How to Build HTPC Depending on Usage

Have you recently considered building your own HTPC, rather than buying a pre-assembled such as Mac Mini? Before you proceed in selecting the components and cases, you should stop for a while and think about how do you actually intend to use your HTPC Media Center. You should also consider that your needs for the HTPC may change over time once you get more familiar what you can actually do with the digital living room. This article will highlight the points you should consider before buying any components for your HTPC.

Designing a HTPC computer is a bit different compared to the traditional high performance desktop computer. When choosing the key components to the HTPC, the main considerations relates to energy efficiency and silence of the computer. Fortunately, energy efficiency and silence often go hand in hand so while you are focusing on selecting energy efficient components, you need less cooling and thus the computer produces less noise. When designing the HTPC the first step is to determine how you intend to use the computer. After that you proceed in selecting the computer case that fits to your living room design. Then consider what kind of processor and motherboard you need based on your usage needs. After these key decisions, you can proceed to other components.

Although you can use your HTPC in various ways, when it comes to building a home theater PC, it is enough to focus on the key needs. The key needs mainly set the requirement for the performance and cooling needs of the computer. My assumption is that you are mainly building a HTPC for home theater related activities, not playing games as that might set some additional requirements for the computer. Before going to the three main need categories, this is what any HTPC must be able to do:
- Look stylish to be placed into the living room
- Operate quietly
- Run cool enough to run in the TV cabinet with the back open

Based on my experience in designing a home theater PC, there are three main type of needs for HTPC:
1. Just a simple HTPC, no high definition needed
- mostly watching DVD movies, playing digital music and photos
2. Needs to be at least 720p video playback capability
- enjoys watching online video content
- purchases and downloads standard and high definition (720p) video online and archive video files to computer
- might own an HD video camera
3. Full High definition 1080p playback capability
- enjoys watching high definition Blu-Ray videos
- purchases and downloads high definition (720p and 1080p) video online
- occasionally plays games

The following HTPC selection guide helps you to determine which kind of usage needs you have for the HTPC and what kind of components you should choose for an optimal setup.

1. Just a simple HTPC, no high definition needed
Video:
- Play DVD
Audio:
- Audio output to TV or an external amplifier
Storage:
- Store compressed music files and photos
- Read photos from SD/MMD/Compact Flash memory cards etc
Online video:
- Stream low bandwidth internet video and music (YouTube, etc)

2. Needs to be at least 720p video playback capability
Video:
- Play DVD:
- Play archived video files at up to 720p
Audio:
- High-quality output for external A/V receiver
Storage:
- Store compressed audio files
- Store compressed video
- Read photos from SD/MMD/Compact Flash etc
Online video:
- Stream internet video and music (Hulu, YouTube, Pandora, etc)
- Play streaming local compressed video
Other usage:
- Browse web & send/read e-mail
- Play classic and older video games

3. Full High definition 1080p playback capability
Video:
- Play DVD
- Play Blu-Ray
- Play archived video files at up to 1080p
Audio:
- Multi-channel output for 5.1/7.1 audio
Storage:
- Store compressed audio files
- Store uncompressed audio files
- Store compressed video
- Store high-def video
- Read photos from SD/MMD/Compact Flash etc
Online video:
- Play streaming internet video and music (Hulu, YouTube, Pandora, etc)
- Play streaming local compressed video
Other usage:
- Browse web & send/read e-mail
- Play more recent video games
Personal Video Recording:
- Scheduled recording & playback of standard and HD signals
- Time-shifting of live TV

If you never have built a PC, you will be surprised to know that it is nowhere as complicated as you might imagine. When building a HTPC yourself, you will get exactly the specification that you need – no more and no less. If you do not feel that building a home theater PC is the right approach for you, have a look if Mac Mini might be the home theater PC you need after all.