Budget HTPC

This is a sub-$200 Android TV-powered streaming media player that is ideal for people who have a desire to customize and tweak it to make it run like a HTPC.

	System NVIDIA SHIELD TV	Highlights The best 4K HDR streaming box Google Assistant and voice control Supports KODI and Plex Media Server Stream PC games with GeForce NOW	Price Check Price Full Parts List

For a media only budget HTPC, I would recommend the NVIDIA SHIELD TV, which has replaced my previous custom budget HTPC build.

At this price point, I can’t build a custom budget HTPC that is as versatile and powerful as the NVIDIA SHIELD TV.

NVIDIA SHIELD TV does everything I wanted a budget HTPC to do, and it’s much smaller.

In order to store your media files, I would recommend getting an external hard drive enclosure and 1 to 6 TB Western Digital Blue hard disk.

Please note that SHIELD TV is a bit too underpowered to act as a media server for more demanding users. If you are looking for a media server that will also transcode your files and serve multiple users, I would recommend having a look at my Value HTPC or Performance HTPC build.

The following components have been tested and proven to be compatible in my test bench.

Required parts

Component	Recommendation	Where
Component Media Player	Recommendation NVIDIA SHIELD TVStylish case NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV set-top box (like HTPCs) is useful for people who have a desire to customize and tweak for the fun of it.	Where Buy from Amazon

Optional parts

Component	Recommendation	Where
Component Media Hard Drive	Recommendation WD Blue 2-6 TB 3.5″3.5″ Media HDD WD Blue 3.5″ hard drives are great choice if you want to store media files inside an external HDD enclosure. It runs cool and quiet, with comparable performance to similar drives.	Where Buy from Amazon
Component Hard Drive Enclosure	Recommendation Mediasonic USB HDD enclosure3.5″ Media HDD Enclosure Mediasonic USB hard disk enclosure can instantly convert your 3.5″ SATA hard disk drive to an external drive and provides a plug-and-play solution for your NVIDIA SHIELD TV.	Where Buy from Amazon

Accessories

Component	Recommendation	Where
Component TV Tuner	Recommendation HDHomeRun OTA or PrimeMy favorite TV HDHomeRun is a great network attached TV tuner that allows you to watch and record live TV. You can choose between three HDHomeRun products: CONNECT, EXTEND, and PRIME. The CONNECT and EXTEND are over-the-air antenna devices, PRIME is a premium cable TV device with full CableCARD conditional access support.	Where Buy from Amazon
Component Remote Control	Recommendation Logitech Harmony HubTurn your phone into remote Harmony Hub turns your smartphone or tablet into a universal remote and integrates home entertainment devices in one easy-to-use Harmony App.	Where Buy from Amazon
Component Remote Control	Recommendation Logitech Harmony Smart RemoteBest remote control This is an add-on companion remote control for Harmony Ultimate Hub. It is the best remote control I’ve ever used and I highly recommend it with the Harmony Hub and NVIDIA SHIELD TV.	Where Buy from Amazon
Component Keyboard & mouse	Recommendation Logitech K400 PlusMouse & keyboard combo Logitech K400 Plus is a great keyboard and mouse for Windows-based HTPC to be used on the living room couch.	Where Buy from Amazon

Recent changes

Track the most recent changes to my budget HTPC build.

• February 18th, 2018 – Replaced custom HTPC system components with the NVIDIA SHIELD TV media player.
• February 13th, 2016 – Asus AM1I-ITX mobo replaced with ASRock AM1H-ITX that has much better features.
• October 31st, 2015 – Major upgrade released: added a new case Silverstone ML06, new power supply, fanless CPU cooler, larger 120GB SSD drive, 2TB media hard drive and Blu-ray drive.
• May 10th, 2015 – Added HDHomeRun TV tuner recommendation after successfully tested it in my home theater.
• November 16th, 2014 – Published the initial parts list for my budget HTPC build.