My HTPC's components I are as follows.
1 motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H $85
2 processor: AMD AthlonTM 64 X2 Dual-Core processor 5000+ $120
3 case : cooler master micro-ATX case $40
4 power supply: branded $30
5 RAM: 1GB 667 Kingston DDR2 RAM @ 2 nos. $60
6 dvd writer: DVDRW - sony $35
7 harddisk: 500GB SATA hard disk $130
total $500
As you can see a low cost HTPC below US$500 is made possible nowadays due to the dirt cheap hardware cost. This combination could even handle blu-ray or HD DVD contents when the price of the drives goes down in a couple of years. I really love the idea of having an on board graphics that provides a HDMI port as it means that I can cut down the cost of a PCI graphics card and at the same time reduce the heat generated. Ya, I opted for a AMD as Intel is doing poorly as far as IGP is concerned, their drivers are not so good, they don't provide a HDMI port and the price is more expensive. Their processors may be good but you have to come up another $50 for a PCI graphics card, to me this is not a good idea. Just to remind you, Intel graphics DO NOT support 1360x768 resolution and you cannot change the resolutions by any software even the well known Powerstrip. If you have a 720p LCD TV, you would have no way to get the full screen display.
Posts
