Budget 31-40k HTPC with 5.1

ak56u

Disciple
  1. What is your budget?
    • 30-32 k
  2. What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    • None
  3. Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)
    • Monitor - Projector Optomo HD-26
  4. 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.
    • CPU - Intel only
    • Soundcard - Asus Xonar DG
    • Motherboard, SMPS, Case - No particular preference (On board graphics should have HDMI out)
    • HDD - 1 TB internal
    • RAM - 4 GB
    • Optical Drive - Blu-ray
    • Keyboard and Mouse - Wireless
  5. 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
    • May add GPU later
  6. Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    • Delhi
    • Open to online purchase
  7. Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    • No
  8. What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    • HTPC
    • Download rig, 24x7 operation
    • Watching HD movies
  9. Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    • Intel processors only
  10. What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Movies - 1080x1920
  11. Are you looking to overclock?
    • No
  12. Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    • Windows 7 64 bit
 
Since it's only for downloading and watching movies, IMO, you'd be better off with a Raspberry Pi or something similar. Lower power consumption, no fan noise, cheaper and smaller. You'll need to use an ext HDD though.
What speakers are you going to be using?
 
Since it's only for downloading and watching movies, IMO, you'd be better off with a Raspberry Pi or something similar. Lower power consumption, no fan noise, cheaper and smaller. You'll need to use an ext HDD though.
What speakers are you going to be using?

I do not think Raspberry Pi will suit my needs because I would use a sound card with Digital to Analog Conversion (DAC). I will be using Monitor Audio MR6 floorstanders with center and surrounds of the same series. I am pairing this setup with SVS PB-1000 subwoofer. My AVR will be Yamaha AX-840. I can go for Raspberry Pi only if it has a PCI slot for the sound card. Otherwise, please suggest conventional pc specs within my budget.
 
I do not think Raspberry Pi will suit my needs because I would use a sound card with Digital to Analog Conversion (DAC). I will be using Monitor Audio MR6 floorstanders with center and surrounds of the same series. I am pairing this setup with SVS PB-1000 subwoofer. My AVR will be Yamaha AX-840. I can go for Raspberry Pi only if it has a PCI slot for the sound card. Otherwise, please suggest conventional pc specs within my budget.
RPi won't be able to do justice to your home theatre setup unless you use a USB DAC along with it.

RPi 2 has 4 USB ports. So you won't have much of a problem if you attach a USB sound card.
 
RPi won't be able to do justice to your home theatre setup unless you use a USB DAC along with it.

RPi 2 has 4 USB ports. So you won't have much of a problem if you attach a USB sound card.

I would prefer an internal sound card. Please suggest the components I should go for for a conventional PC set up.
 
I sometimes use a Raspberry Pi with myPioneer 523k AVR and FS-52 speakers. I normally use a conventional HTPC with the audio going through the AMD 5450 GPU's HDMi output. The AVR does the audio processing/decoding as I use HDMi passthrough. I don't know why you'd want to convert your audio to analogue in a soundcard when your AVR will do the same.
I don't have a very high end speaker set-up, but IMO the raspberry Pi sounds as good as an HTPC when using HDMi audio in passthrough mode. I'd use the Pi all the time, except that right now all my content is stored on internal HDD's. Once I get a 3TB ext HDD, I'll be using the Pi as my media centre.
 
I sometimes use a Raspberry Pi with myPioneer 523k AVR and FS-52 speakers. I normally use a conventional HTPC with the audio going through the AMD 5450 GPU's HDMi output. The AVR does the audio processing/decoding as I use HDMi passthrough. I don't know why you'd want to convert your audio to analogue in a soundcard when your AVR will do the same.
I don't have a very high end speaker set-up, but IMO the raspberry Pi sounds as good as an HTPC when using HDMi audio in passthrough mode. I'd use the Pi all the time, except that right now all my content is stored on internal HDD's. Once I get a 3TB ext HDD, I'll be using the Pi as my media centre.

AVR's are able to drive speakers better if they are connected with a Pre-amp which does all the sound processing for them. It is the same in my case. But yes, it won't make a significant difference. I am not considering Raspberry Pi because I want the HTPC to be a download rig as well as to be able to perform internet browsing functions. Please tell me if Raspberry Pi performs these functions easily. In that case, I will go in for it and save me a bunch of money.
 
AVR's are able to drive speakers better if they are connected with a Pre-amp which does all the sound processing for them. It is the same in my case. But yes, it won't make a significant difference. I am not considering Raspberry Pi because I want the HTPC to be a download rig as well as to be able to perform internet browsing functions. Please tell me if Raspberry Pi performs these functions easily. In that case, I will go in for it and save me a bunch of money.
Wait for a few days. Raspberry Pi 2 was just released last week. There is a signigicant bump in processing power and RAM.
The RPi was almost unusable as a browsing machine (heard from owners. Never used it myself).

Since RAM is 1GB now and processor is quad core, it should be much better as a browsing machine. Other boards with similar config (Beagle bone black, Banana pi, Odroid etc) are usable as a browsing machine (heard from users).

RPi is perfect as download rig. It will hardly consume 4W instead of the 25-40W that a dedicated PC will consume.
 
If you want your HTPC to be sleek, slim (using a mini-ITX) and a show off piece your 30k budget my not be enough. Your main problem would be buying a future proof mini-itx board like the 97 which would easily cost you 10k+. If you can stretch your budget till 40-45k I can share the details of the build I recently did for a friend. HTPC is not just about the hardware, it is also about your specific requirement like encoding, type of content you might play, if you would stream it through youtube etc.

Please don't use your HTPC as a 24*7 download rig. You are better off using one of those SOCs or something like a pogoplug (serves as both a torrent machine and a mini NAS).

My suggestion would be,not to listen to anyone for buying the hardware. They might not have the complete idea of your requirement, networking needs. Do your research compare builds, then decide on the softwares, then the correct hardware required to run the ecosystem.
 
Wait for a few days. Raspberry Pi 2 was just released last week. There is a signigicant bump in processing power and RAM.
The RPi was almost unusable as a browsing machine (heard from owners. Never used it myself).

Since RAM is 1GB now and processor is quad core, it should be much better as a browsing machine. Other boards with similar config (Beagle bone black, Banana pi, Odroid etc) are usable as a browsing machine (heard from users).

RPi is perfect as download rig. It will hardly consume 4W instead of the 25-40W that a dedicated PC will consume.

I don't think I'll be going with RPi for this setup. But I will do a future project with RPi for my car audio.

If you want your HTPC to be sleek, slim (using a mini-ITX) and a show off piece your 30k budget my not be enough. Your main problem would be buying a future proof mini-itx board like the 97 which would easily cost you 10k+. If you can stretch your budget till 40-45k I can share the details of the build I recently did for a friend. HTPC is not just about the hardware, it is also about your specific requirement like encoding, type of content you might play, if you would stream it through youtube etc.

Please don't use your HTPC as a 24*7 download rig. You are better off using one of those SOCs or something like a pogoplug (serves as both a torrent machine and a mini NAS).

My suggestion would be,not to listen to anyone for buying the hardware. They might not have the complete idea of your requirement, networking needs. Do your research compare builds, then decide on the softwares, then the correct hardware required to run the ecosystem.

Thanks for the reply. Looks are not a comcern as my HTPC won't be visible. I want a basic i3/dual core setup with a PCI and PCI express motherboard so that I am able to add graphics/audio cards as per my requirement. I just need suggestions for the choice of components I can consider. I will mostly be playing movies from blu-rays or blu ray rips with 5.1 audio downloaded over the internet. I will also use my HTPC to play mp3 audio and YouTube videos.
 
I would prefer an internal sound card. Please suggest the components I should go for for a conventional PC set up.

Why would you go for an internal sound card when you have a top of the line AV receiver? If you are using an entry/mid-level AVR, then a pre-pro (sound card) might give better output. But AX-840 has a lot of power and offloading the processing part doesn't make a big difference, I think.
 
I have short listed the following build:

MB: Gigabyte GA-B75M-D3H - 4,500
Processor: Intel Pentium G2020 2.9 Ghz - 3,600
Cabinet: Cooler master K281 or K380 - ~4,000
RAM: Transcend 4 GB 1333MHz - 2,000
HDD: 1 TB Seagate Barracuda 7200 rpm - 4,000
SMPS: Corsair CX 420 - 3,200
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DX - 5,000
Keyboard/Mouse - Logistech K220 Wireless - 1,200
LG Blu-ray drive - 6,000
Total : 33,500

Is this good or should I make changes?
Also, I may want to play 3D movies from Blu-ray drive. Will the on-board graphics suffice for playing 3d content?

Why would you go for an internal sound card when you have a top of the line AV receiver? If you are using an entry/mid-level AVR, then a pre-pro (sound card) might give better output. But AX-840 has a lot of power and offloading the processing part doesn't make a big difference, I think.

There is a significant difference when you play music because on-board audio is not able produce a very clean sound. So, even though my AVR is top of the line, music from pc will not sound so good without a sound card IMHO. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

get a zotac

Can you please elaborate?
 
There is a significant difference when you play music because on-board audio is not able produce a very clean sound. So, even though my AVR is top of the line, music from pc will not sound so good without a sound card IMHO. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

You can use Foobar (audio player) with WASAPI to bitstream stereo music to your receiver which will decode FLAC/HD audio with it's in-built DAC. I'm telling you this because going for an internal audio card is redundant when you have a very good DAC in Yamaha receiver. Try this option first and if you aren't satisfied get a audio card later.
 
You can use Foobar (audio player) with WASAPI to bitstream stereo music to your receiver which will decode FLAC/HD audio with it's in-built DAC. I'm telling you this because going for an internal audio card is redundant when you have a very good DAC in Yamaha receiver. Try this option first and if you aren't satisfied get a audio card later.

Will go with your advice. Removing sound card and adding a basic GPU to the setup. I also plan to set up a DLNA to play movies directly on the reciever if possible.
 
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