HTPC for full HD play back..

[Party Monger]

Ok so i need i pc for playin videos to my lcd..
1) should play 1080p easily, Hdmi is a must, no graphics card.
2) 1tb hdd
3) optical out for future audio upgrades
4) cheap and good looking cabby..
5)should run these media centre software easily..
Dont need an over kill, need the above tasks done with out hiccups, at the least budget..Wat cost am i lookin at?

Since its an htpc shud i go for wireless kb and mouse or a remote? Wats the cost of both?

Tia,
Party Monger.

 

[apande]

Audio:

I'm trying to understand why you need an optical out: Do you already have an AVR without HDMI input?

SPDIF (optical/coaxial out) can not carry the likes of DTS-HD or Dolby-TruHD. You will need an HDMI connector for that anyway. The best fidelity connection scheme would be:

HTPC ------> AVR (over HDMI) -------> TV (over HDMI).

The AVR would decode the audio content that it receives over HDMI and play it on speakers. It would also pass on the video to the TV for display.

But, if you have already invested big bucks in your AVR and it doesn't have HDMI-input, it makes sense to go for optical/coax out.

Video

IMHO, a low power processor like Atom + a video accelerator like Broadcom Crystal-HD or NVidia XXX (sorry forgot the name) makes sense. It will be lower power (no fan noise, you want your HTPC to be silent) and perhaps cheaper as well.

 

[Party Monger]

Where is every one?

@apande- thanks for the suggestion. No i dont already hav an av receiver as i'm not that into sound..my tv already has decent sound and will take audio setup only if required.. Need optical out to be on the safer side, as in the case u mentioned the receiver doesnt support hdmi passthrough..

I hav heard abt the hd decoder, but i've also heard that these media center apps are pretty resource hungry, hence a normal cpu.. Would go for atom only he i get somethin like the asus net top at US prices

What components to choose?

 

[Amien]

Here's a rough outline for you:-
Motherboard + CPU :- Gigabyte 785GMT UD2H + AMD Athlon II X2 240 ~around 8-9k
Onboard HD4200 will handle all your 1080p playback needs.
Couple that with a 2GB DDR3 1333Mhz RAM DIMM ~around 3k

For the case, i would highly recommend this little thing here:- Silverstone Sugo Series SG02B-F00020
Sweet little case, this and it won't break the bank as it can be had for under 5k.

Now the PSU, you could go with something like the FSP Saga 350W for 1.5k, which is already more than enough power for this rig, OR you could go for something a bit more efficient (and with longer warranty?) like the Seasonic SII 380W for ~3k. This thing will also serve you well incase you feel like adding a dedicated GPU later to make your HTPC a nice little all purpose semi-portable gaming rig.

HDD, Seagate's 7200.12 1TB can be had for around 4k. If you want something more power efficient, go for the WD Caviar Green, which should be close to the same price.

This is more of a middle path suggestion(save the SII380W). You could get some cheaper parts and save money or you could spend more to make the rig more efficient and capable.
Reply back with your thoughts.

 

[Party Monger]

The rig will be used sparingly so dont want to spend much, i just need it lookin good and doin the job its meant to, i'm open to future upgrade..

How is the iball mini cabinet? Is there some better cabinet in abt 2k ? Dont need any bling, just something that looks decent and sleek..

I'l make do with oem psu that comes with the cabby..

Are there any other cpu-mobo combinations i can look at? I have opened a dedicated thread for it, but u can suggest here also..if you can post a link to the features of the mobo, i'm not in touch with the latest, and searchin on mobile net sucks

My main issue is that the cabinet should look good with out spendin much
Else instead of a 6k cabby i might as well get wdtv..lol