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Super budget steam machine

AnthonyPaull
By AnthonyPaull
in New Builds and Planning
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So essentially I want to build a super cheap HTPC that I'll dual boot XBMCbuntu and SteamOS on. I'm going with 4GB of RAM and an AMD APU. I want to know, however, will an A6 6400K suffice or should I go with the A8 6600K. The prices are $69 and $115 respectively.

 

Note that I wont be gaming on this machine (Unless I am playing something extremely light) but I will be streaming from my desktop. Also note that I live in Australia so prices are in AUD.

 

This is my current parts list.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=364751&action=wish_lists

 

My GPU History: GTS 250, 7790, 7850, GTX 660ti, 7870XT, 7970, 280X, 280X Crossfire, 290, 290X, Fury X, 390 Crossfire, Fury Crossfire, 1070, 1080, 1080ti.

My CPU History: Pentium 4, Pentium E5300, Core 2 Quad QX 9650, Intel Xeon 1230 v3, 4790K, 3930K, 5820K, 1700, 3700X.

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So essentially I want to build a super cheap HTPC that I'll dual boot XBMCbuntu and SteamOS on. I'm going with 4GB of RAM and an AMD APU. I want to know, however, will an A6 6400K suffice or should I go with the A8 6600K. The prices are $69 and $115 respectively.

 

Note that I wont be gaming on this machine (Unless I am playing something extremely light) but I will be streaming from my desktop. Also note that I live in Australia so prices are in AUD.

 

This is my current parts list.

http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=wish_lists&wlcId=364751&action=wish_lists

what are you going to cool the cpu with because in that slim case it will get hot...

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well that motherboard and APU is not going to work at all :o

CPU: I7 4790K GPU: Manli GTX 980 Mobo: Asus Gryphon z97 RAM: kingston Hyper x fury 16GB 1866mhz PSU: EVGA supernova 750W G2 SSD: Samsung 840 evo 500GB HDD: WD Black 3TB Case: Parvum s2.0 Fans: Noiseblocker E-loop 800rpm Cooling: Custom water cooling

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for streaming the A6 will suffice however i personally would go for the A8. That way you can play less demanding stuff like some indie titles without having your main rig running.

Core i7 4820K  |  NH-D14 | Rampage IV Extreme | Asus R9 280X DC2T | 8GB G.Skill TridentX | 120GB Samsung 840 | NZXT H440  |  Be quiet! Dark Power Pro 10 650W

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well that motherboard and APU is not going to work at all :o

 

WHOA that was a big mistake... I was looking at doing a pentium build and I forgot to change the mobo back haha.

 

 

for streaming the A6 will suffice however i personally would go for the A8. That way you can play less demanding stuff like some indie titles without having your main rig running.

 

I'm trying to keep it as cheap as possible. Pennies count haha.

 

 

what are you going to cool the cpu with because in that slim case it will get hot...

 

I have a Noctua cooler that makes the clearance, Link, but it has a corsair SP120 on it as I cannibalised the Noctua for my main rig.

My GPU History: GTS 250, 7790, 7850, GTX 660ti, 7870XT, 7970, 280X, 280X Crossfire, 290, 290X, Fury X, 390 Crossfire, Fury Crossfire, 1070, 1080, 1080ti.

My CPU History: Pentium 4, Pentium E5300, Core 2 Quad QX 9650, Intel Xeon 1230 v3, 4790K, 3930K, 5820K, 1700, 3700X.

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Can you go 450$?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.00 @ CPL Online)

Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($50.00 @ CPL Online)

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 250 2GB Core Edition Video Card ($95.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.00 @ CPL Online)

Total: $453.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-06 00:22 EST+1100

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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Can you go 450$?

My problem there is that postage will cost a fortune. I would prefer to get it from one place.

 

And I would also prefer to use an APU as that means I can use a smaller case.

My GPU History: GTS 250, 7790, 7850, GTX 660ti, 7870XT, 7970, 280X, 280X Crossfire, 290, 290X, Fury X, 390 Crossfire, Fury Crossfire, 1070, 1080, 1080ti.

My CPU History: Pentium 4, Pentium E5300, Core 2 Quad QX 9650, Intel Xeon 1230 v3, 4790K, 3930K, 5820K, 1700, 3700X.

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Looks like you're pretty squared away. I'd bump up to the A8 if I were you, but like the other poster said, it should be fine.

The processor is the only place I can see that I'd spend more money on, so if you have the extra $60, then you might as well.

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@AnthonyPaull which one then?

 

I get discounts at PC Case Gear because I buy from there so often.

 

The processor is the only place I can see that I'd spend more money on, so if you have the extra $60, then you might as well.

 

Thanks, Will do

My GPU History: GTS 250, 7790, 7850, GTX 660ti, 7870XT, 7970, 280X, 280X Crossfire, 290, 290X, Fury X, 390 Crossfire, Fury Crossfire, 1070, 1080, 1080ti.

My CPU History: Pentium 4, Pentium E5300, Core 2 Quad QX 9650, Intel Xeon 1230 v3, 4790K, 3930K, 5820K, 1700, 3700X.

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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A8-6600K 3.9GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($115.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard  ($75.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($45.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($65.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Case: Silverstone ML03B HTPC Case  ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Corsair VS 350W ATX Power Supply  ($45.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $414.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-12 19:56 EST+1100

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@AnthonyPaull there you go

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3240 3.1GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.00 @ CPL Online)

Motherboard: Asus H81M-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($68.00 @ CPL Online)

Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($57.00 @ CPL Online)

Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 250 2GB Core Edition Video Card ($89.00 @ PCCaseGear)

Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($45.00 @ CPL Online)

Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.00 @ CPL Online)

Total: $442.00

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-12 20:05 EST+1100

"an obvious supporter of privacy"

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