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Your Very First HTPC? But Where do You Start?
(2014-01-04, 06:30)billydean Wrote: Is there any off the self box under $250?

I am waiting to see how this works out. It just came out a week or two ago.

http://cubox-i.com/products/

I want to see how people do with the software. The specs look good though.
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Hello,

In a few day's I would like to buy and build my first HTPC. I choose configuration with some comments uder every part.
PC will be used to playing movies (also BD 3D) and web surfing. It should be small, quiet and has low power consumption.


CPU/APU - AMD A6-6400K Black Edition - 71$
(integrated GPU ATI HD8470D, low TDP 65W)

MOBO - GIGABYTE F2A88XN-WIFI - 106$
(chipset A88, HDMI, USB 3.0, built-in WiFi/Bluetooth)

RAM - Kingston HyperX DDR3 2x2GB 1866MHz CL9 - 62$
(optimal frequency for CPU, good timmings)

Case - Chieftec FI-01B 200W MiniTower Black - 66$
(small, good enough PSU 80+)

Total: 305$


There's no HDD, because maybe I use 64GB SSD 2'5" + HDD 3,5" or only HDD 3,5".

Thanks in advance for all suggestions,
czyndzel
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For my htpc project, i have short listed on Gigabyte's GA-B75M-D3H.
This motherboard has an onboard hdmi, which will be used for display. I need a optical out, since my avr only supports optical in at this moment.
Hence need optical out, to output Dolby/Dts 5.1.

looking closely, this motherboard has a spdif header on the board.
can i get optical out using this header by using the following audio bracket

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gigabyte-12CR1-1...0743861039
problem looks like the motherboard has only 2pins for spdif, where in, this bracket has 3 pins.

please advise how can i get optical out using this bracket and the motherboard.
If someone has done it , please share your experiences.
Also please advise if there is a better suggestion for getting the optical out connection from this motherboard.
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So i'm considering upgrading my current HTPC since every now and then I see 1080p video stutter. It's an old Zotac ION board with an Atom dual core CPU. I would like to keep the following case (if possible)

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Mini-ITX...B003DXI288

The new PC, I pretty much want it to handle anything i throw at it. So I am looking at the new AMD solutions. I'm thinking the following;

Cpu: AMD A10-7850K APU
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI FM2+/FM2 A88X (Bolton D4)
Mem: Patriot 8GB(2x4GB) Viper III DDR3 2133 (PC3-17000) CL11
Hdd: Samsung Electronics 840 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5-Inch SSD

Since my current ion board has a built in PSU, I know I need to get something else, so I'm considering this;
Mini-Box picoPSU-160-XT High Power 24 Pin Mini-ITX Power Supply

Do you guys think that will be enough for my new HTPC? Or should I be looking at a new case as well? I'd really like to keep this thing as small as possible and feel like the other MiniITX cases with PSU's are very large. Any suggestions? Thank you!
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(2011-02-14, 16:58)eskro Wrote: ,,Relevant as of Juin 2013,,
Hi eskro! Are you planing on updating it? Thanks, this is very helpful.
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Has anyone used the ASUS GeForce GT 610 Silent 1GB at all?

Just wondering if it meets all the requirements for xbmc. Smile
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(2014-03-11, 03:56)bkafi Wrote: Has anyone used the ASUS GeForce GT 610 Silent 1GB at all?

Just wondering if it meets all the requirements for xbmc. Smile
I was thinking of upgrading from the GT210 to the GT610 as it does hd audio (the gt210 was relevant in builds a couple of years ago before xbmc could stream hd audio)
It seems to be the card of choice - although the heat sink is massive - if you are low on space.
Check out my Fanart.tv stuff!
...........I also accept disc requests if image not on fanart.tv database !!!!
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hey guys, do you think that a combination of the 10 HDD UnRaid server and the option 5 of the basic build for the HPTC would be make a good steambox, media center. if not can you recommend a build for me. i'm just getting into HTPC and NAS.

thanks
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Hey all,

I'm looking to build my first HTPC and would appreciate any feedback on my parts selection...

Case: Lian Li PC-Q12B (includes 300W PSU)
M/B: Asrock B85M-ITX (or H87M-ITX if there's a good reason)
CPU: Intel i3-4130 - stock cooler
Ram: G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ (2x2GB)
SSD: Kingston SV300S37A/60G

It'll be streaming content from my nas. HDMI to the tv. Audio via optical to my receiver.

The plan is to run openelec on it. Hopefully it'll be fairly quiet, it'll be sitting in a low line timber entertainment unit.

Thanks for any input.
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I find the stock cooler fans as well as the fans pre-built into cases typically a bit noisy. But you could start with this and then see if you need to replace the CPU fan, and if you maybe could go without the case fan.

Intel on-chip graphics is good for XBMC, in particular with openelec.
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Hi there

My first HTPC is a Acer Veriton L410, ( dual core AMD 2.2Mhz, 1 Gb mem, 128 Gb SSD, optical audio to receiver).
At first it ran on Windows XP Proffessional, i changed it to Windows 7 Ultimate. It ran a lot more quiet then.
Then i tried Windows 8.1, total disaster, fans had to blow like crazy to cool processor.
Now it runs on Windows 7 Starter, and it runs quiet and fast.

I tried XBMCbuntu, but had to many errors installing it.
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You could also try OpenELEC. I've made the best experience with this "XBMC distribution" after playing around with Ubuntu and Windows before.
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Just thought I'd leave a little feedback on my system I put together after reading through a lot of this thread and others. I went for an updated budget version of the Windows build #1. I upgraded to Intel Pentium Processor G3220 on a MSI Mini ITX LGA 1150 Motherboard H81I in the same Antec Mini-ITX Case ISK110-VESA. I used a pair of 2GB Crucial memory sticks I had lying around, as well as a 750GB Toshiba HD I also had on hand. So for around $205 plus parts I already had and a Windows 7 license I also had available I got my system setup. I am very happy with the performance of the system, and even using the stock processor fan it is very quiet, I cannot hear it from across the room. I use primarily for watching ripped DVDs and Blu-Rays (nothing very high quality stuff) as well as several streaming add-ons, all via HDMI to a cheap Panasonic reciever then a 5 year old 46" Panasonic plasma TV. I will probably add more, games and such, as time goes on, but for what I use it for it works great. Have pulled my Roku and it's NAS Plex setup out of the entertainment center as this is replacing it. I did have to make sure and get the latest video drivers off Intel's site to clear up some video glitches, but now all is fine. I still need to get my flirc from my cabin (no longer use there) so I can use a regular remote, but for now the official XBMC Remote app on android works pretty well.
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(2014-01-28, 21:52)czyndzel Wrote: Case - Chieftec FI-01B 200W MiniTower Black - 66$
(small, good enough PSU 80+)

Everything looks good,..however,...if you're going to add a BD-ROM,...I'd suggest the SilverStone Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX Media Center/HTPC Case ML03B (Black). This case is awesome, and will give you a little more expansion room. Plus,....this case will blend in with any other audio/video equipment you already own.

You might also want to jump up to a 400W PSU. I've got nothing but good things to say about the SilverStone Strider 400W, 80 PLUS, Active PFC Power Supply ST40F-ES (Black)
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My current set up.

This works with True-HD, DTS, DTS-HD

AMD A6-6400K Richland 3.9GHz Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor AMD Radeon HD AD640KOKHLBOX
GIGABYTE GA-F2A88XN-WIFI FM2+/FM2 A88X (Bolton D4) Wi-Fi/BT4.0 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard

with the current beta 4 version out it now works. beta 3 did not.
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