[oRAirwolf]

2 questions:

I've decided to get rid of my gen 1 apple tv and just go with an HTPC build.

Just as a little background info, I plan on connecting this to a 3DTV (Mitsubishi WD-73C10) and stream all of my movies over gigabit ethernet from my main computer. I usually watch 720p and 1080p x264 movies and TV shows. The biggest ones I have are about 16gb x 178min, sorry I dont know the bitrate . I dont think I will be doing any gaming, encoding, or anything other than just watching movies/tv shows. I do not have 3D glasses at this point, but I would like to able to watch 3D content in the future. I have a PS3 for Netflix/Bluray, so thats all covered.

My main concern is that I get something fast enough to support high bitrate 1080p content.

I'm trying to keep this build on the cheap, and here's what I have spec'd from Newegg. Will this fully support my needs? Is anything overkill? Is anything borderline underkill?

N82E16814187132
Sparkle low profile nVidia GT430
$49.99

N82E16813186196
Foxconn A88GM Deluxe AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Radeon HD 4250 GPU
$64.99

N82E16811147099
Rosewill MATX Case w/ 400w psu
$49.99

N82E16819103903
AMD Athlon II x2 250 Regor 3.0 Ghz 2x1mb L2 65W retail
$60.99

N82E16820144262
GeIL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1066 7-7-7-20
$42.99

Donor HDD (320gb - 2tb)
Donor DVD drive

Total Price w/ shipping: $268.95

2nd Question:

The motherboard with this build comes with a built in AMD Radeon HD 4250. Will this card provide enough power on its own, that purchasing a GT430 would be superfluous? I assume the 4250 is not capable of 3D output, but if that was not a factor, would it be sufficient for playing any 1080p content with the configuration previously mentioned?

[bmcclure937]

I cannot provide an opinion regarding the onboard ATI graphics. I know that many prefer nVidia, but I only have experience with the nVidia and XBMC. That being said, I would highly recommend the GT430 and I have had great success with it in my HTPC.

Also, I would recommend looking into a better quality PSU than Rosewill. I like to purchase a decent CPU to protect my components. My recommendation goes to Antec EarthWatts.

[gabbott]

Here is a great power supply (it is actually an Antec branded Seasonic) also has a 120MM fan for very low noise:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6817371029

[oRAirwolf]

Cool, I will go with that PSU and a different case.

Trying to decide between the Silverstone ML03B and the SG02F (which i can buy locally for $65)

ML03B - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811163174
SG02F - http://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-SG02B-...B001AZCUMA

What does everyone think?

[eskro]

i would have to vouch for the Silverstone ML03B,
but you'll need to buy at least 2 FANS to put inside...

Since your starting to think about building your own HTPC,
i strongly suggest you read my stater guide which includes build
suggestions too!

Here!

[oRAirwolf]

I did read both yours and Poofyharguy's guides. I appreciate all the info. Still curious about the Radeon 4250 GPU tho. It'd be nice to save $50 if I can....lol

[gabbott]

I did read both yours and Poofyharguy's guides. I appreciate all the info. Still curious about the Radeon 4250 GPU tho. It'd be nice to save $50 if I can....lol

What OS do you plan on using?

[soundbyte]

I have a Gigabyte A880G+ mobo with the 4250 onboard GPU...runs XBMC absolutely fine for me (including 1080p) with no problems.

[oRAirwolf]

What OS do you plan on using?

Probably Windows 7 x64 Enterprise

I have a Gigabyte A880G+ mobo with the 4250 onboard GPU...runs XBMC absolutely fine for me (including 1080p) with no problems.

Thank you sir! That is what I needed to know. I think I will wait on the GT430 for the time being.

[wsume99]

I just built my HTPC and used the ML03B. It's an ok case. There is not a lot of room between my DVD drive and the PSU. I have 2 3.5" HDDs (1TB WD Black & 160GB WD Blue) in there as well. It is pretty crowded. I had to add two 80mm fans to the front RH side of the case to keep the HDDs from frying. Right now they are running at about 40-42C. I'm looking to replace the 1TB Black with a 1TB Green drive since it runs cooler. I'm also going to replace my PSU (Corsair CMPSU-620HX) with a picoPSU. Also considering swapping out the 160GB drive with a SSD once the 3rd gen drives are released. Other than being crowded in there my only complaint is that the front panel cables are way too long (especially the USB cable) which only makes it more crowded in there.

The case looks nice but just make sure you are selecting the right components to fit in there. So long as you plan wisely I see no reason no to use it.

[oRAirwolf]

Ended up going with:

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor

Foxconn A88GM Deluxe AM3 AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard w/ AMD Radeon 4250

GeIL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory

Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W Continuous Power ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Silverstone SG02F Case

300gb to 2tb HD I have laying around

Donor DVD drive

Probably gonna buy a Rii mini wireless keyboard (same exact keyboard as the visiontek candyboard, but cheaper because it doesnt come in a visiontek box)


Thx for the help guys!