Build the ultimate Windows 8 home-theater PC for under $500

September 19, 2013

It’s true: The best way to control your home theater is still with a PC. Forget all the hype about Google Chromecast and other assorted set-top boxes, dongles, and other gadgets. None of them can organize and play movies, music, and TV shows as well as a home-theater computer. A good HTPC can even take the place of your cable box and DVR. While you could slide your old desktop over to the flat-screen and call it a day, you’ll get way better results with a computer built specifically for the purpose—and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. In this article, we’ll show you how you can build a home-theater PC that will play anything, stream anything, and record live TV, for as little as $500. Here’s what you’ll need. Gearing up A dedicated HTPC doesn’t need much in terms of actual computing power. Any off-the-shelf PC from the last several years would work fine. Keep in mind, however, that a great HTPC will be small, quiet, and power-efficient—not qualities that you tend to find in many secondhand computers. To build one from scratch, you can save a ton of money by purchasing modest, inexpensive components. For example, the following system has plenty of power for an HTPC, and a case that will look great under your TV, for just $385 (current prices on Newegg). To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2048863/build-the-ultimate-windows-8-home-theater-pc-for-under-500.html#tk.rss_howto