Making a new HTPC- need help (1 Viewer)

Hi all, i am new here and i need some help in choosing the right components for my new htpc to suit all my needs.As for the needs i will use it as a blueray player, streaming device, web surfing and watching movies in full hd. I plan on installing windows os with xbmc and if possible to play 3d polariesed movies.The things i worked out so far are: 60 gb ssd for the os, 1tb mechanical drive for storage as i have it around till i buy a bigger one and a bluray player or burner depending on the price.I am interested in what motherboard and processor should i buy to be able to do all those things and if it is possible to do that with the onboard graphic.

The video card is probably the most important thing in an HTPC. I just upgraded mine from an old AMD HD 3800 series to a Radeon R7 240 that was on sale at Best Buy for $75. It's fairly low power, and does not require a direct connection from the power supply. It has low form factor brackets, too.

As for CPU/motherboard, get what you can afford. just make sure the motherboard has enough PCI-E slots for your needs, and for future expansion (like if you decide to get a PCIe TV tuner)

If you're looking for an all-in-one CPU/GPU combo, I'd lean towards an AMD A10 series CPU.

Thanks for reply. I see that A10 CPU has the aforementioned R7 graphic. So this one could do all my needs with no glitches or any problems? I am looking for a mitx form factor so there will be only one pcie slot. Anyway I wont need any of the tv tuners or any other cards for that matter. Would a pico psu work with this board?

Apologies it took me so long to reply.


The A10-7850K is rated at 95 Watts, so, depending upon the amount of memory you're planning on, I really wouldn't go with anything under 200W.


You'll also need a motherboard that supports HDMI out with that particular CPU.

I will go with the asrock a88 motherboard it has hdmi and it supports the a10 processors in full. I have seen pico psu rated on 250w. Would that work? Or should i take a mini power supply?

Honestly, I don't know anything about them. I haven't used them. Sorry

Ok, thanks anyway.

Hi, anyone had any experience using pico psu for mini-itx htpc? I found a 200w pico psu so i am wondering if it could be enough to power an amd a series processor. I am using a 300w normal size psu but need something smaller and/ something with less noise.
My configuration: asrock fm2a88x-itx+
Amd A6 7400k with r5 graphics
Ssd 128gb samsung 840pro
HDD WD 1tb + more in the future
I will be adding a blue ray laptop slim drive and in the future a little water cooling, note that i am not using a graphics card. I found some calculators on the net and it says that a 176w is enough for this configuration. I need opinions and if anyone has used something similar. Thanks.

I also found a 250w pico psu on ebay. Please i need help.

I think you'll have issues with the 250w PSU...that's not a lot of power for a modern processor, 2 drives, Blu-Ray drive ect. According to the ASUS and Newegg power supply calcs you're going to be over 250. I got 276 and 300 when I ran them but I don't know all the specs on your parts. I would seriously consider getting a bigger PSU.

the AMD a6-7400K is a 65 watt CPU, which uses a bit less power than your regular desktop CPUs (around 95 watts).

without the need then for a GPU, it's possible the 250 watt PSU will be OK.

Personally, I would suggest just buying a solid, high-efficiency PSU. Modern power supplies only draw what they need, so if your system is only running at 200 watts, a 1000W PSU is still only going to draw 200 watts.

K, thanks. I will try to find a slim 300w psu as size is a big issue. Hope that will do the trick.