ubuntu desktop server/media center for home

Are you really set with AMD. I just built an Awesome home media server using a Xeon E3 processor and WD Red drives. Let me know and I'll give you my specs.

Here is my build for my home media server. Also, you didn't mention gaming above, so this is NOT a gaming machine, but it IS awesome what you can do with this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1245 V2 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($267.88 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1155 Motherboard ($88.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: PNY XLR8 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba 250GB 2.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian-Li PC-Q25B Mini ITX Tower Case ($118.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 350W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $958.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-25 22:38 EST-0500)

Notes on this build:

1. Xeon E3-1245 V2, Ivy Bridge LGA 1155 CPU. It's the lowest cost 8 thread intel CPU you can buy. I wanted 8 threads so I can run multiple virtual machines (see below). It's only 55 Watts, and it does have built in HD graphics.
2. This ASRock motherboard supports the Xeon CPU. It is a consumer board, vs server board, but for your purposes, you don't need a server board. I've left the single expansion slot open for either an add-on GPU down the road or a RAID card. This board has one SATA 6.0Gb/S and 3 SATA 3.0GB/S ports, perfect for having a fast OS drive and up to 3 additional disks in RAID.
3. Memory - 2 sticks 16GB DDR31600 9 CAS RAM - cheapest with these specs currently available. I wanted 16GB so I have plenty for the VMs.
4. Storage - Assuming you're going to run 24x7 and running Ubuntu, the 2.5 HDD is fine for OS. You can upgrade to a 120GB SSD and still be in budget.
5. RAID Storage - Recommend WD Reds for NAS storage. 3TB disks are still the lowest price/GB. Recommend starting these in RAID1 for redundancy. You can add a 3rd if you want and go RAID 5.
6. PSU - Seasonic Gold 360W PSU. Because you're going with the Xeon, this 360W is more than adequate. It is high quality, with 5 year warranty, and Gold rated efficiency for 24x7 use.
7. Case - and this is really the star of this build. This Lian-Li PC-Q25 is simply awesome for a desktop box. It has pop-off side-covers (not even thumbscrews), an easily accessible hot-swap drive bay, very quiet fans, and a top notch build that is unbeatable. I have this case sitting in my bookshelf behind my desk in my office, and it really looks good.
Note that the case does NOT have an optical storage bay. If you really want that, then the Lian-Li PC-Q18 is the same case but with an Optical Drive and one less hot-swap drive bay. (http://pcpartpicker.com/part/lian-li-case-pcq18b)

Here's what I do with this build:

1. Run a Plex media server with all home movies, pcitures, etc. It also doubles as a NAS for the home.
2. Run multiple virtual machines using KVM to do the rest.
3. Host personal website
4. Run 2 Minecraft servers for my kids
5. Run Litecoin mining on an extra GPU I have plugged into the PC.
6. General Java development use with the ability to spin up and down VMs.

Yes, it has hdmi output. For RAID, use Linux Software RAID - from what I was able to research, it's much better than any motherboard RAID. There are plenty of tutorials out there.

One mistake I made was with the TDP for the Xeon. It's actually 77W with the IGP. In my build, I actually used the E3-1230v2, which is lower wattage (and lower cost), but it doesn't have integrated graphics. So, I just bought a used workstation graphics card off ebay for like $10. I usually run this machine headless, so I just needed a graphics card to allow the consumer motherboard to boot.

Since you'll be using this as a desktop, I recommended the Xeon E3-1245v2. Any of the Xeon parts that end with a '5' have the integrated graphics. Even at 77W, this machine will still be sipping power.

One mistake I made was with the TDP for the Xeon. It's actually 77W with the IGP. In my build, I actually used the E3-1230v2, which is lower wattage (and lower cost), but it doesn't have integrated graphics. So, I just bought a used workstation graphics card off ebay for like $10. I usually run this machine headless, so I just needed a graphics card to allow the consumer motherboard to boot.

Since you'll be using this as a desktop, I recommended the Xeon E3-1245v2. Any of the Xeon parts that end with a '5' have the integrated graphics. Even at 77W, this machine will still be sipping power.

well, in that case, my build could save a lot of money dropping down to like a 650 or even 640. a GTX 770 on something that wont game or render is silly.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($154.97 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($118.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 450 Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GT 640 1GB Video Card ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill REDBONE U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $764.86
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-25 23:25 EST-0500)

2x 2tb drives, ready to RAID. the GT 640 is a basic gpu, but nvidia, whic ubuntu seems to like better.

the 8 cores here are $100 cheaper than the Xeon, byt still plenty for most use

Haha - I've been married for 13 years now and with 3 boys, so gaming is definitely back in the picture for me!

Good luck with the build. Feel free to PM me if you hit any snags. I'll also be following this thread for a while.

No. The intel stock cooler that comes with the processor will be fine. You won't be overclocking this, so you really don't need an aftermarket cooler.

If anything, you would want an aftermarket cooler if you wanted something really quiet, but the stock intel coolers really are not noisy either. If you get it installed and want something quieter, I'd suggest this Noctua as an upgrade. It will give about the same cooling performance as the stock cooler but will be quieter. Noctua coolers (and case fans) are top notch but aren't exactly cheap.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608029

Haha - I've been married for 13 years now and with 3 boys, so gaming is definitely back in the picture for me!

Good luck with the build. Feel free to PM me if you hit any snags. I'll also be following this thread for a while.

Oh man, I'm really sorry about that.... that's the wrong PSU. Crap.

This is the one I have: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-ssr360gp

I really hope Newegg takes care of you on the switch. Again, I'm sorry about the slip-up.