EPTPlaying video files from a HDD, playing videos from the internet (streamed), playing videos from a disc.
I don't require a TV tuner of any sort in my HTPC nor do I need a capture card. Don't have cable, don't have a dish, and much of the local TV I can/do watch is available (free, legally) on the internet anyway.
So I've wanted an HTPC for a long time, and even specced out systems at various points in time.
Here's my January 2010 potential candidates (that I never purchased because of money constraints and a lack of an actual TV!)
![[image loading]](http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/9584/4htpc.png)
Fast forward to today and I specced out 6 different machines. Two using an old Core 2 E5200 I have, one mATX one ITX, two using AMD processors, an ITX using Zacate and an mATX using a regular desktop CPU + mobo, and two Pentium based systems with Sandy Bridge Pentiums, an ITX and an mATX.
Amazingly enough, the prices were quite similar, ranging from £220 for the E5200 + mATX to £255 for the Sandy Bridge + ITX motherboard. So I picked the SandyBridge since it has the best CPU and future upgrade potential.
Final build, 2011:
![[image loading]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1061446/htpc.png)
I've gone for an mATX case and ITX motherboard so I can fit in more HDDs. Stock it has space for a Bluray drive and 2x3.5" HDDs. I am hoping that with the space leftover from having a smaller motherboard I can fit in at least 2 more HDDs to give me a total of up to 8TB space (since 3TB HDDs are horribly expensive).
I've gone for a discrete GPU-less system for now, and plan to use the integrated graphics. The motherboard comes with a PCIe x16 slot though, so I can potentially upgrade and put in a discrete GPU such as a low end AMD one (which seems to be best for HTPCs this gen), but I will ideally wait until the next generation comes out before doing that.
I want (need) this system to be as low powered as possible, because electricity here is very expensive (state monopoly and we have to import from France), which is kind of lame. That's another reason for choosing the low power version of the CPU, rated at 35w TDP. Hopefully the total system power will be well under 50w fully loaded, and much lower at idle.
I also ordered a (cheap) 32" 1080p LCD TV to go with it, after all, what use is an HTPC with no TV to display things on?
Hopefully everything will arrive this week, and then I plan to install Windows 7 and use XBMC as the front end.
Other things which need to be done to complete the whole shebang are:
Putting together the system!
Making a stand for the PC + TV, which is going to be done based on this idea: http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexye.html
Getting some real speakers and a receiver so I have decent quality audio.
Sorting out the home network (which is all wireless because cables are hard to run) by upgrading to Wireless N and getting everything to play nicely (Macs my brother owns + my Windows PCs etc).
