[rocketspank]

Hello. Long time viewer, first time poster so be gentle.

I'm looking to build my first HTPC to run XBMC. I've put together my list following this build from eskro. I want to run just XBMC Live without Windows but I'm not married to the idea... Now to the questions...

1. This case says it has supports for up to 4-80mm fans. Do I need that many and if I do, is my case going to be too loud for using as an HTPC? I'm going to go with these also recommended by eskro. I'm coming from using XBMC on my modded Xbox that I've had for years... (as a reference to the noise level I'm accustomed to and don't mind)

2. If I'm using a Blu-ray drive, would I need to run XBMC on top of Windows to be able to use it? I'm in Group 5 and won't be using the HTPC for gaming of any kinds (maybe emulators if XBMC Live allows USB controllers)

3. I have upgraded the GPU to a GT430 and thrown in a 30 GB SSD. Would I be able to stream media from my PC until I get a NAS and it still run at 1080p without stuttering over a G network?

I would also like to add a TV Tuner card for PVR if that is possible. So any suggestions there are greatly appreciated.

I consider myself to be pretty tech-savvy, but have never ventured into the HTPC arena, save for my XBMC Xbox.

Thanks for any input anyone can give me...

[Kirky99]

1. I have that case. I'm running only two case fans, went with these, they are cheaper and are very quiet. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811999199
2. I think currently you would need Win for bluray playback, but it's not native to XBMC, so you'll need to tweak things. I have a bluray drive in mine, but haven't bothered to get bluray playback going.
3. Wireless of any kind is not conducive to smooth HD blayback. At night, and when everyone else is asleep, when the moon is blue, sometimes I can get a HD movie to play back without too much studdering over Wireless N, but usually not. Wired is going to be your best bet. Video card and hard drive have nothing to do with it.

I had a Hauppauge 2250 in the above case for a bit. It works, had it going with Team MediaPortal TV Server though. Persoanlly, I never had much luch with Linux and TV servers.