How not to build an HTPC
 

So I started with my "good enough" HTPC build with the following components

1 - ASUS P5G41 mATX motherboard - $65.00
1 - PDC E5400- $80.00
1 - 300W PS (free, old stuff)
1 - DVD Reader (free, old stuff)
1 - 500 GB (free, old stuff)
1 - Silverstone LC17B - $120.00
1 - Kingston 2GB DDR2 RAM - $50
Total cost: $315.00 + tax

Got everything setup, good to go, running nice and fine. Until I felt I needed a new remote and wireless keyboard + mouse.

So I added:

1 - Remote - $30.00
1 - EX100 keyboard + mouse = $40

Total cost: $385 + tax

Everything was going well. Until I felt the processing power was a bit lacking. The CPU sample I had didn't do very well overclocked so I said, "why not get a better overclocker and stick with that?". So I then added:

1 - E6500 - +$10.00
1 - OCZ StealthXstream 500W - $60.00
1 - ASUS P5G43T PRO - +$25.00

Total cost: $470.0 + tax

Running nice and fine at 3.8Ghz stock cooler until, I loaded the CPU and it ran too hot for my taste. Also I though it wasn't very nice to have the "separate" remote and dongle so I then added:

1 - Silverstone LC20B-M - +$100.0 (VFD + remote)
2 - 90mm Yate Loon - $14.00
2 - 80mm Arctic F8 - $16.00
1 - PCI exhaust fan - $12.00
1 - Coolermaster N520 - $34.00 (Didn't fit outright, missed ceiling by 3mm, so I had to bend the heatpipes a tad)

Total cost: $646.00 + tax

Then I thought, wouldn't it be nice if I could play some games on this too? So then I added:

1 - ASUS GT240 - $115.00

Total cost: $761 + tax

I thought the GT240 was then too slow so I replace it with:

1- ASUS EAH5770 - +$75.00

Total cost: $836 + tax

The EAH5770 ran too hot @90C "normal" gaming and squealed at full fan speed which irritated everyone living at my house so I added:

1 - Arctic Accelero L2 - $20.00

Again, everything was running fine, until I felt I was being CPU limited. An irrational perception I knew, but it's probably "ok" I thought. So I then added:

1 - Q9550 - +$160.00

Total cost: $1016.00

Then I though I needed bluray so I added:
1 - Liteon bluray - $60.00

Total cost: $1076.00

I needed drive space to consolidate my junk I said so I then added:

3 - 2TB WD green - $360.00

Total cost: $1436.00 + tax

Wouldn't it be nice to just have a single remote I said so I bought:

1 - Harmony one - $229.00

This boots too slow I said:

1 - OCZ vertex 60GB + bracket = $165.00

Final Total: $1830+ tax = ~$2050.00

Holy mother. I should have just sticked with my original build. Now I have a medium build that's only used occasionally as a movie player and serves my files from time to time. -__-' Slap my head and call me monkey! :doh:

I think most people on these forums know the feeling. Not just for HTPC's but for all computer gear.

I did the same thing. I originally started off with a PC, slowly upgraded everything. I ended up having the exact same PC at the end, but unassembled. And a newer HTPC. Thankfully I got some good deals here so my HTPC cost me $800 overall with 5TB of storage.

Now that you've done this, next time you build you will just go for what you want and use the argument "well, I'll upgrade anyways". It's vicious.

Good Lord, do I recognize myself in that thread...

Yup, so that's why you just buy what you'll be sastisfied with first. Of course we can never be sastisfied though...

Well.....at least you can say your HTPC can play Crysis. :bananafunky:

If someone wants to start a support group....sign me up.

At least that bluray was a really good deal ;0

Please sign me up as well :thumb:

It was the cheapest one I could find :ph34r:

Hardware
 

It's eerily familiar. With my newest build, it kept getting modified after up and running. Luckily some friends in the area were in need of components I was wanting to upgrade. Even then, I built another mid grade system with a cpu and gpu overkill.
My daughter loves my train of thought. She took my wife's comp to school last year for computer tech classes and with our permission her teacher used it as a lan server for their gaming club. We had installed an extra hdd to avoid issues with my wife's setup. "It's amazing how much faster a quad core is over a P4 Dad!" D'uh!!!
Anyway, the extra parts are easier to store in the case than on the shelf, hehe.
:biggrin: