Intel HTPC
To be honest, if there's one system in this roundup that is likely to get a lot of comments and criticisms, it's going to be the HTPC configuration. That's not to say that our particular configuration is unreasonable, but in the HTPC market we will invariably encounter a lot of differing opinions about what is necessary and what is not. We detailed our assumptions about the HTPC configurations tin the introduction to the AMD HTPC system. You may want to look back at the considerations. We assume the end user has already selected an HDTV or monitor and a sound system. Very few end users need a TV tuner any more so we are not making that recommendation. We also assume the primary use of the HTPC computer is to play, store, and stream Blu-ray movies and other video entertainment.
| Intel HTPC System | ||
| Hardware | Component | Price |
| Processor | Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 Wolfdale (2.5GHz x2 65W 2MB L2 800 FSB) |
$73 |
| Cooling | CPU Retail HSF | $- |
| Video | On-Board | $- |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H NVIDIA GeForce 9400 | $120 |
| Memory | 4GB DDR2-800 - GSkill F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ | $37 |
| Hard Drive | Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EACS 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM | $105 |
| Optical Drive | LG BD/HD DVD / 16x DVD+/- RW GGC-H20LK | $110 |
| Audio | On-Board | $- |
| Case | Lian LI PC-V350A | $110 |
| Power Supply | PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS500 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail | $50 |
| Base System Total | $605 | |
| Keyboard and Mouse | Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110 Black USB RF Wireless Keyboard & Optical Mouse | $30 |
| Operating System | Microsoft Vista Home Premium OEM | $99 |
| Complete System Bottom Line | $734 | |
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As discussed in the Intel entry PC, the E5200 is an excellent value point in the Intel CPU line. Anything lower priced is generally a lot worse in performance, but higher priced CPUs do not gain that much in performance. At the new lower price of $73, the dual-core E5200 is also an excellent match to an NVIDIA 9400 chipset motherboard. It doesn't hurt, either, that the E5200 is rated at 65W, which will help in keeping the HTPC as quiet as possible.
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The motherboard for the Intel HTPC is the $135 Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H featuring the NVIDIA GF9400 chipset. Our motherboard reviews found this chipset and the GF9300 a better choice than G45 in HTPC systems due to superior video playback and overall system performance. Some users have reported that the stock Intel CPU heatsink touches the chipset heatsink on this motherboard and they found the heatsink fit best and worked best by rotating the heatsink 90 degrees. For best results check the fit and best positioning before completing the mount of the heatsink/fan.
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The HTPC case is one of those very personal options in building an HTPC computer. Some like the small cube form factor that can easily hide next to books on a shelf, while others prefer the audio component look. While it is fairly expensive for the actual size, we find the cube-like Lian Li PC-V350B a great small aluminum cube. The PC-V350A is the silver version and the PC-V350B is the black version. Both colors sell for the same $110. There is enough space for all the typical HTPC requirements, with good cooling and above all the important blessedly quiet operation. Only a Micro ATX motherboard will fit and there are two 5.25" external drive bays that can open right or left and two internal 3.5" bays for hard drives. Front ports for USB, audio, and FireWire (IEEE 1394) are featured behind a door to keep the appearance sleek and uncluttered. At just 10.3" tall by 11" wide, the V-350A fits in most bookcases just fine, but the depth of 14.7" makes the Lian Li most comfortable on deeper 16" shelves (279mm W x 262mm H x 373mm D).
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The little Lian Li is coupled with a robust PC Power & Cooling Silencer 500W power supply that you can currently buy for a bargain $50. You can spend more on a PSU but you will be hard pressed to find a unit as quiet and reliable as the Silencer. It also has enough power for whatever video card you might throw in your HTPC in the future - though high-end GPUs are at odds with the silence most desire from HTPCs.
If you prefer the "audio component" look in your HTPC an excellent alternative is the Silverstone LC13B-E Media Center case selected for the AMD HTPC system. It is worth mentioning that if you choose a full size ATX motherboard for your HTPC, it will fit in the Silverstone but not in the Lian Li cube. The Silverstone is presently on rebate, so the normal $115 price is reduced to $100 after the $10 rebate.
The rest of the components are the same as those found in the AMD HTPC system. For detailed information on the rest of the components chosen for the Intel HTPC please refer to the detailed discussion on the AMD HTPC page.
AMD systems have held the lead for some time in HD video and HTPC boxes. The AMD advantage was large enough that AnandTech hadn't recommended an Intel HTPC build until last December. The NVIDIA GeForce 9300/9400 chipsets have done a lot to level the HD and HTPC playing field - but at a premium price. The Intel HTPC problem was never the CPU, but rather the motherboard chipset. That is the reason we can combine a cheaper Intel CPU with an NVIDIA GF9400 chipset motherboard to create a competent HTPC box.
While we can't tell you HD playback capabilities are completely equal between AMD and Intel today, we can tell you that both HTPC builds provided smooth, stutter-free Blu-ray playback. Certainly that is the primary concern of most HTPC system builders. If you're interested in doing video encoding/transcoding on your HTPC, however, the triple-core Phenom II setup is definitely faster than the E5200; such users would likely want to take a long look at quad-core offerings in all honesty, as encoding is one of the tasks that truly leverage the power of multi-core processors.
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Spivonious - Monday, March 16, 2009 - link
What's the point of an HTPC if you're just watching movies on it? Just get a $300 blu-ray player and a $200 Xbox 360 to stream movies from your existing PC.The only reason I would build an HTPC is to do the above PLUS act as a DVR. For that you need a tuner card, even if you're not using the actual tuner on it.
erple2 - Monday, March 16, 2009 - link
Interesting. How many tuner cards support CableCARD's? I don't really know of any that you can buy yourself (without the rest of the computer from an OEM, that is). If I want to watch some encrypted stream (like HBO, Comedy Central, etc), there aren't any options.Therefore, the ripping aspect is what I'd wind up using the HTPC for, I'd imagine. That, or the ubiquitous hulu or other ... ahem ... legal means for watching TV shows...
:)
Hrel - Monday, March 16, 2009 - link
Don't know why you guys didn't include a gaming machine for this price point... so I'll list out some components for you.Part : Price
Antec 300 Mid-Tower computer case : $60
Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm Case Fan : $15
Silverstone ST70F 700W PSU : $125-rebate=100
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R Intel P45 : $115-rebate=100
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz : $165
Kingston HyperX 4GB(2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 : $48
XFX GS250XYDFC GeForce GTS 250 512MB : $130 w/ free game
Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache: $70
LG 22X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe Blk : $24
Grand Total= $752 Total with rebates= $712
Throw in a second hard drive and set up a RAID 0 configuration for 50 percent faster load times and your total is still only $782!!!!
Add SAMSUNG 2233SW Monitor for $200 ($180 after rebate) and Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 speakers for only $23 and your total is still only $915 or $985 with RAID!!!
You can even add a TV Tuner for $50-$80 and make it a media pc as well and ur total is STILL only about $800.
Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 Hybrid Video Recorder 1196 PCI-Express x1 Interface
Hauppauge WINTVHVR1600 Dual Tuner White Box 1101WB PCI Interface
Knowname - Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - link
I just bought the Tuniq Potency 650w PSU, it's got 2 pcie connectors (one is 8 pin) and is like 88% efficient at the low end. for $45 after $40 rebate it's a pretty darned good deal. Much more bang for your buck than what you got.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
here is another one that is 630w, modular, 80-plus bronze efficient, 2pcie's and only $40 after rebate. I've not tried it but it's got good reviews.
Hrel - Saturday, March 21, 2009 - link
yeah, both of those seem pretty good, but they both have fewer 12V rails, they both have less total Wattage and they both have a shorter warranty or none at all. Not to mention Silverstone is reliable high quality, honestly I don't really know if those are any good, in todays market I assume they're not terrible; but the silverstone one hav tons of wattage plenty of amperage, it's modular, it's 88 percent efficient; and that's a reliable number, and it's quiet. I don't know how stable the voltage is on those psu's and I don't know how loud they are. But 100 bucks for a high quality 700W PSU with 4 12V rails that runs silent and has 4 PCIEx6pin and 1PCIEx8 pin connectors is very fair. The other ones only had two PCIE-connectors, so you won't be SLI'ing any 9800GTX+'s or GTX260's. Don't every skimp on mobo or PSU, EVER!Knowname - Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - link
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...Hrel - Monday, March 16, 2009 - link
If your really concerned with noise, you should get this case.NZXT HUSH Black SECC Steel/ Aluminum/ Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
it's awesome and priced fairly.
Don't care about noise and want good cooling? Get one of these.
Thermaltake V9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
or
Antec 900
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
Hrel - Monday, March 16, 2009 - link
You can take another ten bucks off that price if you use this case instead: Thermaltake WingRS 201 VJ60001N2Z Black, it's $50; but it's out of stock right now.Hrel - Monday, March 16, 2009 - link
Not really dude: If you want to game, spend an extra 20 bucks and get the Wolfdale CPU, double the cache and a faster FSB AND a higher clock speed. They've got you spending an extra 20 bucks on the motherboard for no reason, there's no reason to their Gigabyte board instead of the one I listed. They have you paying for 1066MHz DDR2 instead of DDR2 800, which doesn't matter if you don't wanna overclock; and I'd rather have Kingston DDR2800 over any other brand of DDR21066 if the prices are about the same.With my system you get an extra 140GB of storage for only 10 bucks and your getting Seagate instead of WD, that doesn't really matter as far as quality, but Seagate generally has a better Warranty. They've got you buying a Samsung DVD drive when for one dollar less you can get an LG drive; so that's a pretty obvious choice, LG beats ALL!
I've never liked Cooler Master cases, every single one I've worked with has felt like is was built using cheap materials. Antec 300 is a much better choice for cooling quality noise and room. The power supply they use costs less, but it's lower wattage which means more noise, and the fan makes more noise. The Silverstone 700W PSU, that anandtech reviewed, is almost always the way to go; unless your building a low end system or stupidly high end system.
I don't know if any of you have tried to deal with Viewsonic when you have to return one of their products or get warranty work done, but they're impossible to work with. We used to use them at the computer store I worked at, but we switched to only Samsung and LG because even though Viewsonic is cheaper, their warranties are worthless because they just won't help you; and the quality is lower. For 5 bucks I'd rather have the speakers I picked, but those are good too. I didn't list a keyboard mouse combo, but Logitech all the way. The one they used for HTPC computers was a good choice at a good price.
7Enigma - Monday, March 16, 2009 - link
The problem is they are building a complete system. $20 here and $20 there, having a monitor, and keyboard/mouse, and suddenly you've increased the price by >10%.I like these builds because it allows me to say, "Well I already have an existing case/mobo/monitor/keyboard/mouse/OS, so I can look at the Budget Build but cut the cost in 1/2".
I think most of us that build systems rarely have a completely new system from scratch to build (unless you are building for someone else). We normally keep the case for a couple builds, monitor for a couple, and personally I use the keyboard/mouse until they die. I only recently upgraded the HD from my 80gig Maxtor to a 250gig WD because of the huge size of Vista and the ever increasing size of games. So while we will probably always argue over the exact components, rarely are we going to be building a complete system like in the guides.