Want to build a sleeper htpc in a small form factor, need help

[TickleMyElmo]

Hello again my pc brethren. So I have an awesome main pc and laptop but I want to work on something or build something. So I figured I could sell sleeper pc's or just emulation systems with bargain parts on various sites and then sell them for a profit. Mostly everyone I know is a console gamer so it would be cool to see their reactions. Since I have never done this before I will need some pointers. Ideas like cases, boards, cpu's, ram, gpu's, psu's, etc. I'd love it if you guys could show me some older but still relatively somewhat powerful parts that would be cheap on ebay/aliexpress. Which kind of cases, mbs, psu's, and gpus are my main concern because they would have to fit in very tight cases. Also, what kind of gaming power can raspberry pi's handle? Playstation 1, xbox 1 at the most? Thanks guys. I'm really excited to start getting into this, I have way to much time on my hands and idle hands are the devils playtoy.

 

[habbajabba]

I want/need a sff media pc myself. Ameridroid has some awesome designs and links but they use arm type processors which negates any thoughts of a full desktop, as we know it. If you can build an octacore/quadcore setup that uses, at most, a single fan, none is better, that's ideal. I priced all the highend stuff out (incl periphs) to well over 300$ with no clue as to what the software end would be exactly. The hardware is already cheap. The problem is dealing with arm64 architecture software that's plugnplay and NOT having to deal with user 'friendliness' issues related to networking your data.
The niche is there but I have not seen any device that does an htpc right for cheap other than googles clusterfluck bs or a hobbled plex 'server'.
Possibly the key is to run a full desk experience to give the user friendliness but I know it's unnecessary hardwarewise.
Forgot to add... If you build it I'll buy it. I found that while playing streaming music under protonvpn, I cannot browse at the same time. One reason alone to want one.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Right on.. Ill let you know what I come up with.

 

[Blaylock]

This post/title is a little confusing. Generally speaking if something is a sleeper that means it has more power than it appears to have. In your post you mentioned a relatively powerful bargain PC.

Are you looking for it to be an HTPC or a light gaming rig?

 

[wagex]

when you say sleeper, this is what we are envisioning https://www.reddit.com/r/sleeperbattlestations

 

[TickleMyElmo]

I'm guessing more of an htpc then.