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Notices:

Caution! This wiki entry was created by Whirlpool's Members, not by Whirlpool itself. Neither Whirlpool, nor its members, takes any responsibility for inaccurate information or issues which may arise.

Warnings:

Configurations are generally only updated once to twice a month and so some parts may be out of date.

While all parts are thought to be compatible, if purchasing one of the systems below you are advised to undertake further research to ensure this.

Information:

Discussion, news and F.A.Q. area can be found here.

All prices are obtained from the Static Ice search engine and are current at the day of editing. Prices should be checked at Static Ice to get the best current pricing. The links to parts below are for convenient reference, and do not imply they need to be purchased from a particular shop.

For the best prices on parts use the price search engines listed here, however the cheapest store may not always be the best and you are encouraged to check the Australian PC Shops Guide v3.0, do a Google search and/or post a thread to determine the quality of the store before purchasing.

To save on the cost of a Windows based operating system, there is a free, open source PVR (personal video recorder) solution built for the Linux operating system – MythTV. More information on MythTV can be found at the OCAU Wiki. If choosing this option, ensure your hardware has Linux support. Hardware (particularly TV tuners) in ALL builds have been selected for Linux/MythTV compatibility. Please keep it that way when updating these builds.

Head to this thread to discuss and ask questions in the forum.



Last major update was on: 30/05/2014

Bang for the Buck

Case: Antec NSK2480B with 380W PSU – $135.00 445mm x 140mm x 414mm (W, H, D)

The Antec NSK2480B Desktop case features a unique triple-chamber structure, designed to isolate the heat and noise produced by the power supply and hard drives, ensuring a quiet computing environment. Along with its exceptional ventilation and attractively understated styling, the NSK2480 also includes an 80 PLUS Certified EarthWatts 380 Watt ATX12V v2.2 power supply with universal input and Active PFC.

CPU: AMD A6 6420K 2-Core Processor – $72.00

AMD A6 6420K Dual Core Processor, Socket FM2, 4.2GHz Turbo HD8470D, 3 year warranty. Retail box including heatsink, fan and thermal paste.

Motherboard: ASRock FM2A88M-HD+ R2.0 – $79.00

RAM: Corsair CMV4GX3M2A1333C9 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 – $59.00

4GB kit of decent RAM. Any DDR3 RAM of this capacity or greater should be sufficient for all HTPC uses.

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM – $69.00

2 year Warranty – plus enough storage for several HD movies and many hours worth of TV recordings.

GPU: On-chip ATI HD8470D. HD Audio capable

Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324 24x DVDRW – $25.00

Any black optical drive should do. Keep in mind though that for maximum compatibility with this case, the front bezel should be flat, and the open/close button should be positioned to the right where most optical drives have their open/close button.

TV Tuner: AVerMedia AVerTV Volar HD Nano – $49.00 USB, remote control

Total: $488

Upgrades

Case: Silverstone Grandia GD04 USB 3.0 – $105.00 440mm x 150mm x 323mm (W, H, D)

This case has no PSU included, so if you upgrade to this case, you'll need to purchase a PSU as well.

Combining years of SilverStone's expertise in small form factor and HTPC chassis design, the GD04 is shaped similarly to most home theater components, but the depth was reduced to a mere 323mm. While still able to accommodate an impressive list of standard components such as 5.25" optical drive, 2x 3.5" hard drives, a 2.5" SSD, a standard ATX power supply, and 2x graphics cards up to 11 inches in length. There is even enough space for cable management to be easily accomplished without the need for short cabled or modular power supply.

PSU: Corsair VS350 ATX Power Supply – $45.00

Optical Drive: LG CH12NS30 12X BD-R Blu-Ray DVD Combo Drive – $69.00

TV Tuner: DigitalNow Quad DVB-T Receiver – $179.00

Now you can watch and record up to four different DVB-T frequencies (HDTV) channels; this card requires only one antenna and one PCI-Express slot, making it extremely easy to install.

TV Tuner: Kaiser Baas Network TV Tuner (formerly HD HomeRun) – $150 on eBay

Kaiser Baas Network TV Tuner (formerly HD HomeRun) is an external dual TV tuner which connects to your home router via ethernet. Once connected you can access television from any computer in your home network. Wireless N networking is recommended for the wireless transmission of HD streams.

CPU Cooler: Scythe Shuriken Low Profile Cooler Rev B – $45.00

A practically silent CPU cooler for those who can't handle the noise of a stock CPU cooler.

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile CPU Cooler – $75.00

HDD: Western Digital WD Green 2TB WD20EZRX – $105.00

A well reviewed, very quiet 5400rpm drive.

Budget

Case: Silverstone ML03 - $69

Note that this case only supports low profile (half-height) expansion cards

PSU: Corsair VS350 ATX - $45 or EVGA

CPU: Intel Celeron G1840 - $59

Motherboard: ASUS H81M-PLUS Motherboard – $75 or Asrock H81M – $75 Check with store before buying that the motherboard BIOS will support the CPU

RAM: Corsair VS2GB1333D3 2GB (1x2GB) DDR3 - $32

HDD: WD Blue 500GB - $59

GPU: Intel HD Graphics

Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB 24x DVDRW OEM - $19

TV Tuner: Leadtek WinFast DTV Dongle Gold - $39

No longer available from PCCG, but can be found at Umart and other places

Total: $387

Small Form Factor

Case: Antec ISK 300-150 Mini-ITX Case – $99.00 WxHxD – 222x96x328mm

3x drive bays, 1x quiet 80mm TriCool fan, and a stable 150-watt PSU

CPU: Intel Core i3 4150 – $135.00

Motherboard: ASRock H81M-ITX Motherboard – $85.00

RAM: G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ (2x2GB) DDR3 – $59.00

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO Series 120GB SSD – $99.00

HDD: Western Digital WD Blue WD7500BPVX 750GB – $65.00

GPU: On-chip Intel HD4400, HD Audio Capable

Optical Drive: Silverstone SOD02 Slim DVDRW Optical Drive – $75.00

Slim Blu-ray drives are rare and very expensive, so this is DVD-RW at the moment

TV Tuner: AVerMedia AVerTV Volar HD Nano – $49.00 USB, remote control

Total: $666



Upgrades/Options

Case: Thermaltake Element Q Mini-ITX Case with 200W PSU – $72.00 WxHxD 220x130x330 mm

Case: Fractal Design Array R2 Mini ITX NAS with 300W – $240 — $260 (staticice link) 250x200x350mm

Room for 6 x 3.5" HDD's and one SSD. There is no space to install an optical drive

Optical Drive: Silverstone SOB02 Slim Blu-Ray Burner Optical Drive – $159.00

Performance HTPC

Incredible power efficiency, Linux friendly, 3D Ready.

Case: Silverstone GD05 Black HTPC Case with USB 3.0 – $105.00 440 x 151 x 325mm (W,H,D)

The Grandia GD05 is a follow-up of the incredible GD04 as a chassis that combines years of SilverStone expertise in SFF (Small form factor) and HTPC (Home Theater Personal Computer) designs. It has the same beautifully proportioned exterior and powerful thermal capability that rivals the best tower chassis. However, the front panel of the GD05 was designed to be more flexible so that its 325mm depth can be used in more places than just home theaters. Even though GD05’s diminutive size allows it to easily integrate into any home theater cabinet, it can still accommodate an impressive list of standard components such as 5.25” device, two 3.5” hard drives, a 2.5” SSD, a standard ATX power supply, and two high-end graphics cards up to 11 inches.

CPU: Intel Core i3 4150 – $135.00

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12 Low Profile CPU Cooler – $75.00

Motherboard: ASUS B85M-E Motherboard – $99.00

RAM: G.Skill Ares F3-1600C9D-8GAO 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 – $99.00

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO Series 120GB SSD – $99.00

HDD: Western Digital WD Green 2TB WD20EZRX – $99.00

GPU: On-chip Intel HD4400, HD Audio Capable

Optical Drive: LG CH12NS30 12X BD-R Blu-Ray DVD Combo Drive – $69.00

TV Tuner: Hauppauge HVR-2210 Media Centre Kit – $165.00

Arguably the best tuner on the market. Great performing and very reliable, with no-fuss drivers for all flavours of Windows.

PSU: Seasonic S12II 430W Power Supply – $79.00

Total: $1024

Upgrades

GPU: Sapphire Radeon R7 265 Dual-X 2GB – $189.00

If you are keen for some gaming capabilities but also want a silent card

Zero (0) Decibel Fanless Front End HTPC

Playing Media from Networked Sources

Case: Streacom FC8 EVO HTPC Case – $180.00 240 x 100 x 250mm (W,H,D)

The FC8 EVO is the next iteration of the acclaimed FC8 fanless chassis and with it comes a host of improvements and refinements that keeps this chassis on the cutting edge of design and performance. A TDP of 95W is only recommended when the chassis is placed in a location with adequate air flow and moderate ambient room temperature

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 – $65.00

Haswell chips should offer very low idle/operating temps

GPU: On-chip Intel HD Graphics

Motherboard: Gigabyte H97N-WIFI Motherboard – $149.00

RAM: G.Skill Ares F3-1600C9D-8GAO 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 – $99.00

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO Series 120GB SSD – $99

PSU: Wesena 150W Pico PSU + 12.5A Power Adapter – $88.00

Total: $680

Upgrades or Add-ons for Watching/Recording Television or Disc Media

Optical Drive: Slot Loading Blu Ray Drive – $120.00

TV Tuner: Hauppauge HVR-2210 Media Centre Kit – $165.00

HDD: Western Digital WD Green 2TB WD20EZRX – $99.00

Components For Near Silent HTPC Operation

CPU: A low Thermal Design Power TDP CPU will generate less heat thus require less cooling – so <65W is ideal. 95W is the maximum TDP that you would want to cool quietly.

Motherboard: Check your case specifications for supported form factors.

CPU Cooler:

Scythe Mini Ninja w/out fan fits Antec NSK2480, 110mm high, possibly import from overseas – not much Aus stock

Scythe Shuriken Rev. B 65mm high

Noctua NH-U9B-SE2 125mm high, may not fit many HTPC cases

Zalman VF2000-LED 45mm high, has silent mode for noiseless operation

Silverstone NT01-E 109mm high, fanless for CPU's with a TDP of <65W, 89W TDP max

HDD:

SSD's are recommended for front end systems as they have no moving parts thus emit no noise. If storage is to be kept on the htpc look to purchase 'Green' drives and mount with rubber grommets to reduce any potential noise.

GPU:

Ideally if you use the on-die GPU (termed APU by AMD) within your CPU your computer will generate less heat, which in turn requires less cooling.

Case:

Antec NSK2480 with 380W PSU Tricool fans set at Low

Silverstone LC17 Stock fans set at 9V

Antec Fusion Remote Tricool fans set at Low

Silverstone GD04 low profile cooler only if DVD drive installed

Lian Li PC-C37B Stock fans should be OK

PSU:

SPCR Editor's Choice PSU's

Seasonic X-400 Fanless

Silverstone ST45NF Fanless

Seasonic X-650 Fanless at low power loads

Enermax Modu82+ 625W

SPCR Recommended PSU's

Corsair VX-450

Seasonic S12 II 430

Antec Earthwatts 430W

Enermax Eco80+ 500W

Corsair HX520/620

120mm Aftermarket Case Fans:

Scythe Kama PWM Variable speed when controlled by the motherboard

Scythe S-FLEX 120mm Fan 1200rpm 20.1dBA, 49CFM

Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm Fan 1150rpm 16dBA, 37CFM

Noctua NF-S12B FLX 120mm Fan 18dBA, 58CFM

Nexus Real Silent 120mm Case Fan 18dBA, 36.87CFM

80mm Aftermarket Case Fans

Noctua NF-R8 80mm 17dBA, 31.19CFM

Scythe Kama Flex 80mm 30dBA, 34CFM

Xigmatek XLF-F8253 80mm 25dBA, 29.2CFM

Anything Smaller then 80mm:

You will need a voltage reducer, like this

HTPC Considerations

Recommended Keyboards

Blu-ray

All listed HTPC builds are capable of smooth blu-ray& HDTV playback, hence you can upgrade or downgrade optical drive in any build depending on your blu-ray requirements.

Boards with 780g, 785g and 790g chipsets support stereo LPCM audio and bitstream Dolby Digital/DTS 5.1 over HDMI. If you need 8-channel LPCM support (true HD via an amp), chose a build based on Nvidia or Intel integrated GPU, a discrete GPU, or install a sound card that supports bitstreaming over HDMI.

Software that comes with blu-ray players usually only supports stereo sound. You need to purchase software like PowerDVD 9 or Arcsoft Total Media Theatre to get TrueHD.

There is no support for real-time blu-ray playback under linux, however blu-ray rips can be played.

Power Consumption

All builds in this wiki are reasonably low heat and power consumption.

Atom builds use significantly less power than other options.

Builds with integrated GPU consume less than the ones with a video card.

Notebook 2.5" HDD of up to 1 terabyte maybe used with very good power efficiency.

80+ Gold, Silver and Bronze PSU's will give better efficiency than most PSU included in cases.

Seasonic TFX 250w 80+ Bronze is recommended but may require some case modification to achieve best results. It is possible to achieve a 23w idle consumption with this PSU and a i3 Sandy Bridge CPU.

Others

Ensure the display drivers are updated to avoid display issues.

LG optical drives have reputation for low noise

Hauppauge TV Tuners are a favourite among the HTPC enthusiasts