Budget HTPC Build with Spare Parts

[bluesummer]

Budget (including currency): Less than $500

Country: US

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: HTPC with light gaming

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/FHn9nt HTPC I'm throwing together with spare parts, obviously anything marked as purchased I already own. Willing to change case/PSU/CPU Cooler/Mobo for budget or performance reasons, everything else stays though. Definitely looking for better parts and budget optimizations, not gonna play around to much with overclocking/undervolting etc. unless I have too. Fire away! Looking to make this the perfect HTPC build with these parts. Also, I would like to emphasize silence as a focus for a case and case fan suggestions, I'm very picky about it, especially when watching movies or gaming, lol. 

 

[Bombastinator]

So basically you’re short a motherboard, a case, and a power supply.  The standard concerns for HTPC are quiet and storage.  Throwing a big but cheap HDD on it too might not be the worst idea.  Slow is fine.  Something cheap and shingled.  Going matx instead of itx if you’ve got the space might also be a good cost saving measure. Another item I might add is an overkill cooler.  Get the fan speed on the cooler low enough and it’s basically silent.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Bombastinator

[bluesummer]

Just now, Bombastinator said:

So basically you’re short a motherboard, a case, and a power supply.  The standard concerns for HTPC are quiet and storage.  Throwing a big but cheap HDD on it too might not be the worst idea.  Going matx instead of itx if you’ve got the space might also be a good cost saving measure. Another item I might add is an overkill cooler.  Get the fan speed on the cooler low enough and it’s basically silent.

Alright, great suggestions! I thought MiniITX would be cool since I've never built in one before, but you're definitely right. I already have some coolers and PSUs in mind but do you have any case suggestions? Thanks! 

[Bombastinator]

6 minutes ago, bluesummer said:

Alright, great suggestions! I thought MiniITX would be cool since I've never built in one before, but you're definitely right. I already have some coolers and PSUs in mind but do you have any case suggestions? Thanks! 

I know near nothing about PSUs.  Maybe look at a tier list.  Not something to cheap out on though because it’s liable to be left on.  My first thought for a cooler was that cheap scythe dual  tower.  Might be too pricey though.  Even a 4 pipe tower would do it though.  That is not a hot chip.  Overkill is easy to accomplish.  Just move up a level or two.  I’d pick a lowball case first and then find the biggest cheap cooler that fits in it.  You might even have something already.  Adaptors exist.  AIO is a must miss.   One other thought may be to put even more storage in it and use it as a server too.  It’s a not too bad place to throw old hard drives.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Bombastinator

[bluesummer]

6 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

I know near nothing about PSUs.  Maybe look at a tier list.  Not something to cheap out on though because it’s liable to be left on.  My first thought for a cooler was that cheap scythe dual  tower.  Might be too pricey though.  Even a 4 pipe tower would do it though.  That is not a hot chip.  Overkill is easy to accomplish.  Just move up a level or two.  I’d pick a lowball case first and then find the biggest cheap cooler that fits in it.  You might even have something already.  Adaptors exist.  AIO is a must miss.   One other thought may be to put even more storage in it and use it as a server too.  It’s a not too bad place to throw old hard drives.

All very good ideas, I'll do some research on cases, otherwise I have it figured out. Thanks a ton =)

[Bombastinator]

1 hour ago, bluesummer said:

All very good ideas, I'll do some research on cases, otherwise I have it figured out. Thanks a ton =)

Glad I was there useful