get Full-HD movies to play smoothly.
 
Well I was always leaning to the proper HTPC side which would have better cooling (so more silent) and more flexibility. Just wanted to know if there is a viable (cheaper) alternative, and doesnt look like it so far. All other players (Asus EEe, Zotac Mag etc) come in at +-R4k, whereas I could easily build a new PC for R4500 incl HDD and keyboard/mouse. So then a HTPC makes way more sense. Any suggestions on a good CPU to use? Was thinking of an Athlon dual core, perhaps quad core.
 
Archer said:
Well I was always leaning to the proper HTPC side which would have better cooling (so more silent) and more flexibility. Just wanted to know if there is a viable (cheaper) alternative, and doesnt look like it so far. All other players (Asus EEe, Zotac Mag etc) come in at +-R4k, whereas I could easily build a new PC for R4500 incl HDD and keyboard/mouse. So then a HTPC makes way more sense. Any suggestions on a good CPU to use? Was thinking of an Athlon dual core, perhaps quad core.
Click to expand...

You can build one for a lot cheaper. And you don't need a quad core cpu, dual core (anything over 2ghz) is more than enough. Even with 1080P stuff, your CPU will never go over 50% usage.
 
Roger.Wilco said:
You can build one for a lot cheaper. And you don't need a quad core cpu, dual core (anything over 2ghz) is more than enough. Even with 1080P stuff, your CPU will never go over 50% usage.
Click to expand...

Bigest cost is the case @ R1500. Everything else I'm guessing at
Mobo - R750 (must be mini ATX)
RAM - free :D
GPU - free :D though could prob use onboard found on AMD 785G mobo
CPU - R500 - 1000 (depends on quad or dual)
PSU - cheapest 80PLUS efficiency I could find was +-R500
Wireless keyboard/mouse - R410
HDD - anything from R500 - 1000 depending on size

So total is +-R4250. Yes this is using all new stuff, but cant see any cheaper components to use.
 
The biggest cost with an HTPC will always be the case unfortunately, if you want it to blend into your Home theater setup that is...
 
Get second hand stuff...I put an HTPC together for less than 3.2K, and its sweeeeet!

Dual Core AMD Media/Work PC
ASUS M3A-H/HDMi Socket AM2+ Motherboard
Seagate SATA 80GB HDD
Samsung IDE 40GB HDD
Zalman CNPS7000C CPU Cooler
AMD Athlon X2 7750+ Black Edition 2.7GHz
2GB DDR2-800 RAM
Cooler Master RC-360 Chassis - 1 x 120MM Case fan
included
Sony DVD ROM

That cost me R1700, then I bought a 1tb drive for it, a very cheap wireless mouse& keyboard set, and a generic MCE remote. Loaded Win7X64 and XBMC (htp://xbmc.org). I played a full HD 8gig blu-ray rip of avatar with no problems!

EDIT: Using the mobo's onboard graphics HDMI out... FYI
 
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Well I've just build a brilliant HTPC, and the case including PSU cost me R1200

Antec NSK2480B + 380watt 80% eff CPU at Prophecy
 
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Krypt0n1te said:
Well I've just build a brilliant HTPC, and the case including PSU cost me R1200

Antec NSK2480B + 380watt 80% eff CPU at Prophecy
Click to expand...

What are your temps/noise like? I've settled on the mobo/CPU so it really is only the case that is left over now and that Antec looks good. I disregarded it earlier since I could only find it in Silver (the Antec website sucks)
 
I have a basically brand new am2+ board at home thats for sale.

pm me in you are interested.
 
The case is ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE in my opinion, VERY quiet, three settings on the 2 System Fans, My temps are very low, but I went for an onboard solution, so I do not have a dedicated GFX card installed.
 
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Anyone have experience with USB IR recievers? Looking to get this one and then eventually replace the remote with a Logitech Harmony.

edit: @Krypt0n1te, what connectors are there on the PSU? I read a review that said it only comes with 2 SATA power cables and they are on the same cable, meaning that powering a DVD and hard drives is difficult since they are in seperate chambers.
 
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LOL, got that exact same Remote, haven't really configured anything, BUT by default... I can control every feature in HTPC by using that remote.
No drivers or program installations, nothing. Running Win 7 Ulimate 32bit on the HTPC.

The guy who did that review smoked something strong!

My PSU

1 cable with 1 PCI-E
1 cable with 2 SATA's
1 cable with 1 IDE(primary) and 1 SATA(secondary)
2 cable's with 2 IDE's

I would very easily be able to install 2 SATA drives and 1 SATA DVD/BR drive with given cables and compartments.
 
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