Budget HTPC Build for Under $250 – Build 3

This is the third budget HTPC build under $250 that I’ve put together. This one is a little different than the last two, but will get the job done for under $250.

As always, please take a look at my previous builds that I have put together. They all differ slightly, but offer the same thing in the end – a great HTPC that you can use to play all your media for years to come.

This one is a little different in the sense that it is already 80% built for you. All you need are some drop in components and you can be up and running within 20 minutes. You could quite literally open the box, and 20 minutes later have OpenELEC running on your TV.

Alright lets get right to it.

[alert-note]Updated January 2015[/alert-note]

CPU/Motherboard/Case/PSU

Intel-DN2820FYKH

 

 

 

 

Intel NUC DN2820FYKH$134.99

The Intel NUC is an amazing little box. I’ve had the pleasure of playing with the Celeron model, and the highest i5 model. This Celeron will easily play 1080p video and stream whatever you can throw at it. REMUX Blu-ray files? Yep.

Memory

Crucial 4GB Single DDR3

 

 

 

 

Crucial 4GB Single DDR3$35.99
The Intel NUC accepts laptop memory because it’s so tiny. I chose to go with 1x4GB stick because for a HTPC it’s fine.

HDD/SSD

ADATA USA Premier Pro SP600 2.5-Inch 64 GB SATA

 

 

 

 

ADATA SP600 2.5-Inch 64 GB SSD$47.99
I’ve used these SSDs in pretty much all my builds. I stand by them and believe they’re a great product. This size and price point is excellent for our HTPC build.

Total: $218.97 (Our cheapest build yet!)

Other costs: Windows OS

Final Thoughts

This build is solid. If I needed a HTPC on the cheap, this is what I would chose. You have Intel quality, it’s quiet, it’s upgradeable, and its tiny. Best of pretty much all worlds.

Pair this with OpenELEC and you will be laughing. Like I said in the beginning, all you need is 20 minutes and a spare USB stick.

All in all I hope you liked this build, and if you have any recommendations or questions please let me know in the comments, I’d love to see your feedback.

Thanks,
Alex


IPVanish, which is the only true Tier-1 VPN service in the world. IPVanish allows you to surf the net anonymously as well as access geo-blocked content in Kodi. You'll be able to watch anything unrestricted. They have clients for Windows, OS X, iOS and Android. OpenVPN is an option as well.



Remember to use your IPVanish VPN with Kodi!

12 Comments

  1. steve December 16, 2014
    • Alex December 16, 2014
  2. Eric December 20, 2014
    • Alex December 20, 2014
  3. Mous December 24, 2014
    • Alex December 24, 2014
  4. Sean December 26, 2014
    • Alex December 27, 2014
  5. WHen April 29, 2015
    • Alex April 30, 2015
  6. Nick November 1, 2015
    • Alex November 2, 2015

Leave a Reply to Alex Cancel reply

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.