| A home theatre PC, otherwise known as a HTPC, | | | | The bigger the better, as recording HD content can |
| can do many different things. You can watch TV, | | | | take up a LOT of room. This is one area where size |
| movies, view photos and do standard PC tasks. But | | | | does matter. Also try to get a good company, as you |
| most people are confused when building a home | | | | want a reliable harddrive that is also nice a quiet. |
| theatre PC to suit their needs. Here we outline some | | | | TV Card |
| of the steps to picking the parts for a custom home | | | | This lets you watch TV through your Home Theatre |
| theatre PC that is perfect for you. | | | | PC. The best option is a Dual HD tuner, which lets you |
| CPU | | | | watch one HD show while recording another |
| A HTPC has fixed tasks. This means that unlike when | | | | Case and PSU |
| building a normal computer, you need a CPU that can | | | | You want something nice looking for the case, usually |
| handle what you want it to do, but not more. A more | | | | horizontal cases are chosen as they fit in with the rest |
| powerful CPU means it uses more electricity, and | | | | of the home theatre equipment. For a Power Supply, |
| makes more noise. | | | | you don't need something too powerful, but you want it |
| When it comes to choosing CPUs, there are 2 choices, | | | | to be nice and quiet. Many cases come bundled with |
| Intel or AMD. AMD tends to be cheaper and have | | | | good quality power supplies, which can save some |
| motherboard more compatible for watching High | | | | money. |
| Definition content. | | | | Optical Drive |
| RAM | | | | Normal DVD drives can be bought quite cheap these |
| The minimum recommended RAM for watching High | | | | days. If you want to buy a Blu-Ray player you have a |
| Definition content and Blu-Ray DVDs is 1GB. However | | | | few options: High-Definition and Blu-Ray (not really |
| having 2GB will make most systems feel a lot faster. | | | | much point now that HD DVDs have been phased |
| 667Mhz RAM is enough for a HTPC, however if you | | | | out), Blu-Ray player (some of these can burn normal |
| are using integrated graphics, some work better with | | | | DVDs and some can't, so be careful), and Blu-Ray |
| 800Mhz RAM. | | | | burners (which can be very expensive) |
| Motherboard | | | | Controls |
| If you have an AMD CPU you need an AMD | | | | The control is an important part of the HTPC, as you |
| motherboard, while if you have an Intel CPU you will | | | | want it to integrate everything in your HTPC to make it |
| need an Intel Motherboard. A motherboard with good | | | | a full media solution. There are many options, the two |
| onboard graphics will be good enough for a HTPC to | | | | most popular being a keyboard with a inbuilt mouse, |
| run Blu-Ray DVDs, so it is the perfect option. Try to | | | | which has the advantage of being able to do all PC |
| get a motherboard with good onboard sound so you | | | | tasks, and a remote control, which makes the HTPC |
| don't have to pay extra for a sound card. | | | | feel like a proper TV. |
| Harddrive | | | | |