# Mini ITX HTPC under 26k



## blackbird (Sep 13, 2013)

1. What is the purpose of the computer? What all applications and games are you going to run? (Stupid answers like 'gaming' or 'office work' will not work. Be exact. Which games? Which applications? Avoid the word 'et cetera.')
*Ans: Photoshop (occasionally), Mediaplayers, Browsers (mostly).. Sometime VMWARE*

2. What is your overall budget? If you can extend a bit for a more balanced configuration, then mention this too.
*Ans:  26k*

3. Planning to overclock?
*Ans: No! *

4. Which Operating System are you planning to use?
*Ans: xp, windows 7 , windows 8 any of the mentioned*

5. How much hard drive space is needed?
*Ans: 40gb ssd (for boot partition)? if possible or leave out of budget (mostly suggestion only)*

6. Do you want to buy a monitor? If yes, please mention which screen size and resolution do you want. If you already have a monitor and want to reuse it, again mention the size and resolution of monitor you have.
*Ans: I need Full HD 1080p Monitor I love watching movies so atleast 21-22 inch is necessary I was planning to buy 24 but stopped because More inch More graphics… Good ms and display… LED…. Is ips better than TFT in case of computer monitor ?*

7. Which components you DON'T want to buy or which components you already have and plan on reusing?
*Ans:ups, cabinet, power supply (it is mini itx)*

8. When are you planning to buy the system?
*Ans: next week MAX*

9. Have you ever built a desktop before or will this be done by an assembler?
*Ans: Yes many times*

10. Where do you live? Are you buying locally? Are you open to buying stuff from online shops if you don't get locally?
*Ans: Mumbai, Mostly from Prime abgb*

11. Anything else which you would like to say?
Ans: I would like to say few thing
I am looking for MINI ITX htpc because of space problem in Mumbai and it was my dream to build one with custom cabinet..

*Feature I want in mobo*
1)	USB 3
2)	HDMI out
3)	Intel amd no problem.
4)	Inbuild graphic to support  1080p (playback) ( I do not do encoding decoding stuff waste of time )
5)	atleast 5.1 channel
6)	MINI-ITX FORM FACTOR very very very imp


*Want this*
1)	Cpu
2)	Motherboard
3)	Ram
4)	21-24inch Monitor led ips/tft FULL HD 1080p
5)	Keyboard mouse ERGONOMIC!!!! (Nerve stiffness victim)
6)	Speaker 2.0 simple
7)	Cabinet suggestion ONLY! For mini itx do not include in the price…
8)	40GB SSD SUGGESTION ONLY !!! do not include in the price…


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## ankush28 (Sep 13, 2013)

1) Cpu - i3-3210/ i3-3220
2) Motherboard - cant find good mitx board 
3) Ram - corsair value select 1600MHz 4GB ram
4) 21-24inch Monitor led ips/tft FULL HD 1080p - Dell S2240L 21.5", 1920x1080, ips
5) Keyboard mouse ERGONOMIC!!!! (Nerve stiffness victim) - logitech K200 + Lenovo M6811
6) Speaker 2.0 simple - creative or F&D 2.0 speakers @ 0.4k
7) Cabinet suggestion ONLY! For mini itx do not include in the price…CM elite 120, 110 , 210.
8) 40GB SSD SUGGESTION ONLY !!! do not include in the price… - SSD is totally waste of money in HTPC (nor you have that much budget)

++
Antec BP300 smps
WD blue 500GB hard disc

for AMD option have a look at A8-6600k


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## gxsaurav (Sep 14, 2013)

I suggest you buy a pre-build PC like Sapphire EDGE for these tasks. Or the models from Zotac instead of making your own. 

If you want to make your own then get AMD A10-6700 APU + 2X4GB DDR3 1866 + any Mini ITX Motherboard with front USB 3.0 header + Cooler Master Stacker as these are available easily in India.


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## blackbird (Sep 14, 2013)

Guys missing the main ingredient the motherboard!!!!
Any motherboard suggestion in both platform?



gxsaurav said:


> I suggest you buy a pre-build PC like Sapphire EDGE for these tasks. Or the models from Zotac instead of making your own.
> 
> If you want to make your own then get AMD A10-6700 APU + 2X4GB DDR3 1866 + any Mini ITX Motherboard with front USB 3.0 header + Cooler Master Stacker as these are available easily in India.


Sapphire not available in india i guess
Mini ITX is real DIY thing so i want to build my own


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## Skud (Sep 14, 2013)

Hard to find miniITX mobo in India, This one costs around 9k, although very feature rich.


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## blackbird (Sep 15, 2013)

ankush28 said:


> 1) Cpu - i3-3210/ i3-3220
> 2) Motherboard - cant find good mitx board
> 3) Ram - corsair value select 1600MHz 4GB ram
> 4) 21-24inch Monitor led ips/tft FULL HD 1080p - Dell S2240L 21.5", 1920x1080, ips
> ...





Skud said:


> Hard to find miniITX mobo in India, This one costs around 9k, although very feature rich.



Sorry to say this 
but it is not that hard...

called prime and they gave me this three option
ga-h77n wifi
GA-Z77N-WIFI
ASUS H87I-PLUS (haswell)
still looking for any other availability...

I am thinking of buying this processor Intel G2020
Because my need are not that much if you see...
Photoshop,vmware can be done with this i guess...
but still intel quick sync is missing from this dual core...
still confused with mobo.. limited choice but not hard to find will wait for any other suggestion in this thread


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## gxsaurav (Sep 15, 2013)

I strongly recommend not to go with Intel and to go with AMD APU. You will get DirectX 11.1 which is needed for Windows 8/8.1 and its new 2D rendering engine. 

If you want to go with Intel then get a 4th generation Core i3/i5 at least as they have DirectX 11.1 support.

AMD APUs are more preferred for HTPC then Intel. QuickSync is good but results in quality loss during transcoding. Besides, for QuickSync you will need at least a costly core i5.


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## blackbird (Sep 15, 2013)

gxsaurav said:


> I strongly recommend not to go with Intel and to go with AMD APU. You will get DirectX 11.1 which is needed for Windows 8/8.1 and its new 2D rendering engine.
> 
> If you want to go with Intel then get a 4th generation Core i3/i5 at least as they have DirectX 11.1 support.
> 
> AMD APUs are more preferred for HTPC then Intel. QuickSync is good but results in quality loss during transcoding. Besides, for QuickSync you will need at least a costly core i5.



But there are no - none Amd in HTPC (mini itx mobo) market why so ? can you suggest one ? any source ?
any other suggestion regarding micro atx build ? or mini itx ?


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## ankush28 (Sep 15, 2013)

blackbird said:


> But there are no - none Amd in HTPC (mini itx mobo) market why so ? can you suggest one ? any source ?
> any other suggestion regarding micro atx build ? or mini itx ?



Tons of option in Micro atx 
Add Gigabyte B75M-D3H mobo in my suggeted config 

Windows does not need DirectX11.1, search before making such comments *windows.microsoft.com/en-IN/windows-8/system-requirements



gxsaurav said:


> I strongly recommend not to go with Intel and to go with AMD APU. You will get DirectX 11.1 which is needed for Windows 8/8.1 and its new 2D rendering engine.
> 
> If you want to go with Intel then get a 4th generation Core i3/i5 at least as they have DirectX 11.1 support.



4th gen i3 ????? when is it launched ?  no


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## Cilus (Sep 15, 2013)

Get the following AMD APU based configuration as there is a good mATX board available from Asus, ASUS F2A85-M-LE.

AMD A10-5800K @ 7.9K (smcinternational.in)
ASUS F2A85-M-LE @ 6.9K
G-SKill RipjawX (12800CL10S-8GBXL) 1600 MHz CL9 8GB X 1 DDR3 @ 4.85K (Theitwares.com)

Rest will be same as suggested in other builds.


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## gxsaurav (Sep 15, 2013)

ankush28 said:


> Windows does not need DirectX11.1, search before making such comments Windows 8 system requirements - Microsoft Windows



Please refer Hardware accelerating everything: Windows 8 graphics - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs and have a look at the enhancements Windows 8 with DirectX 11.1 bring for every day computing. 

Windows 8 doesn't need a DirectX 11.1 GPU to work but it works best with DirectX 11.1 GPU due to the new APIs available above for Metro UI apps. Text just renders better and there is far less overhead on the CPU when rendering everything on screen. 

4th generation i3 is about to be launched. Core i3 and Pentium "Haswell" Desktop CPU Pricing Surfaces | techPowerUp My point was that with Intel, you will need 4th generation i3 at least to get DirectX 11.1 support which is not even released in market yet while AMD APU have this support inbuilt. 

There are many Mini ITX motherboard for AMD APU with FM2/FM2+ Chipset support. They are costly and hard to find but they are available. If you go with MicroATX than there are a plethora of choices available. 

Such as this AnandTech Portal | GIGABYTE F2A85XN-WiFi Review: FM2 and Richland in mini-ITX

Personally, I recommend going with a MicroATX Motherboard with AMD APU in an HTPC case with stock CPU. Not only those are small enclosures but also provide some expandability when Mini ITX hardly provides any.

Since I am also coming from an AMD APU based system only where I was using Visual Studio 2012 for Windows Phone app development, I can tell you that APUs are sufficient for every day tasks and then some but not serious gaming. There, the CPU falls behind even the AMD FX series.

Based on the stuff available in market today in New Delhi, I recommend this. 

1. AMD 3.9 GHz FM2 Quad-Core A8-6600K APU for Desktops with Radeon HD 8570D Processor - AMD: Flipkart.com

2. MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 Motherboard - MSI: Flipkart.com

3. A small cabinet according to availability and your choice  about its looks. Make sure you get something with front USB 3.0 ports or get a SilverStone FP38 front USB 3.0 panel. 

4. Asus Xonar DG sound card for your HTPC needs. It comes with a low profile bracket too so in case you have a small cabinet, it will still fit.


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## blackbird (Sep 15, 2013)

gxsaurav said:


> Please refer Hardware accelerating everything: Windows 8 graphics - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs and have a look at the enhancements Windows 8 with DirectX 11.1 bring for every day computing.
> 
> Windows 8 doesn't need a DirectX 11.1 GPU to work but it works best with DirectX 11.1 GPU due to the new APIs available above for Metro UI apps. Text just renders better and there is far less overhead on the CPU when rendering everything on screen.
> 
> ...



Actually before this also same thing happened year before 4 yr back when i wanted to purchase system there was no option for Mini itx motherboard.. Still the same thing is happening people are referring micro atx.

Lets leave the discussion (if you can't suggest where can i buy or which mobo is available). whenever i try to come with question in this forum the same thing happens..  
last time also.. even they deleted my post regarding new purchase (which was for reference and also for people who don't know current rate)... why i do not know... god know why...

My usages again
 Office like....
Heavy browsing 
And TV SHOWS  / MOVIES in 1080p FULL HD

main concern 
Montherboard !!!! mini itx !!!
monitor !!!!!



ankush28 said:


> 1) Cpu - i3-3210/ i3-3220
> 2) Motherboard - cant find good mitx board
> 3) Ram - corsair value select 1600MHz 4GB ram
> 4) 21-24inch Monitor led ips/tft FULL HD 1080p - Dell S2240L 21.5", 1920x1080, ips
> ...




It was really reasonable suggestion...

1)Antec BP300 smps is it available locally what is the cost and size?
2)Yes agree ssd is waste ...
3)Cabinet Zebronic will be okay will put some carbon vinyl on it.. I want to diy with the cabinet.. long waited ARZOO
4)Is the K200 Keyboard ergonomic ? 
5)if i want a little bigger monitor (because main is Monitor & mobo)  
6) even with AMD i don't want to spend much A8 cost much... so i think A6 is good.. what say
7)Why no price mentioned ?
8)can i put dual core g2020 only. i3 is over kill


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## Cilus (Sep 16, 2013)

Buddy, I have suggested you an AMD APU based config with a mini ATX motherboard.


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## blackbird (Sep 16, 2013)

Cilus said:


> Buddy, I have suggested you an AMD APU based config with a mini ATX motherboard.



No disrespect but this is Mini *ATX* ---- 233.68 mm x 243.84 mm   i need 170.18 mm x 170.18 mm i.e 6.7" x 6.7" mini *ITX*

but it is micro atx not mini itx....!! It is said in the specification of flipkart (mini ATX) which is wrong

*cache-www.intel.com/cd/00/00/39/10/391079_391079.jpg

Again no disrespect.. i am truly looking forward for your suggestion please..


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## gxsaurav (Sep 16, 2013)

Can you order from Amazon?


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## blackbird (Sep 16, 2013)

gxsaurav said:


> Can you order from Amazon?



Any suggestion on amazon ?

if it is international shipping (global eligible) than ok.. or else do suggest i first ordered d95gclf2 from newegg and many more... but the cost now is too high dude to dollar rupee dance ..


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## gxsaurav (Sep 16, 2013)

Newegg doesn't ship to India. On Amazon some products have Global shipping available but it seems they are not shipping motherboard to India. I recommend Gigabyte F2A85XN. It has everything you need for a HTPC including "good enough" onboard audio which you can replace with a USB Based sound card if needed.

SMC International in Nehru Place, New Delhi sells them. You can contact them via phone number mentioned on their website.


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## harshilsharma63 (Sep 16, 2013)

blackbird said:


> Any suggestion on amazon ?
> 
> if it is international shipping (global eligible) than ok.. or else do suggest i first ordered d95gclf2 from newegg and many more... but the cost now is too high dude to dollar rupee dance ..



As gxsaurav has mentioned, only a few components can be shipped to India. Additionally, most manufacturers don not provide international warranty.


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## blackbird (Sep 16, 2013)

gxsaurav said:


> Newegg doesn't ship to India. On Amazon some products have Global shipping available but it seems they are not shipping motherboard to India. I recommend Gigabyte F2A85XN. It has everything you need for a HTPC including "good enough" onboard audio which you can replace with a USB Based sound card if needed.
> 
> SMC International in Nehru Place, New Delhi sells them. You can contact them via phone number mentioned on their website.



can you please provide "the product link"
from  SMC International website ?


Update : Called them they say it came before now it is not in stock.
same options available which prime was offering... Asus and gigabyte. h77n and 8? i plus

update2 : Called gigabyte than long chain of distributor around mumbai... This board is not available any where...

The motherboard is good but not available..




harshilsharma63 said:


> As gxsaurav has mentioned, only a few components can be shipped to India. Additionally, most manufacturers don not provide international warranty.



i know they provide few options... but though may be there is any by luck..
okay thx for the reply though.


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## blackbird (Sep 18, 2013)

after some research i got to know that g2020 ivy bridge supports direct x 11
bump


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## Cilus (Sep 18, 2013)

^^ So what do you want to know actually?


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## blackbird (Sep 19, 2013)

Cilus said:


> ^^ So what do you want to know actually?



@Cilus
Lets talk abt 
1) Mini Itx Motherboard USB 3, HDMI, Sata 6 (only match which i found is GA H77N wifi )
2) Monitor 22" and in 24" range (for htpc purpose and daily usage) Full HD
3) Keyboard and mouse (ERGONOMIC)
4) Cabinet of mini itx (in any case of motherboard)
5) Mini Size Power supply SFF or flex (no pico please)
6) speaker 2.0 which one is good in low budget creative or F&D (reports of cell signal interference)


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## blackbird (Sep 21, 2013)

bump...


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## blackbird (Sep 22, 2013)

bump.....


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## blackbird (Sep 30, 2013)

Intel g2020 - 3550
Gigabyte Z77n-wifi (the cost difference for h and z are 250 only so)- 8250
Kingston HyperX 1600 4gb DDR3 (corsair was 250 costly kingston is better though)- 2600
asus dvd rw (box pack)- 1100
Dell 21.5" IPS display S2240L- 9050
1TB WD Blue (I DON'T MIND NOISE BUT SPEED IS IMP BTW NOT NOISE ATALL)- 4150
MK200-800
HDMI CABLE-350
CREATIVE A35 SPEAKER (That's it i want for my small room)-550
cabinet circle LIL BLACK with smps (also fits NORMAL DVDRW & hdd & also compatible with micro atx motherboard) other were costly or i can say insanely priced-1950

32.5k can't beat that...

Thanks for anyone who helped

Pics soon


i would also suggest fellow viewers of this thread to check other alternatives too (as per requirement..) i required PC CUM HTPC (mostly pc)...

*www.ebay.in/itm/ZOTAC-AMD-ZBOX-NAN...PCs&hash=item5d446bee86&_uhb=1#ht_3319wt_1071

*www.ebay.in/itm/ZOTAC-AMD-ZBOX-NAN...PCs&hash=item5d446bee83&_uhb=1#ht_3519wt_1071


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