Introduction
A HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer) is a convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer and a digital video recorder. It is connected to a television or a television-sized computer display and is often used as a digital photo, music, video player, TV receiver and digital video recorder. Home theater PCs are also referred to as media center systems or media servers.
Do I need a Powerhouse for this?
We are building a HTPC here and where most people go wrong is when they start adding Quad Core and SLI setup to their HTPC configuration. The point behind HTPC is that it should be powerful enough to run HI-def movie and be quiet enough to enjoy the crystal clear sound from your Media Center and not that CPU fan gushing Air at full speed.
Processor + Video Card
One of the most demanding task of HTPC is decoding those HI-def H.264 encoded movies. The playback mainly depends on:
• The processing Power of CPU.
• The help given by the Video card in decoding process.
• The playback software.
Therefore the choice of CPU you choose depends on the GPU you decide to put in your setup.
• For the GPU that has the capability to decode H.264 completely (pure playback).
The likes of Geforce 8600 and ATI Radeon 2400/2600 are equipped with H.264 decoding engine so with likes of these you can even choose a single core CPU but I would recommend a low end dual core machine like Intel E2200 or AMD X2 4200+ but if you want to encode your videos I would recommend that you go for Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 as the larger L2 cache helps in gaming and encoding.
• For GPU that supports partial decoding of H.264 videos.
If you have an old card lying around like Geforce 7x00 or an ATI 1x00 it is recommended that you go and get yourself an Intel E6400 or an AMD x2 5000+ for a smooth video playback.
[BREAK=Components]
RAM
We have seen RAM prices take a dip in past few months so it is worth going in for 2Gb .
HDD
Since we are building a HTPC the minimum that one should go for is 320 Gb to ensure that you have enough space to store those HI-def movies and your vacation pictures
.
Optical Drive
I would have suggested going for a Blu-Ray drive but its current price makes it way too expensive. A cheap OEM Sony DVD-Writer would do ( they run a little quiet than others ) as we would be using this for Ripping DVD or occasional playback.
HTPC Case and PSU
Form Factor: There are two ways to go about this either you go for the MicroATX form factor or the normal ATX format. The choice depends on the components you choose and the space you want to save. With MicroATX you would have to choose a Video card that isnt too long and make sure that Ventilation is proper so that Fans don't have to spin up all the time.
Ventilation: Computer cases provide various mechanisms to enable airflow and also include fan housings (and sometimes fans as well) to increase airflow and cooling. Proper ventilation is essential, yet selection of ventilation components, especially fans, is crucial to the kind of quiet operation that an HTPC demands. In general HTPC cases require larger, less restricted airflow vents than ordinary desktops, along with well-directed airflow inside the case.
Noise control: Proper design and sound dampening techniques can keep sounds from traveling far from a PC case. It's important to think about what makes and causes noise inside a PC and then to make sure the case helps to prevent or block such noise as does occur. Even the quietest components can sometimes make small amounts of noise, but the case can keep that noise from reaching anyone's ears.
Materials and construction: Case construction must emphasize low resonance (to keep the effects of vibration to a minimum), sturdy materials (to provide minimal sources for vibration), and good sound insulation and isolation (to minimize noise conduction and production) as well.
As for power supplies, concerns about noise and ventilation apply equally but are inextricably intertwined. That's because modern PCs, including Media Center PCs, can require sufficient wattage so that the power supplies that drive them require at least occasional active ventilation (in other words, a fan) to stay cool.
Total electrical output: Power supplies are rated by maximum wattage; most HTPCs require somewhere between 240 and 350 watt power supplies.
Cooling approach: Some PSUs, mostly lower cost items designed for ordinary desktop use, employ high-speed fans that run whenever the power supply does. Quieter, more expensive PSUs employ sensors to turn the fan on or off in response to internal temperature, and regulate fan speed by temperature as well. Intermediate models use fans that run all the time, but that lower fan speeds when lightly loaded and run at maximum fan speeds only when heavily loaded.
Power connections: PSUs are built to support specific types of motherboards, so that you'd buy a PSU to match the power connector on your motherboard. The vast majority of motherboards and PSUs available these days adhere to the ATX standards for form factor and power connectors (and regular ATX, mini-ATX, FlexATX, and micro-ATX motherboards all use the same 24-pin power connector).
Motherboard
Choose According to your setup of GPU and CPU.
[BREAK=Operating System]
Operating System
There are quite a few linux distro’s out there that have been built keeping in mind the HTPC setup.
Linux
• Mythbuntu (based on Ubuntu)
• LinuxMCE (My favorite)
• There are quite a few others
Windows
• Windows XP MCE
• Windows Vista MCE
Your suggestions are welcome and if i have written something wrong or something that i have missed please point it out so that i can improve this article
A HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer) is a convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer and a digital video recorder. It is connected to a television or a television-sized computer display and is often used as a digital photo, music, video player, TV receiver and digital video recorder. Home theater PCs are also referred to as media center systems or media servers.
Do I need a Powerhouse for this?
We are building a HTPC here and where most people go wrong is when they start adding Quad Core and SLI setup to their HTPC configuration. The point behind HTPC is that it should be powerful enough to run HI-def movie and be quiet enough to enjoy the crystal clear sound from your Media Center and not that CPU fan gushing Air at full speed.
Processor + Video Card
One of the most demanding task of HTPC is decoding those HI-def H.264 encoded movies. The playback mainly depends on:
• The processing Power of CPU.
• The help given by the Video card in decoding process.
• The playback software.
Therefore the choice of CPU you choose depends on the GPU you decide to put in your setup.
• For the GPU that has the capability to decode H.264 completely (pure playback).
The likes of Geforce 8600 and ATI Radeon 2400/2600 are equipped with H.264 decoding engine so with likes of these you can even choose a single core CPU but I would recommend a low end dual core machine like Intel E2200 or AMD X2 4200+ but if you want to encode your videos I would recommend that you go for Intel Core 2 Duo E4600 as the larger L2 cache helps in gaming and encoding.
• For GPU that supports partial decoding of H.264 videos.
If you have an old card lying around like Geforce 7x00 or an ATI 1x00 it is recommended that you go and get yourself an Intel E6400 or an AMD x2 5000+ for a smooth video playback.
[BREAK=Components]
RAM
We have seen RAM prices take a dip in past few months so it is worth going in for 2Gb .
HDD
Since we are building a HTPC the minimum that one should go for is 320 Gb to ensure that you have enough space to store those HI-def movies and your vacation pictures
.Optical Drive
I would have suggested going for a Blu-Ray drive but its current price makes it way too expensive. A cheap OEM Sony DVD-Writer would do ( they run a little quiet than others ) as we would be using this for Ripping DVD or occasional playback.
HTPC Case and PSU
Form Factor: There are two ways to go about this either you go for the MicroATX form factor or the normal ATX format. The choice depends on the components you choose and the space you want to save. With MicroATX you would have to choose a Video card that isnt too long and make sure that Ventilation is proper so that Fans don't have to spin up all the time.
Ventilation: Computer cases provide various mechanisms to enable airflow and also include fan housings (and sometimes fans as well) to increase airflow and cooling. Proper ventilation is essential, yet selection of ventilation components, especially fans, is crucial to the kind of quiet operation that an HTPC demands. In general HTPC cases require larger, less restricted airflow vents than ordinary desktops, along with well-directed airflow inside the case.
Noise control: Proper design and sound dampening techniques can keep sounds from traveling far from a PC case. It's important to think about what makes and causes noise inside a PC and then to make sure the case helps to prevent or block such noise as does occur. Even the quietest components can sometimes make small amounts of noise, but the case can keep that noise from reaching anyone's ears.
Materials and construction: Case construction must emphasize low resonance (to keep the effects of vibration to a minimum), sturdy materials (to provide minimal sources for vibration), and good sound insulation and isolation (to minimize noise conduction and production) as well.
As for power supplies, concerns about noise and ventilation apply equally but are inextricably intertwined. That's because modern PCs, including Media Center PCs, can require sufficient wattage so that the power supplies that drive them require at least occasional active ventilation (in other words, a fan) to stay cool.
Total electrical output: Power supplies are rated by maximum wattage; most HTPCs require somewhere between 240 and 350 watt power supplies.
Cooling approach: Some PSUs, mostly lower cost items designed for ordinary desktop use, employ high-speed fans that run whenever the power supply does. Quieter, more expensive PSUs employ sensors to turn the fan on or off in response to internal temperature, and regulate fan speed by temperature as well. Intermediate models use fans that run all the time, but that lower fan speeds when lightly loaded and run at maximum fan speeds only when heavily loaded.
Power connections: PSUs are built to support specific types of motherboards, so that you'd buy a PSU to match the power connector on your motherboard. The vast majority of motherboards and PSUs available these days adhere to the ATX standards for form factor and power connectors (and regular ATX, mini-ATX, FlexATX, and micro-ATX motherboards all use the same 24-pin power connector).
Motherboard
Choose According to your setup of GPU and CPU.
[BREAK=Operating System]
Operating System
There are quite a few linux distro’s out there that have been built keeping in mind the HTPC setup.
Linux
• Mythbuntu (based on Ubuntu)
• LinuxMCE (My favorite)
• There are quite a few others
Windows
• Windows XP MCE
• Windows Vista MCE
Your suggestions are welcome and if i have written something wrong or something that i have missed please point it out so that i can improve this article
