Built a Media Center/Home Theatre, needs ideas!

[tristerin]

After my third Firestick borked in 3 years I decided to build a PC as a Media Center, this is the route I went - please advise pro's, con's, app's you suggest, changes you would do, upgrades etc!

HP Pro 6300 MT
i5-3470
8gb 2x2 DDR3 G-Skill Ripjaw
HD 7750 1gb HDMI/DVI/DP connections
Teamgroup L5 Lite 60gb SSD Boot/App drive
1tb WD 7200 RPM mechanical drive for video's pictures etc
Blu ray/CD/DVD drive/writer
Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
USB Logitech wireless keyboard and mouse

Hooked to a 55" 1080p TV (HDMI), and a smaller old monitor through DVI

Looking for suggestions on:
Game Controllers - need 4 of them, want to emulate the crap out of all the old systems (Logitech F310?) (going to use RetroArch)
App's (have Kodi/Netflix/FX/Sirius/Pandora/Hulu/ and a few others)
Kids Educational Apps and games
Sound system (reasonable price, I am not an audiophile)
Sound card worth it or passthrough sound HDMI and use my TV's output to hook a sound system to it?
VPN blocker
Is the Logitech K400 Pro worth getting for a Media Center like mine? Ive read good and bad things about a lot of these PC "remotes"


This PC is hard wired into a 100+mbps internet connection on a cat 6e line so data is not a problem at all. Im not interested in wifi connection for this PC so no need for a wifi card (I have a USB N150 if I neeeeeed it for any application) however I am running an older Netgear router (NETGEAR WGR614) that I would gladly replace if it would guarantee me more internet juice to my TV PC (however I don't need overkill for the wifi portion, though an upgrade wouldn't make me cry)

Have 2 free PCI-E slots, 1 free PCI slot, 1 free 3.5" bay, 1 free 5.25" bay

TLDR;

Im an adult with some money that wants to do things with his media center, suggestions?

 

[USAFRet]

Already kicking myself for spending $30 on that SSD and not just spending the appropriate amount. Going to remedy that (likely going to build a new gaming rig and take my Samsung 840 EVO 500gb from my old gaming rig) for sure.

How come Win 10 Home instead of Pro? I chose Pro only because le torrents and I already had it sitting on a 16gb thumbstick with an activator lol

The license for Pro is significantly more than Home, and for most uses, give no benefit.
The only difference is the extra corporate level features.
Performance is identical.


And that "activator"? That is a taboo subject here.
Buy a valid license, or run it Unactivated.
Don't pirate it.

And if you obtained it from a torrent, I strongly suggest a full wipe and reinstall.
You have no idea what else is in there.

 

[USAFRet]

Larger SSD boot drive. 250GB.
Win 10 Home instead of Pro.

 

[tristerin]

Already kicking myself for spending $30 on that SSD and not just spending the appropriate amount. Going to remedy that (likely going to build a new gaming rig and take my Samsung 840 EVO 500gb from my old gaming rig) for sure.

How come Win 10 Home instead of Pro? I chose Pro only because le torrents and I already had it sitting on a 16gb thumbstick with an activator lol

 

[USAFRet]

Already kicking myself for spending $30 on that SSD and not just spending the appropriate amount. Going to remedy that (likely going to build a new gaming rig and take my Samsung 840 EVO 500gb from my old gaming rig) for sure.

How come Win 10 Home instead of Pro? I chose Pro only because le torrents and I already had it sitting on a 16gb thumbstick with an activator lol

The license for Pro is significantly more than Home, and for most uses, give no benefit.
The only difference is the extra corporate level features.
Performance is identical.


And that "activator"? That is a taboo subject here.
Buy a valid license, or run it Unactivated.
Don't pirate it.

And if you obtained it from a torrent, I strongly suggest a full wipe and reinstall.
You have no idea what else is in there.

 

[tristerin]

Arg matey what I got I trust, and where and how may be Taboo but for the spying Microsoft does, I consider it an even trade in a world ran by Windows. However I do appreciate your suggestions and concern as the whole Media Center thing to me is new. Im just a gamer with a small sense of what he is doing.

 

[USAFRet]

Well...you can be all cutesy with your piratespeak, but that does not negate the fact that torrented software often comes preloaded with all sorts of nasties.
Keyloggers, anyone?

I've given my recommendations, and the overall Forum stance on pirated software.
Discussion on that ended.

 

[tristerin]

Im going to head to Reddit, your power trip is hilarious as a moderator. I already HAVE that item, so for you to suggest a downgrade to Home isn't even on topic, which lead to this.

 

[USAFRet]

Im going to head to Reddit, your power trip is hilarious as a moderator. I already HAVE that item, so for you to suggest a downgrade to Home isn't even on topic, which lead to this.

You asked for recommendations.

I had, apparently incorrectly, assumed you were looking for a valid OS.
In an HTPC, the extra money for a Pro license is absolutely not needed.
Hence my suggestion of Home.

Good luck, sir.

 

[darkbreeze]

Politely pointing out the mandated forum guidelines, as well as offering advice which we have found to be 99.9% accurate when it comes to pirated software, ESPECIALLY when it involves members who are "gamers with a SMALL sense of what they are doing", is not even remotely within the realm of "power trip". Call it what it really is. You didn't get the answer you wanted, and didn't like the fact that you were informed that helping with pirated software is a no no, so you felt the need to call it something else rather than accepting the advice.

Good luck with Reddit, and later on, after they've thoroughly infected your computer, you can return here for advice on how to get it all off your system and get back to where you started. Or not. It's your circus. USAFRet was just trying to show you how to feed the lions without getting eaten.

 

[13thmonkey]

You either have unknown actors watching what you are doing with torrented software, or (in your view) MS doing it, I know who i'd trust, and an unactivated download from a legitimate untainted source is cleanest. You have zero means of trusting that the torrent is clean, but hey it's your bank account details, not mine.

As for the accusation of a power trip, anyone talking about pirated software gets this treatment, we do not tolerate it, you are not special.

 

[COLGeek]

Tom's Hardware does not support any form of software piracy. None. Period. This thread is closed.