I’m building a decent HTPC

In the last years I always had some kind of pc hooked up to my tv. I finally got around to have the time (and money) to build a dedicated system. Not all the parts are new, just that I had enough spares and money for the case:

• Antec Fusion Remote 350 mini HTPC case.
• Gigabyte GA-MA78GPM-DS2H mini ATX socket AM2 motherboard.
• Western Digital 1Tb, Green
• AMD 4850E dual core, energy efficient processor.
• 1 GB DDR2 RAM
• LG Black DVD-RW drive
• Temporary low profile, cheap video card for s-video out.

The case:

I initially wanted a full ATX case, but they were either ugly either too expensive. I finally went for the (mini ATX) Antec Remote 350 because for the price of a bare ATX case I got a 80+ power supply, 3 80mm fans, LCD screen and remote. The case is a bit on the cramped side but everything fits together nice, it’s well ventilated and pretty quiet but still providing good airflow. There are in-depth reviews around so I won’t go into details. Suffice to say it’s pretty cheap, comes with a PSU and does the job.

The motherboard:

It was pretty cheap when I got it, and simillar boards should be available. It has everything you need on board: 3200HD graphics, HDMI, audio, 128 Mb video memory, 5 SATA ports, lot’s of USB ports, optical audio, e-Sata, firewire and so on.

The CPU:

It’s an older dual core AMD Energy Efficient, it has a 45W TDP at 2.5 Ghz. It does the job and it runs very cool allowing for a silent cooler to do the job.

The Hard Drive:

It’s a green Western Digital. It’s quiet and fast enough. Combined with the rubber mounting of the Antec case allows for virtual quiet operation.

Video Card:

My TV is pretty old, so I need S-Video out for it. Until we upgrade to a flat panel I’ll need a video card as the mother board doesn’t provide S-Video or RCA out.