Media PC

[Matimo]

I want to build a PC for my lounge. It doesn't need great specs, although it needs to be able to run 1080p Netflix and Youtube, and do Steam In-Home Streaming without lag. It'll also act as a replacement for a Blu-Ray player. Price shouldn't include the OS.

-CPU integrated graphics vs APU vs CPU + Low-end GPU

-Budget = £250

Thanks for your help!

[Pugs501]

I feel like a laptop might* be better

 

*I feel like it would be better

[Matimo]

I feel like a laptop might* be better

 

*I feel like it would be better

Surely a self built desktop would be cheaper: no cost for the smaller form-factor often associated with laptops, there's a lot more freedom for choice of parts to suit my budget with a desktop.

[T.Vengeance]

Surely a self built desktop would be cheaper: no cost for the smaller form-factor often associated with laptops, there's a lot more freedom for choice of parts to suit my budget with a desktop.

I'm not too sure what sort of parts go well with that tiny budget, but I do know that any low end GPU is never worth it. If you're thinking of doing In-Home streaming, Intel's HD4000 graphics can handle it perfectly. If you're thinking of also playing low - mid end games, then get an APU and ditch the low end graphics card. If you're just wanting to watch 1080p movies, the HD4000 graphics can handle it fine too.

[WereCat]

AM1 motherboard, AMD 5350, 4GB RAM, PSU, HDD, case ... it will be less than £250

 

EDIT

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: AMD 5350 2.05Ghz Quad-Core Processor  (£39.99 @ Amazon UK) 

Motherboard: MSI AM1I Mini ITX AM1 Motherboard  (£21.84 @ Ebuyer) 

Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£35.94 @ Aria PC) 

Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Tower Case  (£33.05 @ CCL Computers) 

Power Supply: be quiet! 300W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply  (£31.64 @ Aria PC) 

Total: £162.46

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-06 22:09 GMT+0000

 

 

Still room for SSD or dedicated GPU (but no more than GTX 750ti or R9 265). If you plan on OC get ASUS board .. it is more expensive.

[FearMe]

You can save almost 20 quid on this build if you don't want to have passive cooling but prefer one with fans that is cheaper.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor  (£39.12 @ Ebuyer) 

Motherboard: MSI H81I Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£45.44 @ Amazon UK) 

Memory: Mushkin Essentials 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  (£23.03 @ Amazon UK) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£39.99 @ Amazon UK) 

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 250 1GB Video Card  (£72.44 @ Amazon UK) 

Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case  (£35.58 @ CCL Computers) 

Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  (£29.99 @ Novatech) 

Total: £285.59

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-06 23:21 GMT+0000