I'm going for a HTPC-light build ("light" in power, function and wallet). This system will be connected to a 38" 720p LCD TV and will be primarily used to play ripped DVDs, downloaded TV shows, DVDs and, eventually, Blu-ray/HD DVDs (when I buy the drive). I won't be recording any shows, so a tuner isn't necessary.
I'm not audio/videophile, so I'm not looking for the sharpest picture or the clearest sound. I'm OK with MP3s and DviX/XviD
With that said, here are the parts...
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI MicroATX
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128056)
Video card: SAPPHIRE 100237L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102725)
I'm only buying a video card to handle the Blu-ray/HD DVD playback when I buy the drive in the future.
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565)
I considered G.Skill, but read reviews and found myself pushed in this direction.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Birsbane 2.6Ghz
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103194)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125)
Case: Silverstone LC17B
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163055)
As far as storage is concerned, I'll most likely go with some Seagate drive.
I'm unsure about the OS, though. I'm still using XP and I find myself wondering if some flavor of Vista is the way to go - if so, which flavor? If I went the Vista route, I should probably bump my RAM to 4GB?
EDIT: I completely skipped over the PSU. It doesn't appear the case comes with a PSU, so if you have a suggestion, I'll be more than willing to listen.
Thanks for taking the time.
I'm not audio/videophile, so I'm not looking for the sharpest picture or the clearest sound. I'm OK with MP3s and DviX/XviD
With that said, here are the parts...
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI MicroATX
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128056)
Video card: SAPPHIRE 100237L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102725)
I'm only buying a video card to handle the Blu-ray/HD DVD playback when I buy the drive in the future.
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146565)
I considered G.Skill, but read reviews and found myself pushed in this direction.
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Birsbane 2.6Ghz
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103194)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185125)
Case: Silverstone LC17B
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163055)
As far as storage is concerned, I'll most likely go with some Seagate drive.
I'm unsure about the OS, though. I'm still using XP and I find myself wondering if some flavor of Vista is the way to go - if so, which flavor? If I went the Vista route, I should probably bump my RAM to 4GB?
EDIT: I completely skipped over the PSU. It doesn't appear the case comes with a PSU, so if you have a suggestion, I'll be more than willing to listen.
Thanks for taking the time.