Ultra cheap HTPC - no Gaming

arnprasad

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Hi everyone,

My friend yesterday bought a Sony EX 720 46 incher for a lakh and Onkyo 509/Pure Acoustics combo for 45K. He currently has big TV SD dish and on old DVD Player.

Unfortunately after having spent a bomb, he does not have any sources to input HD into his system leave alone 3D.

So I told him the cheapest way to get HD on his TV is to buy Tata Sky HD DVR and instead of wasting money on Blue Ray 3D player, it is cheaper to build a HTPC which can be connecting to his Onkyo.

He is not willing to spend more than 15K on the HTPC and my question to you is to suggest if its possible to build a HTPC for 15K considering the following:

1) The maximum load it will take is to play 3D HD content into the Onkyo or Sony.
2) 5.1 sound
3) Absolutely no gaming
4) AMD or INtel - dont care as long as it does the job
5) Dont care about graphics card if INtel HD is good enough
6)Minimum needed RAM and 1TB of hard drive
7) The tower may not be the greatest..just needs to look decent next to the HT setup
8) Prefer WIFI but if its more than 1K..can plug the network cable into
9) Dont care abt Blue ray drive since finding 3D Blu Rays is a rarity, DVD player will do as long we can download 1080P content and play it
10) Should be able to do what computers normally - install software, OS, Browser, XBMC....etc
11) Should be capable of using wireless keyboard and mouse or remote control. - so infrared or blue tooth or whatever
12) He is not a techie and hence should be simple plug and play

Please let me know the cheapest but a decent build possible and how much it is going to cost
 
Hi,
Recently got quotes for a simple basic pc(not HTPC) From Mumbai.
Dual core processor, Intel or Asus mobo , 2 GB RAM, 250GB Hard disk,DVD Writer, basic case, wireless key board and mouse. No monitor, no OS.
Cost was coming to 13.5k.

Since your friend will be using AVR, he will need a mobo with HDMI Out.Add the cost for it. I did not ask the cost for this. However graphic card with DVI Out is minimum 2.5 k.
If you want to have legal OS,
Add another 5 to 7k.

I hope this gives you some idea.
On the other hand, there were laptops with HDMI out at 27k onwards.
I hope this gives you some idea. 15k is bit low budget.

Lg 3d BDP with lan port is available at 11k in Panjim. Forgot the exact model but it was some BX Series with Mrp 20k.
 
Hi,
Recently got quotes for a simple basic pc(not HTPC) From Mumbai.
Dual core processor, Intel or Asus mobo , 2 GB RAM, 250GB Hard disk,DVD Writer, basic case, wireless key board and mouse. No monitor, no OS.
Cost was coming to 13.5k.

Since your friend will be using AVR, he will need a mobo with HDMI Out.Add the cost for it. I did not ask the cost for this. However graphic card with DVI Out is minimum 2.5 k.
If you want to have legal OS,
Add another 5 to 7k.

I hope this gives you some idea.
On the other hand, there were laptops with HDMI out at 27k onwards.
I hope this gives you some idea. 15k is bit low budget.

Lg 3d BDP with lan port is available at 11k in Panjim. Forgot the exact model but it was some BX Series with Mrp 20k.

Thanks..thats what I too suggested that he lie low and just watch HD Dish for now and thenafter few months get a decent laptop with HDMI out.
 
Hi everyone,

My friend yesterday bought a Sony EX 720 46 incher for a lakh and Onkyo 509/Pure Acoustics combo for 45K. He currently has big TV SD dish and on old DVD Player.

Unfortunately after having spent a bomb, he does not have any sources to input HD into his system leave alone 3D.

So I told him the cheapest way to get HD on his TV is to buy Tata Sky HD DVR and instead of wasting money on Blue Ray 3D player, it is cheaper to build a HTPC which can be connecting to his Onkyo.

He is not willing to spend more than 15K on the HTPC and my question to you is to suggest if its possible to build a HTPC for 15K considering the following:

1) The maximum load it will take is to play 3D HD content into the Onkyo or Sony.
2) 5.1 sound
3) Absolutely no gaming
4) AMD or INtel - dont care as long as it does the job
5) Dont care about graphics card if INtel HD is good enough
6)Minimum needed RAM and 1TB of hard drive
7) The tower may not be the greatest..just needs to look decent next to the HT setup
8) Prefer WIFI but if its more than 1K..can plug the network cable into
9) Dont care abt Blue ray drive since finding 3D Blu Rays is a rarity, DVD player will do as long we can download 1080P content and play it
10) Should be able to do what computers normally - install software, OS, Browser, XBMC....etc
11) Should be capable of using wireless keyboard and mouse or remote control. - so infrared or blue tooth or whatever
12) He is not a techie and hence should be simple plug and play

Please let me know the cheapest but a decent build possible and how much it is going to cost


Why not pick up a used comp. Bangalore has a very active used comp market. Buying a new comp when you are on a budget is a bad idea; computers depreciate very quickly.

This one looks pretty neat for 12k (MOBO has HDMI port). If you don't like the case, you can buy a Silverstone GD-02 for ~4k.:

Quad Core PC

Check out the other ads on the craigslist:

bangalore computers & tech classifieds - craigslist
 
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1) The maximum load it will take is to play 3D HD content into the Onkyo or Sony.
2) 5.1 sound
3) Absolutely no gaming
4) AMD or INtel - dont care as long as it does the job
5) Dont care about graphics card if INtel HD is good enough
6)Minimum needed RAM and 1TB of hard drive
7) The tower may not be the greatest..just needs to look decent next to the HT setup
8) Prefer WIFI but if its more than 1K..can plug the network cable into
9) Dont care abt Blue ray drive since finding 3D Blu Rays is a rarity, DVD player will do as long we can download 1080P content and play it
10) Should be able to do what computers normally - install software, OS, Browser, XBMC....etc
11) Should be capable of using wireless keyboard and mouse or remote control. - so infrared or blue tooth or whatever
12) He is not a techie and hence should be simple plug and play

Please let me know the cheapest but a decent build possible and how much it is going to cost

I seriously recomend and request you to have a look at Zotac ZBox nano Plus ........

I am recommending this product for people who want an HTPC without the DIY route. Its has all the features for a decent HTPC. would play all HD content will full HD audio Bitstreaming.
It has inbuilt wifi n and bluetooth. Comes in a small form factor. and most of all it full fills all you points and requirements you have stated above.
specially 10,11,12.

Since its a PC you can pretty much install anything, including XBMC, which is THE BEST free application developed since computers came in to being.
Its plug and play, all you need to do us install windows, install GPU drives, install XBMC, connect the HDMI from the PC to your Onkyo. Configure windows and xbmc to bitstream HD audio, and you should be good to go for playing your movies.

If you want to take more comprehensive DIY route, let me know and I will suggest accordingly.

PS :: I forgot to add, it also fits perfectly under your budget. Its around 13-14K in India.
 
Bangalore sellers contact number 9900956779, he will ship to you. The price is 15k+tax and you need to add ram and hard drive. Total should come close to 20k.
 
I guess we need to add ram and hard drive seperate .

What!!!! who told you that share the resource plzzz... The last time I talked to the dealer no such thing was there ... and it seems stupid and illogical to sell an HTPC without RAM ... (HDD still understandable) .. any way I do not see any such thing mentioned on their official site neither on any online review site .....

These are the specification I share form the official website. Sure does not look that way ..

Memory and HDD both are clearly mentioned ...

20111007221617.jpg
 
The same contact I mentioned earlier , may be he was giving me the price for nano plus alone not the ad10 version. Can you please check with your source and confirm the price of ad10?
 
Hi everyone,

My friend yesterday bought a Sony EX 720 46 incher for a lakh and Onkyo 509/Pure Acoustics combo for 45K. He currently has big TV SD dish and on old DVD Player.

Unfortunately after having spent a bomb, he does not have any sources to input HD into his system leave alone 3D.

So I told him the cheapest way to get HD on his TV is to buy Tata Sky HD DVR and instead of wasting money on Blue Ray 3D player, it is cheaper to build a HTPC which can be connecting to his Onkyo.

He is not willing to spend more than 15K on the HTPC and my question to you is to suggest if its possible to build a HTPC for 15K considering the following:

1) The maximum load it will take is to play 3D HD content into the Onkyo or Sony.
2) 5.1 sound
3) Absolutely no gaming
4) AMD or INtel - dont care as long as it does the job
5) Dont care about graphics card if INtel HD is good enough
6)Minimum needed RAM and 1TB of hard drive
7) The tower may not be the greatest..just needs to look decent next to the HT setup
8) Prefer WIFI but if its more than 1K..can plug the network cable into
9) Dont care abt Blue ray drive since finding 3D Blu Rays is a rarity, DVD player will do as long we can download 1080P content and play it
10) Should be able to do what computers normally - install software, OS, Browser, XBMC....etc
11) Should be capable of using wireless keyboard and mouse or remote control. - so infrared or blue tooth or whatever
12) He is not a techie and hence should be simple plug and play

Please let me know the cheapest but a decent build possible and how much it is going to cost

Hi, HTPC is the way to go............if you dont want to get a HD media player which also might suffice. However, if you do wish to go the HTPC way which I would......a few things you need to keep in mind:

AMD processor is recommended for price and more value for money.
MB can be asus with HDMI out with audio support
min 2GB RAM, i wud say got for 4GB is budget permits with windows 7.
On board graphics should be either nvidia or ATI with HDMI out/with audio.
XBMC is probably the best windows HTPC software available.
If your MD had HDMI audio support then you don't have to worry about optical/coax output for digital audio.

if you download a lot of video, then downloading HD movies is the way to go. But if you want to watch HD channels on cable, the going for tata sky / airtel HD is a good idea. do not spend extra on the PVR, since you would not need it unless you see the need to record tv channels.

I have a similar setup on my imac and use plex as my media centre software and have it connected to my denon AVR and pan 50V20...........and it rocks!!!
luckily the imac comes with a wireless keyboard and mouse so that makes it more convenient.

all the best!!!
 
MSI E350 E45: 6600 (smc was selling it as this price. could find it now. call them up)
Corsair 1 x 4GB DDR3: 1400
Western Digital 1 TB blue/green: 2700
Panache T3311: 2750 (60 W power brick)
Logitech wireless keybaord + Mouse combo: 1100
Grand total: 14550

My avast av is blocking the panache link. I can view the panache website, but no the products.:mad:
 
I was at Ashirwad computers in SP road today. The price of a Zotac Nano AD10 is Rs 15500 and it comes without RAM or hard drive (there is probably a plus SKU which comes with RAM and HD, but I can't say for sure). In fact one guy bought it in front of me and the technician had opened the box to install the RAM and the HD before I left the shop. It is *really* small. Probably less half the size of a Mac mini.

If you add the price of RAM, a 500GB HD, Windows License and an external DVD drive, you would almost touch 25k if not cross it.

Another question: Why aren't those proposing configurations factoring in the price of an OS license (and possibly other non-free software needed in an HTPC, I don't know much about video)? Does every one use Linux here? Or are you assuming that the OP will use pirated software?

Edit: Looks like I was right about the plus SKU. Check this link (scroll down to see the differences between the plus and the non-plus versions of AD10):

ZOTAC - It's time to play! - ZOTAC Debuts Palm-Sized ZBOX nano AD10 Series mini-PCs
 
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Well then thats a bit strange .... anyway I confirmed for the plus version and the price the dealer gave was 15 for the plus version only. But he might be wrong I admit as dealers do tend to make these kinda mistakes. The reason it goes expensive with the HDD and RAM is, the HTPC uses the notbook RAM and HDD (2.5) which is expensive anyhow, but thats what makes the player very tiny.

Since OP and most of us to not mention if they would use a paid OS its becomes a bit obvious to assume it would be downloaded. However the best part with XBMC is that is is available for Linux as well, and so if once decides to install Linux he can go ahead with the Linux version of XBMC making the entire package legal and free as well.
 
In my opinion a HD media player will be a cost effective option for only playing movies . There are good HD players around 5-7K with bitstreeming HD audio . i think HD audio like dts master and true HD is not supported in linux . And if he still wants to go for HTPC
this may work

sampron 145 with comaptable board ----- 4500
2gb ram -------------------------------------750
seagate hdd 1tb ---------------------------------3000

nvidia gt 430/ gt520---------------------------- 3000 - 3500
or amd 6450 ------------------------------------2900

cabinet +smps --------------------------------- 3000
lenovo multimedia remote -------------------- 1800
total 16K

software
XBMC-------------------------------------------- free
MPC HC ----------------------------------------- free
windows 7--------------------------------------- 5k
or
linux + XBMC ------------------------------- free

if you are choosing linux +xbmc as operating system go for the NVidia graphics because configuring AMD cards under linux for XBMC is a real pain
also go for a passively cooled card ie with out fan to make your rig silent , go for a good quality SMPS low priced SMPS can be noisy
 
If I have a budget of 15K and I would not be going in for Zotac since it will not have the expansion slots that I may need in future. However What I liked most in the Zotac is the mini cabinet. I am looking for a place where I can get a Zotac like mini cabinet or at most a slim cabinet for HTPC. Moreover there is one feature in popcorn hour media player wherein they have a lcd dial to show filename etc which helps one to keep the TV off to select media while using in a media player right now it is irritating for me to keep using a TV to select even audio. The fact that my Denon 1911 is not the netwrok version I am looking to get such a feature in my HTPC of course nice to have, not a must have.

I was able to find this site http://panache.co.in/store/index.php?cPath=65&PHPSESSID=1851fe30fb7e19ae87f8ab78194b1ac4 from one of the earlier posts. Not sure if there are more like this slim horizontal cases with BD ROM adding option in future.
 
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