# havent built a PC in about 15yrs



## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

so.....
i'm looking for a good Kodi setup on the cheap.

Will connect to AVR/TV, would like to add OTA tuner (not required), would like to play old ROMs, want to keep it on the CHEAP!

$$$<$500.00

any thoughts?


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

Kodi runs on Windows platforms with relative ease, and doesn't seem to be too resource-hungry.

For myself, I'd probably build a machine around a dual core i3 or i5 CPU, with ~8GB of RAM. SSD drives aren't necessary, but on a new build from the chassis on up, that's probably the way I'd go. You could array them (RAID) or not... whichever. 

There are plenty of graphics cards in the $50-$100 range that would serve your purposes well. If you're running an Intel CPU, I'd stick with nVidia chipsets for the GPU. ATI cards tend to play nicer with AMD processors. Not a requirement, and certainly not a deal-breaker... just an observation of mine. 

The good news is that the procedure for building a PC hasn't really changed much in 15 years. The tools are all much easier to use... if you're paying attention to specs, Newegg.com makes assembling you machine (as a shopping list) pretty painless. 

MOBO -> Chassis -> CPU -> RAM -> SSD/HDD -> GPU -> Audio -> Optical Drive -> Power Supply -> Peripherals

Choosing a MOBO/Chassis will be a question of how much space you want to dedicate to the machine... Tiny form factor? Mid-Sized Tower? 4U Server? 

Once that choice is made, it will set the limitations on many other things, such as low-profile graphics cards, etc.

Getting a complete machine down under $500 is certainly doable. My new builds usually roll it at about $650, depending on whether or not I need a chassis and power supply.


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## Talley (Dec 8, 2010)

rab-byte said:


> so.....
> i'm looking for a good Kodi setup on the cheap.
> 
> Will connect to AVR/TV, would like to add OTA tuner (not required), would like to play old ROMs, want to keep it on the CHEAP!
> ...


Oh 500 is easy. I'll post later today...


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## chashint (Jan 12, 2011)

If you are starting from scratch and have to buy everything you can probably buy a Dell for less than you can build one.
The XP line has some open slots for add on cards and the power supply has enough capacity to handle the extras.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Agree, Dell is hard to beat. Just cant piece together a system for less now a days


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## DqMcClain (Sep 16, 2015)

True, Dell's prices are hard to beat... but you're often stuck with whatever they give you. 

I just assembled parts for a decent entry-level machine (Case, PSU, MoBo, 2x 3.2GHz CPU, 8GB RAM, 250GB SSD) for $380.27. Add the operating system of you choice for $0.00 - $100, and you're good to go. 

That's not the cheapest I could build one, but it's about as cheap as is worth owning. Asus MoBo, CoolerMaster case, Antec PSU, Intel CPU, Samsung SSD... good parts. Usually better than Dell provides.


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

These micro PC's are at a great price point and are actually pretty powerful... just right for a Plex or KODI server...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24G28M9086&cm_re=brix-_-56-164-011-_-Product


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## Talley (Dec 8, 2010)

The Dells are OK but you won't be able to upgrade anything other than maybe add more ram, change hard drive and not much beyond that. Their BIOS are always locked down to the hardware level.

The kicker about $500 is you need to factor in the OS which you can pick up win 7 for about 60-100 depending on how you want it packaged. Leaves you $400 for all the hardware. You can do it for cheaper than that though.

I built an entire computer for $275 for my kids back in 2011 using a sandy bridge 2 core processor and it's still kicking strong today. This was case, power supply, ram, harddrives etc... although I already had the OS.


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## Zee (May 8, 2010)

I personally use an i3 Nuc, with a 120GB SSD (Overkill, but it's what was lying around) and 4GB RAM (also probably overkill...).

you can get a lower spec than the i3 Nuc, but I wanted to ensure I got DTS-HDMA out of it (which I wasn't convinced the lower end models were capable of based on the spec sheets).

I run Kodi as it's own OS - it's free, and easy. It boots fast, plays everything, and, best of all, I have drivers for my RTI control system, so have it integrated nicely with my iPad and Android tablets for control. From memory, it cost me about $300-ish...

Z...


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## eXPLaT (Jan 6, 2015)

I'd keep away from the likes of Dell and Apple, they run well for what they cost, but aren't upgradable at a later date.

Self assembled is the best way to go, I have a dual core that has received endless updates both in hardware and software. My main rig is a i7 2nd generation, that competes with the best of them even today with just the addition of an SSD, increased RAM, and a new GPU.

Just my 2 cents…


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## rab-byte (Feb 1, 2011)

Zee said:


> I personally use an i3 Nuc, with a 120GB SSD (Overkill, but it's what was lying around) and 4GB RAM (also probably overkill...). you can get a lower spec than the i3 Nuc, but I wanted to ensure I got DTS-HDMA out of it (which I wasn't convinced the lower end models were capable of based on the spec sheets). I run Kodi as it's own OS - it's free, and easy. It boots fast, plays everything, and, best of all, I have drivers for my RTI control system, so have it integrated nicely with my iPad and Android tablets for control. From memory, it cost me about $300-ish... Z...


I'm going to look into that as a solution. I'm planning on keeping my media on a NAS so disc size doesn't matter. I using C4 and the new Kodi driver is going to set me back a few $$$ for the full version but I'll get an EPG and full media browsing from inside the C4 UI. 

Thanks


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## Zee (May 8, 2010)

rab-byte said:


> I'm going to look into that as a solution. I'm planning on keeping my media on a NAS so disc size doesn't matter. I using C4 and the new Kodi driver is going to set me back a few $$$ for the full version but I'll get an EPG and full media browsing from inside the C4 UI.
> 
> Thanks


This is exactly how I do it - I have all my BD ISO's on my NAS, and my discs safely locked up.

Z...


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