CPU for HTPC

[GeezerHawk15]

Need help putting together an HTPC and I want to keep it at no more than $400, lower if possible. I want to be able to view 4K content but it will mostly be for streaming 1080p content like netflix or playing torrented movies. I would like the ability to do some light-medium gaming (minecraft, rocket league, etc...) but I have a gaming rig built for the more heavy duty stuff. I also have extra HDDs so I didnt factor that into the price.

Should I go for an Intel Pentium G3258 or an AMD Athlon X4 860K Kaveri Quad-Core? Or should I get neither one and go for an APU instead?

I will be getting a used sapphire radeon vapor-x r7 250x for $50 from someone so if I get that do I even need the APU? Will it make the APU stronger if paired with a GPU? I'm really lost on this. My two rough build ideas are below:

(AMD build) http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Dcwqcf

(Intel Build) http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NBCrTW

 

[Majestera]

i would go for the X4 860k, cause well thats what i have paired with a 750ti sc and it runs games fairly good,

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

I'd get an i3 and ditch the 250X.

 

[GeezerHawk15]

I'd get an i3 and ditch the 250X.

I appreciate the answer but can you tell me why? Will an i3 play 4k content on its own? Is skylake the way to go or should I keep it at haswell?

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

The iGPU of the i3 6100 supports a resolution of 4096x2304 60hz if you use the DisplayPort output. If you use HDMI, then the refresh rate drops to 24hz. The iGPU of the i3 4170 supports 3840x2160 (4K) resolution with the same refresh rate circumstances as the 6100.

At 4K resolution, the CPU is likely under moderate stress, and anything less powerful than an i3 may result in stuttering.

If you can afford to go with Skylake and DDR4 RAM, then I'd recommend that you do. There's not much sense in being on a redundant socket.

 

[Outlander_04]

The athlon 860K has no graphics core and that computer would not run without a graphics card .

The intel G3258 system has terrible graphics drivers and I doubt its ability to do anything at 4K

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A8-7650K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($96.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard ($71.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Core 500 Mini ITX Desktop Case ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 360W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer ($12.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $388.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-30 16:10 EST-0500

I would consider skylake too , but probably not with the integrated graphics