Cheap HTPC

[AmriiBacchus]

I want to build something cheap to run MKV's I either want to build a computer under 300 get a long HDMI to DVI cable which i found for 75 and just get wireless speakers (this is kinda ghetto) or I want to get a Popcorn Hour 100 which i've been on the waiting list for about a month now those are only 180. can anyone suggest any pros and cons with these options

Additional Comment:

no suggestions?

[DriveEuro]

Something like an CoreDuo 2160 would be sufficient. A mobo with onboard DVI isn't expensive either. Onboard video (X3100 or newer) will be sufficient.

You playing 720p or 1080p or a mix? My HTPC in my rig plays 1080p without a hiccup. Much more CPU and GPU than I need.

[AmriiBacchus]

720 some 1080

do you think a e1200 would work alright bumped up to say 2.1

[BigO]

not to thread jack but i want to do a cheap HTPC as well and could use some info too.

How bout a amd 3500 with some sort of 7000 series nvidia card for 720 and 1080 stuff?

[Taichan]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128090
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103260
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145539

thats powerful enough to do 1080P h.264 bluray without giving the cpu issues. the onboard chipset can actually handle most of the work on its own, i use a simular setup myself for my HTPC (i have a 5000+ black edition cpu) and this case

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811129034

With the motherboard having Firewire onboard it gave me the ablity to connect my Cable box to record and its a great setup

or if you want to go power effent this works as a good cpu

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103232


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...t,1785-15.html

info about mobo and power usage

[DriveEuro]

BigO. That should work. I would even suggest an 8400 or 8500 vid card. That 3500 (single core, right?) won't be able to handle much HD video at all. Might as well offload as much as you can onto the GPU.

[BigO]

Thanks for the info Drive, thats pretty much what i figured. The only issue i have is that my 939 board that i was going to use is AGP. I might be scoring a newer board soon with PCIE but im trying to do it with parts that i already have to save cash.

[DriveEuro]

Actually, something like this would be fine on your setup.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102718

It should be able to play almost all x264 without having the CPU help at all. You can even get some gaming in on this.

My girlfriend loves playing Sims2 on our HTPC. Battlefield (2142 and BF2) both play great on mine and they are much fun on such a huge screen.

[BigO]

Its funny you say that cause my wife plays that game all the time and wants to play on the big screen lol..

That card is a bit more than i wanted to pay but if its going to work well then i guess that the cost of having the right stuff.

Thanks for your help i think i might end up getting that card since it seems to handle the job well.

[DriveEuro]

Funny stuff. Now good luck getting her OFF of the big screen when you want to watch TV. My girlfriend holds her turf in front of the TV when she's playing sims2.

[BigO]

Yeah ain't that the truth, im going to have to st some guidelines, since shes home all day anyways i need my tv when i get home..

[dsb1829]

Building a HTPC for under 300 is tough. I built mine about as cheap as you can go for good performance and it came in at about 380 (that includes hdmi cable, keyboard/mouse). That said, if you watch the specials at places like newegg, clubIT, eWiz, etc you can do quite well. Read up, be patient for the sales, and plan it out and you should be able to make it happen. Forget about blueray as the drive alone will shoot half your budget and it is more demanding on the pc.