HTPC died, Recommendations needed

[zebo51 22]

So back in 2010 I built my HTPC.

 

nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Steel HTPC 2000B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case 

Intel Core i7 920 2.66Ghz

GIGABYTE GA-X58A-UD3R LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX

PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-750HX 750W

MEM 2Gx3|CORSAIR TR3X6G1600C8

Radeon HD5550 Video HDMI/DVI

 

I don't recall the HDD, 5 or 6 of them in some sort of RAID.  

 

This is all hooked to a Denon AVR then to a 2015 65" 1080p Samsung TV.  

 

A little over a year ago I went with a Netgear ReadyNAS and got rid of the drives/raid in my HTPC.  I put a 250GB SSD drive in it with Windows 10.

 

During a lightening storm some items got damaged even though I had everything in an APC backup device.  

 

With some borrowed parts I can get my HTPC to boot, but video card is dead, PS and all USB and PS/2 ports on the MB won't work either.  It will get an IP, but since my network is new I can see the new network window pop up.  I can't remote to it or use a mouse/KB to actually do anything on it like accept the new network.  So I'm stuck at this point.

 

To bring it properly back to life I would need a new PS, video card and MB if I could find one to work with my i7 and memory.

 

I really don't need this big case anymore or maybe even this much power.  I was thinking of one of the new mini PCs.  Maybe a barebones that I could put my SSD in and just get some memory.

 

All I use it for is watching movies on my main TV and some web surfing if I don't want to get off the couch.  Sometimes I will cast content to my bedroom TV.  Content is typically BluRay movies or web streaming netflix, hulu etc.  It doesn't need to rip movies, another machine for doing that.

 

Thought about going the nvidia shield route too, but still need a PC to run emby.

 

Looking for recommendations?  

 

Thanks

 

 

 

[PenkethBoy 2068]

I will kick off

 

Have a look at page 12 (last post on that page) of the show off you rig thread - that might fit the bill

 

Strange that you lost you pc if it was on an APC UPS - did you have your pc on the surge ports which is supposed to protect re lightning strikes etc - if so i think you can claim off APC as they say there's $50k insurance or something like that

 

As for a new MB - there a loads of options from Gigabyte and Asus for newer boards - the i7 6700k has a good price point vs performance and the Z170 boards give you more of the latest goodies - memory is cheap these days so you could get considerably more this time for about what you probably paid for the ssd.

 

As you pc has been nuked i would not trust any of the components apart for the cpu which tend to be more robust than other components - but its getting on a bit and is slow by todays standards

 

The other option is get a NUC - a tiny pc which you can hang on the back of a TV/Monitor - i have the Skull Canyon from intel - great little pc - only issue is it runs a bit hot and you need to tweak the fans - but other NUC's may suit better as it requires m.2 drives

 

Have fun choosing your new toys

[the-dumb1 135]

I'd vote for Zotac.  They've got a lot of really nifty small boxes that don't draw a whole lot of power... and are fanless, so in the case of a HTPC, you're not going to hear the computer running.

[legallink 187]

Is this functioning as a "server" or just an endpoint?  That will be the big difference in what a useful recommendation would be.  For endpoints, I can't recommend enough the simple purpose built machines like apple tv's, roku's, amazon fire TV's or even Nvidia Shields (although expensive).  From a server standpoint, obviously those don't cut it, and then you need to really talk about what your needs are from a transcoding/usage perspective, because if there are no transcoding requirements, you can get away with a very light box.

[mellomade 141]

I second the Zotac recommendation - once you go fanless, you'll never want to go back!

 

I use the Ci540 with LibreELEC and Emby for Kodi.  It is overkill for this setup but it will playback the highest bitrate files and passthrough any audio.  If you are going to run Windows with it you might appreciate the extra horsepower.

 

I would also recommend using a separate machine for Emby server.  Clients like the Zotac work great but would suck for things like transcoding, etc.

[Deathsquirrel 745]

For a playback device I really like the Emby clients on the xbox one, especially now that I hear we're getting bitstreaming of HD audio.

 

On the server side take a look at a NUC.  I've got an i7 one and it was fantastic until the ET client came out on the xbox.  Now it's a paperweight I need to find a use for.

[Guest asrequested]

As you have hometheater, I'd suggest sticking with an HTPC, and build with all new components. I just built one. You can take a look at most of the components here.

 

https://emby.media/community/index.php?app=core&module=global&section=reputation&do=add_rating&app_rate=forums&type=pid&type_id=375255&rating=1&secure_key=44399fe011b205ea680488c99c04d065&post_return=375255

Edited November 11, 2016 by Doofus

[zebo51 22]

I will kick off

 

Have a look at page 12 (last post on that page) of the show off you rig thread - that might fit the bill

 

Strange that you lost you pc if it was on an APC UPS - did you have your pc on the surge ports which is supposed to protect re lightning strikes etc - if so i think you can claim off APC as they say there's $50k insurance or something like that

 

As for a new MB - there a loads of options from Gigabyte and Asus for newer boards - the i7 6700k has a good price point vs performance and the Z170 boards give you more of the latest goodies - memory is cheap these days so you could get considerably more this time for about what you probably paid for the ssd.

 

As you pc has been nuked i would not trust any of the components apart for the cpu which tend to be more robust than other components - but its getting on a bit and is slow by todays standards

 

The other option is get a NUC - a tiny pc which you can hang on the back of a TV/Monitor - i have the Skull Canyon from intel - great little pc - only issue is it runs a bit hot and you need to tweak the fans - but other NUC's may suit better as it requires m.2 drives

 

Have fun choosing your new toys

 

I looked at the Show off your rig thread and yeah most of that is way more involved than what I need.  So the lightening damage is weird.  The initial entry point into my home was over my cable internet.  It was found later that outside it was not connected to a ground.  Neither was my invisible dog fence which also got fried.  They were at one point but the connections over time had corroded and broke loose.  So it came in and fried my cable modem which sat on top of my wireless router which also got fried.  All electrical plugs from devices did go into my APC backup unit.  This also took out the device that my Directv whole home setup used to connected different rooms.  It used coax cable too.  The weird part is how it got to my HTPC.  It could only have gone over an ethernet cable but the ethernet port on my HTPC still works.  All other ports are bad, USB, PS/2 etc.  Then it went over my video card HDMI to my RCV.  The HDMI input onmy RCV also no longer works.  I was watching a show at the time using my HTPC.  

 

So now my grounds outside have been fixed and I also have my cable coax cable going through my APC unit which wasn't before and might have saved me .

 

As for trusting parts in my HTPC, it didn't do anything that really would be bad if it failed.  It was my emby server, but no media etc stored on it anymore.  So worst case is I would have to install Emby on another machine and set it up all again.  My emby configuration is not that complex.

 

I have been looking at the NUCs.  Thanks 

 

Is this functioning as a "server" or just an endpoint?  That will be the big difference in what a useful recommendation would be.  For endpoints, I can't recommend enough the simple purpose built machines like apple tv's, roku's, amazon fire TV's or even Nvidia Shields (although expensive).  From a server standpoint, obviously those don't cut it, and then you need to really talk about what your needs are from a transcoding/usage perspective, because if there are no transcoding requirements, you can get away with a very light box.

 

So it was my server and endpoint.  I put my needs in my OP.  Not sure how much of that if any needs transcoding.  Does the Nvidia shield have a built in browser that is decent to allow me to just do general web surfing?

 

Thanks

[legallink 187]

I can't comment on the Nvidia shield as I don't have one.  If you don't have any transcoding needs, an Nvidia Shield or Intel Nuc could be great options.  I like the purpose build machines because I find the remote options much more reliable and dependable, and while not as configurable as say a harmony, I prefer the simplicity and have it always working.  When I had a harmony, I just had to fiddle with it all the time (or maybe just wanted to).

 

But to just serve up directplay options, you really don't need much horsepower at all and can get away with almost anything.

[zebo51 22]

At this point price wise it might be easiest to just get another MB that will work with my CPU/memory and has onboard video with HDMI out for my video/audio.  Then stuff it into a smaller case.

 

I don't use a remote, just a wireless KB/mouse pad combo unit.  Has worked fine for my needs.  

 

Edit:

 

haha well I'm so out of the computer scene these days.  If I could find an LGA 1366 socket MB, it would be refurbed and pricey.

 

I also saw an article that todays i5s out perform some older i7s.  Looks like mine was a pretty good old one though.

 

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-920-vs-Intel-Core-i5-6260U

 

 

Fry's has a deal on Intel 6th Generation NUC i5-6260U Barebone.  I would just need to get some memory and could put my existing SSD drive in it I believe.  Does that sound like a possible solution for me and good deal?

Edited November 14, 2016 by zebo51

[legallink 187]

Most people that comment on here love their NUC's.  An i5 6th generation is also a pretty solid CPU, and should meet even some lighter transcoding needs (aka 2 -3 streams at the same time, possibly 4).  I have a 2500k and it handles about 2 - 3 streams of transcoding at the same time.  With direct play, the most I've run is about 8 at the same time, and no issues.

 

So yes, if you like the wireless mouse/keyboard, make sure those are compatible, and could serve very well as a server/client combo.  As for a good deal, I won't comment on that one way or the other. 

[zebo51 22]

Most people that comment on here love their NUC's.  An i5 6th generation is also a pretty solid CPU, and should meet even some lighter transcoding needs (aka 2 -3 streams at the same time, possibly 4).  I have a 2500k and it handles about 2 - 3 streams of transcoding at the same time.  With direct play, the most I've run is about 8 at the same time, and no issues.

 

So yes, if you like the wireless mouse/keyboard, make sure those are compatible, and could serve very well as a server/client combo.  As for a good deal, I won't comment on that one way or the other. 

Great, that helps me out a lot providing your experience with what the NUC's can do transcoding wise.  I would only ever do 1 maybe 2 at most at this time or the near future.  As for the deal, I have a promo code  for a certain amount off list price.  I will shop around a little though being that end of November is a good time to buy stuff .

 

Thanks again for everyone's help/recommendations.