BestConfigs: Home Theater PC

[ArtX38]

PC Components:
Cooler Master Elite 120
OCZ ZT Series 550W
Gigabyte GA-Z77N-WIFI
Intel Core i5-3570K
Corsair Vengeance Blue 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz
Intel 330 SATA3 SSD 120GB
Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 (GV-R797OC-3GD)
Veris Multimedia Station Premium

Water cooling components:
Koolance CPU-370 (CPU)
Koolance CHC-125 (MB)
Koolance RAM-33 X 2
Koolance video block VID-AR797
Koolance RP-401X2 Single 5.25" Reservoir
Koolance Water Pump PMP-400 High-flow Pump
Koolance Liquid Coolant
Radiator Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 x 2 unit

MediaTek components:
WD Elements Desktop 3.5'' 2TB x10 unit
Cooler master cm 4-in-3 device module 3x5.25"->4x3.5" x 4 unit
Psu Enermax Liberty elt400awt
D-link dub-h7 7-port USB x 2 unit

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[MeezyATL]

Small footprint HTPC to stream movies from my NAS.

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220T 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.29 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: (Heat sink and fan included w/ case)
Thermal Compound: Prolimatech PK-2 Nano Aluminum High-Grade 1.5g Thermal Paste ($4.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75TN Thin Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($116.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Case: In-Win K2 BASIC Thin Mini-ITX Black ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: (120w included w/ case)
Total: $464.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-30 07:29 EDT-0400)

Upgrade/Options
- 1tb HDD
- 802.11AC/Bluetooth 4.0
- Blu-ray

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220T 2.8GHz Dual-Core Processor ($124.29 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: (Heat sink and fan included w/ case)
Thermal Compound: Prolimatech PK-2 Nano Aluminum High-Grade 1.5g Thermal Paste ($4.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B75TN Thin Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($116.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Mushkin Atlas Series 120GB mSATA Solid State Disk ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Travelstar 1TB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($79.49 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMW 802.11ac Mini-PCI-Express Wi-Fi Adapter ($28.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Antenna: Pair Laptop Wireless Mini PCI PCI-E Internal Antenna ($9.99)
Case: In-Win K2 BASIC Thin Mini-ITX Black ($67.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: (120w included w/ case)
Optical Drive: LG USB 2.0 Super Multi Blue Slim Portable Blu-ray Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $688.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-30 08:47 EDT-0400)


This would be a nice addition to my setup to help reduce my power consumption and relive my aging graphics card which is currently pulling double duty when streaming from the NAS while gaming. Technically this chassis is supposed to be a base for a monitor but I like the small form factor and price. It offers all the things I need, though some may want more like front USB 3.0. I included the thermal paste because none is supplied.

 

[MEC-777]

No need to spend $700 for such requirements. Here's a build for $450. Will do everything you ask of it and then some. Will even run most games.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD Athlon II X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75M-ITX R2.0 Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($91.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin IW-BP655.300TBL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/300W Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $451.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-30 11:21 EDT-0400)

 

[MEC-777]

If I had to spend $700 on an HTPC...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.29 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin IW-BP655.300TBL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/300W Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($56.23 @ Amazon)
Total: $708.75
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-09-30 11:33 EDT-0400)

 

[guchaochen]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130T 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill NS Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($67.71 @ Amazon)
Case: IN WIN H-Frame Mini Green Aluminum Mini-ITX Computer Case 180W Power Supply ($194.99 @ Newegg)
Drive: Panasonic UJ240 6x Blu-ray Burner BD-RE/8x DVD±RW DL SATA Drive (Black) ($65.99 @ Amazon)
Other: Rosewill RHRC-11002 Windows 7 Certified MCE IR Remote Controller/Windows 8 MCE + Small USB Dongle Type, with Netflix CD ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $697.64
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-03 14:03 EDT-0400)

 

[Izec86]

"LowPower+Free TV=Winner" Build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-6700 3.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($148.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($91.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.88 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone ML05B HTPC Case ($44.50 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 300W 80 PLUS Certified SFX12V Power Supply ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SN-208DB/BEBET DVD/CD Writer ($27.98 @ Newegg)
Other: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Media Center Kit Dual TV Tuner w/ IR Remote ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $691.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-29 10:41 EDT-0400)

EDITED: 10/29/2013

 

[Sam Graves]

Sam's 'Why the Heck Would You Spend $700?!' media pc.
(Part picker doesn't have some of this hardware so I didn't use it)



Motherboard/Processor Combo: [urlExt=http://www.amazon.com/ZOTAC-Dual-Core-1-6GHz-MCP7A-ION-Motherboard/dp/B002TKVK1M]ZOTAC Atom 330 Dual-Core 1.6GHz ($145 on Amazon.... BUT this can be found for $65 on numerous other online stores)[/urlExt]
RAM:[urlExt=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231207]G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 -PC2 6400 ($59.99 @ Newegg)[/urlExt]
Graphics Card: Onboard
Hard Drive: [urlExt=Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 ST3000DM001 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive]Seagate Barracuda 7200 3TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive ($119.99 @ Newegg)[/urlExt]
Case: [urlExt=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154091]APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX Tower Computer Case 250W Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)[/urlExt]
Power Supply: 250W. External. Included with case.
Cooling: lol
DVD Burner: Take your pick. $25 anywhere.
Total: $300 (+$25 if you need an optical drive) Beat that!

I've owned this same setup for about 3 years and it plays/streams everything I throw at it.

 

[sadams04]

Seth's AMD Media Box w/ TV Tuner & BD-RW
CPU: AMD A8-5500 Trinity 3.2GHz (3.7GHz Turbo) 65w - $98.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard: Gigabyte ITX GA-F2A85XN-WIFI, 802.11b/g/n, BT 4.0, Dual HDMI - $104.99 @ Newegg
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory - $80.99 @ Newegg
Graphics Card: Integrated HD 7560D
Storage: ADATA Premier Pro SP900 256GB 2.5" - $169.99 @ Newegg
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Mini ITX Tower Case - $31.29 @ Amazon
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply - $59.99 @ Newegg
Optical Drive: Asus 12x BD-RW - $56.23 @ Amazon
TV Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-2250 Dual Tuner - $93.99 @ Newegg
Total: $696.46

 

[eizzra]

SFF HTPC/Casual Gaming/Desktop/Discrete Build

CPU: AMD A10-5700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($122.68 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9a 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($91.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($98.98 @ Outlet PC)
Case: Antec ISK 300-150 Mini ITX Desktop Case w/150W Power Supply ($74.10 @ Amazon)
Total: $477.71

 

[millerjd0315]

Miller's HTPC

Built to look at home sitting in the Living room's entertainment console with wireless streaming

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks CPU: AMD A8-5500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($96.85 @ Amazon) CPU Cooler: Antec KUHLER Flow CPU Cooler ($29.20 @ Amazon) Motherboard: MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 Micro ATX FM2 Motherboard ($58.80 @ Amazon) Memory: G.Skill ECO 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Sandisk ReadyCache 32GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($46.99 @ Amazon) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon) Wireless Network Adapter: Rosewill RNX-N300X 802.11b/g/n PCI Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ Amazon) Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 6000B HTPC Case ($74.99 @ Newegg) Case Fan: Cooler Master Blade Master 40.8 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.99 @ Amazon) Case Fan: Cooler Master Blade Master 40.8 CFM 80mm Fan ($9.99 @ Amazon) Case Fan: Cooler Master Blade Master 76.8 CFM 120mm Fan ($12.71 @ Amazon) Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($44.99 @ Newegg) Optical Drive: LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ Newegg) Total: $639.46 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-22 08:16 EDT-0400)

 

[Paul Hackenberger]

Paul's real cheap HTPC rust bucket

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Celeron G1610 2.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-I5 (V1.0) Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GT 630 1GB Video Card ($20.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin IW-BP655.300TBL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/300W Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Total: $282.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-23 07:08 EDT-0400)

 

[Paul Hackenberger]

😛

 

[adity8522]

Paul's very cheap HTPC rust bucket

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Celeron G1610 2.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ECS H61H2-I5 (V1.0) Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Galaxy GeForce GT 630 1GB Video Card ($20.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Inwin IW-BP655.300TBL Mini ITX Desktop Case w/300W Power Supply ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDC-207DBK Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer
Total: $182.92
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-23 07:08 EDT-0400)

+1 from me for this.

 

[Izec86]

Updated mine ABOVE with new stuff.