[JohnMaguire2013]

So my mother recently upgraded our internet to 12 Mbps downstream from 1.5 Mbps in the hopes of being able to stream / download 1080p content and setup a nice media center, rather than having to pay for cable. The plan is probably to run Windows 8 (unless there is a good reason to run Windows 7 instead) with XBMC on top of it. Running Windows not OpenELEC or another Linux distro for Netflix/Hulu support.

We were initially just going to use an old laptop sitting around, and then we realized that it doesn't even have an HDMI port (whoops!)

So I'm thinking building a nice HTPC is probably a pretty good option. Right now I'm looking at the [Mini-ITX] A6-3500 (3x2.1Ghz/2.4Ghz) + HD6530D build by eskro. Would this CPU/GPU be able to meet my needs?

Also, to see if I've forgotten anything, I would still need to buy RAM (4GB), a hard drive (2TB), and a DVD drive, correct?

Would the linked RAM and hard drive be acceptable, or would it only support up to 4GB of RAM? I can't find very good specs on these links.

Additionally, can anyone point me towards a good DVD drive for this case? I would really appreciate it, thanks.

Also, if there is a better / comparable / cheaper alternative that is pre-built, that would be awesome to know about as well.

It looks like total this'll be around $410. Unless I drop the 2TB hard drive and throw in a random laptop hard drive I have laying around (would that be okay? It wouldn't fit in the bay, but I'm sure there's room in the case) in which case it would be more like $300.

[aptalca]

I use the A6-3500

It does all you mentioned plus more.

It is a great system

search the forum for threads where people talk about their A6 builds. Many people including me have built A6-3500 based systems here

[JohnMaguire2013]

I use the A6-3500

It does all you mentioned plus more.

It is a great system

search the forum for threads where people talk about their A6 builds. Many people including me have built A6-3500 based systems here

Thanks for the input. So for putting the rest of the things together, it's just a matter of finding a case, grabbing the RAM, HDD, motherboard, etc, correct?

And for connecting to the internet, would a USB WiFi adapter like this be suitable?

[aptalca]

For windows, that wifi adapter should work. I personally prefer a wired connection, because high bitrate 1080p might cause issues depending on the setup, signal strength, etc. Since that adapter is not that expensive, I'd say try it and see, if you have problems you can consider alternatives like ethernet cable or MoCa (ethernet over coaxial cable).

Also I just realized that A6-5400K, which is sort of the newer version of the A6-3500, is only $5 more, and the mobo costs the same for both (even though they use different sockets.

You might wanna consider that instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819113282
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813157340

[JohnMaguire2013]

For windows, that wifi adapter should work. I personally prefer a wired connection, because high bitrate 1080p might cause issues depending on the setup, signal strength, etc. Since that adapter is not that expensive, I'd say try it and see, if you have problems you can consider alternatives like ethernet cable or MoCa (ethernet over coaxial cable).

Also I just realized that A6-5400K, which is sort of the newer version of the A6-3500, is only $5 more, and the mobo costs the same for both (even though they use different sockets.

You might wanna consider that instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819113282
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813157340

The reviews on that motherboard scare me.