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Building a Media Center?

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i cant seem to find a desktop case with at lest 4 hdd bays i want some thing that i can though more hdds in if need, look like ill have to go for a tower :(
 

freaksavior

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I have box hooked up to my hdtv but i wouldn't call it a home theater setup.

the one problem I have run into is memory. Get a mobo that can handle at least 8gig of memory - and of course an x64 OS. I would also highly recommend at least a 60-64gig ssd. You can get away with less but W7 eats up a lot of space. If you intend to install all your programs on the boot drive, it's even more important. That was also the sweet spot last I checked in terms of bang vs. buck.

Finally, some wireless speakers can make you life a lot easier too. It can get expensive if you are going 7.2 or something like that, but if you're happy with basic stereo and a subwoofer, you can still do it on a budget.

Since its a htpc, i wouldn't go with a ssd. find a old drive 80gb drive or something. thats what I did on my dads. Its a 160gb drive.

My vote goes to a 5 bay NAS for storage.
 
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Power Supply Cooler Master V Series 1300W
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i dont want to spend over $1000 and nas cost heaps i just want a case that i have put more than a few hdds in i want a all in one unit.
 
Joined
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im going to go for the Antec Fusion Remote MAX AP Black HTPC Case
 

freaksavior

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i dont want to spend over $1000 and nas cost heaps i just want a case that i have put more than a few hdds in i want a all in one unit.

Ah that makes sense. :)
 
T

twilyth

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I don't know why people get all hard about NAS for an HTPC. A 2T drive costs about $150 now? about that? That's plenty of storage. If you're a real vid junkie, get 2.

The reason I like SSD's is not just for the OS, but for the swap file. Even with 8gig of mammaries you're going to have stuff being swapped. Readyboost is ok, but the SSD's are still faster than most sd cards.
 
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thats US prices not AU

Sorry mate, I completely missed that one (was 7am when I looked at those) :eek:

Antec cases have an excellent build quality in general, so you should be happy with it.
 
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that's ok dude easy mistake
 
D

Deleted member 67555

Guest
If you want a cheap HTPC that plays Movies and Online Movies try something like this

AMD AthlonII x2 240 $55
AMD 785 AM3-MATX $70
2gb ddr3 1333 $45
Windows 32bit
Cheap Sata2 HD at least 320gb $45
Active PFC PSU- 400watt $45
Any Case $50
Blu-Ray $70

You wont need a Video Card 785 has built in HDMI With decent Video..Good enough for Source games... not all though
AII 240 is fast and low wattage
You wont need more than 2gb of mem with a 32bit OS


I forgot...for the Remote Try a cheaper Logitech Harmony with rf(2.4ghz) for about $80-Best remotes ever
and get a good wireless Keyboard and Mouse that are also 2.4ghz-Logitech also makes the best Media PC Kb/m
 
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freaksavior

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Cooling NZXT Kraken / Noctua NH-L12 / Apple
Memory 16Gb DDR4 / 32Gb DDR4 / 16GB HBLM
Video Card(s) Powercooler ATI vega 64 / GT 7300 / ARM
Storage Samsung 970 512 Evo NVMe / A lot. / 256 + 512 External TB3
Display(s) Acer Predator X34 / Headless / Acer X34 Non predator
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I don't know why people get all hard about NAS for an HTPC. A 2T drive costs about $150 now? about that? That's plenty of storage. If you're a real vid junkie, get 2.

The reason I like SSD's is not just for the OS, but for the swap file. Even with 8gig of mammaries you're going to have stuff being swapped. Readyboost is ok, but the SSD's are still faster than most sd cards.

Well I personally would rather have my drives external to were all my machines can get to it. That's me.
 
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im going to go for the Antec Fusion Remote MAX AP Black HTPC Case

Good choice with the case, i think they are awesome! Tonnes of room, excellent cooling, extremely quiet & overall well built. The included remote can be a pain sometime's but it's nothing major IMHO

I say make it an all purpose rig and get rid of your other boxxes, once you game on a big screen with 7.1 there is NO turning back! lol
 

JrRacinFan

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If you want a cheap HTPC that plays Movies and Online Movies try something like this

AMD AthlonII x2 240 $55
AMD 785 AM3-MATX $70
2gb ddr3 1333 $45
Windows 32bit
Cheap Sata2 HD at least 320gb $45
Active PFC PSU- 400watt $45
Any Case $50
Blu-Ray $70

You wont need a Video Card 785 has built in HDMI With decent Video..Good enough for Source games... not all though
AII 240 is fast and low wattage
You wont need more than 2gb of mem with a 32bit OS


I forgot...for the Remote Try a cheaper Logitech Harmony with rf(2.4ghz) for about $80-Best remotes ever
and get a good wireless Keyboard and Mouse that are also 2.4ghz-Logitech also makes the best Media PC Kb/m

Best suggestion right here! Basically my wife's setup(see specs). Would play HD quality beautifully!
 

Temujin

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Definitely the easiest HTPC build around with good quality HD playback, would be most any H55M motherboard with the key features being Dolby Home Theater and a Core i5-650. It doesn't require more than 300 true watts even with 4 or 5 good sized SATAII hard drives installed.

Throw in a 400W and a GTS250 for some video game capable fun if you got the money. Otherwise, you'll be just fine with what you see.

Klipsche have been my choice of speaker just because of clarity. They cost more but aren't necessary really if you're saving some money. Go with Creative or Logitech if that's the issue.

Happy hunting.
 
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