TR Forums

Hey guys, helping my friend spec out an HTPC to replace his store-bought Gateway which he is NOT happy with. He didn't give me a set budget but told me to keep it cheap. Here's what I came up with:

nMEDIAPC 5000B case
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB (which will be combined with his 650 GB current HDD)
The basic Crucial CT2 4GB from the system guide
Antec Earthwatts Green 380W from the system guide
Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 (he wants to record HDTV)
ASRock A75M
AMD A6-3650 (he doesn't game, so I figure the integrated video on the chip should be good enough for HTPC duties)
We'll be re-using his old DVD drive (he already has a seperate Bly-ray player)
Total cost from Newegg: $419

What do you guys think? I've never looked at much HTPC stuff, so this is my first attempt to build a system like this. Anything you would change?

I know its about $35 more, but I would look at the Intel Core i3-2120T for the processor. It's a 35W processor while the AMD you have listed is 100W. Lower wattage means less heat, less power, and less noise (from reduced fans). HTPCs normally stay on 24/7 and so lower wattage processors are a good idea.

If he won't be gaming I'd get the A6-3500. lower TDP thanks to 1 less core, but with the same graphics component as the A6-3650 you had selected.

The problem with the i3 2120T is that the HD2000 graphics really are pretty lame. Possibly too lame for an HTPC that doesn game.
The ivy bridge graphics are more than adequate, but that'll blow your budget out of the water so I'll second the A6.

The rest of the build looks fine, though I'm not familiar with that tuner.

TDIdriver wrote:

If he won't be gaming I'd get the A6-3500. lower TDP thanks to 1 less core, but with the same graphics component as the A6-3650 you had selected.

Until Trinity arrives on the desktop, the A6-3500 is my non-gaming HTPC recommendation, as well.