Just about a month ago I was talking to a coworker. He was interested in building a HTPC system for the living room. At first I was like ok I’ll help you spec it out to meet your needs. Once I got to thinking about it I realized that HTPC media center computers are dead and obsolete. So then I started explain to him if he wanted to spend the money on a computer build he might be better of building a NAS server system hidden away in a back room or closet. With this option wives tend to complain less about your new system you built and don’t ask as many questions like “how much did you spend on that?”
Back in the day my system had a ATI ALL-IN-WONDER Graphics Card
In recent years I find my self almost never powering the HTPC on. Most of the time I use my PS4 or Chromecast to stream content to the TV. I know many people will disagree with me on this but there is no need for an HTPC media center computer anymore. I have almost always had one for the last 12 years but there are many draw backs to them. A few years ago I downgraded my system to a old Intel core i3 laptop that i picked up for cheap with a broken screen that sits on the shelf of my entertainment center powered down most of the time.
I have never been able to figure out a good way of controlling the HTPC to easily navigate to the content I wanted. I have tried wireless keyboards & mice, devices like this one Rii Mini Wireless 2.4GHz Keyboard with Touchpad Remote Control and using apps on my Android smart phone or tablet to control the HTPC. None of these ever seemed like an easy way to control the computer
With devices like Google Chromecast, Roku 3
For all these reasons and advancements in technology over the last 5 years have made HTPC a thing of the past. The only good reason i could see to build a computer system for your living room would be to make another gaming computer in the house that can be played from you couch or coffee table. I might still spec out a HTPC in the near future for those of you that still want one or want to gaming from the couch. Check out my post 2016 Budget $500 Gaming Computer. Its a small form factor m-itx build and would be a good system for a HTPC build except there is no DVD/Bluray optical drive but who uses those old things anymore anyway.
Thanks for reading and check back soon for more builds. Feel free to comment at the end of this post and let me know what you think. If you have recommendations for future PC builds let me know what you would like to see.
That is a ridiculous statement. Each of us to his own, but I think you are passing out the wrong advice and appear to be sucked in by the casting devices, which are the biggest pain in the arse. You complain about wireless keyboards but they are brilliant compared to the so-called “keyboards” on Chromecast’s remote control. You may like using arrows to pick out one character at a time but I find this laborious approach excruciating. With your approach you get all these extra boxes and gadgets hanging off a TV, which ends up being a nightmare. With my HTPC I have the PC attached to the TV and that’s all. The computer accesses every service I want and gives me far more control than Riki, Chromecast and all rest of the paraphernalia that has cluttered people’s living rooms. I think your biggest problem is you are not happy with a HTPC and want all this extra technological crap. So, soon you will end up with add-on devices for Amazon, HBO and Christ knows how many other providers that build out their own hardware interfaces. To think that we’ve spent 40 years getting to the point whereby we have one wonderful box that does everything, and now there are guys like you trying to steer people towards gadget chaos. The only people who win from your approach are the service providers and gadget makers.