Deals, Discounts, and Best PC Component Buys & Builds

And then, on top of all that, the dollar exchange rate just shot up

I don't want to start a whole new thread here.

Regarding my previous posts;

I'm wondering what the absolute minimum budget should be if I were to put together a Home Theater PC—something capable of playing back 1080p High Profile 10-bit TrueHD video. As far as High Profile 10-bit playback goes, I've gathered the impression that I'd probably need at least an Intel Core i3, though maybe I'm wrong about that.

Look, if we're strictly talking about video playback, I don't see any reason why an Intel Celeron G1840 1 x costing roughly $100 wouldn't handle it flawlessly. An i3 definitely isn't the bare minimum here. Sure, if you're planning on doing heavy video editing, you’ll want a beefier processor, but for just watching content? It should be smooth sailing.

You could easily toss that into a Mini-ITX build from a place like Best Buy along with a decent power supply
.
EDIT: I just looked into it, and even an Intel NUC 847 handles High Profile 10-bit "almost" perfectly.

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=171981

And here is some more recent info:

Bottom line: with that Celeron—which is significantly more powerful than what you're worried about—you're good to go.

Alright, so how much would a build based around that Celeron actually run me? Maybe around $667
?

Something along those lines, maybe from a place like Best Buy

1 x Intel Celeron G1840 1 x
1 x ASRock H81M-ITX
1 x Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 Mhz (PC3-12800) CL11
1 x Seagate Barracuda Hard Drive (3.5", 1TB, 64MB, SATA III)
1 x Linkworld Mini-ITX Case Black (LKW-920-01C2121-200W) It looks like this

Total: $684

That NUC is pretty sweet... 😬

Yeah, you get a ton of extra space out of it—you can even mount it right on the wall if you want. 😁

It’s just that even though it's more expensive—and actually performs worse—it offers very little space. That case mentioned above is only about 31 x 26 x 7 cm.

Thanks guys—now I have a better idea of what this whole thing would cost me. I guess I'll spend some more time looking into the HTPC side of things.

http://www.nabava.net/search.php?tp=0&q=r9+290

XFX R9 290 - looking for under $250/$833

Timothy Kim60 said:http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=r9+290

XFX R9 290 - under $25$833

Heh. We're hitting month five soon... better clear out the old stock before that AMD 300 series hits the shelves.😬

It’ll be interesting to see what AMD brings to the table in the 2300-3000 range.

Does anyone have any solid recommendations for a Home Theater PC case? My main priorities are pure elegance and dead silence; I’m looking for that classic horizontal layout that can actually accommodate an ATX motherboard. I wouldn't rule out smaller form factors entirely, but since I already have a specific set of components sitting right here on my desk, I’d love to see if I can somehow make them work together in a cohesive build.
I assume I'll need to pick up a dedicated graphics card as well, though the real dealbreaker will be avoiding any obnoxious coil whine while ensuring it can reliably pass through high-end surround sound formats via HDMI.

I’m really digging the concept of a tiny, whisper-quiet little machine (specifically talking about the NUC or similar small-form-factor builds). What would you say is the absolute bare minimum specs needed for smooth, everyday multitasking? I'm thinking things like browsing with both Mozilla and Opera open at once, running Winamp in the background, downloading torrents, occasionally popping into Word or Excel, and playing back some MKV movies.

Bradley Lewis59 said:Any recommendations for a Home Theater PC case? My main goals are elegance and silence—ideally something horizontal that can fit an ATX motherboard. I might be open to smaller form factors, but I already have some parts on hand, so I'd rather try to work with those first.
I assume I'll need a GPU too; my only real requirements are that it doesn't have coil whine and can pass through surround sound formats via HDMI.

Maybe list out what components you actually have or plan to use (brands and models)—that's mostly important for sizing. Also, if you're looking to buy new stuff, let me know what kind of budget you're working with.

Jason Fisher59 said:I really like the idea of a tiny, silent machine (I'm thinking along the lines of a NUC or similar small PCs). What would be the bare minimum specs needed for smooth multitasking? Something like browsing Chrome and Opera at the same time, running Winamp, downloading torrents in the background, maybe opening Word or Excel occasionally, and playing MKV movies.

Are we talking about a barebones config or...?
Personally, I've always been pretty fond of the whole Chromebox concept.
http://promos.asus.com/us/chrome-os/chromebox/

George Sanders37 said:List out exactly which components you currently have or plan to reuse—specifically include models and brands, since dimensions are our biggest hurdle here. For any new gear you're looking to pick up, let me know what kind of budget we're working with.

Z68 E3 G3 motherboard (roughly 12 x 9.5 inches)
i5 2500k
7850HD (I’d probably ditch this just to escape that unbearable coil whine)
XFX 550 w (I'm also considering swapping this for something quieter and more efficient, perhaps a Be Quiet! unit, if I opt for a less power-hungry GPU)
8gb ram

Budget: Honestly, whatever it takes. This isn't some hobby where I'll be swapping parts out every three months, is it?😁

George Sanders37 said:Is this the bare minimum, or what?
Personally, I’m really digging the whole Chromebox concept.
http://promos.asus.com/us/chrome-os/chromebox/

Let's say we're looking at a setup for standard home use—nothing heavy like gaming or intense photo/video editing. We're talking web surfing, music, movies, Microsoft Office, PDFs, burning DVDs, printing, scanning, that kind of stuff. How do those little Celeron chips actually hold up in these tiny machines? Are they truly up to the task for everyday "home chores"?

Jason Fisher59 said:Let's say we're looking at a standard home setup—no gaming, no heavy video editing, no photo retouching. Just basic stuff: web browsing, music, movies, Microsoft Office, PDFs, burning DVDs, printing, scanning, all that. How do those little Celeron chips perform in those tiny builds? Are they actually up to the task for "everyday home use"?

They're solid. I grabbed this one: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Q1900M/ and I’m loving it. It’s quiet, stays cool, and handles everything I throw at it without breaking a sweat.

click happened today and vanished just as quickly.

And then you have all these people claiming we're in a recession—honestly, I think we actually are 😵😵