Delay your upgrade to LinuxMint 18

I use LinuxMint 17.3 Xfce 64-bit version as the only OS on my notebook. My notebook is an entry level HP notebook, the HP HP 15-AC040TU 15.6-inch Laptop (Pentium 3825U/4GB/500GB/FreeDOS/Intel HD Graphics), Sparkling Black.

I had bought this notebook for INR 19,699 from the Amazon India website. As you can see in the notebook description above, the processor, Intel® Pentium® Processor 3825U (2M Cache, 1.90 GHz) is a Broadwell microarchitecture CPU with Intel Gen8 graphics.
For more information on this microarchitecture refer the wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadwell_(microarchitecture)

The notebook had two partitions and the FreeDOS OS installed. Before the delivery was made, I had researched a bit on the best Linux Distro around and settled on the LinuxMint 17.3 Xfce 64-bit version and had the install DVD ready.

The installation was a breeze and I required the Ethernet connection to install the proprietary device drivers for the WIFI to work. But the Bluetooth just wont work. I thought that maybe the Linux kernel 3.19 that is used in LinuxMint 17.3 was not capable of using the Bluetooth, so I tried using the latest kernels available through the system update utility. But, these did not solve the Bluetooth problem.

Then I searched for something that would help me. The websites that I looked at told me to first find out the make of the Bluetooth component. I did that and it was the Broadcom 43142. Now, many broadcom components are supported by the open source drivers, but this series was not and required the proprietary drivers from Broadcom to work.

After some extensive searching I found this web page: http://askubuntu.com/questions/632336/bluetooth-broadcom-43142-isnt-working-on-ubuntu. Jackpot. I found the way to enable the Bluetooth component. The instructions on the web page did the trick and now the Bluetooth component works.

After setting up the OS I started using the notebook. The notebook boots up pretty fast, the suspend and resume functions flawlessly, the system resource usage is quite low and the system is fast. After some weeks of use I had installed the required software, games, and had accumulated many files and folders on the notebook. I am a big fan of the classic RPG games, well not that classic, but these are the good ones. Like, King's Bounty the Legend, Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Age Origins. I have bought these from the GOG website. Dragon Age Origins is now on GOG, and I bought it maybe on the fist day of its availability on GOG. I also have many steam games, like Torchlight 2, Loren the Amazon Princess, Lords of Xulima, and many more. Basically, I got most of my steam games from the Humble Bundles but I have bought some on steam itself like Torchlight 2, Lords of Xulima, Titan Quest, and many more. Well Titan Quest is not yet available for Linux but there was some positive replies by one of its developers to bring this little gem on Linux, so I maybe bought it the second or third day of that developer's reply.
Most of these games are not natively supported on Linux, so I had to take help of the PlayOnLinux software. Installing games through PlayOnLinux is a breeze and not at all complicated, and the games work quite good without any major problems. Maybe I will talk about this in a different post.

So, I have my notebook set as per my requirements and once your system works the way you want it to, why to change. Well, for one, you will get a better graphics stack with the newer OS version. That is true, but by how much will the experience be enhanced. At this moment the LinuxMint 18 distro gives you Mesa 10.2 and the one that is already in use by LinuxMint 17.3 is Mesa 10.1.3. So, you are still stuck with the OpenGL 3.0 experience and not the full OpenGL 4.3 that is exposed by the Pentium 3825U processor. Therefore, It just wont make that much of an impact on the graphics performance. And all the games that I have installed still works good on my present setup.

But, the Mesa 12.1 release has changed this. The new release supports the OpenGL 4.5 version and exposes the full OpenGL 4.3 capability of my Pentium 3825U processor. This Mesa could be included in Ubuntu 16.10 release and therefore in the 16.04.2 release. Now, the 16.04.2 release will be used (In my opinion) for the LinuxMint 18.1 release. And this is when I would suggest the current gen users to make the jump. When will LinuxMint 18.1 be released? Well, it will be after 16.04.2 and this will be released at around Feb 2017. So, you are looking at around June-July 2017 for the LinuxMint 18.1 release. Yes, that sounds about the right time period.

Why only for the new gen users? Well, because Mesa 12.1 exposes the newer OpenGL only for Intel Gen8+ graphics. For older graphics, you will have to wait even more.
For older gen users, or for users that use the proprietary nvidia drivers, you can make the switch anytime you like.

For the current gen, Gen8+ users, I would suggest to wait it out if your systems are working as per your requirement and upgrade when LinuxMint 18.1 is released at around June-July 2017.

MI Notebook Alternatives

Recently there were two notebooks unveiled by MI. And, going through the pre-launch buzz, these notebooks should have been using some Linux distro - whether a MI grown distro or an already established distro. There are good Chinese origin distros like deepin and Ubuntu Kylin. But, they chose to use a proprietary OS. Maybe it was for some strategic move or something, but I would have liked if they would have at least given a choice.

The higher end one has a Skylake Core i5 6200 processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 13.3" Full HD display, Geforce 940MX graphics card, 256GB SSD. Price of CNY 4,999. That is around INR 50,343.

The lower end one has a Core M3 processor, 4GB RAM, 28GB SSD, 12.5" Full HD display, no graphics card, and even fewer ports. The price is CNY 3,499. This is around INR 35,235.

Also, I am not sold for the looks that result in limited ports/usability. You would need to purchase more peripherals - like usb hubs, usb ethernet adapters, etc., just to use your notebook. And, in the proprietary OS notebooks, you have more competition.

Lets see what alternatives/competition we can find:

At the higher end, with similar specifications that of the MI higher end notebook, I could only find one notebook. The HP HP Pavilion Notebook - 15-ab521tx (HP Part Code: T0Z72PA). But the price goes up by > INR 10K. The price of this HP laptop on the hpshopping.in website is INR 62,190. You do get the HP original bag and 1 year onsite warranty in that price.
The link to the HP laptop -> http://www.hpshopping.in/HP_Pavilion_Notebook_-_15-ab521tx

You also get 3 offers (well, practically 2 since you have to select one from the first two).
1. You can pay an additional INR 999 to get either one of these two:
>>> Total 3 Years Onsite Warranty Worth Rs.5999 + Reliance Burglary & Theft Insurance + McAfee Internet Security Worth Rs. 1999 + HP Black S6500 Bluetooth Speaker Worth Rs. 1999
or
>>> Total 3 Years Onsite Warranty Worth Rs.5999 + Reliance Burglary & Theft Insurance + McAfee Internet Security Worth Rs. 1999 + HP H2800 wired Headset Worth Rs. 1999
2. You can pay INR 1,999 for the HP External 1TB HDD Worth Rs. 4999

There are other offers also on the product page.

The specifications for HP HP Pavilion Notebook - 15-ab521tx (HP Part Code: T0Z72PA):

Operating system	Windows 10 Home 64
Processor	Intel® Core™ i5-6200U with Intel® HD Graphics 520 (2.3 GHz, 3 MB cache, 2 cores)
Memory, standard	8 GB DDR3L-1600 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB)
Hard drive description	1 TB 5400 rpm SATA
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce 940M (4 GB DDR3L dedicated)
Optical drive	SuperMulti DVD burner
Display	15.6" diagonal FHD anti-glare LED-backlit (1920 x 1080)
Expansion slots	1 multi-format SD media card reader
Network interface	Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN
Wireless	802.11b/g/n (1x1) and Bluetooth® 4.0 combo
Ports	2 USB 3.0; 1 USB 2.0; 1 HDMI; 1 RJ-45; 1 headphone/microphone combo
Pointing device	HP Imagepad with multi-touch gesture support
Keyboard	Island-style keyboard with integrated numeric keypad
Audio features	B&O PLAY with 2 speakers
Power supply type	65 W EM AC power adapter
Battery type	4-cell, 41 Wh Li-ion
Security management	Kensington MicroSaver lock slot; Power-on password; Accepts third-party security lock devices
Weight	Starting at 2.09 kg
Minimum dimensions (W x D x H)	38.45 x 26.11 x 2.52 cm
Warranty	1-year limited parts and labour
Pre-installed software	CyberLink YouCam; CyberLink PowerDirector; CyberLink PhotoDirector; Adobe® Shockwave® Player; CyberLink Power Media Player; User Guide documentation; iPass; Evernote; Dropbox

I found a few other notebooks from various brands in the price range of INR 47K to INR 59K, but these had shortcomings, like less display resolution or inferior graphics card or inferior processor. Therefore I am not including these in my alternatives.

Currently, in the higher end, there is no competition for the MI notebook. The MI notebook wins hands down against all other brands in the ~INR 50K price range.

The lower end of the MI notebook presents some challenges. You can find many notebooks in the INR 35K range, but the market/demographic that the MI notebook targets is quite unique. Mainly the display size of 12.5" is quite unique in itself. In this form there are mainly 2-in-1/detachable designs. Mostly tablets with keyboards.

Why would I want to type with a keyboard on a tablet? Or, use a mouse/trackpad on a tablet. This seems just not right. Why not have a 14", 15", or 17" tablet and fill that gap instead of just attaching a keyboard to a tablet. I believe there would be more demand for a larger tablet than the demand for a smaller notebook.

Or, maybe this (MI notebook) is a tablet that I cannot touch. That makes this more problematic. On such a tiny screen how would I be able to work on a spreadsheet? Maybe some can, but I cannot. I like my notebook to be at least 14" size (or at the minimum of 13.3" size that the higher end MI notebook has).

So, if this is just a regular non-touch, non-convertible, non-2-in-1 notebook, then I would be comparing this with a regular notebook and not with some niche designs.

I would be using the HP brand for the comparison, since there would be a lot more devices to list here than I could. I will list just two devices.

The first one is HP Notebook - 15-ba001ax (HP Part Code: W6T51PA). At a glance this notebook has:
AMD Quad-Core A8-7410 APU Processor | Windows 10 Home | 4GB RAM/ 1TB HDD | 15.6" HD SVA display | 2GB Graphics Card | DTS Studio Sound™; Dual speakers.

Plus, you get the HP Original bag and 1 Year Onsite Warranty.

In addition, you get the INR 999 offer (same as the higher model that I have described above). By paying the additional INR 999 you can get either of these two:
>>> Total 3 Years Onsite Warranty Worth Rs.5999 + Reliance Burglary & Theft Insurance + McAfee Internet Security Worth Rs. 1999 + HP Black S6500 Bluetooth Speaker Worth Rs. 1999
or
>>> Total 3 Years Onsite Warranty Worth Rs.5999 + Reliance Burglary & Theft Insurance + McAfee Internet Security Worth Rs. 1999 + HP H2800 wired Headset Worth Rs. 1999

There are more offers on the product page. But, the offer for the external 1TB HDD is missing here.

The specifications are:

Operating system	Windows 10 Home 64
Processor	AMD Quad-Core A8-7410 APU (2.2 GHz, up to 2.5 GHz, 2 MB cache)
Memory, standard	4 GB DDR3L-1600 SDRAM (1 x 4 GB)
Hard drive description	1 TB 5400 rpm SATA
Graphics	AMD Radeon™ R5 M430 Graphics (2 GB DDR3 dedicated)
Optical drive	SuperMulti DVD burner
Display	15.6" diagonal HD SVA BrightView WLED-backlit (1366 x 768)
Network interface	Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN
Wireless	802.11b/g/n (1x1) and Bluetooth® 4.0 combo (Miracast compatible)
Expansion slots	1 multi-format SD media card reader
Ports	1 HDMI; 1 headphone/microphone combo; 2 USB 2.0; 1 USB 3.0; 1 RJ-45
Webcam	HP TrueVision HD Webcam (front-facing) with integrated digital microphone
Pointing device	Touchpad with multi-touch gesture support
Keyboard	Full-size island-style keyboard with integrated numeric keypad
Audio features	Dual speakers; DTS Studio Sound™
Power supply type	65 W EM AC power adapter
Security management	Kensington MicroSaver lock slot; Power-on password; Accepts third-party security lock devices; Trusted Platform Module (TPM)
Weight	2.19 kg
Minimum dimensions (W x D x H)	38.43 x 25.46 x 2.43 cm
Warranty	1-year limited parts and labour
Pre-installed software	Adobe® Shockwave® Player; CyberLink PowerDirector; User Guide documentation; Dropbox; TripAdvisor; CyberLink Power Media Player

All in all, the HP Notebook - 15-ba001ax (HP Part Code: W6T51PA) is a very good option for its price of INR 33,690 as stated on its product page: http://www.hpshopping.in/HP_Notebook_-_15-ba001ax

The second device is a little costly but with Intel Skylake Core i3 processor, the HP 15-ac635TU Notebook_Laptop (HP Part Code: T9G22PA). At a glance this notebook has: Intel® Core™ i3-6100U Processor | Windows 10 Home | 4GB RAM / 1TB HDD | 15.6" FHD anti-glare LED-backlit (1920 x 1080) | DTS Studio Sound™; Dual speakers.

Plus, you get the HP Original bag and 1 Year Onsite Warranty.
In addition, you get the INR 999 offer (same as the one described above).
There are more offers on the product page. Even here, for this product, the offer for the external 1TB HDD is missing.

The specifications are:

Operating system	Windows 10 Home 64
Processor	Intel® Core™ i3-6100U with Intel® HD Graphics 520 (2.3 GHz, 3 MB cache, 2 cores)
Memory, standard	4 GB DDR3L SDRAM (1 x 4 GB)
Hard drive description	1 TB 5400 rpm SATA
Graphics	Intel® HD Graphics 520
Optical drive	SuperMulti DVD burner
Display	15.6" diagonal FHD anti-glare LED-backlit (1920 x 1080)
Wireless	802.11b/g/n (1x1) and Bluetooth® 4.0 combo
Expansion slots	1 multi-format SD media card reader
Network interface	Integrated 10/100 BASE-T Ethernet LAN
Ports	1 USB 3.0; 2 USB 2.0; 1 HDMI; 1 RJ-45; 1 headphone/microphone combo
Webcam	HP TrueVision HD Webcam (front-facing) with integrated digital microphone
Keyboard	Island-style keyboard with integrated numeric keypad
Pointing device	Touchpad with multi-touch gesture support
Audio features	DTS Studio Sound™; Dual speakers
Battery type	4-cell, 41 Wh Li-ion
Power supply type	65 W EM AC power adapter
Security management	Kensington MicroSaver lock slot; Power-on password; Accepts third-party security lock devices
Weight	Starting at 2.19 kg
Minimum dimensions (W x D x H)	38.43 x 25.46 x 2.43 cm
Warranty	1-year limited parts and labour
Pre-installed software	CyberLink YouCam; CyberLink PhotoDirector; Adobe® Shockwave® Player; CyberLink Power Media Player; User Guide documentation; iPass; Evernote; Dropbox

The HP 15-ac635TU Notebook_Laptop (HP Part Code: T9G22PA) is a little costly than the one described above, at INR 38,190 (product page: http://www.hpshopping.in/HP_15-ac635TU_Notebook_Laptop)

You can get a lot many options in the ~INR 35K range. But if you require a niche product of 12.5" screen size with limited ports/usability then sure you can get the MI notebook. But, if you want a device on which you can view/create more freely (again, this is my opinion, yours may differ) then I would suggest to go for a regular notebook.

Desktop PC / HTPC

Well, my old desktop pc had crashed a long time ago. I had swapped out the motherboard a couple of times before giving up on it. Every time that I have changed the motherboard, it would get bust in a year or so. I couldn't pin point the problem, but I was not going to change the motherboard again. The other components, like the monitor, speaker, cpu, hdd, case are still intact.

So, in the past year I bought an android box. Its not a chrome box or anything from a world famous company, but I thought its simplicity is what I required. And, since I already have my notebook, I would just require the android box to serve as a media device.

The android box worked quite nicely for a few months and then all the problems started. First, the display would flicker, then the mouse pointer would disappear and now the latest problem came up,  no Sound.

So now I am looking at assembling a low cost desktop/media device or a desktop/media device replacement, like the Intel compute stick. Lets see what these two will cost and what benefits will they bring.

Please remember that in India, its still difficult to find the latest hardware. For example, a search on Amazon India for the Intel compute stick brings only one result (with Amazon fulfilled option): the Intel STCK1A32WFC Compute Stick PC (Intel Atom Z3735F/2GB/32GB/Windows 8.1/Intel HD Graphics), Black for ~ INR 7,000.

What options do I have:

Intel Compute Stick

As stated above, the Intel STCK1A32WFC Compute Stick PC (Intel Atom Z3735F/2GB/32GB/Windows 8.1/Intel HD Graphics), Black is available for ~ INR 7,000. And, the version (same configuration) with Windows 10 is available for ~ INR 12,000.

Thoughts: This seems a good option on paper. But, with a little bit research on the Internet/reading reviews and such, I have come to know that this is a little disappointing device. May be after a few generations the Intel Compute Stick would truly shine.

Raspberry Pi 3

For just media use, I could go for the Raspberry Pi 3. At the Crazy Pi website, the kit is available for INR 3,990 + 150 = INR 4,140.

Thoughts: Hmm, no Flash support on Raspberry Pi 3. Do we need it? Well many websites do need flash. And The raspberry Pi 3 is quite slow to open heavy javascript enabled websites too. So, advantage of low cost, but inferiority of limited usage.

Android Tablet + Chromecast

Or, I could get a entry level tablet+chromecast. This would cost me ~ INR 5,500 for the Tablet + ~ INR 3.500 for Chromecast = ~ Total INR 8,000.

Thoughts: Well, this is not a bad option. But the heavy reliance on networking/WIFI is a bit too much. Does the chromecast play the videos already on the Tablet without active WIFI? I do not know. So, I am putting this on hold until I know for sure.

Assemble a HTPC

I could assemble a low cost HTPC. A PC that is not a PC? What is HTPC? Will it perform?

Thoughts: Well, I did not know what were the components of an HTPC. So I searched on the Internet a little bit and found two articles, on two different websites, on assembling a HTPC for ~ INR 9,000. But, there was something very strange about these articles. Both articles looked very same, with the same hardwares listed to reach the cost envelope.

But, one article tries to go a little one-up on the other, by listing AirMouse! as the only input device required. And also mentioning the use of Ubuntu as the OS for the HTPC. So, I went to the Google Play Store page for AirMouse! and it is written there that a receiver software is required to work. And, this receiver software is only available for Windows. Hmm, so using Ubuntu how am I supposed to use a HTPC without any input device.

So, these articles seem very odd to me. Okay, so lets just skip this no input device required thing and look at the other hardware mentioned. The main piece of hardware mentioned is Zotac E2-1800-ITX with on-board WiFi, Bluetooth and the Mini ITX Nova Cabinet with 200W SMPS. So, I searched this on the Amazon India website. The Zotac board has a very low end AMD processor, the E2-1800 which is a 2012 released processor. So, I guess this processor is already obsolete. The cabinet looks okay with a slight mixed review score. But, I have my doubts on the quality of the smps.

Assemble a low cost Desktop PC

Well, after going through all options, I guess we can try this one out too.

Thoughts: We have to look after the upgrade ability of the system. For example, I see that AMD has not quite released a desktop CPU after 2014. The only ones that are released after 2014 are just upgraded versions of the previous series and just two processors that use the latest microarchitecture. And the latest ones are FM2+ socket CPUs. On the Intel front, the latest Skylake microarchitecture CPUs are LGA 1151 socket ones.

So, if we are to buy a new motherboard, it has to be at least FM2+ for AMD and LGA 1151 for Intel.

The below tables give the probable systems using Linux Mint/CentOS as the operating system to cut cost:

First up is the Intel based system: (The cost is from the Amazon India website - subject to change)

Component	Description	Price	Link
Processor	Intel Pentium G4400 Skylake Dual-Core 3.3GHz Desktop Processor	5175	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B015VPX05A/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Motherboard	MSI H110M PRO - VH - 6th Generation DDR4 MotherBoard (LGA1151, DDR4 2133Mhz, HDMI + VGA Ports, MicroATX Board)	5350	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B01649F7VW/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
RAM	Kingston Technology HyperX FURY Black 8 GB 2133 MHz CL14 DIMM DDR4 Internal Memory (HX421C14FB2/8)	2845	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B01D8U27YU/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Graphics Card	ZOTAC NVIDIA GT 730 2GB 2 GB DDR5 Graphics Card	5430	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00L61VGPU/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Hard Drive	WD 1TB Blue Desktop Internal Hard Drive (WD10EZEX)	3760	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B0088PUEPK/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Cabinet + Power Supply	Many options starting from 2150 on the CircleCT website	2150	http://www.circlect.com/computer-accessories/cabinets.html?dir=asc&order=usb3
Optical Disc Drive	Asus Internal DVD Writer DRW-24D5MT	999	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00IWVDIXK/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Keyboard And Mouse	Logitech MK220 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo (Black)	1199	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B008QS7JN4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Card Reader	Amkette FDD396M Multi Format Card Reader, Black	299	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B005YVT4KM/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
WIFI Adapter	TP-Link TL-WN725N 150Mbps Wireless N Nano USB Adapter (Black)	468	http://www.amazon.in/TP-Link-TL-WN725N-150Mbps-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B008IFXQFU/ref=sr_1_7
Bluetooth Adapter	[Upgraded Version] GadgetsAccessories Mini USB Bluetooth CSR v4.0 Dongle Dual Mode Wireless Adapter Device (CSR8510 Chipset)	500	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00WCXUV5M/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
	Total:	28175

The total cost comes to INR 28,175 which is not that bad considering we are getting a full PC. You can save by not including the Graphics Card, Optical Disc Drive, Card Reader, WIFI Adapter, Bluetooth Adapter, using a wired Keyboard and Mouse combo, using 4GB of RAM. You could potentially save at least 5430 + 999 + 299 + 468 + 500 + 500 (using wired keyboard and mouse combo) + 1000 (approx. saving if using 4GB RAM)  = 9,196. So the updated total cost would be 28175 - 9196 = INR 18,979.

Plus, if you can get a better deal on the components, you are looking at a good entry level PC for around 18K.

Next is the AMD system: (again the cost is from the Amazon India website - subject to change)

Component	Description	Price	Link
Processor 1	AMD FM2 A4 - 4020 3.2GHz Speed Processor	2530	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B011XPWQH0/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
RAM 1	Kingston 4 GB DDR3 1333 Desktop RAM	1799	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B008ZZ8OIC/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Processor 2	AMD A6-6400K Richland 4.1GHz Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor AMD Radeon HD AD640KOKHLBOX	4270	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00CPLGFM4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
RAM 2	Kingston Fury Memory -4GB -DDR3 1866 MHz Desktop Ram (HX318C10F/4)	1648	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00J8E91BI/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Processor 3	AMD A4 7300 Dual-Core 4.0GHz Processor	4981	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00MU00HGK/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
RAM 3	Corsair CMV4GX3M1A1600C11 1600MHz 4GB DDR3 Memory Module	1520	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B009CILPRI/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Motherboard	Asus A68HM-K - DDR3 FM2+ Socket AMD MotherBoard (FM2+ Socket, A68H FCH Chipset, DDR3 2400+)	3900	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00P6P6Z9O/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Graphics Card	ZOTAC NVIDIA GT 730 2GB 2 GB DDR5 Graphics Card	5430	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00L61VGPU/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Hard Drive	WD 1TB Blue Desktop Internal Hard Drive (WD10EZEX)	3760	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B0088PUEPK/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Cabinet + Power Supply	Many options starting from 2150 on the CircleCT website	2150	http://www.circlect.com/computer-accessories/cabinets.html?dir=asc&order=usb3
Optical Disc Drive	Asus Internal DVD Writer DRW-24D5MT	999	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00IWVDIXK/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Keyboard And Mouse	Logitech MK220 Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo (Black)	1199	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B008QS7JN4/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Card Reader	Amkette FDD396M Multi Format Card Reader, Black	299	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B005YVT4KM/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
WIFI Adapter	TP-Link TL-WN725N 150Mbps Wireless N Nano USB Adapter (Black)	468	http://www.amazon.in/TP-Link-TL-WN725N-150Mbps-Wireless-Adapter/dp/B008IFXQFU/ref=sr_1_7
Bluetooth Adapter	[Upgraded Version] GadgetsAccessories Mini USB Bluetooth CSR v4.0 Dongle Dual Mode Wireless Adapter Device (CSR8510 Chipset)	500	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00WCXUV5M/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
	Total 1:	23034
	Total 2:	24623
	Total 3:	25206

I found three AMD processors that have similar capabilities within a similar cost envelope. But, these three support different RAM speeds. The A4 4020 supports DDR3 1333. The A6 6400K supports DDR3 1866. A4 7300 supports DDR3 1600. Therefore I have included these combinations in the above table.

The total cost comes to INR 23,034 / INR 24,623 / INR 25,206. The total cost is less than what we have seen for the Intel configuration.
Again, you can save by not including the Graphics Card, Optical Disc Drive, Card Reader, WIFI Adapter, Bluetooth Adapter, using wired Keyboard and Mouse combo. You could potentially save at least 5430 + 999 + 299 + 468 + 500 + 500 (using wired keyboard and mouse combo) = 8,196. So the updated total cost would be (23034 or 24623 or 25206) - 8196 = INR 14,838 or INR 16,427 or INR 17,010.

Plus, if you can get a better deal on the components, you are looking at a good entry level PC for around 14-16K.

Buying a Intel NUCs
Intel NUCs are an option but with limited hardware update ability. You get a bare bone kit to which you are required to add at least a hard drive and RAM. And these supported hard drive and RAM are of laptop sizes.
Thoughts: The latest NUCs with Core i processors are too costly with even the Core i3 one costing more than INR 40K. I found just two NUCs that can be used a cost effective HTPC. But remember that you may not be able to upgrade these any further in regards to the processor, motherboard, etc.
Lets take a look at two of the low cost NUCs:

First is the NUC5PPYH. This is a Pentium N3700 based NUC. Its cost on the Amazon India website is around INR 12,550 (http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00XPVQHDU/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new)

NUC Name	NUC5PPYH
Processor	Intel® Pentium® processor N3700 (1.6 GHz to 2.4 GHz burst, quad core, 6 W TDP)
Memory	DDR3L SODIMM 1.35V, 1333/1600 MHz, 8GB maximum
Graphics	Intel® HD Graphics 1x HDMI* 1.4a 1x HDB15 VGA
Audio	Up to 7.1 surround audio via HDMI Headphone/Microphone jack on the front panel Headphone/TOSLINK* jack on the rear panel
Peripheral Connectivity	2x USB 3.0 ports on the back panel 2x USB 3.0 ports on the front panel (1x charging capable) 2x Internal USB 2.0 via header Consumer Infrared sensor on the front panel
Storage	Internal SATA3 support for 2.5" HDD/SSD (up to 9.5mm thickness) SDXC slot with UHS-I support on the side
Networking	10/100/1000Mbps Network Connection Intel® Wireless-AC 3165 M.2 2230, wireless antennas (IEEE 802.11ac, Bluetooth* 4, Intel® Wireless Display)
Enclosure	Silver with Black Top Plastic shell with metal inner structure Dimensions : 115mm x 111mm x 51.6mm
Power Adapter	19V, 65W wall-mount AC-DC power adapter Multi-country plugs (IEC types A/C/G/I)
Additional Features	Support for user-replaceable 3rd party lids NFC and AUX_PWR headers OS certs: Windows* 7 & 8.1 Logo’d OS compatibility: Ubuntu*, Linux Mint*, Android*, Fedora*, OpenSUSE* VESA* mount bracket and mounting hole support Low-acoustics active cooling design Kensington lock support with base security Integration Guide 12-19V DC Power Input 3-year limited warranty Included
in the box	Intel® NUC Kit NUC5PPYH integrated in enclosure VESA mount bracket, with screws 19V, 65W wall-mount AC/DC power adapter with multi-country AC plugs (IEC types A/C/G/I) Integration guide Processor badge

Second is NUC5CPYH. This NUC has the Celeron N3050 processor and identical features as the NUC above. The cost of this NUC on the Amazon India Website is around INR 9,200 (http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00XPVRR5M/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new)

NUC Name	NUC5CPYH
Processor	Intel® Celeron® processor N3050 (1.6 GHz to 2.16 GHz burst, dual core, 6 W TDP)
Memory	DDR3L SODIMM 1.35V, 1333/1600 MHz, 8GB maximum
Graphics	Intel® HD Graphics 1x HDMI* 1.4a 1x HDB15 VGA
Audio	Up to 7.1 surround audio via HDMI Headphone/Microphone jack on the front panel Headphone/TOSLINK* jack on the rear panel
Peripheral Connectivity	2x USB 3.0 ports on the back panel 2x USB 3.0 ports on the front panel (1x charging capable) 2x Internal USB 2.0 via header Consumer Infrared sensor on the front panel
Storage	Internal SATA3 support for 2.5" HDD/SSD (up to 9.5mm thickness) SDXC slot with UHS-I support on the side
Networking	10/100/1000Mbps Network Connection Intel® Wireless-AC 3165 M.2 2230, wireless antennas (IEEE 802.11ac, Bluetooth* 4, Intel® Wireless Display)
Enclosure	Silver with Black Top Plastic shell with metal inner structure Dimensions : 115mm x 111mm x 51.6mm
Power Adapter	19V, 65W wall-mount AC-DC power adapter Multi-country plugs (IEC types A/C/G/I)
Additional Features	NFC and AUX_PWR headers OS certs: Windows* 7 & 8.1 Logo’d OS compatibility: Ubuntu*, Linux Mint*, Android*, Fedora*, OpenSUSE* VESA* mount bracket and mounting hole support Low-acoustics active cooling design Kensington lock support with base security Integration Guide 12-19V DC Power Input 3-year limited warranty Included
in the box	Intel® NUC Kit NUC5CPYH integrated in enclosure VESA mount bracket, with screws 19V, 65W wall-mount AC-DC power adapter with multi-country AC plugs (IEC types A/C/G/I) Integration guide Processor badge

While these two NUCs have different processors but the same features, even then only the processor is enough to warrant that that NUC5PPYH is vastly superior. Because the Pentium processor N3700 is a quad core processor and the Celeron N3050 is a dual core processor. Apart from the number of cores, the processor speed and the GPU speed are also greater in the Pentium processor.
We are required to add the RAM and hard disk drive to the NUC. Lets see what will be cost:

On the low end:

Component	Description	Cost	Link
RAM	Transcend 4GB DDR3L 1600 LAPTOP RAM	1521	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00B5LOOJG/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Hard Disk	Western Digital WD5000LPVX 500 GB Mobile 2.5-inch Hard Drive	3349	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00B5LOOJG/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

For NUC5PPHY: The total cost would be 12,550 + 1,521 + 3,349 = INR 17,420.
For NUC5CPHY: The total cost would be 9,200 + 1,521 + 3,349 = INR 14,070.

On the high end:

Component	Description	Cost	Link
RAM	Kingston 8 GB RAM FOR LAPTOP 1600MHZ PC3L - KVR16LS118 (LOW VOLTAGE)	2669	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00CQ35HBQ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
Hard Disk	WD 1TB Blue Notebook Internal Hard Drive (WD10JPVX)	4599	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B00C9TEBJQ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

For NUC5PPHY: The total cost would be 12,550 + 2,669 + 4,599 = INR 19,818.
For NUC5CPHY: The total cost would be 9,200 + 2,669 + 4,599 = INR 16,468.

Buy a low cost Desktop PC
Why not buy a ready made system from your favorite brand. Well, not many options are present in the cost envelop that we looked at when assembling the system. If we consider the very basic parts we get a assembled system cost from around INR 14K to around INR 18K. And, I have not seen many branded systems in this price range. You could also get a Pentium based NUC for INR 17K to INR 19K.

Well, I could only find HP branded Desktop PCs in the price range of 14K to 21K (Cost price from Amazon India - subject to change). These are:

Version	Brief Details	Price	Link
HP Slimline 450-a14IL Desktop PC	1.6GHz Intel Celeron N3050 processor 2GB DDR3 RAM and 500GB Hard disk DOS Intel HD Graphics VGA port not available. HDMI to VGA cable needed for connecting with VGA port only Monitors.	12500	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B0122WYVNA/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
HP Slimline 260-A062IL (W2T64AA) Desktop PC ( INTEL J3060/4GB/1TB/DOS/Wi-Fi/Integrated Graphics) Black	CPU speed: 1.6 GHz (2.48 GHz) - max turbo boost)(2core,2mb cache) 4GB PC3L-12800 MB/s,DDR3L-1600,1TB SATA 7200RPM,DOS Headphone/Microphone: 1,USB 2.0: 2 ,VGA,HDMI ,USB 3.0: 2 ,LAN (Ethernet) ,Audio: Line in, Audio: Line out , Audio: Microphone ,Secure Digital (SD),Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC),SDXC Integrated Intel HD Graphics,Audio Codec: ALC3863-CG,High Definition (Azalia) 5.1 channel audio support,Audio jack presence detection,Technology: Realtek RTL8161, USB keyboard(cable length 1.33 m (4 ft, 4 in), USB Mouse(cable length 1.8 m (6 ft),	14000	http://www.amazon.in/HP-Slimline-260-A062IL-W2T64AA-Integrated/dp/B01HT9DPJ2/ref=sr_1_1
HP Slimline 450-113IL Desktop (Celeron J1800/2GB/1TB/DOS/Integrated Graphics), Black	2.41GHz Intel Celeron J1800 processor 2GB DDR3 RAM 1TB 7200rpm Serial ATA hard drive Intel HD Graphics DOS	14500	http://www.amazon.in/HP-Slimline-450-113IL-Integrated-Graphics/dp/B01E3GGJ42/ref=sr_1_4
HP Slimline 450-a12IL Desktop PC	2.41GHz Intel Pentium J2900 processor 2GB DDR3 RAM 500GB Hard disk DOS Intel HD Graphics	19199	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B0122WY3GA/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
HP Slimline 450-114il Desktop PC (PQC J2900-4GB-500GB-DOS)	Intel® Pentium® J2900 with Intel HD Graphics Free DOS 2.0 4GB RAM / 500GB HDD	19990	http://www.amazon.in/gp/offer-listing/B01F1Z0MF6/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
HP Slimline 450-a15il (PQC J2900 -2 GB RAM-500 GB HDD-DOS)	Intel® Core PQC J2900 Processor, DOS, 2GB DDR3 RAM / 500GB HDD	21468	http://www.amazon.in/HP-Slimline-450-a15il-RAM-500-HDD-DOS/dp/B01GFLCXL6/ref=sr_1_12

In the above options, I am leaning more towards HP Slimline 260-A062IL (W2T64AA) Desktop PC ( INTEL J3060/4GB/1TB/DOS/Wi-Fi/Integrated Graphics) Black. Mostly because this has the latest processor, more RAM and hard disk space.
Also, it will be more easier to compare this with the Intel NUC5CPHY. Because these both are Celeron based and of similar processing power.

Consider the NUC5CPHY with 4GB RAM and 1TB HDD: The cost would be: 9,200 + 1,521 + 4,599 = INR 15,320. And, this HP Slimline 260-A062IL (W2T64AA) system costs INR 14,000.

<< Conclusion >>:
For an HTPC, apart from the Android Tablet + Chromecast combination (which I require more information on to comment), the NUC or the HP Slimline Desktop PC are the best systems. The cost for both system starts from 14K. You can go a little higher on the NUC though, but you also get a very compact system. The HP Slimline Desktop PC is also a good small system.