Home theatre PCs are awesome, especially when you are able to synergize all the components and have them working as expected.
Building a PC is serious business, and requires technical knowledge, even for an HTPC build. This article goes through the essentials for an HTPC build.
System Requirements For HTPC
Processor
Depending on your requirements, the processor would need to be high-end or mid-range. If you plan on consuming content above 1080P resolution, a high-end CPU is required.
At least a quad-core CPU, with 2.3ghz frequency, should be enough for a high-res workload.
How Much RAM Do I Need For HTPC?
Ram contains temporary data. Tasks that are supposed to be done by the processor are also kept in the ram. Having sufficient random access memory, allows the PC to run without delays, and glitches.
For an HTPC build in 2021, you would require at least 8GB ram. However, you would be much better with 16GB of available memory.
SSD/HDD
Every modern HTPC needs these two. An SSD and an HDD. SSDs are fast and very good for the operating system. Hard disk drives are slow, but have very large storage, to operate as a media centre.
TV TUNER CARD
Home theatre personal computers are connected to the Television. In order to watch satellite tv on your PC, you need a tuner card.
A tuner card is connected to the motherboard, and the satellite cable is plugged into the port behind the card.
FAST INTERNET CONNECTION
One might ask, why do you need fast internet in a home theatre pc? This is because, instead of the traditional DVDs, companies have introduced streaming applications, for customers to consume media wherever they are.
A home theatre pc would need internet that is quick enough to stream at the resolution of your television. Application such as Netflix, HBO, and Disney+ are all examples of software that require a lot of bandwidth to run without buffer.
GRAPHICS CARD
A GPU is responsible for displaying the graphics on the monitor or television. In short, a good GPU would help produce proper visuals and higher colour accuracy of the monitor.
If you are going to game, a GPU is also required, as they have higher performance when compared o the integrated graphics in the CPU.
Getting a decent GPU for your HTPC is one of the hardware requirements you shouldn’t overlook.
