Buyers Guide to Building a Home Theater PC

OctoberNovember 2011

by Renethx @AVS Forum

Contents
Introduction Organization of the Contents . . . . . . . Classication of HTPC Systems . . . . . . 1. Form Factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Performance and Cost . . . . . . . 3. CPU-Chipset-GPU Manufacturers Component Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . CPU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chipset and Motherboard . . . . . . Memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphics and Sound Devices . . . . My Pick of HTPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4 4 4 5 6 6 7 8 8 8 9 11 11 11 11 12 13 13 13 13 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 19 19 19 19 21 23 23 23 24 24 25 26 26 26 27 27

Peripheral Components and OS Input Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MCE Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Universal Remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Keyboard and Mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So what do you need? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Optical Disc Drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BD Writer/Reader / DVD Writer/Reader . . . . . . . . . BD Writer/Reader / DVD WriterSlim Type, Tray Load TV Tuner Card for ATSC/Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Digital+Analog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Digital Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Digital Cable Tuner Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HD Video Capturing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sound Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Analog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S/PDIF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mini-ITX System General Consideration . . . Price Range . . . . . . Feature Comparison . Mini-ITX Cases . . . . Budget System . . . . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . . Low-End System . . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . . Mid-Range System . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . . Mid-Range Gaming System Intel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

AMD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . High-End Gaming System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MicroATX System General Consideration . . Price Range . . . . . Feature Comparison MicroATX Cases . . . Budget System . . . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . Low-End System . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . Mid-Range System . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . High-End System . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . AMD (AM3+) . . . . Premium System . . . . . Intel (LGA 1155) . . . Intel (LGA 2011) . . . AMD (AM3+) . . . . ATX System General Consideration . . Price Range . . . . . Feature Comparison ATX Cases . . . . . . Low-End System . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . Mid-Range System . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . AMD . . . . . . . . . High-End System . . . . . Intel . . . . . . . . . . AMD (AM3+) . . . . Premium System . . . . . Intel (LGA 1155) . . . Intel (LGA 2011) . . . AMD (AM3+) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

28 29 29 31 31 31 31 34 36 36 36 37 37 38 38 38 39 40 40 41 42 42 43 44 45 45 45 45 48 50 50 50 51 51 52 53 53 54 55 55 55 56 58 58 59 60

DAS (Direct Attached Storage) 4/5/8-Bay SATA to eSATA Port Multiplier Enclosure with a SATA 6Gb/s RAID Host Adapter 4/5-Bay SATA to eSATA/USB 3.0 Hardware RAID Enclosure with or without a SATA 6Gb/s Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-Bay SATA/SAS to Mini-SAS Enclosure with a SAS 6Gb/s RAID Host Adapter . . . . . . . .

. . . . Host . . . . . . . .

Other DAS Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workstation General Consideration . . . . Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intel (LGA 1155) . . . . . Intel (LGA 1155Xeon) Intel (LGA 2011) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

60 62 62 62 62 63 64 66 66 66 66 69 69 69 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 75 77 79 79 80

Media Storage Server General Consideration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purpose of a Media Storage Server . . . . Component Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feature Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . Server I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Basic design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-Bay Tower Server . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-Bay Tower Server 1 . . . . . . . . . . . 15-Bay Tower Server with Hot Swap . . . 15-Bay Tower Server 2 . . . . . . . . . . . 15-Bay Rackmount Server . . . . . . . . . Server II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Basic design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-Bay Tower Server . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-Bay Tower Server with Hot Swap . . . 20-Bay Rackmount Server with Hot Swap 24-Bay Rackmount Server with Hot Swap

Introduction

Organization of the Contents

Here is a brief summary of the contents. Introduction: This section includes a brief summary of HTPC systems and hardware components. Peripheral Components and OS: I collected common hardware components used in each system here. OS (Windows only) is also mentioned. Recommended HTPC systems: This longest part is classied into several categories as stated below for convenience. DAS (Direct Attached Storage): If you need more storage space, a quick solution is here. Workstation: A system for (serious) video editing tasks. Server: HD video les occupy lots of storage spaces. So you may need a dedicated media storage server.

Classication of HTPC Systems

HTPC systems here are classied into several categories for convenience, according to the following three criteria. 1. Form Factor A form factor species the physical dimensions of a system. Basically it is the motherboard form factor that denes the overall size of a system. There are dozens of standardized form factors. Among them we will be concerned with the following three most popular form factors. Mini-ITX: 170mm x 170mm (6.7 x 6.7 ) MicroATX: 244mm x 244mm (9.6 x 9.6 ) ATX: 305mm x 244mm (12 x 9.6 ) Because of the size, Mini-ITX provides the least expandability (0 or 1 expansion slot), usually 2 memory slots and CPU support is often limited by the cooling performance of a small Mini-ITX system. MicroATX supports up to 4 expansion slots, while ATX supports up to 7 expansion slots. Usually a Mini-ITX/microATX motherboard supports an integrated graphics so that you may not need a discrete graphic card. An ATX case can usually hold more storage drives than an microATX case, and a microATX case can hold more storage drives than an Mini-ITX case. Here is a physical comparison of actual Mini-ITX motherboard/case, microATX motherboard/case and ATX motherboard/case, along with an AV receiver.

Figure 1: Mini-ITX, microATX and ATX motherboard/case from left to right, AV receiver (ONKYO TX-NA708) in the bottom.

Figure 2: Motherboard, case and case size in the above gure.

Form Factor Mini-ITX MicroATX ATX Motherboard ASRock Z68M-ITX HT ASRock Z68 Pro3-M top ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3 Case Antec ISK 310-150 SilverStone GD06 SilverStone LC20
Case Size: W x H x D mm

222 x 96 x 328 440 x 150 x 340 430 x 170 x 430

You may wonder why the width of the microATX case is almost the same as that of the ATX case. The reason is simple: the PSU is usually laid at in a microATX case, while it is laid vertically in an ATX case. As a consequence, a microATX case is usually shorter in height than an ATX case. 2. Performance and Cost Typical tasks done by a HTPC are Playing back (or watching) media contents including: Non-streamed media such as DVD movies, Blu-ray Disc movies, CDs. Streamed media such as TV and radio (terrestrial, satellite, cable, Internet). Media les stored locally. Creating media les from various sources, non-streaming or streaming (usually called ripping or recording), and storing them for later use. Editing, including re-encoding, media les. Hardware components that are important for each task is: Playing back video: This includes decoding and various post-processing tasks (deinterlacing, resampling, color space conversion etc.). GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) is the most important component. The current GPUs integrated in Intel or AMD processors are very good. Some people may prefer a good mid-range discrete GPU. A high-end card is good for better gaming experience of course, but it does not improve video playback performance.

 Ripping: The speed of ripping DVD/BD discs is mostly limited by the read speed of the optical disc drive used. Recording: HDTV contents are already encoded in either MPEG-2 or H.264. A TV tuner demodulates TV signals to MPEG-2 or H.264 video streams, which are then stored in HDD. Any decent system can do that easily. Recording multiple programs simultaneously is usually no problem because the write speed of HDD is far larger than the necessary bandwidth to write multiple compressed video streams. Editing and re-encoding video (except for simple cut and join): This is one of the most CPU-intensive tasks. A good quad-core (or more) processor is recommended. A trend is that GPU (stream processors) ofoads CPU, and several video editing applications already support it (keywords: GPGPU, OpenCL, Microsoft DirectCompute, NVIDIA CUDA, AMD APP). In general better performance means more cost. Performance and cost is the secondary category of the list. 3. CPU-Chipset-GPU Manufacturers CPU, chipset (in motherboard; controlling various I/O devices and connecting them to CPU/memory) and GPU are the three main hardware components of a system. Intel and AMD are the main suppliers of CPU for PC. Intel and AMD are producing chipsets for its own CPUs. Intel (integrated GPU only), AMD and NVIDIA are the top three GPU manufacturers. CPU/chipset/GPU manufacturers is the third category of the list.

Component Selection
A HTPC is a PC. Hence it consists of the following core components: Processor, a.k.a. CPU (Central Processing Unit): The brain of the PC. Actual computation (possibly except for graphics processing) takes place here. CPU Cooler: A cooling device for CPU. Motherboard: A large PCB (Print Circuit Board) physically and electrically connecting CPU, memory and various I/O (input/output) devices via chipset (an IC containing I/O controllers, soldered on the motherboard). Memory, a.k.a. RAM (Random Access Memory): Short-term storage used by CPU. Graphics Card, a.k.a. GPU (Graphics Processing Unit): A device rendering video output to a display. In HTPC, this also decodes and processes videos. This is either integrated in the processor (iGPU, integrated GPU) or available as an expansion card (dGPU, discrete GPU). HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive): Long-term storage for the operating system, applications and data. PSU (Power Supply Unit): A unit converting AC to DC and supplying DC currents for the other internal components. Case: An enclosure that houses the above components (and more). from top left to bottom right in the gure.

Figure 3: Core Components of PC

In addition, you may need several peripheral components such as keyboard/mouse and an optical disc drive. Peripherals are explained in the next section. CPU The current line up of Intel and AMD processors are Intel Sandy Bridge (SNB) processor. This includes Celeron G500 Series, Pentium G600/G800 Series, and Second Generation Core i3/i5/i7 Processors. All of them have integrated graphics, called Intel HD Graphics (2000/3000). LGA 1155 socket. Intel Sandy Bridge-E (SNB-E) processor. This includes Core i7-3960X and Core i7-3930K. An ultra highend version of the Sandy Bridge processor with a different chipset and a different socket, called LGA 2011, without integrated GPU. AMD A-Series Processor (Llano). AMD K10 processor and Radeon HD 6000 Series graphics in a single die, called APU (Accelerated Processing Unit). Socket FM1. AMD FX-Series Processor (Zambezi). This is based on the brand new Bulldozer modules. Graphics is not integrated. Socket AM3+. My recommendations are Below $100: Intel Celeron G530 or Pentium G620 is a cheap, but very powerful dual-core processor. AMD A4-3300 and A6-3500 APU support Blu-ray 3D, the latter of which is powerful enough to convert 2D to 3D. $100 to $150: Intel Core i3-2105/2125 with Intel HD Graphics 3000 (dual-core, quad-thread, 12 EUs) if you are going to use integrated graphics. Intel Core i3-2100/2120/2130 (dual-core, quad-thread, 6 EUs) if you are going to use a discrete graphics. AMD A6-3650 APU (quad-core, 320 graphics cores) is also a good choice. Its graphics is roughly twice more powerful than Intels, good for light gaming. Over $150: Intel Core i5 and i7 (quad-core, quad or octa-thread) are excellent general purpose processors. AMD FX-Series quad-module, octa-core processor is also an excellent choice. If you want a workstationclass processor, select Core i7-3930K or Core i7-3960X.

Chipset and Motherboard Intel produces chipsets for its own chips and AMD for its own chips. ASUS, ASRock, GIGABYTE and MSI are the top four motherboard manufacturers and their motherboards are in general very reliable. The performance of a motherboard is mostly determined by the chipset and there is little difference between the manufacturers. So the main selection factor is the features of the motherboard, e.g. the number of PCI Express slots, SATA 3, USB 3.0, IEEE 1394. Memory Capacity, frequency, timings: 2 x 2GB memory modules, 4GB in total, is enough for video playback. 2 x 4GB or more may be a good choice for other tasks such as video editing. DDR3-1333 or DDR3-1600 is a good choice for low-end systems. DDR3-2133 for mid-range and high-end systems. CAS latency (CL) and timings may affect some memory-intensive applications, but in general you can ignore them safely. Brand: Basically the brand does not matter in performance as the standards are established by JEDEC rigorously. Its not like Intel vs. AMD in CPU. Reliability and overclockability may vary from brand to brand, however. Graphics and Sound Devices The graphics processor integrated in Intel/AMD processors is good enough for video playback. AMD and NVIDIA are manufacturing discrete graphics cards and they are recommended if you are not satised with integrated ones. My recommendations are AMD Radeon HD 6570 DDR3-1800 is an excellent graphics card for every kind of video playback tasks. Select HD 6670 GDDR5 for stabler operation. NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 DDR3-1600 is another excellent choice. Select GT 440 GDDR5 or GTS 450 GDDR5 or GTX 550 Ti GDDR5 for stabler operation. All of these graphics cards, integrated or discrete, include HD audio controller: audio signals are interleaved in TMDS signals, which are transmitted over HDMI. All of the latest graphics cards support multichannel LPCM (up to 8 channel, 24 bit, 192 kHz), DVD compressed audio formats (Dolby Digital and DTS), as well as Blu-ray Disc/HD DVD compressed audio formats (Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio). Older cards may not support some of them. Here is a summary of supported audio formats.

Peripheral Components and OS

A HTPC needs peripheral components (input devices, optical drive, TV tuner etc.) to be functional besides the core components (CPU, motherboard, memory, graphics card, HDD, PSU and case). The following is a quick list of recommended peripheral components and OS. In the subsequent sections, I will give only core components.

Input Device
MCE Remote A MCE remote is a (usually IR) remote control and a receiver to be attached to the HTPC (internally or externally via USB) that controls Windows Media Center and other front ends/media players at a distant place. Some HTPC cases and TV tuner cards come with a MCE remote. If not, you can buy one. GP-IR01BK Windows Vista MCE Remote Control External IR Receiver and Remote, $24, or GP-IR02BK Windows Vista MCE 2 Channel Remote Control External IR Receiver and Remote, $24. Antec Multimedia Station Basic Internal IR Receiver and Remote, $22. The same as SoundGraph iMON Inside. ASRock Smart Remote Internal CIR Receiver and Remote, $25. This works with most ASRock motherboards. A normal MCE remote supports only waking up the system from sleep. SoundGraph iMON Inside/VFD/LCD (also integrated in some HTPC cases such as Antec Fusion Remote) and ASRock Smart Remote support powering on the system. Figure 6: MCE Remote

Universal Remote If you want to control all entertainment equipments at your home theater room, a universal remote is a must. Your HTPC needs to have an IR receiver (so you rst need to have a MCE remote). Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote, $160. Logitech Harmony 700 (A stripped version of Harmony One: up to 6 devices, non-touch screen), $90. 11

 Logitech Harmony 650 (A stripped version of Harmony One: up to 5 devices, non-touch screen), $52. Logitech Harmony 300i (A stripped version of Harmony One: up to 4 devices, no screen, no backlit), $29. Logitech Harmony 900 (Harmony One + RF capabilities), $249. Logitech Harmony 1100 (3.5 touch screen; RF capabilities), $260. from top left to bottom right in the gure. Figure 7: Universal Remote

Keyboard and Mouse Rii Mini Wireless Keyboard with Touchpad RT-MWK01, $31. Rii Mini i6 Wireless Keyboard and Remote, $43. Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400, $39. IOGEAR GKM561R 2.4 GHz Multimedia Keyboard with Laser Trackball and Scroll Wheel, $36. Logitech diNovo Mini, $109. Logitech diNovo Edge, $100.

from top left to bottom right in the gure. Figure 8: Keyboard and Mouse

There are plenty of other options. Please read forum threads like these: 12

 AVS Forum: Why is there still no optimal HTPC keyboard? (September 2011) AVS Forum: Best Keyboard and Mouse/Trackball - Whatcha got??? (January 2010) AVS Forum: Can anyone recommend a wireless keyboard with built in mouse for htpc? (September 2004) So what do you need? So what do you need (besides a keyboard and a mouse when installing OS/software)? There is no simple answer. If you just want to control a front end remotely, a cheap MCE remote may be enough. But you still need to a keyboard/mouse, for example, to surf the web. Logitech Harmony is good to control lots of CE devices as well as HTPC. But you still need to a keyboard/mouse, for example, to surf the web. Rii Mini i6 Wireless Keyboard and Remote could be an all-in-one solution: a full keyboard and a touchpad on one side, a remote on the other side (a lot to be improved, however).

Optical Disc Drive

BD Writer/Reader / DVD Writer/Reader LITE-ON iHBS112 BD Writer / DVD Reader (BD-ROM DL: 8x), $100. Pioneer BDR-206 BD Writer / DVD Writer (BD-ROM DL: 8x), $95. LG WH12LS30 BD Writer / DVD Writer with LightScribe (BD-ROM DL: 8x), $80. Samsung SH-B123L BD Reader / DVD Writer with LightScribe (BD-ROM DL: 8x), $52. LG UH12LS28 BD Reader / DVD Writer with LightScribe (BD-ROM DL: 8x), $60.

BD Writer/Reader / DVD WriterSlim Type, Tray Load Panasonic UJ-240 Slim Type BD Writer / DVD Writer (BD-ROM: 6x), $95. LG CT21N Slim Type BD Reader / DVD Writer (BD-ROM DL: 6x), $90.

TV Tuner Card for ATSC/Cable

Digital+Analog AVerMedia AVerTV Combo G2 PCIe x1 Card, low-prole (White Box or Media Center Upgrade Kit), $88. A dual tuner, one for analog cable, one for ATSC/clear digital cable). Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 PCIe x1 Card, low-prole (White Box or MC Kit), $96. A dual hybrid tuner. Each tuner individually acts as analog cable or ATSC/clear digital cable.

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Figure 9: TV TunerDigital+Analog

Digital Only AVerMedia AVerTVHD Duet PCIe x1 Card, low-prole (White Box), $70. A dual digital tuner. Silicondust HDHomeRun HDHR3-US Dual ATSC/QAM Digital TV Tuner Networked Device, $99. Figure 10: TV TunerDigital Only

Digital Cable Tuner Card Ceton InniTV 4 PCIe Digital Cable Quad-Tuner PCIe x1 Card, low-prole, $269. Ceton InniTV 4 USB Digital Cable Quad-Tuner USB Device, $269. Silicondust HDHomeRun Prime Digital Cable Triple-Tuner Networked Device, $230. Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650 Digital Cable Dual-Tuner USB Device, $120. Figure 11: Digital Cable Tuner Card

These cards enable any PC running Windows 7 Media Center on your local network to watch or record up to four (Ceton; the max number of CableCARD tuners Windows 7 allows)/three (Silicondust)/two (Hauppauge) live cable channels at once, including premium channels. You just need: Digital cable subscription from a US cable provider Multi-Stream CableCARD (M-Card) available from your cable provider A limitation on recordings is: 14

 A content marked as Copy Freely has no DRM in your recording. It is basically the same as clear QAM contents once decrypted by the M-Card. A content marked as Copy Once can be watched only on the PC where it was recorded and Media Center Extenders like the Xbox 360. It is up to each cable provider which content is marked as Copy Freely/Copy Once. References Ceton InniTV 4 PCIe: Product information page Ceton InniTV 4 USB: Product information page HDHomeRun PRIME: Product information page Hauppauge WinTV-DCR-2650: Product information page AVS Forum: Latest Ceton InniTV 4 Info Thread Windows Experts Community Forums: Ceton MOCUR Q&A- FAQ in First Post - Please Read AVS Forum: HDHomeRun Prime Owners Thread The Green Button: CableCARD Providers & Their Encryption / SDV Status

HD Video Capturing Hauppauge HD PVR model 01212 USB Device, $180. Hauppauge Colossus PCIe x1 Device, $135. Figure 12: HD Video Capturing

HD PVR captures HD video contents, encrypted or unencrypted, via component video (i.e. analog) from a cable or satellite TV set top box in H.264 video with DD or AAC audio. Recordings are naturally DRM-free. You can watch/record one channel at a time with a HD PVR unit and a STB. You will need multiple HD PVR units and multiple STBs to watch/record multiple channels simultaneously. Colossus is similar to HD PVR, but it is a PCIe x1 card and supports unencrypted digital video up to 1080i via HDMI.

Sound Card
If you are going to use an AV receiver, you are unlikely to use a discrete sound card because necessary hardware for HD digital audio is provided by either the motherboards onboard audio codec or the HDMI on a graphics card (read Introduction: Component Selection: Graphics and Sound Devices). Here are some exceptions.

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Analog Some people prefer an analog sound card + amplier to an AV receiver. A typical reason is that you spent more than $1,000 on an AV receiver with multichannel audio in several years ago, but it lacks HDMI support; instead of spending another $1,000 on a new AV receiver, you many want to go with an analog sound card + amplier of the existing AV receiver. Or you are a music lover and may want to use a good analog sound card for music. 7.1 Sound Card HT|OMEGA eCLARO 7.1 PCI Express x1 Sound Card, $185. Note that if you use an AACS-compliant BD software player such as CyberLink PowerDVD and ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre, HD audio will be downsampled with these cards. Using another player with an appropriate audio decoder is a workaround. For example, please read this post. Stereo Sound Card ASUS Xonar Essence STX Stereo PCI Express x1 Sound Card, $169. from top left to bottom right in the gure. Figure 13: Analog Sound Card

S/PDIF If you want to use S/PDIF out and your motherboard has only an internal S/PDIF connector, then you can build your own coaxial S/PDIF bracket for external connection. Buy RCA COMPOSITE VIDEOPANEL F TO 1X3 F, $6.30 from FRONTX and attach it to an empty PCI bracket by drilling a hole. Figure 14: S/PDIF Bracket

If you want to use S/PDIF out, but your motherboard does not have an internal/external SPDIF connector, here cheap S/PDIF solutions: 16

 Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro II USB Sound Card (S/PDIF and stereo analog), $23. DIAMOND XtremeSound XS71DDL 7.1/24 bit PCI Card with Dolby Digital Live, $26. Figure 15: S/PDIF Sound Card

Unlike analog sound cards, any cheap S/PDIF sound card is enough for this purpose. Its only role is transmit the Dolby Digital/DTS compressed audio format over S/PDIF.

OS
Microsoft Windows is the dominating OS in HTPC for good reasons. The latest Windows is recommended. Windows 7, Home Premium or higher, 32-bit or 64-bit, Retail or OEM or TechNet/MSDN Subscription. Figure 16: TechNet Subscription

Remarks Windows 7 Editions: Home Premium is enough for normal HTPC tasks. 7 Home Premium supports full-system backup and restore unlike Vista Home Premium. You can nd comparison of Windows 7 editions in this Microsoft web page and Wikipedia. 32 bit vs. 64 bit: I recommend Windows 32-bit at this time unless you are going to use more than 4GB memory and/or you are going to boot from a 3TB HDD (with a proper motherboard). All video playback applications are still 32-bit so that using 64-bit OS for them is not only pointless but sometimes may give inconvenience. TechNet Subscription: You may want to subscribe TechNet Standard, $199 per year, or TechNet Professional, $349 per year, if you want to install Windows (including Windows Home Server), Microsoft Ofce, and/or other Microsoft applications on several (non-productive) machines. The license is valid 17

indenitely. You can activate a product with the supplied product key even after your subscription expires, up to 10 times per product key. You can obtain 2 retail keys for each product in Standard and 5 retail keys for each product in Professional, so that 2 x 10 = 20 times or 5 x 10 = 50 times activation is allowed in several machines for each product. Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate are counted as different products, but the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version of each edition are counted as the same product. You cant download products or obtain product keys after the expiration of your subscription, of course.

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Mini-ITX System

General Consideration
Mini-ITX form factor has become popular because of its small footprint. However there are a couple of limitations. It supports at most one expansion slot. So if you decide to add a discrete graphics card, for example, you cant use an internal TV tuner card. A Mini-ITX case is usually very small, hence there is often a space limitation for the CPU cooler, storage drives and PSU. In many cases you can use only a slim-type optical drive and/or a 2.5 SSD/HDD, that are often expensive. If you agree with these limitations, a Mini-ITX system can be not only a good HTPC but also a gaming machine or a video encoding machine by placing a powerful discrete graphics card and/or CPU. Price Range I will give a budget system, a low-end system, a mid-range system, a mid-range gaming system and a high-end gaming system, for each of Intel and AMD platform. Feature Comparison Legend In general : Supported. : Partially supported. : Not supported. 2D Video by DXVA/EVR: 2D video playback in the standard DXVA/EVR framework, where Figure 18: Video Formats
SD film SD video HD film HD i video HD p video Origin film video film video video Format 480i60 480i60 1080p24 / 1080i60 1080i60 1080p60 Output to renderer 480p24 (by IVTC) 480p60 (by deinterlacing) 1080p24 (by IVTC) 1080p60 (by deinterlacing) 1080p60 Outut to display 1080p24 (by upscaling) 1080p60 (by upscaling) 1080p24 1080p60 1080p60

indicates that the playback is perfectly smooth. indicates that the playback is smooth when some post-processors are disabled. indicates that the playback is not smooth. 2D Video by ffdshow/madVR (HQ): 2D video playback by ffdshow Video Decoder with yadif deinterlacer and madVR video renderer with high quality settings. indicates that the playback is perfectly smooth. indicates that the playback is not smooth. 3D Video

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Figure 17: Mini-ITX Systems Feature Comparison

Price Range Platform CPU Chipset GPU Price SD film SD video 2D Video by HD film DXVA/EVR HD i video HD p video SD film 2D Video by SD video ffdshow/madV HD film R (HQ) HD i video HD p video MVC MVC (CPU) 2D3D (CPU) 3D Video Frame Packing
SBS(H)/TAB/CB 720p 120Hz AFS
2Ch PCM/DD/DTS

HDMI Audio

Multi Ch LPCM
THD/DD+/DTS-HD

SATA 2.0 / 3.0

eSATA 2.0 / 3.0

MB Features

USB 3.0 e / i IEEE 1394 Analog Audio

Optical or Coax

Gaming
Video Encoding

3DMark06 3DMark 11
Frame per Sec.
Power per Frame

Idle DC Power Consumption

Video Playback 1 Video Playback 2

CPU Load GPU Load

CPU+GPU Load

Budget Intel AMD FT1 Cel G530 E-350 H67 A50M Intel HD G HD 6310 $305 $278 * 1/2 0/4 1/0 0/1 7.1 7.1 2702 2252 P300 10.08 fps 3.18 fps 4.73 J/f 12.04 J/f 21 W 15 W 28 W 27 W 34 W 38 W 28 W 31 W 35 W 47 W 37 W

Low-End Intel AMD FM1 Pen G620 A6-3500 H67 A75

Mid-Range Intel AMD FM1 i3-2105 A6-3650 Z68 A75

Intel HD G HD 6410D Intel HD G 3k HD 6530D

$352 $382 $492 $437 * * 2/2 0/4 2/2 0/4 1/0 0/1 1/0 0/1 2/0 4/0 2/0 4/0 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 2951 5380 4205 5900 P750 P800 11.01 fps 10.61 fps 16.67 fps 18.17 fps 4.42 J/f 7.03 J/f 4.21 J/f 5.55 J/f 21 W 20 W 25 W 23 W 28 W 29 W 29 W 35 W 34 W 48 W 38 W 57 W 40 W 67 W 57 W 96 W 33 W 62 W 45 W 73 W 51 W 89 W 79 W 140 W

Mid-Range Gaming High-End Gaming Intel AMD FM1 Intel Core i3-2130 Athlon II X4 631 Core i5-2500K Z68 A75 Z68 HD 6850 GTX 460 HD 6850 GTX 460 HD 6950 GTX 560 Ti $713 $723 $626 $636 $1,127 $1,099 2/2 2/2 0/4 0/4 2/2 2/2 1/0 1/0 0/1 0/1 1/0 1/0 2/0 2/0 4/0 4/0 2/0 2/0 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 7.1 19188 19738 14376 14339 26766 26533 P4005 P4250 P3210 P3180 P5072 P5008 18.28 fps 18.28 fps 18.03 fps 18.03 fps 28.49 fps 28.49 fps 4.61 J/f 4.78 J/f 8.01 J/f 8.38 J/f 3.90 J/f 4.08 J/f 37 W 40 W 38 W 44 W 38 W 42 W 43 W 45 W 53 W 59 W 44 W 48 W 47 W 50 W 90 W 96 W 48 W 52 W 70 W 73 W 132 W 138 W 96 W 101 W 141 W 169 W 199 W 216 W 194 W 203 W 163 W 191 W 268 W 284 W 240 W 248 W

MVC: Hardware acceleration of decoding MPEG-4 MVC (the Blu-ray 3D video codec). MVC (CPU): Decoding MPEG-4 MVC by CPU. means that BR 3D is playable, but the CPU usage is very high (66% to 99%). 2D3D (CPU): Conversion of 2D video to 3D by CPU. Converting 2D SD video is easy, but converting 2D HD video is CPU-intensive. Frame Packing: One of the primary 3D video format structures by HDMI 1.4a, used for full-quality 3D movie playback. SBS(H)/TAB/CB: Side-by-Side (Half), Top-and-Bottom, and Checkerboard 3D formats respectively. The rst two are primary 3D video format structures by HDMI 1.4a, used for broadcast contents. Side-by-Side (Half) is also used by some Blu-ray 3D. The last format is used by DLP 3D HDTVs from Mitsubishi and Samsung. 720p 120Hz AFS: 720p 120Hz Alternate-Frame Sequencing 3D video format, used by several 720p DLP 3D projectors such as Acer H5360. HDMI Audio: This indicates supported audio formats over HDMI from the GPU. 2Ch PCM/DD/DTS: Support for stereo LPCM, Dolby Digital and DTS. Multi Ch LPCM: Support for multichannel (5.1 and 7.1) LPCM. THD/DD+/DTS-HD: Support for Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD Master Audio/High Resolution Audio. 20

 MB Features: Features found in the motherboard. SATA 2.0 / 3.0: The number of SATA 2.0 (3Gb/s) / SATA 3.0 (6Gb/s) internal connectors respectively. eSATA 2.0 / 3.0: The number of eSATA 2.0 (3Gb/s) / eSATA 3.0 (6Gb/s) connectors respectively. USB 3.0 e / i: The number of USB 3.0 external / internal connectors respectively. IEEE 1394: Support for IEEE 1394 (aka FireWire). Analog Audio: The supported number of channels of analog audio from the audio codec of the motherboard. Optical or Coax: This indicates the existence of an S/PDIF connector (optical or coaxial) on the rear panel of the motherboard. Gaming 3DMark06: The score of 3DMark06 Basic. 3DMark 11: The score of 3DMark 11 Performance preset. Video Encoding Frame per Sec.: x264 HD Benchmark 4.0 Render Speed (Pass 2). Power per Frame: The AC power draw of the total system to encode a frame in the above benchmark. The value depends on PSUs efciency, which depends on various factors. So take it as a rough estimate. DC Power Consumption: The DC power draw of the total system excluding PSU. The AC power draw from the wall is (DC power draw)/(Efciency of the PSU). Idle: At idle. Video Playback 1: At playing back a 1080p24 content stored locally by DXVA/EVR. Video Playback 2: At playing back a 1080p24 content stored locally by ffdshow/madVR. CPU Load: At Prime95 (Small FFTs). GPU Load: At FurMark (BURN-IN test). CPU+GPU Load: At Prime95 (Small FFTs) and FurMark (BURN-IN test) simultaneously. Mini-ITX Cases There are several nice Mini-ITX cases. For example, Cases with No Optical Drive Bay and No Expansion Slot Antec ISK-100, 2 x 2.5 , W70 x H248 x D212 mm (3.7L), 90W PSU, $75. Mini-Box.com M350, 2 x 2.5 , W192 x H62 x D210 mm (2.5L), $40, with Mini-Box.com picoPSU-120 + 102W Adapter Power Kit, $55. from left to right in the gure. Figure 19: Mini-ITX Cases

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Cases with Optical Drive Bay but No Expansion Slot IN WIN BQ656, 1 x 2.5 /1 x 5.25 slim, W76 x H225 x D193 mm (3.3L), 80W PSU, $50. IN WIN BQ660, 1 x 2.5 /1 x 5.25 slim, W76 x H225 x D193 mm (3.3L), 80W PSU (not available in US). Lian Li PC-Q09F, 1 x 2.5 /1 x 5.25 slim, W265 x H124 x D200 mm (6.6L), 150W PSU, $90. from left to right in the gure. Figure 20: Mini-ITX Cases with Optical Drive Bay

Cases with Optical Drive Bay and Expansion Slot (LP = low prole, FH = full height) Antec ISK 300-150, 2 x 2.5 /1 x 5.25 slim/1 x LP slot, W222 x H96 x D328 mm (7.0L), 150W PSU, $71. Antec ISK 310-150, 2 x 2.5 /1 x 5.25 slim/1 x LP slot, W222 x H96 x D328 mm (7.0L), 150W PSU, $71. Apex MI-008, 2 x 3.5 /1 x 5.25 /1 x FH slot, W220 x H129 x D300 mm (8.5L), 250W PSU, $40, with a low-prole cooler with height less than 40 mm (to avoid the interference with the PSU fan), for example, GELID Slim Silence i-Plus, $26 (for a LGA 775/1156/1155 processor) or GELID Slim Silence AM2, $19 (for an AM3 processor). Rosewill RC-CIX-01, 1 x 3.5 /1 x 5.25 /1 x FH slot, W200 x H166 x D303 mm (10.1L), 150W PSU, $40. SilverStone Sugo SG05-450 SST-SG05BB-450 Mini-ITX/Mini-DTX, 1 x 2.5 /1 x 3.5 /1 x 5.25 slim/2 x FH slot, W222 x H176 x D276 mm (10.8L), 450W PSU, $120. SilverStone Sugo SG07 SST-SG07B Mini-ITX/Mini-DTX, 2 x 2.5 /1 x 3.5 /1 x 5.25 slim/2 x FH slot, W222 x H190 x D350 mm (14.8L), 600W PSU, $200. from top left to bottom right in the gure. Figure 21: Mini-ITX Cases with Optical Drive Bay and Expansion Slot

I will use Antec ISK-100 in the budget system, Antec ISK 310-150 in the low-end and mid-range systems, SilverStone Sugo SG05-450 in the mid-range gaming systems, and SilverStone Sugo SG07 in the high-end 22