Deals, Discounts, and Best PC Component Buys & Builds
in Desktops ·
Hands down the best HTPC motherboard I’ve ever laid eyes on—the Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H. I mean, the price just tanked lately: $165 (Best Buy); $166 (Walmart); $171 (Newegg)
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Deals, Discounts, and Best PC Component Buys & Builds
in Desktops ·
Here’s my take on what I think is the current Best Buy sweet spot for an HTPC build:
Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H Motherboard, AMD 780G chipset, Socket AM2+, 5x SATA II RAID - $183 (ADM)
In my totally unexpert opinion, this thing is basically the gold standard for an HTPC setup since it packs integrated graphics and audio, plus you get HDMI and optical audio out—so I guess you don't even need to bother with a separate GPU or sound card. Of course, that assumes you're hooking the video up to an LCD via HDMI and running the audio through an optical cable to a receiver, though I suppose you could mix and match if you wanted to.
AMD Athlon X2 4450e Processor, AM2 socket, BOX version, 65nm, 1024Kb cache - $166 (ADM)
It's part of that new AMD EE series designed for energy efficiency, so it pulls very little power and stays pretty cool, and the included box cooler should be plenty. It's a dual-core chip that's probably more than enough for most decent tasks.
Kingmax MARS DDR2 1024Mb (1GB) RAM, PC6400, CL5, KLDD48F-A8KI5 - $84 (ADM)
There isn't really much to say here, honestly. Just two gigs of Kingmax, nothing fancy.
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB HDD, SATA II, 7200 rpm, 32Mb cache - $188 (ADM)
I've seen this drive getting a ton of praise on various tech forums lately; it's fast, quiet enough, big enough, and cheap enough. Plus, it has 32MB of cache and comes with a five-year warranty.
LG GSA-H55/H58 DVD+/-RW, Dual Layer, 20x, black, bulk - $56 (Ve-mil)
Look, there are definitely better, faster, or quieter drives out there, but since everyone just uses hard drives, thumb drives, or high-speed internet these days, optical drives are becoming kind of obsolete. So, I figure this is more than sufficient for a budget HTPC build.
Fortron 350W Power Supply, PNF, Super Silent, 12cm fan, ATX2 - $65 (ADM)
It's affordable, reliable, quiet, and I guess it's way more than enough juice to run a configuration like this.
So, that's the core of the machine. Choosing the case, the TV tuner card, and all the peripherals is really up to the individual based on what they actually need—like needing a tuner for satellite or cable, or just picking a case based on how it looks.
Anyway, that's all from me. My paycheck finally hits in a few days, so after putting it off for months, I'm finally heading out to shop. Looking back at these parts and the prices now... man, I'm really glad I didn't rush out and buy anything sooner!
Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H Motherboard, AMD 780G chipset, Socket AM2+, 5x SATA II RAID - $183 (ADM)
In my totally unexpert opinion, this thing is basically the gold standard for an HTPC setup since it packs integrated graphics and audio, plus you get HDMI and optical audio out—so I guess you don't even need to bother with a separate GPU or sound card. Of course, that assumes you're hooking the video up to an LCD via HDMI and running the audio through an optical cable to a receiver, though I suppose you could mix and match if you wanted to.
AMD Athlon X2 4450e Processor, AM2 socket, BOX version, 65nm, 1024Kb cache - $166 (ADM)
It's part of that new AMD EE series designed for energy efficiency, so it pulls very little power and stays pretty cool, and the included box cooler should be plenty. It's a dual-core chip that's probably more than enough for most decent tasks.
Kingmax MARS DDR2 1024Mb (1GB) RAM, PC6400, CL5, KLDD48F-A8KI5 - $84 (ADM)
There isn't really much to say here, honestly. Just two gigs of Kingmax, nothing fancy.
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB HDD, SATA II, 7200 rpm, 32Mb cache - $188 (ADM)
I've seen this drive getting a ton of praise on various tech forums lately; it's fast, quiet enough, big enough, and cheap enough. Plus, it has 32MB of cache and comes with a five-year warranty.
LG GSA-H55/H58 DVD+/-RW, Dual Layer, 20x, black, bulk - $56 (Ve-mil)
Look, there are definitely better, faster, or quieter drives out there, but since everyone just uses hard drives, thumb drives, or high-speed internet these days, optical drives are becoming kind of obsolete. So, I figure this is more than sufficient for a budget HTPC build.
Fortron 350W Power Supply, PNF, Super Silent, 12cm fan, ATX2 - $65 (ADM)
It's affordable, reliable, quiet, and I guess it's way more than enough juice to run a configuration like this.
So, that's the core of the machine. Choosing the case, the TV tuner card, and all the peripherals is really up to the individual based on what they actually need—like needing a tuner for satellite or cable, or just picking a case based on how it looks.
Anyway, that's all from me. My paycheck finally hits in a few days, so after putting it off for months, I'm finally heading out to shop. Looking back at these parts and the prices now... man, I'm really glad I didn't rush out and buy anything sooner!