[jasmill1969]

OK, this is my proposed build. It is essentially an eskro build with two tweaks. Tweak one is the gpu which I already own. Tweak two is the case which Mallet suggested because my card won't fit in the traditional eskro cases. If you see places where I could save money and still get the same performance, please let me know. I also want to make sure that all of these parts will play nice together as this will be the first PC I have built.

My goal is to finally have an HTPC that can handle 1080p and huge blue ray rips that is also snappy when flipping through the beautiful XBMC skins. I would also like to be able to stream netflix, hulu, and other net based feeds. I will be doing zero gaming. No ripping or encoding. I would like to stick to windows and I'll be wired to a NAS.

[case] NMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B ($70.00 + $0)
[cpu] Intel Core I3-540 3.06GHz LGA-1156 Dual-Core 73W ($113 + $0)
[mobo] ASRock H55M-LE LGA-1156 Micro-ATX ($65 + $0)
[gpu] DIAMOND 5670PE51G Radeon HD 5670 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (already own)
[psu] Antec EarthWatts 380W ATX12V ($40 + $0)
[ssd] Corsair Nova 2.5" SATAII Trim Read:195MB/s Write:70MB/s ($79 + $0)
[ram] G.SKILL Ripjaws ($60 + $0)

[Crytone]

Why not go with the newer i3-2100? It's newer and uses less power (65W) than the one you have listed. Or even the i3-2100T to use even less power (35W). You'll also need to get a LGA1155 mobo instead too.

Just a few thoughts.

[eskro]

if your not going to do gaming, you really dont need the i3 CPU...
i think your loosing money by going that route...
too much power that u wont use,,,

or at least, if you'll eventually do some ripping and converting,
get the AMD Athlon X4 for $99....

and if your not going to rip or encode,
you truly need only the Athlon X2!!
$61!!

dont worry, your system will fly thanks to the SSD!
actually, with the saved money, i would get a even more speedy SSD!!
[SSD: 40GB] G.SKILL Phoenix Pro 2.5" SATAII Trim Read:280MB/s Write:270MB/s ($110 + $0)

man you'll fly!!!

[Zon2020]

if your not going to do gaming, you really dont need the i3 CPU...
i think your loosing money by going that route...
too much power that u wont use,,,

or at least, if you'll eventually do some ripping and converting,
get the AMD Athlon X4 for $99....

But I can buy an i3-2100 at Microcenter for the very same $99 and it uses less power and runs cooler. Cooler=quieter, which is a good thing in an HTPC.

If it's the same price, and runs cooler, what's the downside of using the i3-2100?

[eskro]

no downside...
im just saying, if he's not going to game or rip/encode with his HTPC,
i think its a waste getting an i3.... even a X4.....
i suggest he gets these:

AMD Athlon X2 3.0GHz Dual-Core CPU AM3 65W ($61 + $0)
+
GIGABYTE GA-MA78LMT-S2 motherboard AM3 Micro-ATX ($60 + $0)
+
40GB G.SKILL Phoenix Pro SSD 2.5" SATAII Trim Read:280MB/s Write:270MB/s ($110 + $0)

money well spent and his HTPC will fly!!!

[jasmill1969]

Awesome! Thanks a ton!

[eskro]

Post some pics once done!