I'm after a Cheap PC to Connect to My TV

CustardShot on 12/03/2017 - 19:17

Hi, as in the title, I'm seeking a cheap PC. I currently have an Intel PC stick connected. It's connected through an HDMI extension cable through the back of the wall (TV is wall mounted) and it sits neatly in the cupboard below the TV. Basically, you can't tell that it's there, which is great!

However, I'd like something a little more… powerful. I'm trying to keep the price low, as really, I'm going to use this PC for some youtube, foxtel go, and some emulators.

An SSD over HDD would obviously be awesome, but I'm not fussed if the price is right. Anything below $300 is in my price range. Cheaper the better!

If there aren't any great buys around at the moment, are there any websites I should continue to check for sales?

Thanks in advance!

Computing

Comments

  • bonezAU on 12/03/2017 - 19:22
    +1

    Have you had a look at the Intel NUC range?

    • CustardShot on 12/03/2017 - 19:49

      Hi, I had a look but wasn't sure if they were value or not (I wish I was more "tech-savvy").
      Any recommendations when it comes to the Intel NUCs?

      • kipps on 12/03/2017 - 20:08

        I have two NUCs both connected to PC's and they do just fine. Lowest spec'ed one is a DN2820FYKH and it does just fine. The lower models may have difficulty playing high resolution files with some codecs. Some of the more expensive NUC's overcome this (not sure if it is hardware acceleration or better processors generally).

        They are so small you will barely notice them.

  • supnigs super skids on 12/03/2017 - 19:33

    why dont you try an raspberry pi 3?

    • CustardShot on 12/03/2017 - 19:50

      I'd like to run windows for words processing etc. But if a raspberry pi allows youtube and foxtel go I'll look into them for sure

  • smpantsonfire on 12/03/2017 - 19:39

    Definitely a laptop. $300 will get you something great.

    Added bonus that you can use it for anything else too.

    • CustardShot on 12/03/2017 - 19:50

      I don't know why I didn't think to look at laptops… I'll start browsing them. Lol. Thank you

  • eatwell365 on 12/03/2017 - 20:32

    ->youtube and foxtel go I'll look into them for sure

    Isn't it easier to chronecast from your mobile. was $48
    or buy a second hand Xbox

  • enigma48 on 12/03/2017 - 21:38
    +2

    Chromecasts seem to be best for cheap (not powerful), NUCs are powerful but not cheap.

    I'd suggest looking at laptops with broken screens. You can usually get an i5/i7 with 8GB ram for $150ish or less, SSD for the OS if you want and a large USB-connected drive for storage. Battery-backup built in, very low power vs a PC. I did this for a long time (I'm about to sell the two I used) but I mostly stopped watching TV and Chromecast covers me well enough now.

    • smpantsonfire on 12/03/2017 - 22:11

      Pretty much what I did, i5, 16gb 1tb $80 got lucky

  • BlazinPast on 12/03/2017 - 21:57

    Ok here's one I tried writing up
    Obviously cut a lot of corners to get it to fit in budget and was only about 10% over. Could get a different style case with the inbuilt PSU. I've gone with one of those types of cases before and the PSU was perfectly fine. Can really go for any RAM brand as well. Same with SSD, you can buy any 120GB SSD that's on special.

    At this price range you should also consider buying a used PC off Ebay/Gumtree, you can get some really nice deals if you poke around.

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