Cheap multimedia build

[diddle283]

Hey,

I'm about to put a new build together, this time it is a PC for my living room.

I don't need anything fancy as it will basically be for streaming sports to my tv and watching downloaded programs, Netflix etc and maybe a little browsing.

I want to spend as little as possible so something with semi decent on board graphics would be nice!

thanks for any help!

 

[EzioAs]

Fill in this form and it'll be easier to help
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/353572-31-build-upgrade-advice

 

[diddle283]

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP

Budget Range: No limit, but as little as possible

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Browsing, watching movies/tv shows, downloading

Are you buying a monitor: No



Parts to Upgrade: All

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any, I just need parts ideas, ill source them myself when I decide what I'm building

Location: UK

Parts Preferences: Intel over AMD, but will use AMD if much cheaper!

Overclocking: Can do but dont think I will need to

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1080p 50" TV

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Need a PC for the living room!

 

[diddle283]

oh, I forgot to mention, I want Windows 7 not 8

 

[EzioAs]

Well, if you want low-budget build with good enough onboard graphics, then I suggest you go with AMD's APU (A10-5800K or such) and their FM2 motherboard. Get 4-8GB of RAM and preferably higher speed ones too (1866-2400MHz) since the onboard GPU inside the APU can really benefit from it. Not necessary though, just more of a performance thing. For psu, get a good unit 300-500W like the Corsair CX430, Antec VP450 or SeaSonic G360.

I'll help you pick out some parts but have one question: do you want a small form factor PC or the standard size?

 

[shahrooz]

make sure that onboard graphic cards handle high quality 1080p videos, I don't have an experience with them just saying. and get a 1TB hard drive at least if you download a lot of stuff.

 

[diddle283]

Well, if you want low-budget build with good enough onboard graphics, then I suggest you go with AMD's APU (A10-5800K or such) and their FM2 motherboard. Get 4-8GB of RAM and preferably higher speed ones too (1866-2400MHz) since the onboard GPU inside the APU can really benefit from it. Not necessary though, just more of a performance thing. For psu, get a good unit 300-500W like the Corsair CX430, Antec VP450 or SeaSonic G360.

I'll help you pick out some parts but have one question: do you want a small form factor PC or the standard size?

Good question, something I didn't think of.

thinking about it now, I'd rather something smaller. Maybe something that sits on its side rather than up right to

 

[EzioAs]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($103.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($76.34 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($40.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $583.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-17 12:08 EDT-0400)

Just my take on a build like this. You could add a TV tuner if you want but only 1 expansion though since it's mini-ITX. There are other options to cheapen this build though, if you really are interested.

 

[diddle283]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A85X-ITX Mini ITX FM2 Motherboard ($103.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M4 64GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($76.34 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (Black) Mini ITX Tower Case ($40.00 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($57.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $583.27
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-17 12:08 EDT-0400)

Just my take on a build like this. You could add a TV tuner if you want but only 1 expansion though since it's mini-ITX. There are other options to cheapen this build though, if you really are interested.

Thanks! I don't need an ssd or Blueray though so can save around $100 by taking those out. That case would look right at home in my living room!

 

[EzioAs]

There are other miniITX cases if you'd like to look at other options. There's the popular Bitfenix Prodigy, Silverstone FT03, some from Fractal Design and Lian Li. Find one that suits your taste and needs.

 

[diddle283]

There are other miniITX cases if you'd like to look at other options. There's the popular Bitfenix Prodigy, Silverstone FT03, some from Fractal Design and Lian Li. Find one that suits your taste and needs.

I've just been looking at others, most seem to stand upright and wont fit on the shelf I'm planning on putting it on

 

[Aristotelian]

How cheap do you want? You could get something much cheaper than the AMD build above. I have an HTPC in my living room with Celeron G540 and it handles everything streaming and playback with no problems. Here is an Intel build that will do everything you want it to for $300 plus Windows.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KiEf
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KiEf/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KiEf/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Celeron G1610 2.6GHz Dual-Core Processor ($34.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: Biostar H77MU3 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($27.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Hitachi 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.18 @ NCIX US)
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 1000B HTPC Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($15.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $298.11
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-17 13:15 EDT-0400)

By the way, for this purpose, Windows is a waste of money in my opinion. Just run XBMC with Ubuntu and save $100. If cost is a factor, that is an easy way to knock $100 off your build.

 

[diddle283]

Would Linux work fine for what I need? That would save me even more $$$

 

[Aristotelian]

Yes, there are plenty of ways to set up a theater PC using Linux. The easiest is probably XBMCBuntu. Ubuntu and Linux Mint also have more than enough apps to stream and play back any kind of video. They are definitely worth trying before you spend money on Windows. You can always get Windows later if you decide that open source is not for you.

 

[diddle283]

Yes, there are plenty of ways to set up a theater PC using Linux. The easiest is probably XBMCBuntu. Ubuntu and Linux Mint also have more than enough apps to stream and play back any kind of video. They are definitely worth trying before you spend money on Windows. You can always get Windows later if you decide that open source is not for you.

I will need my VPN software to work with it, will I be able to use Cyberghost with XBMC?

 

[Aristotelian]

Yes, there are plenty of ways to set up a theater PC using Linux. The easiest is probably XBMCBuntu. Ubuntu and Linux Mint also have more than enough apps to stream and play back any kind of video. They are definitely worth trying before you spend money on Windows. You can always get Windows later if you decide that open source is not for you.

I will need my VPN software to work with it, will I be able to use Cyberghost with XBMC?

OK, I was under the impression from your post that you would just be streaming and playing back from this computer.
]

I don't have any experience with VPN. Looks like Cyberghost is a Windows-only program. However there is OpenVPN software that is available for Ubuntu. I am not sure how it works but I would guess that it is comparable.

Another option is a program called Vine that you can use to run most Windows .exe programs. I am not sure how Cyberghost would work with it, but that is a possibility.

Finally, you could download stuff through your current Windows PC but watch stuff on the new PC.

 

[shahrooz]

Would Linux work fine for what I need? That would save me even more $$$

yes of course

 

[shahrooz]

Yes, there are plenty of ways to set up a theater PC using Linux. The easiest is probably XBMCBuntu. Ubuntu and Linux Mint also have more than enough apps to stream and play back any kind of video. They are definitely worth trying before you spend money on Windows. You can always get Windows later if you decide that open source is not for you.

I will need my VPN software to work with it, will I be able to use Cyberghost with XBMC?

contact Cyberghost Support and ask them about Linux support