HTPC build help...

[Iruga_87]

Hi all, I would like to build a HTPC that allow me to do some wireless downloading of dramas and have a 1080p playback capability. Would appreciate if can states the estimated price of the system thanks.

 

[Alternative X]

1) No ideal budget?

2) State internet plan and model of router used.

3) How much HDD space do you need?

 

[Iruga_87]

Hmm... No ideal budget probably below 1k, Internet plan myrepublic 1gb plan with Asus RT-AC56U router, hdd preferably a SSD for boot up and a 2TB drive with room to expand in future if possible..

 

[Alternative X]

CPU+ Mobo: ASROCK H81M-HDS + G3240 (160)
RAM: CRUCIAL/G.SKILL PC 12800/1600MHZ DDR3 CL11 VALUE RAM (50)
SSD: CRUCIAL M550 128GB (86)
HDD: TOSHIBA 2TB 7200RPM (100)
DVD-RW: LG 24X DVD-RW SATA OEM (25)
PSU: XIGMATEK TAURO 400W (65)
Case: CM K282 / K350 / K380 (55)
OS: WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM (130)
Networking: ASUS PCE-AC68 (139)

Total cost: $810

Buy at PC Themes, #04-15, and ask for discounts. DIY yourself. If you can't into DIY, get PC Themes to assemble for you for a fee.

Notes:

1) Intel HD Graphics are good enough for 1080p playback. The H81M-HDS comes with a HDMI port for you to connect your mobo to your TV if you want to.

2) The Asus PCE-AC68 is a PCI-E wifi adapter capable of supporting a data transfer rate of up to 1.3Gbps and comes with dual-band support to allow you to use the 5Ghz wifi band for your downloads.

3) The CM K series of casings comes with 7 3.5'' bays to enable you to install more HDDs into your system. Do note that the H81M-HDS only comes with 4 SATA ports for your drives and if you want more SATA ports for more HDDs, you can either get a B85 mobo for up to 6 SATA ports or buy a RAID card in the future to add more SATA ports into the system.

 

[Iruga_87]

Any blu Ray drive to recommend instead of DVD-RW?

 

[Alternative X]

Any blu Ray drive to recommend instead of DVD-RW?

Erm, if you are intending to use the Blu-Ray drive to play your Blu-Ray movies, you can't, things are not that straightforward.

You see, the desktop use Blu-Ray drives that are sold in the hardware market and in OEM PCs actually lack the proper decoding software to decode the encryption on the Blu-Ray. This means that you can't just pop in a Blu-Ray into your desktop Blu-Ray drive and expect it to playback your movies, it will not work.

To playback a Blu-Ray disk on your desktop, you need to do one of these things:

-Pay USD 100+ for a special Blu-Ray playback software
-Install a soundcard capable of decoding Blu-Ray audio
-Plug in a proper Blu-Ray player to your monitor
-Use MakeMKV/Handbrake to rip the Blu-Rays into your rig into a .mkv video format and use the rig to playback your ripped video files.

Thus, would be a better idea to just get a proper Blu-Ray player for your Blu-Rays unless you are patient enough to rip your Blu-Rays into your rig. (If you intend to rip the Blu-Rays into your rig, you are going to need a much stronger CPU than the G3240, otherwise the ripping process is going to take forever to finish.)

 

[Iruga_87]

Ok understood thanks for the help