After using XBMC on the pi for a while i'm looking at building something that's more up to the job. I will be running XBMC and playing media from a HDD and some streaming. Maybe play a few indie games on it like prison architect and FTL I want to keep budget as low as possible and already have some parts laying around so im only looking for the following CPU - Motherboard - MSI AM1I AMD Mini ITX - £21.26 Case Maybe a PSU
Check out parge's thread here. http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=275551 I'm also think about this in a couple of months. Edit: removed stupid brain fart on my part
i wasnt aware of the J1900, do all J1900 use SO-DIMM? i dont have any of that size ram so it would be an extra cost.
This is the exact reason I went AM1 over J1900 (and the upgradability - next gen AM1 will be compatible with current gen boards)
So ive decided im definitly going with a AM1 APU, but what about a motherboard? its got to be ITX, scan only has 2 motherboards for this socket but im unsure as to which would be the best. Then there's the case. i really like the silverstone that parge used and its a good price, but if i was to buy that case i would need a PSU. Does anyone have any experience with the CIT cases that tend to come with PSU's? I also have a 120w pico PSU hang around not in use but would it be enough power for an SSD a HDD and maybe a fan or two?
had a look at the antec ISK 300 and its out of my budget, im looking to spend under £40 on the case. as for the ISK 100 most places dont stock it anymore and it is quite ugly
ooohhh.... glad you've said that now, it would be extremely irritating. I really like the looks of the silverstone case you bought But in this pic you took the front looks really reflective and im not sure if i like it, i suppose it depends where the case is placed. do you find it glares at all? or catches your eye as you walk around or sit watching tv etc?
So just order an MSI AM1 motherboard to get the ball rolling, had it from amazon for only £21.26 which i would say is an absolute bargain. Going to order a CPU next friday, just need to choose which Kabini processor to go for. I'm torn between going for the cheapest quad core which is the Sempron 3850 or the most expensive one which is the Athlon 5350. There's around £16 difference in price but would the performance differ much for what i need it for?
I'd go for the athlon every time. Especially for the small difference in price. At least you know it can handle what you throw at it. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
that's what i was thinking, but i'm building this HTPC out of some spare money left over from my pay each week and wanted to try to keep costs down. the build is only replacing a Raspberry PI at my girlfriends place so whatever i choose it will be a great deal better. I probably will go for the 5350, think i was just looking for some encouragement
I hear what you're saying, but I would still definitely go for the Athlon. I know in % terms it is a lot compared to the Sempron, but I read a couple of reviews on both when I was looking for myself and came to the conclusion that there is a lot more grunt for the extra few quid. If you did go for the Sempron and it didn't perform, you have wasted more money, plus the grief of having to change proc etc etc. Go for the Athlon, you know it makes sense!
I had the same decision to make and went for the Athlon. Tiny difference in price - big difference in performance and same TDP..... no brainer.
Get the 5150 and the ASUS AM1I-A board, you'll save a few quid over the 5350 plus with a tiny fsb bump it'll run at 2ghz no bother. I built one as a retro emulation machine but got bored and sold it on, made it passive too. Pics are here: http://www.avforums.com/threads/am1-mini-itx-system-just-needs-hdd.1887480/ I wouldn't worry about it performance wise for video playback, mine handled 1080p mkv with h264 without any issue. The only emulator I tried that it struggled with was dolphin but thats notorious for needing fast single threaded performance.
My motherboard arrived today, the MSI AM1I, ts a nice little board, doesn't come with a lot. Just the basic instructions, driver disc, backplate and 2 SATA leads. But when it costs just under £22 delivered you can't really moan. Nect up is the case, will hopefully purchase one on the weekend. I can't currently decide what case to go for my budget is £40 without a PSU and £60 with a PSU I quite like the Antec ISK-110 which is on overclockers for £49.99 + shipping = £58.69, I like the looks of the case but it does look a bit crowded inside when the components are installed, also from what i can tell you can't use a pci card as there isnt any room for the backplate.
Hi GTI, Those low wattage AM1I kits look great! I have a a lovely Lian Li ITX HTPC case for sale on the marketplace. http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=276307 I ran my HTPC in it with a Seasonic 250W SFX PSU [needs a £6 adaptor plate as Q07 takes full ATX PSU as standard!] that I got on the 'bay for £10 or so; ther're usually available. Also have an SG07 that will also take a [small] full ATX PSU HTH
Well it seems like i don't have permission to access the marketplace, didn't even know there was one until you mentioned it. Not sure what model lian li you have but the SG07 is too big for my needs, im looking for something slim rather than cube shaped, thanks anyway tho
