mic.mac.hack Posted March 23, 2009 Share Posted March 23, 2009 Hey all, heres the list of parts for a new rig I'm building. Its going to act as a HTPC next to a 32" Full HD TV (btw is it worth getting Full HD on 32"?) or a 37" Full HD TV. I'm a fan of Mac so I'm gonna run that on it. The motherboard already runs OS X like a charm. Buying all parts from MSY. Budget = $2000 for HTPC + TV. CPU: Intel Celeron Dual-Core E5200 – $108 Motherboard: Gigabyte EP43-DS3L – $158 (I'm going to buy this better motherboard and swap it for the ASUS P5W DH Deluxe in my main PC. That way I get a better motherboard for my main comp and the HTPC runs Mac perfect!) RAM: 2GB 800MHz TEAM DDR2 – $34 Graphics: Gigabyte 9400GT 512MB – $76 Case: Tsunami Slim Thing – Already Own PSU: CoolerMaster 350W – Already own Optical: Any brand SATA DVD Burner – $27 Hard Drive: 500GB Seagate SATA – $89 + Elgato Eye TV from JB Hi-FI $150, Sony Blu-RAY remote $45 online and Mira Remote software $25. -$50 that I am paying from my own pocket for the btter motherboard. (the $2000 is my parents money) TOTAL: $662. Leaves $1338 for a TV. We already have really good Boston speakers + AMP which I will hook up to the HTPC. Or alternitavely should I go AMD, stuff Mac OS X, Run XP/win 7 and get a Blu-ray drive? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/158866-intel-htpc-3237-full-hd-tv/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaap Posted March 24, 2009 Share Posted March 24, 2009 A couple things send up flags for me- are these US prices? $158 seems like way too much coin for that mobo, if we're talking US $. Personally, I'd go for something like the EP45-UD3P which is newer/cheaper/better, and also OSX-compatible. Second- what is the case? The word 'slim' gives me pause. That often screams "MicroATX, half-height PCI cards, small PSU" Make sure what you want to get will actually fit in the case you have. I'd say you're on the right track going with Mac-compatible. Remember, it can also be PC-compatible. You can also use Blu-Ray (on the Windows side). Why bother going AMD? In my experience Intel beats them in performance hands down. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/158866-intel-htpc-3237-full-hd-tv/#findComment-1114148 Share on other sites More sharing options...
mic.mac.hack Posted March 25, 2009 Author Share Posted March 25, 2009 They're Australian prices and since posting the above rig I've decided to stuff the Mac + Intel option altogether and go AMD, Windows Vista and Blu-Ray! Much cheaper, quieter, easier and better. AMD for the win! I'm getting a 4850e (energy efficient - 45W!) a 780G mobo (renowned for making good HTPCs), 1TB Hard Drive, Compro Tuner, LG Blu-Ray Combo. Ends up being loads better and cheaper than the Intel option Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/158866-intel-htpc-3237-full-hd-tv/#findComment-1114967 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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