HTPC: Home-Theater Personal Computer | SFF Gaming PC: Small Form Factor Gaming Personal Computer
This article is the result of a collaboration between Brian, our contributor for The Best CPU Coolers For Your Money and Mathieu, the founder/editor of Hardware Revolution. We hope that you enjoy the results!
Is this the right type of PC for me?
If you’re looking for a small-factor PC, to watch TV or DVD/Blu-Ray disks, play video games, listen to music, etc., you’re at the right place. If this is not what you’re looking for, check out our other Computer Systems instead.
The main case recommendation for Tier 3, 4 and 5: The LIAN LI PC-Q08 Mini-ITX cases line-up, available in Black (PC-Q08B), Red (PC-Q08R) and Silver (PC-Q08A). Rest assured, if you don’t like these cases, there are also eight other alternatives, for a total of eleven (11) cases to pick from.
About Hardware Revolution’s Mainstream HTPCs/Small Form Factor Gaming PCs:
Imagine a relatively silent, reliable and powerful HTPC/Gaming PC in a compact and attractive case. This is what you’re getting here.
These builds are designed to playback or convert audio/video content, as well as play video games when it comes to Tier 4 and 5.
Choose from Three Tiers:
Tier 3 is stricly a HTPC. It’s a low cost option that’s perfect if what you want is a fairly powerful HTPC that boots fast, that can decode or encode the common content and browse the web while not consuming much power and being pretty quiet.
Tier 4 is designed as an HTPC first, being capable of decoding/handling pretty much any video/audio content (more than Tier 3, more about this in Video Playback section located at the end of the video section) and it is also a very capable SFF Gaming PC, that can handle 1080p Gaming without any problem.
Tier 5 is designed to be as powerful as a Mini-ITX HTPC/SFF Gaming PC gets, with a 65W TDP Quad-Core CPU and a Geforce GTX 560 Ti.
Upgrades and Alternatives
All three Tiers can be upgraded in order to be more powerful, to offer more storage capacity, to be less noisy and more.
Hardware Parts Recommendations
- Recommended Components are in Bold, with a or several symbols for the Tier(s).
- Suggested Alternatives and Upgrades are in Italic.
- All Parts are interchangeable/compatible with each other, except for the Micro-ATX motherboard, which will only fit in a Micro-ATX or larger case and not in the Mini-ITX cases. Also, some cases require a slim optical drive, so be sure to double-check that, as well as the required SATA cable.
Suggested Accessories
| Suggested Accessories Company, Model and Main Specifications |
Price |
| Keyboard and/or mouse: Logitech M515 Couch Mouse Logitech K750 Solar Keyboard ADESSO WKB-3200UB Wireless Keyboard w/ Optical Trackball VisionTek Candyboard Wireless Mini Keyboard & Trackpad nMEDIAPC HTPCKB-B Wireless Keyboard with Track Ball & Remote Logitech diNovo Mini Logitech diNovo Edge  TV Tuner: AVerMedia AVerTV Hybrid Volar Max USB 2.0 |
… $47 $80 $56 $75 $80 $121 $130 … $65 |
Computer Builds FAQs:
I often get questions such as:
- Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?
- Can you suggest me a step by step guide to build a computer?
- Why should I build a PC instead of buying one in a store?
- And many more…
- You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
- Is this your first build? Here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
- Newly built computer won’t start? I invite you to read Help me: Why won’t my newly assembled PC start or boot?
- Visit our forums here, where you can join our helpful community and ask questions.
Prices for B&H as of September 23rd 2011. Click on Amazon links to see prices. Note that I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Prices and availability are subject to change.
Hardware Parts Recommendations, Detailed Version
Motherboard:
Tier 3 and 4:
$80 – BIOSTAR TH61 LGA1155 H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX
This motherboard offers LGA1155 compatibility, in the small Mini-ITX form-factor, at a great price ($80), with video outputs via HDMI, DVI and/or VGA making it an excellent choice for the Mainstream HTPCs.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
Ports on the back: Four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one PS/2, VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs, Gigabit LAN, 8 Channels audio and Optical S/PDIF output on the back.
Expansion slots: On the board itself, you have one PCI-Express 2.0 16X slot, for a dedicated video card or dedicated sound card.
Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Two fan connectors (One for the CPU Cooler, one for a case fan), four SATA 3.0Gb/s, one USB 3.0 header and one USB 2.0 header.
Included in the box: Motherboard, two SATA cables, manual, CD with drivers/utilities and I/O backplate.
Alternatives:
- $90 – BIOSTAR TH61ITX+RCH USB 3.0 Mini ITX + Remote
– This is pretty much the same motherboard, but with an additional remote.
- $110 – ASRock Z68 PRO3-M E-SATA SATA6Gb/s USB3.0 Micro ATX
Tier 5:
$120 – ASRock Z68M-ITX/HT SATA 6.0Gbps USB3.0 Remote Mini-ITX
This motherboard offers LGA1155 compatibility, in the small Mini-ITX form-factor, with SATA III 6.0Gbps ports, necessary to fully take advantage of the high-end SSD recommended for Tier 5.
Ports, expansion slots, features, what’s included in the box, etc.
Ports on the back: Four USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, one PS/2, VGA, DVI and HDMI outputs, E-SATA, Gigabit LAN, 8 Channels audio and Optical S/PDIF output.
Expansion slots: On the board itself, you have one PCI-Express 2.0 16X slot, for a dedicated video card or dedicated sound card.
Other connectors/features on the motherboard: Two fan connectors (One for the CPU Cooler, one for a case fan), four SATA 3.0Gb/s, one USB 3.0 header and one USB 2.0 header.
Included in the box: Motherboard, two SATA cables, Remote Controller, Remote receiver, 3.5mm, audio cable, manual, CD with drivers/utilities and I/O backplate.
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CPU:
Tier 3:
$85 – Intel LGA1155 Pentium G840 65W Dual-Core 2.8GHz
Compared to the 1.6GHz Dual-Core AMD E-350 found in the Budget HTPC builds, this vastly superior 2.8GHz Dual-Core Intel Pentium G840:
- Allows you to consider video editing/converting at a decent speed.
- Improves web browsing speed
- Improves the general system responsiveness.
Anandtech’s Bench tool offers a comparaison between the AMD E-350 vs the Intel G840 and as you can see, it clearly outperforms the AMD E-350.
Why not go with an Intel Pentium G620T 35W CPU?
While from a TDP perspective point of view, you’d think that the Pentium G620T, with its 35W TDP, compared to its 65W TDP brothers would consume a lot less power, this is not the case. Despite running at lower frequencies than its 65W TSP counter-parts, it only consumes 4 to 6W less than the G620/840/850, which is negligible, so you’re better off with a 65W TDP CPUs running at full throttle.
Tier 4:
$140 – Intel LGA1155 Core i3-2120 65W Dual-Core + HT 3.3GHz
This is a good step from the G840 and it’s a great CPU for a Mainstream Hybrid Small-Factor Gaming PC/HTPC for four reasons:
- When it comes to Gaming performance, it has no problem either being on par or outperforming the similarly priced AMD Phenom II X4 965.
- It is significantly faster than the Intel Pentium G840 for all tasks, including gaming and converting video.
- Its low power consumption keeps it reasonably cool and not too noisy, despite the small form-factor case.
- It’s powerful enough to playback content via the madVR.
Tier 5:
$201 – Intel LGA1155 Core i5-2400S 65W Quad-Core 2.5GHz-3.3GHz
For Tier 5, where you get the most powerful components that can function in a Mini-ITX case, I recommend this 65W TDP quad-core CPU.
While its base frequency of 2.5Ghz may seem low to you, rest assured that it can speed up quite a bit with Turbo.
Turbo frequencies:
- 1 active core: 3.3GHz
- 2 active cores: 3.2GHz
- 3 active cores: 2.8GHz
- 4 active cores: 2.6GHz
Upgrade to consider for Tier 3 or 4:
If you intend to convert a lot of videos and/or do other CPU-intensive tasks, upgrading to this low-power quad-core CPU would be a wise choice.
While its base frequency of 2.5GHz is nothing to call home about, it will turbo up to 3.2Ghz on two cores or 3.3Ghz on a single core, meaning that it will have no problem keeping up or most likely outperfoming the Core i3-2100 in applications that aren’t very well threaded, such as games.
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Video Card:
Tier 3:
Free: Integrated Intel HD (integrated into the CPU)
The Intel HD integrated video is capable of handling most type of content playback (see the video playback below for details) and consumes very little power, making it a great choice for a basic HTPC.
The video card is integrated into the CPU, so you don’t need to buy it separately.
Alternative
- $70 – For video decoding/light gaming: Sapphire Radeon HD 6570 1GB
Tier 4:
$180 – XFX Radeon HD 6870 1 GB
Tthe XFX Radeon HD 6870 offers enough power to run most modern games maxed out at 1080p and at 9.0″ in length, it will fit in any of our recommended cases, including the Silverstone Sugo cases.
Do note that you need this specific XFX card, model “HD687AZHFC” and not another XFX model, nor any other Radeon HD 6870, which are longer and may not fit in the recommended cases.
It also offers a nice balance when it comes to performance (1080p maxed out in most games is not a problem), noise (relatively quiet a idle, can be somewhat noisy at load) and power consumption.
Tier 5:
$234 – EVGA Geforce GTX 560 Ti 1GB
For Tier 5, we go with nothing short of the most powerful video card that we can fit in a Mini-ITX case: The EVGA Geforce GTX 560 Ti.
Also measuring 9.0″ in length, it offers a nice performance boost compared to the Radeon HD 6870.
Although it consumes about 40W more at load, it is slightly less noisy, thanks to a superior cooling system.
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Video Playback/Decoding:
Glossary:
3D Video:
- MVC: Hardware acceleration decoding MPEG-4 MVC (Blu-ray 3D video codec)
- MVC (CPU): Same as above, but with decoding done by the CPU.
- 2D to 3D (CPU): Converting 2D SD isn’t very demanding, but converting 2D HD content is much more demanding on the CPU.
- Frame Packing: One of the main 3D video format by HDMI 1.4a, for full-quality 3D movie playback.
- SBS(H)/TAB/CB: Side-by-Side (Half), Top-and-Bottom and Checkerboard 3D formats, in order. The two first are main 3D video formats by HDMI 1.4a, used for broadcast contents. SBS(H) is also used by some Blu-ray 3D. CB is used by DLP 3D HDTVs from Mitsubishi and Samsung.
- 720p 120Hz AFS: 720p 120Hz Alternate-Frame Sequencing 3D video format, used by several 720p DLP 3D projectors.
2D Video: 2D Video playback by the video card/driver.
- AVC/VC-1/MPEG-2: Hardware acceleration of decoding AVC/VC-1/MPEG-2.
- 1080i60: Vector adaptive (AMD) or equivalent deinterlacing for 1080 30fps interlaced content.
- 1080p60: Hardware acceleration decoding 1080 60fps progressive content.
- 23.976Hz: Proper 23.976Hz refresh rate support for movies.
2D video madVR: 2D video playback by software decoder – madVR (Worth a look!)
- 1080p24: 1080 24fps progressive content.
- 1080i60: 1080 30fps interlaced content
- 1080p60: 1080 60fps progressive content
- SD: Standard Definition content.
Feature comparison:
√ means that this feature is supported and/or that playback will be smooth.
√ High CPU % means that playback is relatively smooth, but that it may skip a bit due to high CPU usage %.
X means that this feature is not supported and/or that playback won’t be smooth.
| Type of Video | Type of Decoding | Tier 3 G840/Intel HD |
Tier 4 i3-2120/6870 |
Tier 5 i5-2400s/560Ti |
| 3D Video | MVC MVC (CPU) 2D to 3D (CPU) Frame Packing SBS(H)/TAB/CB 720p 120HZ AFS |
√ √ High CPU % √ High CPU % X √ X |
√ √ √ √ √ √ |
√ √ √ √ √ √ |
| 2D Video | AVC/VC-1/MPEG-2 1080i60 1080p60 23.976Hz |
√ √ √ X |
√ √ √ √ |
√ √ √ √ |
| 2D Video madVR | 1080p24 1080i60 1080p60 SD |
X X X X |
√ √ √ √ |
√ √ √ √ |
As you can see above, Tier 4 and 5 support every feature and will smoothly playback pretty much any content.
Tier 3 is slightly more limited due to its slower CPU and lack of dedicated video card. For MVC (CPU) and 2D to 3D (CPU), you can fix this by upgrading the CPU to the Core i3-2120 or Core i5-2400S.
For 23.976Hz and 2D Video madVR, you can gain support by getting a dedicated video card, such as the recommended alternative Radeon 6570. Thanks to its low power consumption, upgrading to this video card does not require upgrading the power supply. This video card will also let you play older/less demanding video games or more recent video games at lower settings/resolution.
You could also upgrade the video card to the recommended Radeon HD 6870 (Tier 4) or the recommended Geforce GTX 560 Ti (Tier 5) to gain video decoding and higher resolution/details gaming, however the Tier 3 CPU will prove to be a bit of a bottleneck in some games. Do note that upgrading to the Radeon HD 6870 or Geforce GTX 560 Ti will require you to upgrade the PSU to the recommended 450W PSU.
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RAM:
Tier 3:
$28 – Crucial 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333MHz
4GB is really inexpensive and will ensure smooth video playback, especially with Blu-ray disks, where 2GB could cause shutters.
4GB is preferable to ensure smooth video playback along with Windows and background applications such as your anti-virus, web browser, backups, etc.
Tier 4 and 5:
$45 – G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333MHz
Games are starting to take advantage of more than 4GB and this trend will only continue in the future, which is why Tiers 4 and 5 come with 8GB of RAM.
Besides, considering the small price difference between 4GB and 8GB, it’s an inexpensive way to ensure that your PC will be future-proof.
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Storage:
Tier 3, 4 and 5
$60 – SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4EG HD155UI 1.5TB 5400 RPM SATA II 3.5″
Seeing as this is an HTPC, I went for “green” hard drives that spins slower at 5400 rpm.
That allows for lower noise, lower power consumption and lower heat dissipation.
No worries though, 5400 rpm is still plenty fast enough for video playback, even at 1080p.
As for the OS boot time and program/game loading times, don’t worry: I recommend a SSD for all three Tiers.
Alternatives
- $80 – SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 HD204UI 2TB SATA II 3.5″
– Get an additional 500GB of storage capacity for $20 more with this HDD.
- $130 – Hitachi Deskstar 3.5″ 3 TB SATA III
– If you want a LOT of storage capacity, this is the drive to get.
Regarding RAID:
The recommend motherboard for Tier 3 and 4 unfortunately does not feature hardware RAID.
To get RAID hardware support, you’ll have to upgrade to either the ASRock Z68 PRO3-M Micro-ATX or the ASRock Z68M-ITX/HT Mini-ITX, depending on which form factor you’re going with.
Alternatively, you can use software RAID within an operating system such as Windows 7. I’d recommend RAID 1 to protect your data in case of hard drive failure.
I’d also recommend that you read the Have a Backup System that you can rely on! article and that you implement a solid backup solution, especially if you have a lot of content that you wouldn’t want to lose 
Tier 3 and 4:
$120 – Kingston SSDNow V+100 96 GB 2.5″ SSD
At a cost of only $1.25 per GB, this is one of the most affordable SSD that is reliable and not awfully slow.
At 96GB, this SSD offers plenty of space for Windows, important apps and a few games.
All cases are compatible with 2.5″ drives, so you won’t need any adapter.
Tier 5:
$185 – Crucial M4 128GB SATA III 2.5″ SSD
Note for Tier 3 and 4: If you want to to upgrade your SSD to this model, I highly recommend upgrading your motherboard to either the ASRock Z68 PRO3-M Micro-ATX or the ASRock Z68M-ITX/HT Mini-ITX, in order to gain SATA 6.0Gbps support, otherwise you’ll be bottlenecking this SSD.
Once again, with Tier 5, we’re cramming as much performance as we can into a Mini-ITX and we’re going with one of the, if not THE fastest SSD for booting times and for gaming.
It’s also highly reliable, as opposed to certain OCZ SSDs.
Alternatives:
- $240 – Intel X25-M 2.5″ 120GB SSD
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Optical Drive:
Tier 3, 4 and 5:
$21 – ASUS 24X SATA DVD Burner
This drive is able to read and burn CDs and DVDs. Silent, compatible with all major formats including DVD-RAM.
The recommended motherboards and parts include enough SATA cables for all your devices, so no need to worry about that.
Required SATA Data Cable
Seeing as the motherboards include two SATA data cables and that you’ll have three SATA devices (Hard Drive, SSD and Optical Drive), you’ll need a $3- 12″ SATA Data Cable
Note that if you go with a Slim Optical Drive, you’ll need a Slim SATA Power/Data cable. See the alternatives section below for my recommendation.
Also, seeing as DVD Burners often go out of stock, here are a two alternatives that you can use to replace the standard DVD Burner. All are SATA based.
Upgrades:
If you’d like to watch BluRay movies or TV shows, this $55 – SAMSUNG 12X Blu-ray Reader 16X DVD/48X CD Burner SATA will do the job. However, note that it can only read Bluray disks, not burn them. On the flip-side, it can burn DVDs and CDs without any problem.
If you want the ability to burn Blu-Ray disks as well, then the $80 – LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE SATA is what you want.
Regarding Blu-Ray playback:
As far as I know, you still require a specific software to playback Blu-Ray disks on a PC.
Based on various reviews and feedback on various forums, PowerDVD 11 3D Ultra is the software that I recommend to you.
It is fully compatible with Windows 7 and shouldn’t give you any problems.
Slim Optical Drive Alternatives, required for Silverstone Sugo cases:
- $5 – Slim SATA Power/Data cable required for all Slim Optical Drives
- $21 – Samsung 8X Slim DVD-Burner
- $110 – Panasonic UJ240 6x Blu-ray Burner
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Case:
Tier 3, 4 and 5:
$110 – LIAN LI PC-Q08B Mini-ITX Black
Also available in Silver or Red
.
Building upon the PC-Q07, LIAN-LI brought out an improved version, the PC-Q08, which in my opinion is the perfect case for this HTPC or hybrid HTPC / Gaming PC build.
Why? Because as it allows you to install a fairly long video card, a full size ATX power supply, a full size optical drive, a 2.5″ hard drive/SSD and up to four 3.5″ hard drives.
Finally, it also has reasonable CPU clearance, allowing for some after-market CPU coolers to be installed.
Built with the usual quality that you can expect from LIAN-LI, this case is available in three different colors, anodized on vertically brushed aluminum, giving it a very nice finish.
Loaded with two large fans, a 120mm and a 140mm, it will keep your PC cool, without making too much noise.
Here’s a Youtube video of someone building a gaming PC with the red version of it.:
(If you get a blank spot, refresh the page.)
Remember, it’s also available in Silver or Red
.
Case alternatives:
Like the LIAN-LI PC-Q08 but not the LED fans?
LIAN LI PC-Q11B
LIAN LI PC-Q11A
Consider either the $80 – LIAN LI PC-Q11B Black Aluminum Mini-ITXor the $100 – LIAN LI PC-Q11A Silver Aluminum Mini-ITX
The Silverstone Sugo Mini-ITX cases line-up:
Important notes regarding compatibility:
1- The Silverstone Sugo series are not compatible with standard height optical drive, they require a slim optical drive, along with a slim SATA power/data cable. See the Optical Drive section for my recommendations.
2- The Silverstone Sugo series include quality reliable power supplies, so you won’t need to buy a separate power supply. Pick the 300W model for Tier 3 or the 450W for Tier 4 and 5.
SILVERSTONE Sugo SG06
Even smaller than the LIAN-LI PC-Q08!
One of the, if not THE smallest Mini-ITX case that supports dual slot video cards, you have two (technically four) options here:
1- There’s the Silverstone Sugo SG05, pictured on your left, available either with a 300W PSU (Tier 3) or with a 450W PSU (Tier 4 or 5)
.
2- Your other option is the Silverstone Sugo SG06, available either with a 300W PSU (Tier 3) or with a 450W PSU (Tier 4 or 5)
.
Larger Micro-ATX cases
If you want both a dedicated video card and sound card, here are four Micro-ATX cases that support Micro-ATX motherboards, which are equipped with four expansion slots. You can simply click on the image to go to NewEgg or Amazon (whichever had the lowest price) for more details. As always, you can pick any case, knowing that it will be compatible with the rest of my recommendations and other alternatives.
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Power Supply:
Tier 3:
$49 – SeaSonic SS-350SFE 350W SFX 80 PLUS
Tier 3 features a 65W TDP CPU and onboard graphics, so needless to say, it draws very little power and you don’t need a large power supply. Note that you can still use this PSU with Tier 3 with the Radeon HD 6570 too.
Here, I focused on giving you a high-quality, reliable, affordable and efficient (80 PLUS Certified) power supply from SeaSonic.
One great thing about it is that it’s based on the SFX standard, meaning that it’s physically smaller than ATX power supplies, improving airflow in the case and making your life easier when it comes down to assembling your HTPC.
Seeing as this power supply only comes with two SATA connectors and that you’ll need three (Hard Drive, SSD and Optical Drive), you’ll need this $4 – Required Molex to Dual-SATA power cable adapter
Tier 4 and 5:
$75 – SILVERSTONE ST45SF 450W SFX 80 PLUS Bronze
Tier 4 features a 65W CPU and a Radeon HD 6870, which together should consume about 250W at load.
Tier 5 features a 65W CPU and a Geforce GTX 560 Ti, which together should consume about 290W at load.
Hence why a 450W PSU is perfectly fine when you consider overhead.
This is a 80 PLUS Bronze power supply, which is even more efficient than the 80 PLUS power supply recommended above for Tier 3.
One great thing about it is that it’s based on the SFX standard, meaning that it’s physically smaller than ATX power supplies, improving airflow in the case and making your life easier when it comes down to assembling your HTPC.
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Cooling:
Tier 3, 4 and 5:
$23 – Cooler Master Vortex Plus CPU Cooler
While you could use this included stock cooler that comes with your CPU, I don’t recommend doing that for a HTPC, considering that the stock cooler can get quite noisy under load. Hence why I recommend an after-market CPU Cooler for all Tiers.
Boy did I have fun finding an after-market that can fit in all these small cases and that wouldn’t interfere with a dedicated video card on a Mini-ITX motherboard.
The Cooler Master Vortex Plus is my recommendation and based on my research, should fit with any of my recommendations/alternatives as well.
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TV Tuner:
$65 – AVerMedia AVerTV Hybrid Volar Max USB 2.0
The motherboard has a single PCI-Express 16x slot, which I left open if you choose to add a dedicated PCI-Express video or sound card.
However, nothing stops you from using this USB TV Tuner if you wish to watch or record TV. Note that it is optional and that its price is not included in the build because not everyone wants or needs a TV Tuner.
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Sound Card:
Free: 7.1 Analog Onboard Audio + Optical S/PDIF +
HDMI: 2Ch PCM/DD/DTS Multi Ch LPCM TDD/DD+/DTS-HD
This motherboard does include integrated onboard sound, which is good enough for most people.
If you’re an audiophile or just enjoy high quality sound, then onboard sound, no matter how good it is, won’t cut it for you, here are three excellent PCI-Express 1x sound card that I recommend to you.
Pick the one that suits your needs.
Compatibility note:
If you go with Tier 3 and aren’t getting a dedicated video card, you can simply put the sound card in the PCI-Express 16x slot. Yes, a PCI-Express 1x card will fit and function in a 16x slot.
If on the flip side, you’re getting a dedicated video card with any Tier and also want a dedicated sound, you’ll need to upgrade to a Micro-ATX motherboard and case, which feature enough expansion slots to support both a dedicated video card and a dedicated sound card.
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Networking:
Tier 3, 4 and 5:
Free: Integrated 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN
Onboard standard Mbit LAN connection
Upgrades:
Wifi:
$20 – Rosewill 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps Wireless USB2.0 5dBi Antenna
This is a capable WiFi antenna if you want WiFi.
Bluetooth:
$13 – AZiO BTD-V201 Bluetooth Adapter
This is a Bluetooth adapter if you want Bluetooth.
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Accessories:
$51 – ADESSO WKB-3200UB Wireless Keyboard w/ Optical Trackball
This is the least expensive input option at $51. For that price, you get a keyboard that features a numpad, an optical trackball, a scroll-wheel, two buttons for left and right mouse buttons “clicks” as well as many multimedia buttons.
$80 – nMEDIAPC HTPCKB-B Wireless Keyboard with Track Ball & Remote
If you want everything the ADESSO has, plus a remote, get this.
$40 – Logitech M705 Marathon Mouse
With a rated battery life of up to three years, this is a good input device if you want to use a basic mouse without worrying about too much about battery life. Works great with the Solar Keyboard.
$60 – Logitech K750 Solar Keyboard
With a good ThinkPad like key feel, and potentially infinite battery life, this is a good input device if you want a basic keyboard without worrying at all about battery life. Works great with the Marathon Mouse.
This is a high end, small form factor input device for your HTPC. It connects via Bluetooth(included dongle), has a mini keyboard, and a touchpad.
This is a high end, full size input device for your HTPC. It connects via Bluetooth, has a full size keyboard, and a fancy touchpad.
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Recommended operating systems:
The operating system cost, if there’s one, is not included in the total cost. The two reason for this are:
- The budget only considers hardware.
- You may be able re-use a previous license, go with an open-source OS such as Linux or , if you’re so inclined and are aware of what you’re doing, use torrents.
If you decide that you need a need OS, here are some recommendations:
Windows 7
Despite Linux gaining more and more support, Windows still is the platform of choice for compatibility at the moment. Considering that you’ll have 4GB of RAM or more, along with a dedicated video that also has memory (512MB or 1GB), you’ll need a 64-bit version, as 32-bit is limited to 4GB of memory for the entire system, which is not enough now, nor in the future if you decide to upgrade.
Windows 7 is by far better than Windows Vista, looks better, more functional, less annoying, consumes less resources and brings DirectX 11 to the table.
Three Available Versions:
- Windows 7 Home Premium: The basic edition, with all the looks, most of the functionality and DirectX 11.
- Windows 7 Professional: If you want the virtual XP mode, you’ll need at least the Professional edition. Also required if you want to backup to a network, using the built-in backup mode in Windows.
- Windows 7 Ultimate: To help protect data on your PC and portable storage devices against loss or theft with BitLocker and to work and switch between 35 languages.
OEM vs Retail:
The OEM version allows you to only install it once on a computer. You cannot transfer the license to another computer in the future and you do not receive support from Microsoft. It’s the same type of license you get when you get Windows on a desktop or laptop that you buy from Dell, HP and such. It’s less expensive, but gives less flexibility. Ideal if you intend on keeping your computer for many years.
The Retail version is the full version, which allows you to transfer the license to another computer in the future and you can call Microsoft if you need any form of support. Ideal if you intend on upgrading/changing your computer down the road.
Other than that, you get the same features on both, only the license differs. The price between the two differs obviously.
OEM Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit OEM
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit OEM
Retail Versions:
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Retail
- Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Retail
- Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Retail
Linux
A lot of people these days boots more than one OS. Linux is a wonderful choice: powerful, cool, and cheap. Take your pick of distributions and have fun! For Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, Slackware, and Mandrake, try Distrowatch.com, Cheapbytes.com, LinuxQuestions.org or one of the many others.
While Linux does not offer the wide compatibility of Windows with video games, gaming on Linux is still possible, through projects such as Wine, Cedega and Crossover. For more on the topic of Linux Gaming, I invite you to read this excellent article from AnandTech: Linux Gaming: Are we there yet?
Cost: Free
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Conclusion
Your feedback matters!
Remember, we design these builds to be helpful to you! The best way for us to be helpful to you is for you to let us know how to improve these articles, by offering your feedback (Comments, suggestions, reactions, opinions, etc.) below in the comment section.
What do you think of the Mainstream HTPCs v3.0? I think that they strike a nice balance between performance, looks, noise, power consumption, size and value. What’s your opinion? Would you recommend or would you want to try a different part? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
What about the new Tier System? I’ve heard some good and some bad feedbacks about it. Rather than just saying whether you like it or not, I invite you to tell me in the comments section what you’d do to improve the Tier system.
Next update to the Mainstream HTPCs:
I will not be updating the Mainstream HTPCs for a while, as I have several articles (laptops, tablets, Gaming PCs, Workstations, etc.) in the pipelines that I want to invest my time on.
Mind you, if there some major product launch (e.g. new video cards line-up, new CPU line-up), I’ll update this post if necessary.
If you have any questions/suggestions/ideas regarding what should be updated, make a thread over at our forums here.
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Computer Builds FAQs:
I often get questions such as:
- Who are you to tell me which parts to choose?
- Can you suggest me a step by step guide to build a computer?
- Why should I build a PC instead of buying one in a store?
- And many more…
- You will find the answers to all of these questions and more in this article: FAQ: How to Build Your Own Computer
- Is this your first build? Here are 10 Quick Tips for 1st Time Builders to get you started.
- Visit our forums here, where you can join our helpful community and ask questions.
Budget vs. Mainstream vs. High-End HTPCs:
Here are the pros and cons of each system, to help you figure out which one is best adapted to your needs:
The Silverstone ML03B, the main case recommendation for the Budget HTPCs.
Perfect for an inexpensive, low-power, silent machine dedicated to media playback, based on the AMD Bobcat processor.
Pros:
- Very low power consumption
- Flexible: can browse the web, play flash games, view photos, and do any other basic task
- Cool: with low power parts, an efficient power supply, and good ventilation, this HTPC stays cool
- Silent: quiet fans, power supplies, and motherboards were picked
- Small size: either a slim tower or a shoebox size
- Capable of 1080p content playback
- Low cost: Starts at $310
Cons:
- Limited CPU power: Although faster than netbooks, this features a dual-core AMD E-350 and is not recommended for a workstation, audio and video encoding or conversion or an hybrid gaming machine.
- Limited upgrades: The CPU is embedded, so you can’t upgrade it. You only have a single PCI-Express 16x slot, running at 4x, limiting your options.
Mainstream HTPCs/Small Factor Gaming PCs v3.0 (This article)
The main recommendation for Tier 3, 4 and 4b: The LIAN LI PC-Q08 line-up of cases, available in Black (PC-Q08B), Red (PC-Q08R) and Silver (PC-Q08A).
Pros:
- Strikes a good balance between performance and power consumption
As much performance as possible in a Mini-ITX case - Can be used for gaming with Tier 4 or 5
- Good mainstream computing power
Cons:
- CPU and GPU are both adequate but not exceptionally powerful, as they are limited by space and power constraints
High End HTPC/Small Factor Gaming PCs: Intel Sandy Bridge + Discrete GPU
To be updated at the end of September or early October.
Pros:
- Maximum performance when it comes to gaming, audio/video encoding or conversion
- Most performance in the least amount of space
Cons:
- The highest cost of the three HTPC builds
- The highest power consumption of the three HTPC builds
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