Title: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 18, 2013, 05:58:43 PM
Post by: wolf39us on July 18, 2013, 05:58:43 PM
So after discussions with the female, we have decided to pickup playing Dance Dance Revolution again (we both used to play some time ago!)
We are what the cable companies like to call "cord cutters". We have no cable service at all and rely solely on internet content and streaming video.
Coupled with a WDTV Media Player (kind of like an Apple TV)
http://www.liquidsilver.org/wp-content/ ... player.jpg (http://www.liquidsilver.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/5115_WesternDigital_WDTV-media-player.jpg)
I can pretty much stream what I want. This is obviously a cheap solution ($100). I've decided to move onto XBMC w/ an HTPC (Home Theater PC). It's a little more expensive, but it opens the door to a much more customized feel... as well as ability to play some DDR and other games of my choosing. I've ordered some parts to build the PC and amazed that I came out at only $255!
Here is what I purchased:
Case: APEX MI-008 (Mini ITX)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811154091 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154091)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-H61N
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128526 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128526)
Processor: Intel Celeron G1610 Ivy Bridge 2.6GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819116889 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116889)
Hard Drive: Maxtor 320gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822144544 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822144544)
Memory: 1x 8gb DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820233371 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233371)
I'll update this tread once I receive the parts w/pics :-)
We are what the cable companies like to call "cord cutters". We have no cable service at all and rely solely on internet content and streaming video.
Coupled with a WDTV Media Player (kind of like an Apple TV)
http://www.liquidsilver.org/wp-content/ ... player.jpg (http://www.liquidsilver.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/5115_WesternDigital_WDTV-media-player.jpg)
I can pretty much stream what I want. This is obviously a cheap solution ($100). I've decided to move onto XBMC w/ an HTPC (Home Theater PC). It's a little more expensive, but it opens the door to a much more customized feel... as well as ability to play some DDR and other games of my choosing. I've ordered some parts to build the PC and amazed that I came out at only $255!
Here is what I purchased:
Case: APEX MI-008 (Mini ITX)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811154091 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154091)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-H61N
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128526 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128526)
Processor: Intel Celeron G1610 Ivy Bridge 2.6GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819116889 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116889)
Hard Drive: Maxtor 320gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822144544 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822144544)
Memory: 1x 8gb DDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820233371 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233371)
I'll update this tread once I receive the parts w/pics :-)
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 18, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 18, 2013, 06:10:18 PM
That's pretty awesome, wolf.
I was trying to do something similar and was going to run mythbuntu on an old desktop I had so I could stream from some of the bootleg tv sites I have, but, the desktop I was given has either a shot motherboard or HDD and it's not worth fixing.
Good to see it doesn't look too expensive to put something like that together! :)
I was trying to do something similar and was going to run mythbuntu on an old desktop I had so I could stream from some of the bootleg tv sites I have, but, the desktop I was given has either a shot motherboard or HDD and it's not worth fixing.
Good to see it doesn't look too expensive to put something like that together! :)
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: PopeyesPappy on July 18, 2013, 06:43:07 PM
Post by: PopeyesPappy on July 18, 2013, 06:43:07 PM
You can save another $15 on your processor at Micro Center.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4089 ... _Processor (http://www.microcenter.com/product/408967/Celeron_G1610_26GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor)
Don't be surprised if your HTPC ends up being kind of noisy.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4089 ... _Processor (http://www.microcenter.com/product/408967/Celeron_G1610_26GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor)
Don't be surprised if your HTPC ends up being kind of noisy.
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: AllPurposeAtheist on July 18, 2013, 07:01:27 PM
Post by: AllPurposeAtheist on July 18, 2013, 07:01:27 PM
All that for Dance dance revolution?? Really? :-k
By the way WDTN is the call letters for a TV station in Dayton, Ohio, my hometown. They really need to know about this debauchery. [-X
By the way WDTN is the call letters for a TV station in Dayton, Ohio, my hometown. They really need to know about this debauchery. [-X
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 18, 2013, 08:13:00 PM
Post by: wolf39us on July 18, 2013, 08:13:00 PM
Quote from: "PopeyesPappy"You can save another $15 on your processor at Micro Center.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4089 ... _Processor (http://www.microcenter.com/product/408967/Celeron_G1610_26GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor)
Don't be surprised if your HTPC ends up being kind of noisy.
The case is fanless, and the PC is low-powered (in comparison to others)
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: _Xenu_ on July 18, 2013, 08:41:10 PM
Post by: _Xenu_ on July 18, 2013, 08:41:10 PM
Xmbc is nice. I use it when I want the media center experience. Personally though, I'm also a fan of digital broadcasting. Cable companies don't like me. :lol:
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 18, 2013, 09:16:39 PM
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 18, 2013, 09:16:39 PM
can you run emulators through xbmc? I never heard of it before today.
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 18, 2013, 09:45:00 PM
Post by: wolf39us on July 18, 2013, 09:45:00 PM
Quote from: "PickelledEggs"can you run emulators through xbmc? I never heard of it before today.
XBMC supports a launch plugin that will allow you to create a shortcut "within xbmc" to any executable within your system.
So... in that sense, YES you can run emulators with xbmc :-)
Remember, XBMC is merely a shell that combines all of your media and makes things easier to access via plugins etc
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 18, 2013, 10:48:30 PM
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 18, 2013, 10:48:30 PM
Hmmm. I'm confused by the website... Is it a complete OS, or is it for running within an OS?
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 01:35:29 AM
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 01:35:29 AM
It's not a complete os, it's a program... Like windows media center
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: PopeyesPappy on July 19, 2013, 03:28:47 AM
Post by: PopeyesPappy on July 19, 2013, 03:28:47 AM
Quote from: "wolf39us"Yea but OEM CPU cooling fans are noisy as hell.Quote from: "PopeyesPappy"You can save another $15 on your processor at Micro Center.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/4089 ... _Processor (http://www.microcenter.com/product/408967/Celeron_G1610_26GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor)
Don't be surprised if your HTPC ends up being kind of noisy.
The case is fanless, and the PC is low-powered (in comparison to others)
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: Jason78 on July 19, 2013, 04:48:59 AM
Post by: Jason78 on July 19, 2013, 04:48:59 AM
You're going to fill that hard drive to bursting within a month.
[sub:1pioibn5](Note to self. Come back in a month and find out)[/sub:1pioibn5]
[sub:1pioibn5](Note to self. Come back in a month and find out)[/sub:1pioibn5]
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: Johan on July 19, 2013, 07:10:24 AM
Post by: Johan on July 19, 2013, 07:10:24 AM
Quote from: "Jason78"You're going to fill that hard drive to bursting within a month.Its definitely not the drive I would have spec'd for that application. Like you said, its going to be on the small side if he's going to store media on it. The 5400RPM speed means its also going to be slow. Its listed as out of stock now so I can't see what he paid for it. If it got it for $20 I could understand choosing it. But terabyte drives that spin faster are so cheap now, its difficult to justify spending much more than $20 on older technology IMO.
[sub:33tzupob](Note to self. Come back in a month and find out)[/sub:33tzupob]
Then again if he intends to stream everything from network drives and the 'net then he might do just fine with that drive in that application.
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 08:08:55 AM
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 08:08:55 AM
I have a 2TB local drive on my main PC and a 3TB NAS hooked up to the router
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: Jason78 on July 19, 2013, 08:14:27 AM
Post by: Jason78 on July 19, 2013, 08:14:27 AM
Quote from: "wolf39us"I have a 2TB local drive on my main PC and a 3TB NAS hooked up to the routerThat's a lot of porn!
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 08:22:23 AM
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 08:22:23 AM
Looks like I made a crucial mistake with the hard drive though... I didn't realize it was IDE!
I'm calling them now to fix it
edit: I love Newegg... they are going to refund the drive despite the fact that it was a non-returnable drive!
I'm calling them now to fix it
edit: I love Newegg... they are going to refund the drive despite the fact that it was a non-returnable drive!
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 09:11:54 AM
Post by: wolf39us on July 19, 2013, 09:11:54 AM
UPDATE: Fuck it... all the $25 - $50 drives are refurbished and shit
New HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820147188 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188)
New HDD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820147188 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147188)
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 19, 2013, 01:37:10 PM
Post by: PickelledEggs on July 19, 2013, 01:37:10 PM
Quote from: "Jason78"No it's not.Quote from: "wolf39us"I have a 2TB local drive on my main PC and a 3TB NAS hooked up to the routerThat's a lot of porn!
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 25, 2013, 01:37:35 PM
Post by: wolf39us on July 25, 2013, 01:37:35 PM
(//http://smg.photobucket.com/user/wolf39us/media/IMG_0356.jpg.html)
(//http://smg.photobucket.com/user/wolf39us/media/IMG_0359.jpg.html)
(//http://smg.photobucket.com/user/wolf39us/media/IMG_0358.jpg.html)
(//http://smg.photobucket.com/user/wolf39us/media/IMG_0362.jpg.html)Okay, so everything went well up until the test run. Plugged it all in, installed the processor, turned it on and all I got was cpu cycle lights, a fan that attempted to spin (but didn't) and then no POST screen. After 10 seconds or so, it reboots and does the same thing. After some research, for some reason this particular model has issues with the processor that I chose Intel Celeron Ivy G1610 LGA1155.
This is my first time coming across a processor that matches the board in every way (IVY, Dual Core, LGA1155, Intel Celeron) yet doesn't work with the bios installed on the board.
So I contacted Newegg and they agreed to take the processor back for a full refund and I will purchase a cpu that I KNOW is on the supported cpu list. It's a hell of a lot better than removing the board, putting it in a box... and waiting for a new board.
Of course there is the VERY small chance that the board is bad -- wouldn't that suck ass?? lol
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: Plu on July 25, 2013, 01:44:58 PM
Post by: Plu on July 25, 2013, 01:44:58 PM
This is usually why I spend the extra $50 to get it pre-built :P
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: DunkleSeele on July 25, 2013, 05:17:10 PM
Post by: DunkleSeele on July 25, 2013, 05:17:10 PM
Quote from: "Plu"This is usually why I spend the extra $50 to get it pre-built :PYeah, but where's the fun?
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 25, 2013, 05:23:52 PM
Post by: wolf39us on July 25, 2013, 05:23:52 PM
There wouldn't be any fun at all!
Plus pre-builds lack customization and are generally over-priced parts
Plus pre-builds lack customization and are generally over-priced parts
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: Johan on July 26, 2013, 05:53:53 PM
Post by: Johan on July 26, 2013, 05:53:53 PM
How long was the processor energized with no fan spinning?
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: Plu on July 26, 2013, 05:54:41 PM
Post by: Plu on July 26, 2013, 05:54:41 PM
Quote from: "DunkleSeele"Quote from: "Plu"This is usually why I spend the extra $50 to get it pre-built :PYeah, but where's the fun?
I get to install the fun on the machine from the minute I open the box 8-)
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 26, 2013, 06:22:51 PM
Post by: wolf39us on July 26, 2013, 06:22:51 PM
Quote from: "Johan"How long was the processor energized with no fan spinning?
10-15 seconds... this is an intel chip, it can run without a fan with no damage.
This isn't an AMD you know :-)
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: wolf39us on July 30, 2013, 06:33:04 PM
Post by: wolf39us on July 30, 2013, 06:33:04 PM
and WALLA -- Ordered a Celeron G540, popped that bitch in there... threw some Artic Silver on it and it fired right up. I had a feeling it was an incompatible processor.
Installed 7 on it this morning, when I get out work tonight... time to play!
Installed 7 on it this morning, when I get out work tonight... time to play!
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: SilentFutility on July 31, 2013, 12:52:37 PM
Post by: SilentFutility on July 31, 2013, 12:52:37 PM
Quote from: "wolf39us"There wouldn't be any fun at all!I don't know about the US, but in the UK there are sites similar to newegg where you can order lots of individual parts at reasonable prices, and then if you like you can pay them extra to build it up and test it for you, and sometimes for warranties too.
Plus pre-builds lack customization and are generally over-priced parts
Agreed, it is obviously cheaper to not pay to have it built, but at least with that option you still have the same level of (or close) customisation.
Title: Re: Building HTPC Cheap
Post by: PopeyesPappy on December 08, 2013, 05:21:44 PM
Post by: PopeyesPappy on December 08, 2013, 05:21:44 PM
So I close on my new place this Friday and I've been collecting parts for a new home theater. So far I've got a Samsung PN60F5300 60" Plasma, Sony STR-DN1040 reciever, Energy Take Classic 5.1 speakers with an extra pair of surrounds (7.1) and an extra Power 12 sub.
I was going to upgrade my 7 year old HTPC, but that was getting pricey so I went the mini PC route and order one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESP ... LF2HAVZFED (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESPVQ06/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AEELF2HAVZFED)
It's got a Celeron 847, 4gb of Ram and a 60 Gig SSD. Like Wolf I keep my music and stuff on a NAS.
I was going to upgrade my 7 year old HTPC, but that was getting pricey so I went the mini PC route and order one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESP ... LF2HAVZFED (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ESPVQ06/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_7?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AEELF2HAVZFED)
It's got a Celeron 847, 4gb of Ram and a 60 Gig SSD. Like Wolf I keep my music and stuff on a NAS.