Legit Reviews

Newbie on this room

Guys/Gals

bascially loookingfor a htpc that utilizes my collection of DVDrips and Blueray rips 720/1080p that play on a unit that will ONLY be used for media streaming no surfing etc or gaming or anything i have a lapotp and a spare pc in other room for that it needs to look good to

problem i've had.. is lagging on 1080p which i know as i was trying to run it on single core pen4 i know i know befroe everyone says its sh*t.

i like the layout of my current media player which is Team Media portal but i need to know

what processor/mother board to get
what soundcard to get i currently use a logitech 5:1 suround unit and its fine
graphics i want to play 1080p without it dying a death
what pc unit to get .. i want it looking ike a amp or anything that dont look like a pc
what keyboard and mouse to get.
i will spend about £500 on it.. but if i need more i dont want to be limited to something

i can look around onhere all day and get ideas but i really want expert view s hence why i've created this .

Thanks in advance if you need me on msn

[email protected]

thanks

This is a very exhaustive guide for HTPC build suggestions:
renethx's Guide to Building a HD HTPC
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthre ... st14239742

All of his recommendations are capable of Blu-ray playback. There are even quick reference charts on the performance of chipset and video card combinations for various usage scenarios. Choose one of his recommended systems and modify it to your liking.

Take an XBOX 360 graphics card and put it in a PS3... there you go