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Contents:
  1. Hardware Components Guide
    1. What hardware components should I choose for my HTPC?
      1. Cases
      2. CPUs
      3. GPUs/Graphics
      4. Motherboards
      5. Displays
      6. Memory/RAM
      7. Storage/HDDs/SSDs
      8. Optical Drives
      9. Power Supplies/Power Usage
      10. Cooling
      11. Surge Suppression
      12. Video Cables/Adapters
      13. Keyboards/Remotes/Gamepads

Hardware Components Guide

This page is best viewed with a PC web browser.

What hardware components should I choose for my HTPC?

For full builds, see the Sample Builds / Pre-Builts page.

Use a tool like PCPartPicker to see prices for hardware across several vendors and optionally to make sure pieces of a build fit together before you buy.
Don’t discount the secondary and used markets for hardware, especially when prices are high due to demand and/or scarcity. Ebay and aliexpress are good places to start.

Cases

Cases come in varying shapes and sizes, with numerous features, and at varying price levels. You can spend $30 on a case. You can spend $200. Cases tend to be very personal and subjective, so we’ll recommend a bunch in specific types and you can choose.

First, choose a case that fits the space you will put it in. For HTPCs, there are cases that are meant to fit inside media cabinets (where space and dimensions are a concern), looking like just another piece of equipment, short and wide. If this is a frontend player in such a space, media watching is usually not the place you want to be distracted by RGB, so choose a case that blends in, rather than stands out. Smaller cases also tend to be hotter and therefore louder, due to smaller fans and heatsinks. Be mindful of this.

Second, choose a case that will fit your motherboard and the components in it, paying special attention to the motherboard/cpu cooler/psu.
It should be as large as the motherboard. For instance, don’t use a Mini-ITX case with a Micro-ATX motherboard (Micro-ATX > Mini-ITX). But you may be able to use a Micro-ATX case with a Mini-ITX motherboard.
Be aware of the PSU size. Some cases may take a regular ATX sized PSU, while others may take only SFX, TFX or even Pico sized PSUs. Avoid cases where you need a Flex ATX PSU as the fans are small and loud.

If you don’t have specific requirements and/or just want something decent to build around without much thought, look at the Silverstone ML03/ML04 and the sample builds wiki page.

Here are some popular case options by size:

SIZE/SHAPE USE/BRANDS
Tiny Inwin Chopin Use: You don’t need a dGPU, optical drive, 3.5” HDD storage, or more than Pico/Flex PSUs.
Brands: Inwin Chopin/BQ656T, ASRock Deskmini, Rgeek L65/L80S/C01, Realan H60/H65S/H80, Goodisory A01, MITXPC MX500, Geeek A1/A30
Cube ASRock Deskmeet Use: You want an ITX dPGU, 1x 3.5” HDD storage, or a tall CPU cooler.
Brands: ITX: ASRock Deskmeet, Raijintek Metis, Silverstone SG13/SG05/SG16, Golden Field N-1, Thermaltake Core V1 uATX: Jonsbo C6
Long Cube Node 304 Use: You want larger than an ITX dGPU, more than 1x 3.5” HDD storage, an optical drive, or a tall CPU cooler.
Brands: ITX: Sharkoon QB One, Fractal Design Core 500, Node 304, Coolermaster Elite 130, uATX: Silverstone SG02/SG11
Short Silverstone ML09 Use: You want a case to fit inside a media cabinet with various options
Brands: ITX/uATX/ATX: Silverstone ML/RVZ/GD series. ITX: Node 202, Fractal Ridge, Raijintek Pan, Inwin BP/BQ. uATX: Apex DM-387/MI-008, Inwin BL/CE (BL040/CE685), Antec VSK2000.
Fanless HDPLEX H1 Use: You want a case that doesn’t produce any noise from fans and will use lower power CPUs/GPUs.
Brands:HDPLEX, Streacom, Akasa Maxwell Pro, Euler M/S/T
NAS Node 804 Use: You want to hold large amounts of 3.5” HDD storage.
Brands: Wiki: DIY NAS Case List, Fractal Node 804/Node 304/Define R5, Jonsbo N1/N2/N3, Silverstone CS380/DS380/GD07/GD08, iStarUSA S-35
Full dGPU (Sandwich) Fractal Terra Use: You want to use a dGPU in a small, slightly more vertical footprint
Brands: Geeek G1/A40/A50/A60, Raijintek Ophion ALS, Nouvolo Steck, Lian Li A4, Fractal Terra, Sliger SM550, SGPC K49
Full dGPU (Other) Silverstone ML07B Use: You want larger than an ITX dGPU in various form factors.
Brands: Silverstone GD (short), RVZ/ML07/ML08 (shorter), SG13 (cube), Jonsbo C6/C2, Node 202/304, Core 500
ATX mobo Silverstone GD09 Use: You want to fit an ATX-sized motherboard.
Brands: Silverstone GD09 - 27L/$95, GD11 - 31L/$170, SSUPD Meshroom S - 15L/$160, SFFTime P-ATX - 10L/$170,N-ATX - 15L/$200, Sliger Cerberus X - 24L/$265, HDPLEX H5 - 17L/$300, Streacom FC5/FC10 - 9-14L/$300-400, Thermaltake Core G3 - 23.6L/EoL, nMediaPC - EoL
uATX & small Inwin CK709 Use: You want to fit an uATX/microATX sized motherboard in a small space.
Brands: Realan 2007C E-Mini, CEMO M1, Inwin CJ/CK (CK709), Inwin BK (BK623) (dGPU), Jonsbo C6 (dGPU)
SFF Tower Coolermaster NR200 Use: You want a more vertically oriented case.
Brands: ITX: CoolerMaster NR200, Cougar QBX, SSUPD Meshlicious/Meshroom D, CoolerMaster H100. uATX: Sama IM01 Pro, Geeek B20, Jonsbo U3 / V4
Water Cooling Silverstone GD11 Use: You want a case geared towards AIO water-cooling.
Brands: Silverstone GD11, SFFTime N-ATX, SSUPD Meshroom S, CoolerMaster NR200, Lian Li A4-H2O

CPUs

The CPU you choose for a HTPC will be heavily influenced by what your usage profile for the system looks like. You could be using it as a frontend player, a dual-duty gaming pc or a backend media server, so there isn’t necessarily a one size fits all to the CPU you should choose.

The GPU (whether it’s integrated into the CPU or a separate, discrete GPU) tends to be a more important piece of the puzzle. All CPUs in this section will have iGPUs built into them. If you want a dGPU, we’ll talk more about that in the Graphics section below. For CPU characteristics in general, we’ll give broad recommendations here.

  1. You should generally have a CPU that generates the least amount of heat (TDP) that you’ll need. Faster and more powerful is not always better. The more powerful your CPU, the higher the TDP will be, the more heat will be generated, the louder your fans will be. If the HTPC will be in your listening environment, the last thing you want to hear is a loud fan. So stick with CPUs with TDPs <= 65W. CPU temps <= 80C under load are fine; anything higher than that is generally frowned upon for CPU longevity, esp 90+. Use Open Hardware Monitor/HwInfo64 to monitor your temps.
  2. You shouldn’t need anything more than a 4 core CPU for a frontend player. A backend server may require 6 core if doing something intensive like handbrake transcoding.
  3. Don’t forget a CPU cooler for your CPU, IF one is not already included. Ryzen APUs and non-K Intel CPUs DO come with a stock cooler, but you can do better if funds and space allow it. We have a whole section on cooling below. Remember: bigger, slower fans are better than smaller, faster fans.

Below are the minimum CPUs required for each scenario and a recommendation. All have integrated graphics and a dGPU is not required (unless specified). The recommendations may change depending on your budget, regional availability, space/power requirements, and whether you want new or second-hand parts. If you’re not sure, post and ask us for a rec based on your detailed use-case.

  • Best All-Rounder: AMD Ryzen 4600G, Intel i3-12100
    • Both CPUs will play 4K/HDR/h264/h265/VP9 media just fine and run 4k@60hz. The 4600G will have more graphics power for emulation/casual gaming, but the 12100 will have newer AV1 media decoding, so is a little more future-proofed.
    • If the 4600G isn’t available in your region, then the 5500GT or 5600GT.

  • 1080p, No gaming: Intel >= i3/i5/i7-7xxx iGPU, Pentium G4xxx or Apollo/Gemini Lake J3xxx, AMD Athlon 3000G, AMD >= Ryzen 3 2200G APU (REC: Intel G7400)

  • Emulators: 1080p: AMD >= Ryzen 5 3400G APU. 720p: AMD >= Ryzen 3 3200G APU (REC: Ryzen 4600G)

  • Light gaming: AMD >= Ryzen 3 3200G APU (REC: Ryzen 5600G/8600G)

  • Medium gaming: AMD >= Ryzen 5 3400G APU (REC: Ryzen 5700G/8700G)

  • 4K HDR: Intel >= i3/i5/i7-7xxx iGPU, AMD Athlon 3000G, AMD >= Ryzen 3 2200G APU (REC: Ryzen 4600G)

  • 4K Netflix: >= Ryzen 3 3200G iGPU, Intel >= i3/i5/i7-7xxx iGPU (REC: Ryzen 4600G)

  • AV1 decoding: >= Intel i3/i5/i7-11xxx iGPU, >= Ryzen 8xxxG/7xxx iGPU (REC: Intel i3-12100)

  • UHD Blu-Ray disc playing: Intel i3/5/7/9-7xxx-10xxx Gen iGPU ONLY + Motherboard BIOS supporting Intel SGX (REC: Intel i3-10100)

  • HDMI 2.1 4K@120Hz (>= 32Gbps): >= Ryzen 8xxxG/7xxx iGPU (REC: Ryzen 8500G)

  • For use w/dGPU below (no iGPU): >= i3-10100F (REC: Ryzen 5600)

  • Plex Transcoding: Intel >= i3/i5/i7-7xxx iGPU (REC: Intel i3-12100)

GPUs/Graphics

In most cases, a CPU that has an integrated GPU as recommended above will work fine for new HTPCs. If you need more than what they provide or you’re adding onto an existing system, then a dGPU is warranted. Since HTPCs are in listening environments and tend to be small, low TDP, low profile dGPUs are what we aim for to keep heat and noise in check, wherever possible. You can pair these up with CPU without the integrated GPUs. For Intel these are ‘F’ tagged skus. For AMD, non ‘G’ tagged skus.

Some features like HDR, 4K and protected content will restrict you to certain dGPU models. For instance, for 4K Netflix you cannot use a Nvidia GT 1030 or GTX 1050 with only 2GB of VRAM. You need at least 3GB, so do not ignore the “>=” below in the 4k Netflix recommendations. For 4K Youtube, you can’t use any GP104/GP106 (GTX 1060/1070&Ti/1080) based GPUs as they can’t decode VP9 10-bit; See our matrix table below.

Below are the minimum requirements for each scenario and a recommendation. The recommendations are generalized and may change depending on your budget, regional availability, space/power requirements, and whether you want new or second-hand parts. If you’re not sure, post and ask us for a rec based on your detailed use-case.

  • Best All-Rounder: AMD RX 6400
    • Will run 4k@120Hz, has low-profile versions and only requires PCIe slot power. Its weakness is it doesn’t have AV1 media decoding. To get that at the downside of only 4k@60Hz, look at Intel Arc A310/A380.

  • 1080p H264, 4k@30Hz video out or for DP/HDMI HD audio only: AMD Radeon R5 340/Nvidia GT 730 (REC: Dell R5 340)

  • 4K Local HDR+4K Youtube HDR: Nvidia >= GT 1030 GDDR5, AMD >= 5x00/6x00 (REC: Used: GTX 1650, New: RX 6400/Intel A3x0)

  • 4K Netflix: Nvidia >= GTX 1050 3GB, AMD >= RX 550/5x00/6x00 (REC: Used: GTX 1650, New: RX 6400/Intel A3x0)

  • 4K Netflix+Youtube+Local HDR: Nvidia >= GTX 1050 3GB, AMD >= RX 6x00 (REC: Used: GTX 1650, New: RX 6400/Intel A3x0)

  • AV1 decoding: >= Intel A3xx/Nvidia RTX 3050/A2000/AMD RX 6600 (REC: Intel A3x0)

  • HDMI 2.1 4K@120Hz (>= 32Gbps): >= Nvidia RTX 3050/AMD RX 6400 (REC: RX 6400)

  • Emulation/Medium Gaming: Nvidia >= GT 1030 GDDR5, AMD >= 5xx/5x00/6x00 (REC: Used: GTX 1650, New: RX 6400)

  • High Gaming: (REC: Used: GTX 1070/1660 Super, New: AMD RX 6600/RTX 4060 LP)

  • UHD Blu-Ray disc playing: Not supported. Intel iGPU only.

  • Plex Transcoding: Elpamsoft GPU transcode tables (REC: Intel A3x0/Quadro P600/GTX 1050 Ti)

  • Low Profile (4K Netflix+Youtube+Local HDR/Gaming): AMD RX 6400, Intel A380, Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti/1650, RTX 3050/4060 LP (REC: Used: GTX 1650 LP, New: Gaming: RTX 3050 LP, Media: Intel A380/AMD RX 6400)

  • Single Slot, Low Profile: Intel ARC A310

  • madVR upscaling/tonemapping: >= GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX 5600 (Rec: GTX 1660)

GPU/CPU Feature Set Matrix:

CPU/GPU HEVC 8b HEVC 10b AV1 4K NETFLIX HDMI DP VP9 8b VP9 10b HDR NOTES
Intel i3-i7 2xxx-3xxx (DT) N N N N 1.4 1.2 N N N Sandy/Ivy Bridge
Intel i3-i7 4xxx-6xxx (DT) Y N N N 1.4 1.2 N N N Haswell/Broadwell/Skylake
Intel i3-i9 7xxx-10xxx (DT) Y Y N Y (2) 1.4 (1) 1.2 Y Y Y (2) Kaby/Coffee/Comet Lake
Intel i3-i9 11xxx-14xxx (DT) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (7) 1.4 (12) Y Y Y Rocket/Alder/Raptor Lake
Intel Core Ultra 2xx (DT) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (8) 2.1 Y Y Y Arrow Lake
Intel G39/45/46/49/54/55xx (DT) Y Y N Y (2) 1.4 (1) 1.2 Y Y Y (3) Kaby/Coffee/Comet Lake
Intel G69xx/G74xx (DT) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (7) 1.4 Y Y Y Alder Lake
Intel z3xxx/z8xxx/J30xx/J31xx/J37xx/N30xx (EM) Y N N N 1.4 1.2 N N N Braswell/Cherry Trail
Intel J33xx/J34xx/N33xx/N34xx/N4200 (EM) Y Y N Y (2) 1.4 (1) 1.2 Y N Y (3) Apollo Lake/Goldmont
Intel J4xxx/J5xxx/N40xx/N41xx/N50xx (EM) Y Y N Y 2.0 1.2 Y Y Y (3) Gemini Lake/Goldmont+
Intel N45xx/N51xx/N55xx/N6xxx (EM) Y Y N Y 2.0 1.2 Y Y Y Jasper Lake/Tremont
Intel 10xxG/10xxxU/10xxxH (EM) Y Y N Y 2.0 1.2 Y Y Y Ice Lake
Intel 11xxG/11xxxU/11xxxH (EM) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (7) 1.4 Y Y Y Tiger Lake
Intel 12xx(U/P/H)/13xx(U/P/H)/Nxxx (EM) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (7,8) 1.4 Y Y Y Alder/Raptor Lake
Intel 1xx(U/H) (EM) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (8) 2.1 Y Y Y Meteor Lake
Intel ARC Axxx Y Y Y Y 2.0 (8) 2.0 Y Y Y Alchemist
AMD Ryzen 2xxxG-3xxxG/2x0G-3x0G (DT) Y Y N Y (4) 2.0 1.2 Y Y Y Raven Ridge/Picasso & Vega
AMD Ryzen 4xxxG-5xxxG (DT) Y Y N Y 2.0 1.4 Y Y Y Renoir/Cezanne & Vega
AMD Ryzen 2xxxU-3xxxU (EM) Y Y N Y (4) 2.0 1.2 Y Y Y Raven Ridge/Picasso & Vega
AMD Ryzen 4xxxU-5xxxU (EM) Y Y N Y 2.0 1.4 Y Y Y Renoir/Cezanne & Vega
AMD Ryzen 6xxx(U/H) (EM) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (8) 2.0 Y Y Y Rembrandt & RDNA2
AMD Ryzen 7xxx/8xxxG (DT) Y Y Y Y 2.1 (11) 2.0 Y Y Y Raphael & RDNA2/RDNA3
AMD RX 4xx/5xx Y Y N Y 2.0 1.4 N N Y Polaris
AMD RX Vega 56/64/VII Y Y N N 2.0 1.4 N N Y RX Vega
AMD RX 5xxx Y Y N Y 2.0 1.4 Y Y Y Navi/RDNA
AMD RX 6xxx Y Y Y (6) Y 2.1 1.4 Y Y Y Navi/RDNA2
AMD RX 7xxx Y Y Y Y 2.1 2.1 Y Y Y Navi/RDNA3
Nvidia GTX/RTX 10/16/20 Y Y N Y (5) 2.0 1.4 Y Y (9) Y Pascal/Turing
Nvidia RTX 30xx Y Y Y Y 2.1 1.4 Y Y Y Ampere
Nvidia RTX 40xx Y Y Y Y 2.1 1.4 Y Y Y Ada Lovelace

Footnotes
(DT) Desktop
(EM) Embedded. Mobile, Mini PC, etc..
(HEVC 8b/VP9 8b) Used for HW accel 4k non-HDR
(HEVC 10b/VP9 10b) Used for HW accel 4k HDR
(1) HDMI 2.0 possible w/specific mobo
(2) Only with Windows and HDMI 2.0 mobo/vendor-specific DP adapter
(3) Only with libreelec OS and specific SKUs
(4) Requires >= 3300U or >= 3200G
(5) Requires >= 1050 3GB/1050 Ti
(6) Requires >= RX 6600
(7) Only provides HDMI 2.0 bandwidth/resolutions
(8) HDMI 2.1 (>= 32Gbps) available on specific OEM/AIB SKUs
(9) Not GTX 1060/1070&Ti/1080
(11) 4k@120 Hz 4:2:2 10-bit HDR - 32 Gbps (mobo limited)
(12) DP 2.1 - 40 Gbps with usb available on specific 13xxx mobo SKUs

Motherboards

Motherboards are sometimes a matter of preference, however many of the higher-end features, like integrated RAID support, RGB, and multiple network interfaces, aren’t particularly helpful in a HTPC environment.
The best values are in motherboards with the Bxxx chipsets for Intel/AMD, so that’s what we recommend.
Even cheaper are the bargain basement chipsets like Intel Hx10 (Intel) e.g. H510/H610. and AMD Ax20 (AMD) e.g. A320/A520; they are also fine for a basic build, they just skimp on features a little more, like no PCIe 4, limited/no memory overclocking and/or limited SATA ports.
For form factor, Mini-ITX boards are usually preferred for their smaller size where space is at a premium (though they are more expensive), followed by Micro-ATX which are a little bigger in size (and which tend to be the least expensive, so are the best value). Full ATX sized boards are large and aren’t particularly useful here.
Make sure you check the mfgr specs/support page for any potential motherboard you want for your CPU, as the chipset in combination with the BIOS version may dictate what CPUs are supported.
Shoot for spending $100-$200 for a motherboard, with $125 being a good starting point.

Example Combinations:

BRANDS/MODELS:
Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock. Avoid Biostar!

Displays

See /r/4kTV, /r/Televisions and /r/Projectors sub-reddits.

We will not support Laptop Screens or PC Monitors as Home Theater display devices due to: lack of low (23p-25p) refresh rate matching support, lack of ARC/eARC, poor contrast ratios (< 3000:1), upscaling and HDR capabilities compared to TVs, along with non-standard (1440p) resolutions that can’t be passed-through sound systems.

Memory/RAM

Most HTPC applications do not need very much RAM. You can get away with 4GB of RAM, especially on Linux-based OSes. On Windows, shoot for at least 8GB nowadays, unless you’re on a strict budget.

If you’re playing 4K media or doing some gaming with an CPU-integrated GPU/APU, you will get a lot better performance if you use 2 memory modules instead of 1 (e.g. 2x4GB for 8GB total or 2x8GB for 16GB) in a dual-channel configuration, with >= 3200 Mhz frequency and XMP enabled in your BIOS.

BRANDS/MODELS:
- Quality: Corsair, G.Skill, Crucial (REC: 2x8GB DDR4-3600 Corsair Vengeance LPX)
- Budget: Patriot, Teamgroup, Silicon Power (REC: 2x8GB DDR4-3200 Teamforce Vulcan Z)
- Low Profile: G.Skill Aegis/Patriot Signature/Crucial Green (31.25mm), Teamgroup Elite (31.5mm), Teamgroup Vulcan Z (31.6mm), Corsair Vengeance LPX (34mm), HyperX Fury (34.1mm)

Example PCPartPicker RAM search

Storage/HDDs/SSDs

Your OS should be stored on a SSD. Shoot for at least a 2.5” 250GB SATA drive. A SATA SSD will be 30-50x faster than a HDD at OS operations. A M.2 NVMe SSD with transfer rates of 1500 MB/s will be around 2x faster than a SATA SSD and is the best option, while reducing cable clutter in the process. A high-end M.2 NVMe SSD @ 3000 MB/s will be 5x faster than a SATA SSD, but does not make sense price-wise unless you have highly sequential read/write tasks (which shouldn’t happen on an OS drive).

Your media content should be stored on HDDs. Internal drives for media are preferred, but external drives are also fine. 2.5” HDDs are ok for the smallest cases, but capacities are limited to 5 TB, so if you need larger, you’ll have to go to 3.5”. If using external drives, make sure power management features in your OS don’t disconnect a USB drive after a certain period of time. You can also buy external drives and “shuck” the drives out of them to use internally in your HTPC, which tends to be cheaper. Check the Storage wiki page page for prices/recs of internal/external drives.

There are a very few cases where a SSD should be used for media or non-OS data:

  1. If absolute silence is required, such as in a bedroom where the HTPC will remain on 24/7.
  2. If you’re running Plex Media Server, an SSD should be used for its metadata directories (for quick access during media browsing) and also for temporary media transcoding storage.
  3. If you’re playing large games. Game loading does benefit from having a SSD. A SATA one is fine.

BRANDS/MODELS:
SSDs:
- Quality: Samsung, WD Black, SK Hynix, Sabrent, Crucial (OS Drive REC: Samsung 970 Evo Plus)
- Budget: Teamgroup, Inland, Kingston, WD Blue (OS Drive REC: Teamgroup MP33).
HDDs: Ultrastar, Seagate Exos, WD Red
Example PCPartPicker SSD search

Optical Drives

See our Playback section for how to do disc/ISO playback and our Ripping section for advice on ripping.

DVD/FHD Blu-Ray:
Internal: LG WH14NS40, ASUS BW-16D1HT, Pioneer BDR 212
External, Slim: Archgon MD-3102S, LG WP50NB40/BP60NB10/BP50NB40

UHD Blu-Ray (for ripping or Xreveal playback):
See MakeMKV forum post on recommended drives/FW

UHD Blu-Ray (for Official Playback/ripping):
Internal: LG WH16NS60
Internal, Slim: LG BU40N
External, Slim: Archgon MD-8107S, Buffalo BRUHD-PU3, LG BP60NB10

UHD/4k blu-ray disc playback is not recommended due to hardware restrictions. See here and here

Power Supplies/Power Usage

Power Supplies

Being that a HTPC tends to run 24/7/365, builders are always trying to get the best bang for their buck when it comes to performance/power. Choosing the proper power supply is a balance between power, price, reliability and sometimes even noise.

TYPES:

  1. ATX: Very common; large, high compatibility, well-priced. Used for medium to large cases.
  2. SFX: Smaller in size than ATX, but expensive. Used for small cases.
  3. TFX/Flex: Long and skinny. Smaller fans and lower power output than ATX/SFX. Used for small cases and few attached devices where noise isn’t an issue, because these are the loudest PSUs.
  4. Pico: Super small. No fan, low power output, bulk of PSU is the AC adapter which is outside the case. Used for a <= 65W CPU and 1-2 drives. Excellent for tiny cases where space is at a premium and not many peripherals will be used.

MODULARITY:

Semi-modular ATX/SFX PSUs strike the best balance between price and cable space used. We would recommend this modularity at the minimum.

  1. Non-modular: All possible power wires are connected to the PSU
  2. Semi-modular: Best balance between cable space and price. 24-pin motherboard and 4/8-pin cpu eps cables are connected to the PSU. All other cable connections are optional.
  3. Fully-modular: All cable connections are optional.

SIZING:

Don’t be tempted to go with the “bigger is better” philosophy. If you’ve designed your HTPC build well for your needs, you shouldn’t need a huge power supply.

First, you should find out how much power you’ll be using. Use the power calculator here for that.

Next, what kind of PSU should you get? Well, the power calculator will offer a recommended one, but there are many choices.

PSUs are rated by wattage and efficiency. For efficiency there’s an 80+ rating system with ratings like 80+, 80+ Bronze, Silver, Gold, etc..

A higher efficiency means a lower power bill, but this comes with a higher PSU cost. So it’s a balancing act. If you’re saving $10 a year in power because you’re using a Gold PSU versus a Bronze PSU, but the Gold PSU costs $60 more, well, you’re not breaking even until year 6.

Efficiency is also tied to how much load you put on the PSU. A PSU is the most efficient when it’s at 50% of its maximum load. So if you expect to be using 150W consistently, then a 300W PSU will be ideal.

For most HTPC builds with just an iGPU (but check the calculator!), we usually recommend at least a 80+ Bronze PSU in the 300-400W range. Problem is, these days, most PC builds are based around gaming and PSU sizes tend to trend higher, so finding a good selection of lower wattage PSUs isn’t easy, in standard SFX/ATX form factors. You may have to go up to at least a 500W PSU. Sometimes you will find a case with a lower wattage (200W-300W) TFX PSU built right in.

BRANDS/MODELS:
Ratings: Cybenetics PSU Database
ATX: Seasonic (Focus/S12/GM), Super Flower (Leadex), EVGA (GD/GA/G5/G7/GT/G+), Corsair (RM/CXM), Silverstone (ST/SX). Shoot for a warranty of 5-10 years.
Example ATX/SFX PSU search
Silent (< 20 dBA): Phanteks Amp, Super Flower Leadex III Gold, be Quiet! Straight Power 11, Corsair RM550x
SFX: Seasonic Focus SGX, Silverstone ST30SF/SX, Corsair SF, EVGA GM, FSP Dagger Pro Gold
Pico: HDPlex, Mini-Box, RGeek
Flex: Enhance, Silverstone: mod w/Noctua 40mm fan for low noise.

Power Usage

Now that you know what kind of PSU you should look for, how much will the power cost? Well, we’re going to assume 24/7/365 operation here.

General rule of thumb is that your monthly power cost will be about 8.5% of the wattage. So, if you’re using 100W, your monthly power cost will be $8.5 (100*.085).

If you want to get the ACTUAL cost, using the avg KwH cost in the U.S. of about $.12, we use:

Wattage * Hours used / 1000 * KwH cost = Power Cost in $

So let’s take our 100W example for 24/7 usage in a month of 732 hours (24 hrs*30.5 days).

(100 * 732) / 1000 * .12 = $8.78/month

Cooling

In almost all circumstances, the manufacturer-supplied CPU heat sink and fan is sufficiently cool, and it’s not useful to immediately jump to an expensive aftermarket cooler until you know you need one.

We recommend that you assemble the system without supplemental cooling, then add an additional/replacement case fan or cpu cooler only if you find that the temperature or noise is too high.
In that case, a larger, slower fan is quieter than a smaller, faster fan.

Avoid putting the case in a space with no airflow (e.g. enclosed entertainment centers). This will just heat the components no matter how many fans you throw at it, especially if you’re using a high TDP/Watt CPU. If you need, cut holes in the back of the enclosed space at the minimum or, ideally, add a fan to that back space to expel the hot air from inside. Look at AC Infinity fans/grills which can be found in Plate, USB and AC power options, to mount outside of your PC.

As stated in the CPU section, if your CPU is <= 80C temp-wise, you’re ok. SSD <= 60C is ok. HDD <= 40C is ok.

Make sure that when you are researching builds, if you are looking at a low-profile case, that you take its height into account. Some will not allow for the height of the stock CPU cooler.

BRANDS/MODELS:
Noctua, Thermalright, be Quiet!, Arctic, Scythe

For case fans, look at the Arctic P12/P8 series for affordability or the Noctua A series for the best.
For cpu coolers, look at the Noctua NH-L9i/NH-L9a/L9x65/L12S, Thermalright AXP Series, Scythe Big Shuriken and the Arctic Freezer 11 LP for small cases and the Noctua NH-D12L, ID Cooling SE-224-XT, Thermalright Peerless Assassin or Arctic Liquid Freezer AIOs for large cases.

Check our CPU Coolers wiki page for an extended list.

Surge Suppression

Surge suppressors are a good idea for protecting your equipment, especially in regions where lightning is or voltage spikes are prevalent.

Any of the options below are fine in general, though the HT10DBS is preferred for the best balance. If you’re paranoid about voltages, get the Furman, as most protectors will only clamp down above 330/400V.

Tripp Lite ISOBAR6DBS - 6 plug, 3330 Joules, 1440W, $250k protection, Tele/coax ($70)

Furman PST-8/PST-8D - 8 plug, 4320 Joules, Tele/coax, Noise suppression, Extreme voltage clampdown >137V ($115)

Tripp Lite HT10DBS - 10 plug, 3840 Joules, 1440W, $500k protection, Tele/coax/LAN ($120)

Tripp Lite TLP1210SATG - 12 plug, 3600 Joules, 1800W, $250k protection, Tele/coax/LAN ($85)

APC P10U2/P12U2 - 10/12 plug, 4320 Joules, 1400W, $300k protection, USB, No tele/coax ($35)

Tripp Lite TLP1208TEL - 12 plug, 3345 Joules, 1800W, $150k protection, Tele ($50)

Belkin Pivot-Plug 12 BP112230-08 - 12 plug, 4320 Joules, 1875W, $300k protection, Tele/coax ($45)

Video Cables/Adapters

Refer to this table for the bandwidth and cable speed required for each resolution/refresh rate/chroma.

There are a LOT of cable/adapter companies floating around on the internet. Some good. Some bad. NOTICE THE TREND OF WELL-KNOWN BRANDS BELOW. DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH NO-NAME CABLES OR ADAPTERS OF DUBIOUS QUALITY CONTROL. IF YOU DO, YOU’RE ON YOUR OWN!

Signal integrity on a cable drops the more cable terminations you make. Avoid cable terminations, like couplers or wall-plates, where at all possible! Test cable runs before commiting them to their final locations!

HDMI Cables

For 4K@60Hz or 1080p@120Hz, always get a “High Speed” cable that supports “18 Gbps”. We HIGHLY recommended a cable that is “Premium Certified”, which means that it has been tested by the HDMI spec organization up to the full 18 Gbps bandwidth and not the Standard speed of 10.2 Gbps. Do not settle for anything less than a wire thickness of 28 AWG up to 15 ft and 26 AWG to 20 ft (lower AWG is thicker) for these passive type cables.

You don’t have to spend a lot for all of this, even Premium Certified. We recommend Monoprice Premium Certified or Cable Matters Certified cables. Pick up a 6 footer for $8 and call it a day. You probably shouldn’t be spending more than $1.75/foot unless it’s something unique to your situation or from a quality, low-volume vendor like Blue Jeans Cable which we can also recommend for high-quality cables.

You should not run normal High Speed cables over 20 ft. If you need to go further than that, look at “Active” or HDMI-over-fiber cables. We recommend Ultra Active/Slim-run AV, RUIPRO Ultra-Slim or Blue Jeans Series-3A cables. Runs over 100 ft for 4K are NOT recommended. Look here for cable testing results.

For 4K@120Hz, always get a “Ultra High Speed” cable that supports “48 Gbps” and is “Ultra Certified”. Cables currently meeting this spec that we can recommend are Zeskit Maya/X-Tech, Club3D 1372, RUIPRO 8K. If none are available, Monoprice 8K Normal / Braided.

You should not run normal Ultra High Speed cables over 10 ft. The only normal cable you could run out further is the 16 ft Zeskit Maya (it will be super stiff to keep signal integrity at that distance). If you need to go further than that, look at HDMI-over-fiber cables. We recommend RUIPro 8K HDMI Fiber, Phoossno 8K Fiber, Zeskit Optical, or Cable Matters Active 8K Fiber

Adapters/Adapter Cables

If you need a passive Displayport to HDMI cable to just carry sound system HD audio or to only do 4K@30Hz, an Amazon Basics cable or Cable Matters adapter is fine.

If you need an active Displayport to HDMI adapter, buy one from a reputable vendor. We recommend Club3D 1088 or Cable Matters for 4K@120Hz. Club3D 1080/1082, CableCreation Adapter/Cable or Cable Matters for 4K@60Hz.

If you need a USB-C to HDMI adapter, we recommend Cable Matters Adapter/Cable for 4K@60Hz and Cable Matters Adapter/Cable for up to 4K@120Hz.

If you need a DVI to HDMI cable, we recommend BlueRigger

Keyboards/Remotes/Gamepads

It’s highly recommended that you do NOT put 2.4 Ghz wifi routers in the same room as RF or BT devices below.

For keyboards, one with an integrated trackpad and backlight for use in the dark is ideal, but the best ones (like the Logitech K830 or Corsair K83) are discontinued and expensive. Beyond that, Logitech and Microsoft will be the most supported of current ones and of higher quality, comparitvely. If you want specific features, you may be forced to venture out to Riitek, Arteck or other unknown sellers. Do not expect the highest quality or good support.
RF and Bluetooth (BT) are the most used connection technologies. Use either with a HTPC. For media devices/smart tvs, BT will be most supported

KEYBOARD PRICE SIZE INT BACKLIT POINT BATTERY NOTES
Logitech K830 Disc (1) Full BT/RF Yes Pad Int 14.4”, Ebay
Logitech K400 $30 Full RF No Pad AA 14”. Simple, popular
Logitech K400 Plus $25 Full RF No Pad AA 14”, dual Fn keys. Simple, popular.
Logitech K600 $70 Full BT/RF No Pad AAA 14.4”, D-pad
Microsoft All-In-One Media $25 Full RF No Pad AAA 14.4”, dual Fn keys
Arteck B08SK8D38P (HD197) $30 Full BT No Pad Int 14.6”, multi-connection
Arteck HB305-4B $35 Full BT Yes Pad Int 14.2”
Rii K22/K22-BT $25/$32 Full RF/BT No Pad Int 14”, multi-connection (BT)
Coastacloud B09PXYG3X7 $42 Full RF/BT Yes Pad Int 14.4”, generic
Rii K18+ $27 Full RF Yes Pad Int 12.8”
Rii RT518S $35 Full RF/BT Yes Pad Int 12.8”. Version of K18+
Lenovo TrackPoint II $65 Compact RF/BT No Nub Int 12”
Logitech MX Keys Mini $85 Compact BT Yes None Int 11.6”. Prox. light. Custom Fn keys
Rii SF108 Type Cover $50 Compact BT Yes Pad Int 11.4”, centered pad
XIWMIX Ultra-Slim Touchpad Keyboard $40 Compact BT Yes Pad Int 9.7”, centered pad
Macally BTTVKEY $30 Compact BT No Pad AAA 9.7”
Rii K12+ $30 Compact RF No Pad Int 10”
Logitech DiNovo Mini Disc (1) Mini BT/RF Yes Pad Prop (2) 6”, Ebay
Rii i4 $30 Mini RF/BT Yes Pad Int 6”
Rii i8+/i8x $30 Mini RF Yes Pad Int 5.8”
iPazzPort KP-61SM $25 Mini RF/BT/IR Yes Pad Int 5.6”, IR Learn
Rii K06BT/X1BT $30/$30 Micro BT/IR Yes Pad Int 5.8”, K06: IR Learn
Rii - Various NA Various RF/BT Various Various Int All others
Perixx trackball keyboards $25-$150 Various USB/RF Various Ball Various 9”-18.6”
No-name trackball keyboards $35/$45 Compact/Full RF No Ball AA 10.2”/14.1”

(1) Discontinued
(2) Proprietary, removable, can be replaced

For remotes, the Logitech Harmony series is the Rolls Royce of remotes, but is now discontinued, so look on the secondary market. The Sofabaton is a decent replacement for it. Everything below those are the lower tier and under $50. The WeChip G20S Pro remote is simple and backlit. The Pepper Jobs W10 remote has a bunch of PC specialized keys on it. The MX3 Pro is less specialized but still has air mouse functionality, a keyboard and is backlit. There is no shortage of other bluetooth and RF based remotes floating around, depending on which buttons, form factor and price you’re shooting for.

REMOTE PRICE INT BACKLIT BATTERY NOTES
Logitech Harmony One Disc (1) RF/BT/IR Yes Int IR Blaster, Hub
Sofabaton U1/U2 $50/$60 BT/IR NO AA (30hr) 15 devices, macros, mobile app
Sofabaton X1 $190 BT/IR/WiFi Yes Int (60hr) 60 devices, adv macros, hub, IR blaster, voice/alexa/google
Pepper Jobs W10 $30 RF/IR Yes AAA Mini keyboard, Air Mouse, Made for Windows, but Linux works
OSMC Remote $20 RF Yes CR-2032 Good simple remote for Kodi
8bitdo Media Remote $20 IR Yes AAA w/Flirc, Motion-active backlight
Skip 1s $45 IR No AAA w/Flirc, Macros, learning, mobile app
MCE Remote $20 IR Some AA/AAA w/inc. IR hub/Flirc/HDMI-CEC
Flirc $20 USB/IR NA NA IR Receiver for remotes. Wake/Sleep
WeChip G20S Pro $20 RF Yes AAA BT in Pro Plus, Air Mouse
MX3 Pro $20 RF Yes AAA Has mini keyboard, Air Mouse
HTWebRemote Free LAN NA NA Software to create web-accessible remote on Windows/Linux HTPC to control multiple devices. Contact
Unified Remote Free/$5 LAN NA NA Software to create app-accessible remote on Windows/Linux HTPC to control multiple devices
DS4Windows Free NA NA NA Software to use PS (DS3/DS4/DS5) controllers as mouse/remote
JoyXOff Free NA NA NA Software to use Xbox/XInput controllers as keyboard/mouse/remote
Controller Companion $2.99 NA NA NA Software to use Xbox/XInput controllers as keyboard/mouse/remote
Netflix Remote Controller Free NA NA NA Software to control Windows Netflix app from keyboard/remote

(1) Discontinued

If you already have an IR remote, you can use a Flirc adapter to allow it to be used with your HTPC and/or Nvidia Shield. Flirc also makes a programmable IR remote, the Skip 1s

For gamepads, look at 8bitdo or Microsoft for highly-compatible Xbox wireless controllers. For multi-user play, you can pair multiple Xbox controllers with a single USB adapter or 2-4 regular BT controllers with a single USB BT adapter (CSR8510/BCM20702 chipsets). For media/desktop control, use a PS3/PS4/Xbox controller with DS4Windows.

To get HDMI-CEC functionality where none exists, use a Pulse Eight adapter. Else, a HDMI-CEC HTPC. To transmit IR from your HTPC to other devices, use a USB-UIRT.

For remotes/setups for the elderly, see our specific section below

On the software side, Plex HTPC, Kodi, and Jriver Media Center all support multiple remote types. You can also use AutoHotKey and/or EventGhost to re-map buttons/automate keyboard tasks.

 

This page was last updated on 2024-09-14