Home Theater PC Component Overview

Build Your Own Computer

This is a tutorial on how to build your own home theater pc (HTPC). A media center computer is either a system or software application that runs a variety of media (music, movies, etc.). Use this information to build your own computer for a home theater.

The first step to building a home theater computer is to decide what you are going to need and what you want your HTPC to do. A couple of the decisions that will affect your final price are:

• How much storage do you want (or need)?
• Do you want Blu-ray capability?
• Will you be gaming on the system?

The goal in this guide is to build an HTPC that can output high quality video to a projector or High Def TV; store and play music and video files; and that can be used for a DVR.

At the same time, let's ensure that the media center computer blends in well with the existing home theater system, and is nice and quiet so you don't have to listen to fans in your living room all the time.

Here is a list of the basic equipment to use to build your own home theater:

• HTPC Case
• Processor
• Motherboard
• Power Supply
• System Memory
• CPU Heatsink
• Sound Card - Optional
• Video Card - Optional
• DVD / Blu-ray
• Wireless Keyboard / Mouse
• Remote Control - Optional
• TV Tuner / HD TV Capture Card - Optional

Let's head next to the Buying Guide and look at each part in detail...

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