[valebv]

Hi guys, I've decided to upgrade my old pc for xbmc and medium gaming (PES, Assassins Creed, Battlefield 3), my problem is that I don't know which parts should I upgrade...(maybe all of them? =/ ). If anybody has any advice I would appreciate it, thanks!

My budget is 600 dollars, and these are the original specs:

CPU AMD PHENOM II X4 940 3.0GHZ QUADCORE CACHE L3 6MB AM2+ BE BO

WESTERN DIGITAL AALS BLACK 500GB SATAII 7200RPM 32MB

SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON HD4850 PCIE16X DX10 512MB

GIGABYTE MA790X-UD4P AMD790X AM2+ FSB5200 4DDR2 PCIe

CHASSIS ATX TREETOP SPEED-767 FAN 25MM BLACK (SF)

POWER SUPPLY TOPOWER M2 600W ATX 12V2.0 20+4 PINS BLACK

2 x DDR2 KINGSTON 2GB 800MHZ PC2-6400

[cpmiller22]

What would you like to be able to to with xbmc?

[valebv]

I would like to be able to play 3D movies (mkvs), 1080ps mkvs, and have True-hd and dts-hd audio. As far as gaming, it doesn't need to be at full resolution, just to be able to play the games. I've been reading and it seems I could re-use my power supphy and chassis, but might have to change everything else. Any advice would be helpful.

[bluray]

AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz

GIGABYTE GA-F2A85XM-D3H FM2

SILVERSTONE Grandia Series GD05B-USB3.0

SeaSonic SSR-450RM 450W

Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB)

You can re-use HDD + Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD1CCA 2.5" 64GB....

[valebv]

Hey bluray, thanks for the input!. That looks reallyy good, my only problem is that It would be better if I could re-use my ATX Chassis and power supply because I will buy the parts in NYC and can't travel with to much weight back to Chile =/ . Any advice on an ATX motherboard, I could still pick AMD A10-5800K right? Thanks!

[Dougie Fresh]

You should be able to use bluray's suggested micro-ATX motherboard in your ATX chassis. The only real difference is the number of expansion slots. Which chassis and PSU do you already have?

The ATX version is Gigabyte GA-F2A85X-D3H.

J&R and B&H Photo are good NYC stores to find these parts from . I order from both all the time -- great customer service. I'd love to visit them sometime. A quick look though and I am having a hard time finding FM2 motherboards available for pick up.

[valebv]

Hi Dougie, didn't know micro-atx were compatible with ATX Chassis, this is the one that I have http://www.madboxpc.com/contenido.php?id=4527&pag=4

My power supply is a TOPOWER M2 600W http://www.chw.net/foro/reviews-f45/2990...ition.html

I've look on J&R and B&H websites, and since I'm definitly going to B&H to buy a camera I was hoping to buy some pc components. Since I don't have an address to ship to, I was thinking on using Amazon's locker system, and maybe order online parts that cannot be picked at B&H.

Thanks for all the help guys!!

[valebv]

Hi guys, after much thought I've decided to build an htpc just for movies and music, and leave the gaming to the xbox. Reading the forums I've come to this configuration:

[MOBO] ASRock MB-A75MHVS Socket FM1/ AMD A75 FCH/ DDR3/ SATA3&USB3.0/ A&GbE/ MATX Motherboard
[CPU] AMD A8-3870K APU with AMD Radeon 6550 HD Graphics 3.0GHz Unlocked Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core
[SSD] Crucial 64 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s CT064M4SSD2
[RAM] Kingston Hyper X 8GB (2x4GB Modules) 1866MHz DDR3 XMP Desktop Memory (KHX1866C9D3K2/8GX)
[HEATSINK] Scythe SCBSK-2100 Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B CPU Cooler

Since I can only use Amazon's locker system, and the SilverStone ML03B is too big for it, I will buy it from Chile.

Is it a good config? The only thing that I couldn't find in Amazon was the Seasonic 400w power supply...any recommendations? It has to be shipped by Amazon =/ or maybe I cuold buy this one in Chile? Is it an overkill?

http://www.sym.cl/ficha/8003/

Thanks!