Need a HTPC for my friend under 20k.

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m-jeri

m-jeri

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Please answer the following questions for others to help you out better. Delete whatever you feel is not required.

  1. Q: What is your budget?
    1. 20K
  2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

    None
  3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

None
  1. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

None. But a miniATX good looking case will be preferred. Like Silver stone..
  1. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

Pretty much. Perhaps a more better GPU more RAM and a sound card later on.
  1. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)


    1. Open to online purchase
  2. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    1. Yes
  3. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    1. 1080p in max bitrate..including BD R movies occasionally is the primary purpose. So it has to be brilliant in that.
    2. Browsing
    3. Download rig, 24x7 operation
    4. Mild Gaming.
  4. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    1. None. Best bang for buck.
  5. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
    1. Strategy - AOE style..
      <

    2. Racing - Grid at medium settings
  6. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Gaming - Medium settings.
    2. Desktop - 1080p
  7. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
    1. No
  8. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    1. Windows 7 64 bit
    2. If possible XBMC.

Any help appreciated. sorry for the weird formatting. Cant seem to edit properly.
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m-jeri said:
None. But a miniATX good looking case will be preferred. Like Silver stone..
Click to expand...

I hope you know the prices of the SilverStone dabbaas Sire. If you can wait for AMD Trinity to release [they are slated to be out mid-May], your options may open up and better Llano chips can be bought at cheaper rates.

Here is what I suggest --

AMD A6-3500 ~3800/- [a tri-core Llano, not going to beat any benches but should cut it for your friend and the IGP on the damn thing will smash Intel's HD 3000 series left, right and centre]

Gigabyte GA-A75-S2V ~5900/- [a basic motherboard, with all necessary features and minimal frills]

G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3400/- [this is a must as AMD Llano chips react really well to high frequency RAM modules, read here --> http://www.anandtech...a83850-review/4 / http://www.tomshardw...ano,2975-6.html / http://pcper.com/rev...Bridge/Memory-S]

Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB / 1TB ~4500/- OR 5500/-

Samsung / LG OEM drive ~1000/-

Cooler Master GX 450W ~3000/- OR Corsair CX V2 430W ~2400/-

Cooler Master 360 ~2500/- OR Silverstone dabbaa of choice ~???

Logitech Wireless combo ~1500/- [the most base wireless input system, prepare for LAGGG]

Do you need a monitor and speaker set too?

Hope this helps, Cheers!!
 
Thanks for the reply..
happy19.gif


Are you saying that the AMD trinity will make the Llano ones cheaper and then get it or get the trinity? I have no idea regarding the same. so if possible, please explain.

Was hoping for the multimedia centric mobo.. Like with HDMI, USB 3.0, Optical etc. This one hase DVI.. guess the adapter will do and USB is there.

And enough expansion options..
happy55.gif
. Guess this will be more than enuff.

Cabby, SilverStone SST-SG05B or SG02B-F00020 looks good. Especially the second one. He can hook in one of those SATA hot swap brackets and one for his mem cards and all, in the 5.25" bays. And also, no DVD ROM required in the config. He got one external for his laptop.

And that combo, that was not I meant, Something that can be held in a hand. Either a HTPC remote for controlling XBMC & VLC(Windows 7) or a handheld keyboard with trackpad or ball.

Already got Display. Speakers, he got one set.

Total comes around 28k... guess the 6k is due to the cabby. Anyways to reduce. Damn this HDD price.

Please go through my comments and suggest if any changes for the config has to be done.
 
m-jeri said:
Thanks for the reply.

Are you saying that the AMD trinity will make the Llano ones cheaper and then get it or get the trinity? I have no idea regarding the same. so if possible, please explain.

Was hoping for the multimedia centric mobo.. Like with HDMI, USB 3.0, Optical etc. This one hase DVI.. guess the adapter will do and USB is there.

And enough expansion options. Guess this will be more than enuff.

And that combo, that was not I meant, Something that can be held in a hand. Either a HTPC remote for controlling XBMC & VLC(Windows 7) or a handheld keyboard with trackpad or ball.
Click to expand...

Yep the AMD Trinity chips will lead to a few price revisions, so you might see cheaper Llano chips OR the low-end Trinity chips taking out the mid-range Llano chips, so if you can wait it will definitely be a win-win for your friend.

To reduce on the pricing front, try to get the hard-drive second hand, from the TE classifieds section, go through them, some real gems to be discovered in these dark days. I recently purchased a Western Digital 1TB SATA III drive for -> 3700/-.

Secondly try to reduce the cost of the cabinet as well. I think there is a SilverStone model that costs ~4500/-.

Well if you can reallocate some of the budget to get a better motherboard, the Gigabyte GA-A75M-D2H ~5900/- is there.

Hmmm... I am not aware of keyboards or a remote for the PC will research a little and post some.

Hope this helps, Cheers!!
 
Thanks mate.. appreciate the effort. Will convey the same to my friend.

Any ETA for the trinity? Or just May-mid?
 
satan a said:
Instead building a pc, check ZOTAC's XBOX series mini pc. But they r very powerful
Click to expand...

Not really, AMD Llano based PC will beat an ION powered ZBOX left and right.

Head-to-head between a Llano processor and Intel ATOM D510 that powers the ZBOX -- http://www.anandtech...duct/403?vs=110.

Infact the Intel ATOM platform is completely out-classed by AMD's BOBCAT processors + integrated chipsets. Here is a comparison between those two -- http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/328?vs=110.

Hope this puts my point across, Cheers!!
 
So... I told my friend to hold his purse for a bit longer.. So he is looking to get one next month.. And I also in need of a PC back home. :(. lugging a laptop to and fro is not a good idea. Same needs. Full HD playback is prio.

I have the following items.

1. Creative Xfi with I/O bay
2. CM Real Power 750w
3. An HDD hot swap bay.

So please recommend with these in mind for me also.

@ALPHA17
 
m-jeri said:
So... I told my friend to hold his purse for a bit longer.. So he is looking to get one next month.. And I also in need of a PC back home. :(. lugging a laptop to and fro is not a good idea. Same needs. Full HD playback is prio.

I have the following items.

1. Creative Xfi with I/O bay
2. CM Real Power 750w
3. An HDD hot swap bay.

So please recommend with these in mind for me also.

@ALPHA17
Click to expand...

Trinity has got delayed to October so I suggest that you go for the Llano system now, later you can upgrade the processor to a Trinity product. Here is the configuration --

AMD A6-3650 ~6500/- OR AMD A8-3850 ~7500/-
GIGABYTE A75M-D2H ~6500/- OR MSi-A75MA-GD55 ~5500/-
Corsair Vengeance OR G.Skill RIPJAWS 4GB x2 1600MHz ~3600/-
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB ~4000/- OR 7200.14 1TB[64MB cache] ~5000/-
HP [boxed] optical drive ~1000/-
Cooler Master GX450W ~3400/- OR Corsair CX v2430W ~2700/- [skip this in your case]
Cooler Master eLite 360 OR Silverstone SUGO SG002 ~4000/-, I am unaware of any cheap cabinets that sport a hot-swap bay so will get back on this later.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
Thanks!!!...

So in this config.. I can run 1080p on MAX bitrate without any issues at all? Are u sure? No stuttering or frame drops or anything? I thght i needed an external gfx card. :O

Optical Drive I will skip. I dont need it/I have one.

Case, I think i will go with CM elite 360. More than enough for me.

Hdd is the achilles heel. :@. Need to check for a used one.

Thanks again for the help. :D.
 
m-jeri said:
So in this config.. I can run 1080p on MAX bitrate without any issues at all? Are u sure? No stuttering or frame drops or anything? I thght i needed an external gfx card. :O
Click to expand...

Yeah even I cannot believe how much improved the scenario has been in favour of the iGP. The Llano is a wonder chip but do check out all the codec's it supports just to be sure on this count. In-fact if you want something cheaper you can go for this as well --

Intel Pentium G620 ~3500/-
Intel DH67-BL ~5800/-
Corsair 2GB x2 ValueRAM ~1500/-
[rest configuration same-same as earlier]

You are welcome. Cheerio!
 
^^

In that how does it fare for 1080p?? same performance as Llano?

---------- Post added at 09:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 AM ----------

Actually i like the intel mobo. feature rich. tonnes of expansion. Perfect for a HTPC.
 
m-jeri said:
In that how does it fare for 1080p?? same performance as Llano?
Click to expand...

Slightly lower than the Llano, I think baseline for current HD content and anything more taxing will make a mockery of the same; Say 4K HD RIPz. And forget running any semblance of games, until you are the variety who uses emulators to run GameBoy on the computer.

Llano is more powerful and should support larger resolutions with ease and more importantly, more codecs. Not sure, do your homework on this count.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!

m-jeri said:
Actually i like the intel mobo. feature rich. tonnes of expansion. Perfect for a HTPC.
Click to expand...

Even the AMD FM1 socket + A75 chipset have all the features sported by the Intel motherboards. These are even compatible with the upcoming desktop Trinity chips for that matter.
 
It'd be better if you go with AMD Llano rig as it's better than Intel G620 in performance.QUOTE=m-jeri;1698979]Thanks...[/QUOTE]
 
Exactly my plan mate. Although i still like the intel mobo.

What if i get this mobo and a used proccy and gfx card? will it be the same as the other?
 
m-jeri said:
i3 proccy and a 5xx GT nvdia?
Click to expand...

Instead of that, go for this --

Core i3 2120 ~6800/-
Intel DH67-BL ~5800/-
AMD HD6670 ~5500/- OR AMD HD5670 ~5000/- [if possible try to find a HD4670 and you will still be covered]

This will be better in my opinion. The entry level nVidia cards are simply not worth it.
 
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