My new minimalist HTPC build

[epayson85]

I have an i5 system that acts as the main HTPC for the house as well as a file server. It also does a couple other things such as record video from security cameras, run home automation / security, and I use hyperspin for my game library. I have a couple extenders 2 360's and an echo, but I want netflix (without the xblive fees) and I don't want to go converting my whole video library so they play on the extenders. Currently I have an old HTPC a dell studio slim with a core 2 duo in my master bedroom. It works great but gives off a lot of heat, clearly uses up some electricity, and is loud as all hell.

I have been looking at mini-itx builds as well as pre-built systems that have small footprints, low cost, low power consumption, but can still handle full HD video. The Atom processors just won't do it if you want netflix. Due to limitations of silverlight, unless using windows 8 metro app, wmc is still 100% processor based when it comes to HD netflix. Most pre-built / barebone celerons were right around $200 but no memory or hard drive. That wasn't bad, but I wanted to be able to do it for less for such a low powered machine. Obviously the cost was coming from the fact I wanted it in a small device.

After some searching I was able to find this and so far I am very impressed.

ECS NM70-I Celeron 1037 1.8ghz Dual Core Processor mini ITX - $66.99
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G23 ... UTF8&psc=1

I typically go with Asus and Gigabyte motherboards but I couldn't resist splurging on such a cheap mobo/cpu combo. The processor alone is $75 from intel after their price drop on December 29th. (you can't actually buy this processor it only comes in pre-built system like this since its a mobile cpu) My case comes in today and I will supply pictures once the build is complete. However, I already set it up and this thing is fast for such a low powered cpu. I am using 4gb 1333 ddr3 memory that I had laying around and a 320gb laptop hard drive that I had. Connected to a homerun prime, live tv is gorgeous and it plays every movie file I throw at it. Netflix HD plays with 30 - 40% cpu usage. Not bad for a celeron. Then the best part is the fan is just silent on this thing. Now it will be interesting once I get it in a case so I will report back today.

The beauty of this mobo/cpu combo is how cheap of build you can do. If you have parts laying around you could easily do a build for around $100. Even buying everything new you could do a full build for sub $200. I bought a small ITX case with a 200 watt power supply for $44. We may see prices come down even more once the new baytrail / forest canyon NUC's start coming out this quarter.

[Dragonfly]

Sounds really great. I see Amazon is currently OOS on the mobo but will definitely be watching this thread. Which case are you getting?

[epayson85]

Yea sorry I ended up buying the last 2 haha. I am going to use another one for a small file server / backup of all my media. I have a cloud backup too but I am going to back up image files of the OS drivers of my HTPC's for low down time in the event something goes down. Amazon also has one that is a little more but takes full DDR-3 instead of the Sodimms.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IT ... UTF8&psc=1
That is the case. It is a little bit bigger than I wanted but the price is right.

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Mini-IT ... d_sim_pc_7
I really like this one too BUT it will cost you more than the $37. It will end up being $72 when you convert the ATX power to external DC power. I still might end up doing this at some point.

[Dragonfly]

Got it in my shopping cart and will probably pull the trigger if I can find the right case. Really don't need an optical drive bay and would want it to be really, really quiet. Let us know how noisy the fan is on that case you're getting.

[kingwr]

I put a couple of these in my conference rooms for PowerPoint presentations and Media Center (TV/videos/pictures) and I love them:

http://www.amazon.com/Shuttle-XH61V-Bar ... B00BKV3BQ8

[epayson85]

OK finally got to build it today after dealing with FedEx late delivery. Amazon prime... Yea right. Anyway its amazing for the price. I was worried about heat due to awful air flow in this case. However there is a great vent right above the CPU. Then even better how quiet it is. You can hear a faint him when not watching TV. It is either the case fan or the PSU fan. My next build will be in the mini case with external PSU so that should be silent. However you can not hear it at all while watching TV even with low volume in my bedroom. The only thing ticking me off is the HDD led. That is a quick fix though haha unplug it. Also the case doesn't take 2.5 inch drives without an adapter. I did put in a DVD drive because I don't have a DVD player in here and sometimes the gf rather watch one than watch my huge collection of movies.

I took some pics and will post them soon. Very excited for these inexpensive mini-itx builds.

[epayson85]

Still loving it after a couple days of using it. Here are the pics of the latest build. Just a little over $100 cost with parts I had laying around. Still would have been just under $200 if I bought everything brand new. However just saw some new stuff from ECS at CES... Some nice new baytrail mini-itx boards and their own baytrail NUCs. Intel also had their baytrail NUCs on display too. These Nuc's would be a little more expensive but a lot smaller. Intel is claiming $139 price point for 64bit quadcore baytrail NUC. If it can fit a 2.5inch drive that would make a great HTPC, especially a client HTPC.

[LuckyDay]

Nice build, I build a small ITX system last year for a Hackintosh, was fun.

My NUC build is here, and I do love the little thing. I can easily carry it back and forth between my PC for gaming or my Office for desktop use:

http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=7&t=6606

Not sure about the $139 price on that new one though. Love the 2.5" addition on the next systems, but Atoms just don't cut it for what I want to do, I had to go with the i3 in mine.

[epayson85]

http://hexus.net/tech/news/systems/6008 ... s-q1-2014/

Its no joke $139. That is from Intel too on a NUC. A mini-itx with the same processor could be even less. Celeron is perfect for just HTPC. My main HTPC that does much more than just play / record tv and watch movies has an i5 in it.

[LuckyDay]

http://hexus.net/tech/news/systems/6008 ... s-q1-2014/

Its no joke $139. That is from Intel too on a NUC. A mini-itx with the same processor could be even less. Celeron is perfect for just HTPC. My main HTPC that does much more than just play / record tv and watch movies has an i5 in it.

Oh I didn't mean I didn't believe the price, I meant Atom is a no-go for me (or for HTPC IMO). Celeron would be perfectly fine, hopefully those will come in around $199, which would be great.

I think my set up cost around $350 total, not counting a couple smaller parts I already had (a stick of RAM and mouse/keyboard basically).

They're great systems. My ITX Hackintosh is nice too, but there's something about these things being so small and out of the way that I love.

[epayson85]

I will agree with you that in the past that atoms were a no go even for an htpc. However, read up on the baytrail processors. These atom processors are meant to destroy arm processors. They are built around haswell so they use minimal electricity, are quad core, have the latest Intel gpus, and are 64bit. Tablets are already using them so you are talking full windows with a quad core processor on a tablet that has battery life just as good as an iPad but a lot cheaper. They aren't 64 bit yet but Intel is promising this by the end of q1 this year. I wouldn't want it running my whole system but as a little mini PC mounted to the back of a TV in my kitchen it would be great.

[soccerdad]

So do you think this little system will work with an extender or two running, perhaps while you are watching or recording a third show? Will it process comskip? I really want to get out of my big old antec HTPC case and into something smaller. But I feed a couple of extenders, and do want the shows eventually comskip processed. Now I am running a quad core AMD Athlon and 8 gig of ram. I use a HDHRP and a HVR-2250. I can dump the 2250 and get a regular HDHR and I would be golden. Thoughts? If not now, do you think the next gen ones (like you are talking about above) be able to do this?

[epayson85]

I don't think this one could handle extenders and certainly not two of them. Now comskip it could handle... and if you told comskip not to process recordings until say after midnight when no one is using it absolutely no issue. The new versions are based on haswell and they will be releasing quad core celerons. Intel ® Bay Trail J1900 processor is a quad core celeron that ECS will be putting into a mini-itx mobo like I am using now. This thing should be able to handle just about anything an HTPC needs. The beauty of that mother board is also an M-sata port. So you could put a small 32 or 64 gig msata drive on the mobo for the os and a small laptop hard for recordings. O and the best part is the heatsync on the processor doesn't need a fan. Prices haven't been released yet but with Intel only charging $139 for a Nuc I can't believe this mini-itx mobo would be much more than that.

[LuckyDay]

The beauty of that mother board is also an M-sata port. So you could put a small 32 or 64 gig msata drive on the mobo for the os and a small laptop hard for recordings. O and the best part is the heatsync on the processor doesn't need a fan.

They are amazing little machines. Having never worked with an m-sata in a build before this it blew my mind how small it was.

The 64gb drive is about the same width and twice as wide as a quarter.

[Dragonfly]

MSI's Bay Trail-D Mini-ITX Board Launching This Month
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/msi-ba ... or=RSS-181

CES is full of products that might never see the light of day or aren't set to launch for a very long time. This Mini-ITX board from MSI is one of the isn’t available yet, but will apparently be out by the end of the month. When it does become available, it will be priced under $60.
The J18001 boasts Intel’s 2.4 GHz dual-core Celeron J1800 (hence the name of the board), as well as support for up to 8 GB of RAM via two DDR3-1333 SO-DIMM slots, and two SATA Gbps ports, one PCIe slot, Gigabit Ethernet, 7.1 channel audio, USB 3.0 (x1), D-Sub, DVI, and HDMI. If you’re not feeling the dual-core version, MSI says there will be a version with the more powerful quad-core Bay Trail-D out in January/February for only ten bucks more.

[epayson85]

That looks awesome! The price is right haha. I am hoping ecs releases theirs soon. They have more data ports and the msata port which gives it some different uses. They also have a thin mini itx version that takes an external power supply. That MSI one though would be perfect for a small htpc especially a second / client one.