Help with HTPC build

Budget: $500-550.

So far I have the following in mind:

ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$65


WD AAKS 640GB
$70

2*2GB DDR2 800
$45

AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core
$60

SILVERSTONE ST400 400W
$20
(See review: http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQzNCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA== )
Not bad at all for a $20 PSU. Better than the cr@ppy Rosewill, Logysis,etc.

Total so far: ~$262

What I need:

Case (some thing like a Shuttle case would be good)

TV Tuner (Need to be able to record HD)

Good CPU cooler that will fit in a HTPC/SFF case.

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Any one got any better specs? CPU/Motherboard wise?
 

col-p-todd

Distinguished
Feb 1, 2006
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The silverstone case looks good, no problems there. As for the GPU the onboard gpu will be good enough, only if your planning on playing games you might want to get an gpu, but if not just stick with the onboard gpu.

I don,t know any other good cpu cooler but you might just want to keep the stock cooler just have it run at a slower speed (this can be done in the bios) since the cpu doesn't generate alot of heat.

The cpu will not bottleneck for normal htpc use only if you'd wanna play games on it might it be a problem.
 
You could also step up to the new Athlon 5050e (45W) for a touch more CPU speed. For some reason, newegg doesn't carry it but ZZF still does.

Also, take a look at the Scythe Mini Ninja for the cooler. It's designed for low profile cases. The only downside is that the fan is 3-pin instead of PWM. Some motherboard's control the speed on 3-pin fans just fine, but some (like my Asus) don't. You can purchase a PWM fan if it's an issue.
 
Checked out the review for the Scythe. It should do the work fine for a 45W CPU.

Here is the revised list:


ASUS M3A78-EM AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
$65

WD AAKS 640GB
$70

G.Skill 2*2GB DDR2 800
$45

AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core
$60

SILVERSTONE ST400 400W
$20
(See review: http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQzNCwxLCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA== )
Not bad at all for a $20 PSU. Better than the cr@ppy Rosewill, Logysis,etc.

SILVERSTONE Sugo SG01B-F Black Aluminum Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163116
$70
[Note: Might change case to a mid tower ATX]

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1600 ATSC/ClearQAM/NTSC TV Tuner PCI w/Remote 1178 PCI Interface
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116007
$75

LG DVD RW With LightScribe
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136153
$25
Will get the Scythe Mini if needed
Total: ~ $435