[Merkoss]

Hi there,

Well first of all this will be my first PC XBMC build and I want tot thank eskro for his information. In the past I was using XBMC for the Xbox, which was kick-ass, so I hope that the new XBMC is still kicking ass!

I am planning to build this system:
[CPU+iGPU] AMD A6-3500 Boxed
[CPU Cooler] Scythe Shuriken Rev. B
[Thermal Paste] Zalman Thermal Grease ZM-STG2
[MOBO] Asrock A75M-ITX
[RAM] Kingston HyperX KHX1866C11D3P1K2/4G
[Case + PSU] Spire PowerCube SPM210B-300W-PFC
[Case Fan] Enermax T.B.Silence Fan UCTB12
[WiFi] Linksys AE1000 Wireless-N USB
[OS] Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

To save on the costs i will be using a DVD-Burner that i have laying around. Also I am going to use a WD Caviar Green HDD (WD10EARS, 1TB) that i have and don't need to buy, for the OS and media files. Later on I am planning to replace the HDD with a SSD drive and buy a NAS system.

What I am wondering is, the A8-3850 is only € 27,- more then the A6-3500. Is it worth it to buy the A8-3850?
Second question is, how about the heat? Won't the A8-3850 be to hot inside the Spire case with the above coolers and fans?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for my English it is not my native language.

[assassin]

Yes, the A8 will be hot. I would go with the A6-3500 or Intel i3 or G620.

[lrusak]

or an A8-3800 or 3820 as these are also 65W TDP APUs

[Mick1152]

if it's a HTPC only, there really isn't any need to go for the A8-3850 over the A6-3500 APU. I have both and am very happy with both. Probably wouldn't have gotten the A8 but it was on sale at the time.

One suggestion with that case and the CPU fan you selected, I'd watch out for clearance issues. Couldn't find anything about CPU fan clearance on that case but it looks like it could be tight.

The Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B may be a better CPU fan to go with, it is 58 mm tall versus the 64 mm of the Shuriken Rev. B you selected. Watch out though, it does open up another concern as it is a bigger (wider) fan but it doesn't look like the drive cage or anything would run into it in that case, but I can't say for sure.