Dead Cheap HTPC configuration

V

venkiraja

Disciple
1. Q: What is your budget?
15k. Not a penny more. Will be happy if it can go down by a thousand.

2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration?
Irrelevant. Laptop Owner. Not at all knowledgable about a Desktop. n00b.

3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping?
Got a 42" LG Plasma TV and a iBall 5.1 speakers. (Only 3 analog 3.5mm jack input. No optical/HDMI)

4. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy?
Nothing specific.
But that cute little keyboard/ remote is tempting. I'll buy that piece outside my budget.

5. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future?
Maybe a bluray drive and better speakers. Not the core part of the PC.

6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
Chennai. Ritchie street. (Let me know of reliabe outlets.)

7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market?
No.

8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware?
HTPC | 24 X 7 download rig | HD Movies.

9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike?
No. But I pretty much want to avoid anything expensive.

10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?
I don't think I can play games in this budget. But FIFA (Even 07 will be a great boost!)

11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage?
My TV is HD ready.

12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
No.

13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
Windows 7. I already have a copy.

Suggestions welcome.
 
Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Pentium Dual Core G620 3400

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H61M-D2-B3 (or) ASUS P8H61-M PLUS V2 3300

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1250

HDD Seagate 1TB 7200.12 2950

GPU IGP Intel HD -

Cabinet CM Elite 310 1650

PSU/SMPS Corsair CX430 v2 2200

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650

Mouse NA -

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Total 16300

You can cut back on the Cabby to a generic one w/o SMPS for ~Rs.800-Rs.1000, 2GB RAM ~ Rs.700 and the HDD to 500GB which costs Rs.2150 if you need to bring down the costs to ~14k-15k.

The Intel G620 is based on sandy bridge architecture and is good enough for HD playback.
 
DarkAngel said:
Components Description Price (INR)

Processor Intel Pentium Dual Core G620 3400

Motherboard Gigabyte GA-H61M-D2-B3 (or) ASUS P8H61-M PLUS V2 3300

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1250

HDD Seagate 1TB 7200.12 2950

GPU IGP Intel HD -

Cabinet CM Elite 310 1650

PSU/SMPS Corsair CX430 v2 2200

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650

Mouse NA -

ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900

Total 16300

You can cut back on the Cabby to a generic one w/o SMPS for ~Rs.800-Rs.1000, 2GB RAM ~ Rs.700 and the HDD to 500GB which costs Rs.2150 if you need to bring down the costs to ~14k-15k.

The Intel G620 is based on sandy bridge architecture and is good enough for HD playback.
Click to expand...
Thanks a bunch. :D

(Can I play FIFA in this? :bleh:)

What is the difference between two mobos mentioned? Which one has higher slots?

AMD vs. Intel, what is the difference? Do I have any AMD processors in my range?

OMG! Is a SMPS as expensive as a HDD? (Pardon my ignorance)

I'll go for a 500 gig HDD only, as I am looking for a 1 TB external Hard Drive in addition to this setup.

Cabinet looks cool. Silverstone, the initial one I was looking for, just exceeded my budget. Will this rig be noisy?

DarkAngel said:
The ones that comes with cabbies are piece of $hit. A PSU is the heart of the system and one shouldnt skimp on it as it is the one that provides power to all the other components. The one I recommended is very good in the price range.

Corsair CX430 V2 Power Supply Review | Hardware Secrets

The RAM is also pretty decent. What exactly do you mean by better one. More RAM, faster RAM or tighter timings?

The H61 Asus has both PCI and PCI-E 1x slots. So it is compatible with all types of sound cards.

As of now in this budget range Intel has much better processing power and AMD Llano has better graphics power. Though you can gain back the graphics power by adding a low-mid end GPU like the HD6670 ~ 3.8k.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation via post in another thread.. again :clap:
 
If power is a concern and you are not interested in Games , you can go with a AMD fusion E350 platform.

the board + cpu combo will cost something like 7K. you can spend the rest on the other peripherals.

this config is not suitable for gaming, but should be able to handle full HD content easily.
 
linuxtechie said:
@Darky, How about Elite 360 for the OP? Its small and can save space?

+LT
Click to expand...

Yes a good option since he will go for an external HDD. The Elite 360 supports only couple of 3.5" HDDs. But costs a wee bit more.(~1.9k-2k depending upon where he lives)

Initially i thought of recommending a Elite 100 but it becomes too cramped with a mATX mobo.

@OP - Take a look at the Elite 360 as linuxtechie says. If you think you gain from the space saved go for it. You can use the Elite 360 horizontally and save space.

Elite 310

Dimensions(L x W x H) 18.40" x 7.50" x 17.20"

Weight 12.8 lbs.

Elite 360

Dimensions(L x W x H) 17.30" x 5.80" x 14.20"

Weight 9.7 lbs.

--- Updated Post - Automerged ---

Cooler Master Chasis Elite 360 - www.deltapage.com - Delta peripherals Chennai do stock them and costs ~ 2k.
 
Also @OP, I would suggest going for 2.5" laptop hdd's. I know they cost a lot, but they don't radiate heat a lot like 3.5" do and hence your PC will run a lot cooler.

+LT
 
linuxtechie said:
Also @OP, I would suggest going for 2.5" laptop hdd's. I know they cost a lot, but they don't radiate heat a lot like 3.5" do and hence your PC will run a lot cooler.

+LT
Click to expand...

save on power as well, why else would you want a htpc which also serves as a 24x7 dload rig
 
Thanks for the suggestions and replies guys!
I have my exams underway, So couldn't time my replies suitably.
I'll get the rig in the end of November so that I can save some more money.

Extended budget now 20k.

Primary functions:
1. Play 1080p & 720p movies via HDMI.
2. Use the analog outputs (three 3.5mm jacks) from my iBall speakers.
3. 24 X 7 downloading rig.
4. Play games such as FIFA '07 or later/ NFS HP2 without any lag.
 
@DA - Please correct me if i am wrong - but I don't see a point of buying Pentium SB for HTPC | 24 X 7 download rig | HD Movies kind of usage . The buyer should better be off with either ATOM / ION combo or E350 boards available. Preferable AMD Fusion E530 for the efficiency and performance. For around 6k the OP can get MSI Global ? Mainboard - E350IA-E45 or http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AMD_CPU_on_Board/E35M1M/

Pentium SB makes no sense for such rig, it will eat more power than E350/ATOM.

http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-and-previews/review-asus-e35m1-m-pro-amd-198685.html | http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-and-previews/amd-fusion-e350-linux-xbmc-perspective-200245.html
 
Ideally the 35w G620-T would be better suited for him, but that's unavailable in India.

Its better to go with the AMD brazos than going with a Dual core atom with ion because the the SB is very frugal and the Atom+Ion combo is not far off in power consumption. But yes the E350 makes better sense for casual gaming and for 24*7 DL.

Since the budget is now increased I would say mini-iTx E350+CM Elite 100.

Components Description Price (INR)

Processor+Motherboard Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 (AMD E-350) 7300

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1250

HDD Seagate 500GB 2.5" 5400.6 Momentus or WD Blue 500GB 2.5" 2800

GPU AMD HD6310 -

Cabinet CM Elite 100 3000

PSU/SMPS in built 150w -

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650

Mouse NA -

Total 15000

Drop the DVD since the cabinet will only support slim ODD. You can get a regular external Blu-ray player later. You do have an external DVD player, right?

Else since you have cash left flipkart has a Philips Blue Ray player for just Rs.5299.

Flipkart: Philips BDP2600/12 Blu Ray Player: Video Player

Edit: HDD prices have shot up like crazy due to floods in manufacturing areas like Thailand.. So grab one ASAP. The cheapest 250GB momentus drive from dvdstoredelhi is ~ 2.2k

http://www.theitbazaar.com/store/ou...age=flypage.tpl&product_id=178&category_id=36

http://www.techenclave.com/storage-solutions/hdd-prices-may-go-up-201207-3.html#post1956762
 
Dark Star said:
@DA - Please correct me if i am wrong - but I don't see a point of buying Pentium SB for HTPC | 24 X 7 download rig | HD Movies kind of usage . The buyer should better be off with either ATOM / ION combo or E350 boards available. Preferable AMD Fusion E530 for the efficiency and performance. For around 6k the OP can get MSI Global ? Mainboard - E350IA-E45 or ASUSTeK Computer Inc. - Motherboards- ASUS E35M1-M

Pentium SB makes no sense for such rig, it will eat more power than E350/ATOM.

http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-and-previews/review-asus-e35m1-m-pro-amd-198685.html | http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-and-previews/amd-fusion-e350-linux-xbmc-perspective-200245.html
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot for those write-up links. Certainly opened me up a bit, though I couldn't get the tech lingo completely. :hap2:

DarkAngel said:
Components Description Price (INR)

Processor+Motherboard Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 (AMD E-350) 7300

RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1250

HDD Seagate 500GB 2.5" 5400.6 Momentus or WD Blue 500GB 2.5" 2800

GPU AMD HD6310 -

Cabinet CM Elite 100 3000

PSU/SMPS in built 150w -

Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650

Mouse NA -

Total 15000

Drop the DVD since the cabinet will only support slim ODD. You can get a regular external Blu-ray player later. You do have an external DVD player, right?

Edit: HDD prices have shot up like crazy due to floods in manufacturing areas like Thailand.. So grab one ASAP. The cheapest 250GB momentus drive from dvdstoredelhi is ~ 2.2k.
Click to expand...
Thanks a ton for those suggestions. Certainly saves me up a pile of bucks. Will most probably go for this configuration. Final queries:

Isn't a dedicated graphics card necessary? (Say, I plan on adding one up a year later, Is this system adaptable?)

Why can't I buy the Seagate 1TB you listed in your first reply against the 500 gb one?

And, will a 3.5" external HDD won't be good enough? 2 TB drives 2.5 incher blows up my wallet :(

I definitely need a DVD drive. Can't do without it! Will a Silverstone cabby work in that case?

I am looking for a keyboard that comes with a mousepad (like the ones in laptops) Any idea? Something more handy and couch-friendly.

Edit -- What happened to the SMPS part? Pardon my annoying ignorance, but weren't we attaching some importance to it, previously?
 
@Darky,

Does the recommended GPU does more than FHD resolution? I am probably sounding more like a high jacker here, but the moment is quite built up here and hence the question. I am mighty tempted.

+LT
 
If you are using the E350, you can upgrade the GPU but it does not make sense as there are only x4 lanes and the CPU is quite weak too.
 
Components Description Price (INR)
Processor+Motherboard Gigabyte GA-E350N-USB3 (AMD E-350) 7300
RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1250
HDD Seagate 500GB 2.5" 5400.6 Momentus or WD Blue 500GB 2.5" 2800
GPU AMD HD6310 -
Cabinet CM Elite 100 3000
PSU/SMPS in built 150w -
Key Board Logitech SET - Optical Blk Mouse+ MMKB 650
Mouse NA -
Total 15000

This being the current configuration.
I wish I get a DVD drive and some space for expansion(A Graphic card & some RAM)?
My budget is 20k currently. Wish I get a configuration for this...
Thanks to DA, LinuxTechie, Vivek and others.
 
Finally, I've got like 25k budget.
And, I'm reconsidering my priorities. So, please guide me on the recent developments towards a feasible solution.

1. HTPC for Full HD output.
2. Using softwares like 3DS Max, Graphisoft ArchiCAD, Autodesk Revit Architecture. (3D rendering/2D modelling)
3. Playing games like FIFA 12, NFS - The Run.

So, the configuration I'm eyeing at is:
Components Description Price (INR)
Processor AMD A6-3650 5900
Motherboard Gigabyte GA-A75-S2V 5900
RAM Corsair 4GB DDRIII 1333MHz 1250
HDD Seagate 1TB 7200.12 2950
GPU MSI R6770-MD1GD 1GB GDDR5 (A friend has a Intel GTx for cheaper.. What say?) 6500
Cabinet CM Elite 100 3000
ODD Samsung 22X SATA DVD 900
Total 26400

Suggest suitable changes to the configuration to bring down the price/ make the system smoother.
 
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