SPCR

I have an AMD A6-3500 and a ASUS F1A55-M (micro-ATX) motherboard that I want to repurpose for use in a HTPC in my bedroom. I also have a SSD and some RAM lying around to use for this project. There will be no optical drive. I want it to be a quiet as possible, but I only want to spend around $150 on the case/psu/heatsink. Unfortunately, the budget constraint rules out HDPlex and Streacom options. I also want something that doesn't look terrible sitting on a bedroom dresser (which rules out towers). This HTPC will only play movies and tv shows (no games or emulators) which are stored on a NAS, so I have the option of undervolting and underclocking the CPU.

I'm leaning toward a Pico PSU, but finding a micro-ATX case that supports them seems problematic. I'm sure there must be some out there, but I haven't been able to find them.

Welcome to SPCR.

Since you are limited by not being able to use tower, my suggestion is to go with Silverstone Tek GD05B-USB3.0 Aluminum/Steel Micro ATX HTPC Computer Case with 2X USB3.0 Front Ports Cases (Black) $105, was reviewed by SPCR and got the editor choice, Silverstone Grandia GD05: A Versatile HTPC Case.

I personally havent tested any new amd setups to know the consumption of the A6 (so up to you to check that out), but maybe something like picoPSU-120/10A 120W AC-DC $52 could work out, you could install the brick inside and do a dark plastic cover on the back or leave it external, what ever you like.

What you want to do can be achieved with a WDTV live box or a similar one. No need to go full PC.

Pappnaas wrote:What you want to do can be achieved with a WDTV live box or a similar one. No need to go full PC.

An appliance is a good route to go (cheap, very low power, passive) unless you need a browser for free services like TV websites or the free side of Hulu.