[littlepooch21]

Hello Everyone.

Looking to get a little bit of feedback b/f I pull the trigger on my first HTPC. I have been debating on whether to just buy an i5 Mac Mini and upgrade the ram on it, or build one from scratch.

Here are the specs on both. I'm looking to pretty much run everything on this set up. I know that if I do a custom build i will have the options of adding new things and getting rid of old things in the future but that isn't a huge thing for me.

Mac Mini

- 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
- 4GB memory
- 500GB hard drive1
- Intel HD Graphics 3000

Custom Build

- AMD A8-3870k
- ASRock A75M FM1 AMD A75
- CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 (CMPSU-430CXV2) 430W
- Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
- OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
- Silverstone ML03B

[eskro]

AMD A8-3870k

[littlepooch21]

why?

[Mick1152]

This is my first post but I've been lurking for quite some time. The Mac mini was something I was considering before I came here and started reading the forums. I have a friend who turned his into an HTPC and it does work great and is really sleek looking.

However, from reading these forums I think I can build a better, more robust machine which I can expand in the future if needed for less than a Mac Mini by building it myself. Specifically, I think the AMD Radeon 6550 HD GPU in the AMD A8 will blow the Intel HD Graphics 3000 in the Mac Mini out of the water.

Keep in mind, I have no idea what I'm talking about but I am sure somebody smarter than me will confirm or deny my thinking.

[littlepooch21]

no i realize it would be a faster processor from what i gathered, i was just checking to see what people's opinion of it was

[Michael.F]

both are pretty overkill, but i would go for a custom build..

i don't know for sure but i guess the mac uses a 2.5" hdd, which suck for storage.
So if you don't have a fileserver, go for the custom build with atleast 2 bays for 3.5" hdds.

[littlepooch21]

i was planning on only using the cpu hard drive to the operating system. i have an external enclosure for everything else.