I was just having fun speccing out a build for the client I'm aiming for. Parts are tentative since I won't be building one until March '09 (when I've paid off my Newegg preferred account and coincides nicely w/pay raise). It's just amazing to see how much hardware prices have gone down.
Parts List
Already on-hand:
Notes:
I'm just glad my dad's an audiophile. He's the one buying B&W 600 series speakers and his set-up is likely to cost more than the HTPC + 2 Popcorn Hour clients I'm planning. :p Then again, I've already spent more than $3000 over the past year on the the GB-PVR + unRAID servers (including TV tuners), with the biggest expense being storage. *sigh* HTPC's are an expensive hobby... :o
Parts List
- LIAN LI PC-C37B, $155
- PC Power & Cooling Silencer 370W, $48 (pcpc20 coupon)
- Intel BOXDG45ID, $115
- Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200, $85
- Kingston ValueRAM 2GB DDR2 800, $32
- SAMSUNG HD103UJ 1TB, $135
- TOTAL: $570 (most parts, free shipping)
Already on-hand:
- GB-PVR server (P35-DS3R/C2D E7200/4GB DDR2 800/3TB)
- unRAID server (AB9 Pro/Celeron 430/2GB DDR2 667/5x1TB storage, 1TB parity)
- operating system (Windows XP MCE 2005 OEM 3-pack, $189 - Amazon or 2 available licenses from Windows XP Pro 3-pack, $410 - Newegg)
- optical drive for installation only (Sony NEC 20x DVD Burner IDE, $24 - Newegg)
Notes:
- The "core" of the system (MB/CPU/GPU/RAM) only costs $232, provides excellent post-processing for DVD's and HDTV, and gives you multi-channel LPCM for Blu-ray.
- Case+PSU is more than a third of the price of the build. HTPC is going inside an AV rack and the LIAN LI is the cheapest AV component-looking case I've seen which wouldn't stick out (depth-wise).
- Remote - thinking of the Logitech Harmony 550, often available from Amazon for $50.
- Keyboard and mouse - thinking of the Logitech diNovo Edge, quite expensive at $150 already on sale. For now, I've got an extra Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 which I scored for $15 from Staples' Friday sale.
- Optical drive - will likely install Blu-ray eventually, maybe when drives have gone down to $50~80.
- Storage - 1TB is rather large for a client, but with low hard drive prices, why not?
I'm just glad my dad's an audiophile. He's the one buying B&W 600 series speakers and his set-up is likely to cost more than the HTPC + 2 Popcorn Hour clients I'm planning. :p Then again, I've already spent more than $3000 over the past year on the the GB-PVR + unRAID servers (including TV tuners), with the biggest expense being storage. *sigh* HTPC's are an expensive hobby... :o