$400 HTPC ITX Build Ideas?

Hey everyone.

Talked to a buddy who was looking at buying a laptop just to keep it plugged into his TV 24/7. Told him he’s wasting his time—better off just building a mini-ITX rig instead.

If you played it smart and saved some cash here, you could just pick up a PlayStation 4 or something similar for gaming. That way, this build handles the heavy lifting like movies, browsing, and music.

Got a 2TB external SSD, so there's no need to include one in the build.

I was thinking, more or less...

H110 mini-ITX
Intel Pentium G4560 3.50 GHz Socket 1151 Fortron
8GB of RAM.
120GB SSD.

Pentium and 8GB of RAM. It fits the budget, keeps things somewhat future-proof, and should handle opening a million Chrome tabs without choking.

It’s the case itself. I don't know the first thing about mini-ITX.
Anyone got a power supply for around $30?$133 Should fit the budget, I guess.
Check out this Spire PowerCube. It’s a 300W ITX power supply. Just thought I'd drop the link here.

It’s not like I’m totally out of space, but honestly, the smaller and thinner, the better. That's why I'm sticking with ITX.

Another thing:

I was thinking about picking up an A320 with an APU just to play some old PC games. But I can't find any ITX motherboards for Bristol Ridge anywhere.

Let's say the budget for the Bristol Ridge build is a little higher. $1000.

What’s the absolute smallest case you can get for an mATX build?
With a Bristol Ridge A8 9600, you might just scrape by playing some 1080p PC games.
Is there anything smaller than this?
Check out this Thermaltake case. Looks like a decent option if you're hunting for something specific.

Since I won't be throwing a GPU in this build, I might as well go with a slim form factor.

I’ll probably pay in cash, ideally all at once from the same shop. But honestly, I could just build it myself using parts from different places if there isn't a long wait on specific items and the price difference is actually worth the hassle.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

Something along these lines...

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/laptops/inspiron-15-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-5510-laptop

Amy Vaughn12 said:Something along these lines...

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/laptops/inspiron-15-laptop/spd/inspiron-15-5510-laptop

I agree, it’s an excellent option. However, one must account for the fact that it arrives without memory, so that cost needs to be factored in. It also lacks any kind of drive, so that must be included as well. Essentially, you have to calculate the RAM plus the SSD$333 roughly

Oof, at that price point, you might as well just grab a laptop with an SSD. An i3 7100 gets the job done, sure, but let’s be real—it’s nothing compared to any actual desktop processor.

Maybe something like this:

Crucial DDR4 4GB 2400 MHz P/N: CT4G4DFS824A
Intel Pentium G4560 3.50 GHz Socket 1151 Fortron
Fortron 400W SFX PSU, 85+, A-PFC
SSD AD 120GB SU700 SATA 3D Nand
Asrock H110M-ITX Motherboard Socket 1151 P/N: H110M-ITX

$0.72 - Best Buy

+:

https://www.bestbuy.com/ku...m_medium=click

Or maybe this one if it doesn't feel too bulky:

https://www.newegg.com/bitf...m_medium=click

- You could also swap in an mATX H110M-DGS R3.0 with this, which would make everything almost $100 cheaper

Bitefenix Colossus Review

wiredotter14 said:Oof, at that price point, you might as well just grab a laptop with an SSD. An i3 7100 gets the job done, sure, but let’s be real—it’s nothing compared to any actual desktop processor.

I guess what I'm wondering is, what kind of power do I actually need for an HTPC? There are even cheaper options out there using the Pentium J3455, which I think could probably get the job done if we're just talking about movies, YouTube, and basic browsing.

Thanks for the advice, everyone.

Amy Vaughn12,
The i3 7100U isn't hard to find, but it's not cheap since we're talking laptop hardware here.

Currently hanging out at this guy's place, and turns out his shelf space is limited—only 33x33x33cm.
So, that Intel kit would fit, but none of the actual cases will work.

He's considering that kit, paired with 8GB RAM and an SSD (needs to be m.2, which is a bummer because he's got a spare 2.5" HDD lying around).

The alternative is grabbing a 13" Acer laptop from a buddy, though the screen is basically bent into a banana shape.

What do you guys think that's actually worth?

Acer S3-391
450GB SSHD
i5 3317U
4GB RAM.
It's a 2012-era ultrabook.
Screen is pretty much trashed.

wiredotter14 said:Thanks for the advice, everyone.

Amy Vaughn12,
The i3 7100U isn't hard to find, but it's not cheap since we're talking laptop hardware here.

Currently hanging out at this guy's place, and turns out his shelf space is limited—only 33x33x33cm.
So, that Intel kit would fit, but none of the actual cases will work.

He's considering that kit, paired with 8GB RAM and an SSD (needs to be m.2, which is a bummer because he's got a spare 2.5" HDD lying around).

The alternative is grabbing a 13" Acer laptop from a buddy, though the screen is basically bent into a banana shape.

What do you guys think that's actually worth?

Acer S3-391
450GB SSHD
i5 3317U
4GB RAM.
It's a 2012-era ultrabook.
Screen is pretty much trashed.

In that case, a NUC is perfect. As Amy Vaughn12 mentioned, there are cheaper versions available, and any of them will be more than sufficient for your needs.

Specifically, I built a mini setup for Puncu using an Intel Q1900 processor; YouTube, HD movies, and similar tasks run perfectly on it.

As for the value of that ultrabook, I honestly have no clue!

Looks like we’re getting an ultrabook with a cracked screen in about $333 🙂

Thanks, everyone.