micro ATX HTPC for around 15k

S

scarezebra

Adept
I am looking forward to building an HTPC.

Sole purpose: run XBMC 11, Downloading torrents, Watch 1080p videos

I will be connecting the HTPC via HDMI to an AVR. I will be placing the case horizontally since my present setup won't allow for a vertical cabinet. I want it to be silent and to have low power consumption since it will be ON most of the time. And It has to be really compact.

Also I would like to be able to control XBMC using my Harmony remote.
  1. Q: What is your budget?
    1. 15k (I am not sure whether this is enuff but I am willing stretch a bit max 2k)
  2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)
    1. None
  3. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name)?
    1. CPU- Any will do
    2. Motherboard - micro ATX
    3. GPU - if required to run 1080p videos (else built in GPU would also do)
    4. Micro ATX cabinet +PSU (cheapest available)
    5. RAM: 2 GB
    6. HDD: 1 TB
    7. IR receiver
  4. Q: 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
    1. Might add a blu-ray reader a few months down the line
  5. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)
    1. Mumbai
    2. Open to online purchase
  6. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market
    1. Yes
  7. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware
    1. HTPC
    2. Download rig, 24x7 operation
    3. Watching HD movies
  8. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.
    1. None
  9. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage
    1. Desktop - 1080p (I am using a Panasonic P50V20)
  10. Q: Are you looking to overclock?
    1. No
  11. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?
    1. XBMCbuntu

Thanks in advance
 
AMD A6-3500-4k[HD6530 inbuilt]

GIGABYTE GA-A55M-S2V-3.5k

Corsair Value ram 4gb-1.2k

Fsp Sagaii 400W-1.8k

Segate 500GB-4k

Silverstone Sugo Series SG02B-F00020-4k http://www.primeabgb.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=1499&category_id=113&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=53

Hope this helps.
<
 
^^thanks buddy... Everything fits right within my budget.. :)

just one problem though, the cabinet seems to be a but tall... My current entertainment unit would not ffit anything taller than 13 cm ... I will try to find something that Is a bit shorter or else i will have to place the cabinet outside ... :p

Thanks again...
 
M-ATX cases are expensive and more than your budget so i've given the low cost good quality case,it's upto you to find or put the case outside or not.
scarezebra said:
^^thanks buddy... Everything fits right within my budget.. :)

just one problem though, the cabinet seems to be a but tall... My current entertainment unit would not ffit anything taller than 13 cm ... I will try to find something that Is a bit shorter or else i will have to place the cabinet outside ... :p

Thanks again...
Click to expand...
 
Better than the above two offerings is the Cooler Master eLite 100 ~3500/- #[member='asingh'] Sire has done a review on the same --> http://www.techencla...-24-x-7-dl-rig/.

OP Sire, for your usage pattern I think a standard AMD Bobcat based RIG will be sufficient --

Bobcat CPU + mini-ITX motherboard [the E-350 is fused onto the motherboard] ~7500/-

[rest same configuration as Jakob]

The above RIG will be able to play HD movies and will consume lesser power to boot.

hope this helps, Cheers!!
 
boomshankar said:
Chk out the [font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Cooler Master Elite 360 - ~2k [/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Perfect quality budget cabinet for HTPC, I'm actually currently using the same

Review by[/font]JayMathers
Click to expand...

Elite 360 has dimensions of (W) 148 x (H) 360 x (D) 439 mm which are more than 130mm specified by the OP.

BTW Elite 100 is the first sleek HTPC cabinet that comes to mind but I suggested that Cheapo Nettop cabby as the total budget is 15k
 
sorry for hijacking this thread but i am also need the same requirement
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[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]AMD A6-3500-4k[HD6530 inbuilt][/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]GIGABYTE (pls. suggest a good board with HDMI)[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Corsair Value ram 4gb-1.2k[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Fsp Sagaii 400W-1.8k[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Segate 500GB-4k[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Silverstone Sugo Series SG02B-F00020-4k [/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]dont mind extending the budget [/font]
 
Leshy said:
sorry for hijacking this thread but i am also need the same requirement
happy19.gif


[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]AMD A6-3500-4k[HD6530 inbuilt][/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]GIGABYTE (pls. suggest a good board with HDMI)[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Corsair Value ram 4gb-1.2k[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Fsp Sagaii 400W-1.8k[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Segate 500GB-4k[/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Silverstone Sugo Series SG02B-F00020-4k [/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]dont mind extending the budget [/font]
Click to expand...

Why don't you start a fresh thread Sire?

Fill up the template and we might be able to tailor a better deal for you because you said you do not mind extending the budget. Cheers!!
 
stalker said:
Alternative perhaps, but please don't call the elite better than the Sugo. The Sugo is in a different plane altogether.
Click to expand...

Sire, Considering OP's requirement the SUGO is too large, I am not saying it is bad. But current requirements and conditions curtail us to promote the eLite 100 over other offerings.

Hope this enunciates my stand clearly, Cheers!!
 
Thanks guys for all the suggestions
<
... I just went through the links mentioned above ... And it looks like Elite 100 is a really good option... is really compact as well.. I am bit of noob in the HTPC region.. So this Elite 100 cabinte would fit the A6 proccy+mobo combo without any issues right?
 
Yes it will.
scarezebra said:
Thanks guys for all the suggestions
happy19.gif
... I just went through the links mentioned above ... And it looks like Elite 100 is a really good option... is really compact as well.. I am bit of noob in the HTPC region.. So this Elite 100 cabinte would fit the A6 proccy+mobo combo without any issues right?
Click to expand...
 
Unless you wont be needing to add more peripherals in the machine, avoid the eLite. However, if thats all that you plan to keep, go for it.
 
just go for a zotacmag!

why do u want to build one ?

if u were playing hi end games i would have understood the effort behind building one, but for your usage, just get a mag!
 
^^ Want to build one just for the fun of it.... I am in kind of a DIY mood these days...
<


Just a small doubt .. If I go for the Elite 100; will the bundled 150 W PSU be sufficient for my use ?? would I need to change the PSU? IF yes, isn't the PSU for that cabinet a different from the normal ATX PSUs avaialble?

Also I had forgotten to mention it earlier. I need to connect the HTPC to the AVR through HDMI.. So mobo/GPU with HDMI is what I want
<


I have come across this mobo http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en/mb/introduction.php?S_ID=558&tab=2 which has HDMI out ... and it costs around 3.3k in Flipkart (out of stock now). Is this a decent choice? Or any other mobos with HDMI out which I should check out?
 
scarezebra said:
^^ Want to build one just for the fun of it.... I am in kind of a DIY mood these days...
happy19.gif


Just a small doubt .. If I go for the Elite 100; will the bundled 150 W PSU be sufficient for my use ?? would I need to change the PSU? IF yes, isn't the PSU for that cabinet a different from the normal ATX PSUs avaialble?

I would suggest you go for the Cooler Master eLite 360 Sire, it might not be the thinnest offering, but it can take on standard ATX SMPSs' so you are covered for future upgrades.

The 150W SMPS offered along with the eLite 100 is not sufficient in the long run as the TDP of the AMD A6-3500 is around ~65 W, this itself takes half the power of the grid and add to that a hard-drive maybe two in the long run and you are dangerously close to the edge of the envelope.

Also I had forgotten to mention it earlier. I need to connect the HTPC to the AVR through HDMI.. So mobo/GPU with HDMI is what I want

You can go for this motherboard --> Gigabyte A75-D2H ~6500/-, comes with everything you will need, including HDMI-out.

Please pair the APU with the fastest RAM sticks that you can purchase, minimum of 1600MHz is a must as the performance climbs with faster frequency RAM --> http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-a8-3850-llano,2975-6.html / http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/06/14/amds_llano_fusion_series_apus/ / http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/cpu/30964-amd-llano-desktop-a8-3850-review-banging-intels-door/.

[font=Verdana, Tahoma,]You would think that the addition of on-die graphics to Clarkdale and Sandy Bridge would help bring memory performance back into the forefront. But it really didn’t, even with one channel shaved off the controller.[/font][font=Verdana, Tahoma,]

The thing is, before anyone can be made to care about integrated graphics scaling, the graphics engine has to be deemed viable. HD Graphics 2000—the implementation on most of Intel’s Sandy Bridge-based processors—is a baby-step better than Clarkdale’s dismal showing. Only now does Intel see the value in arming more mainstream processors with HD Graphics 3000, the way it should have at launch, which is why we finally have chips like the Core i3-2105 to test.[/font][font=Verdana, Tahoma,]

But as we’ve seen, the Radeon HD 6550D core at the heart of AMD’s A8-3850 is actually a respectable performer. So much so, in fact, that it’s hamstrung by a lack of memory bandwidth at 1333 MT/s, even in a dual-channel config.
Click to expand...
[/font]

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There's a significant jump in all cases, as the GPU laps up the extra bandwidth on offer. Strapping in some 1,866MHz memory provides a 16 per cent jump in performance when compared to 1,333MHz memory.[/font]
Click to expand...

I have come across this mobo http://www.biostar.c...?S_ID=558&tab=2 which has HDMI out ... and it costs around 3.3k in Flipkart (out of stock now). Is this a decent choice? Or any other mobos with HDMI out which I should check out?

I have no idea who is the pan-India service provider for BioSTAR, makes it hard to recommend these boards, because if anything goes wrong well, you will be in a soup with a dead motherboard.
Click to expand...

Hope this helps, Cheers!!
 
From the various suggestions that you guys are giving an from my own research its becoming more and more clear that i might have to chuck the idea of a compact case and just go ahead with a full sized one... Also the more I read the more I am getting tempted to increase my budget
<
...
 
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