Build Your Own HTPC

If you wish to invest in such a high-end setup, a BluRay Drive's a must. There are a couple in the market by Sony and LG that are pretty decent, but the problem is that since there's quite a shortage of units in Mumbai, so many dealers end up charging exorbitant prices. We got a good deal on a Sony BluRay DVD-ROM, that set us back by about Rs. 12,000. There are some great BluRay burners you can buy too, but their price tag's pretty high (the LG GGW-H20L is a terrific BluRay re-writer), but you might want to wait till the market restocks and prices drop a bit.

If a BluRay Drive seems a little out of your budget at the moment and you don't mind making do with DVDs for the time being, you could always go for a DVDROM drive (that will cost under Rs. 2000) until BluRay drive prices stabilize a little.

Hard Drive
Western Digital 1 TB

We needed speed (for quick file transfers) and we needed a high capacity for all those BluRay back-ups. We picked a 1 Terabyte Western Digital Sata Hard Disk Drive that cost us Rs. 5,300.

Memory
GSkill 2GB x 2 DDR2 800Mhz

Being the gamer I am, I picked the GSkill RAM (that's meant for gamers) that comes equipped with a nice heat-sync. The RAM's meant for long gaming sessions, which can be far more intense than anything an HTPC can throw at it. Since RAM prices are quite low now, we picked 4GB without denting our pocket much (we spent Rs. 3,000 on RAM, to be precise).

Keyboard + Mouse
Logitech DiNovo Mini

Call us extravagant, but we wanted a great, compact, wireless keyboard in spite of having the remote control we got with the casing. Using a remote would be enough for the media center features, but if you wish to use the PC for anything more you're going to need a functional keyboard + mouse.

The Logitech DiNovo Mini is a nifty little Bluetooth keyboard that's really compact, and features a touch pad that doubles as a mouse. The keyboard has a rechargeable Li-ion battery that lasts a while, saving you the pain of replacing batteries every few days. The DiNovo Mini cost us Rs. 8,500.

That's about all the parts we hooked up for ourselves. The assembly was a pretty simple process, but if you're inexperienced at assembling PCs, we suggest you get it assembled from the place you buy most of your parts. They might charge a small extra fee, but it's completely worth it.

As the OS of choice, we picked Windows Vista Ultimate (64-Bit). Now I know Vista isn't the best OS out there, but its Media Center functionality is really powerful and hassle-free to configure. If you want, you can even set up your OS to start up the Windows Media Center on start-up.

That's about all the stuff we pumped into the HTPC. If you wish to add a TV tuner card to the mix, Pinnacle has got its a range that's available at select dealers. If you wish to add a monitor, we suggest picking the 22 or 24 inch BenQ widescreen ones out there, which have reasonable prices and perform really well; although we'd much rather recommend that you use an HDTV and a high end sound system to do this high-end HTPC justice.

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