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The Home Theater PC or HTPC is a new way to enjoy content in one's home. People can dive into video games, movies, OTT series, TV series, and more in this all-rounder machine. Customers can buy any powerful pre-built HTPC, but building one is a fun project. It also provides a lot of scope for customization that pre-built PCs lack.
Building an HTPC is pretty easy. Only the wiring and positioning of the speakers and the projector is a bit of a complicated process. Keeping that aside, HTPCs level up the audio-visual experience with a high-quality surround sound system and high-resolution display/projector.
Depending on the usage, the specs of HTPCs vary a lot, which is why users must carefully select the hardware and software. This article will discuss the five essentials to consider while building a home theater PC.
5 essentials to consider while building a home theater PC
1) Hardware
The hardware specs of a home theater PC heavily depend on the usage. For example, an HTPC built primarily for gaming must have a more powerful processor and graphics card combo.
Outside of gaming, HTPCs don't require much. Users must ensure that the CPU and GPU support 4K video output and that the motherboard supports high-quality audio output. 16GB RAM is enough, SSDs depend on the required physical storage, and it requires a powerful PSU.
2) Peripherals
Apart from a great audio system and display, a proper home theater PC requires a specific set of peripherals, depending on the usage. Especially if an HTPC is made for gaming, it requires controllers, a keyboard-mouse combo, headphones, USB hubs, and DACs.
Gamers can use their preferred peripheral brands. There are a lot of companies in the market that offer great gaming peripherals. To name a few: Razer, Logitech, Corsair, Cooler Master, HyperX, and Steelseries.
For controllers, users can connect Xbox or PlayStation controllers depending on their preference. However, connecting PlayStation controllers to PC is a complicated process.
3) Operating system
Choosing a proper OS for the home theater PC is difficult. There are several premium and open-source operating systems for home theater PCs that serve specific needs. If someone plans to do serious gaming, they must go with Windows.
Otherwise, users can go for Plex, Boxee, XBMC, and more. Linux offers a variety of distros for home theater PCs. Still, for beginners, Windows 11 and 10 are recommended for their ease of use.
4) Useful software
After installing the preferred operating system, users should focus on other software required for seamless content consumption. First, users should install all the OTT platform software like YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Lionsgate Play, and more.
Then come video game stores and other required software like Steam, Epic Store, Ubisoft Connect, and Rockstar Games Social Club. Users can also install their preferred music streaming services like Prime Music, Spotify, and Apple Music. Finally, a VPN software should be installed to watch regional or country-specific content.
5) Building an external NAS system
This is an optional step, but it makes the process much easier. If a user is mainly planning to consume exclusive content, they should get enough physical storage or, better, a storage server. A storage server is a PC with a large amount of storage, which is connected to another system via a network.
It works as a safer, faster, and larger storage system for your primary home theater PC. Users can make NAS with 100 TBs of storage and more. Storing family photos, videos, or maybe some rare movie is much easier with a NAS.
This guide will help anyone build a proper HTPC. These five factors play essential roles in providing a better home theater experience. But above all, every aspect of an HTPC depends on its usage.
