$310 HTPC POSSIBLE?

you could get this case w/ psu. save a couple dollars.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811154062

also consider this mobo/cpu combo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb [...] mbo.240746
it is the new 785G chipset mobo which would be ideal for htpc & 2.8ghz cpu.

just be careful with the case. it only accepts the low profile pcie cards. that means you will have to look around for a tuner/cable card. or you can use usb one. just a little reminder.

also here is some memory from newegg with free shipping.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820146526

if ur gonna go with the amd/785G combo then hell yes. 785G handles both video and sound through hdmi really well. my htpc with this chipset and a phenom processor looks amazing on an oldie 42" phillips lcd 720p tv.

i'm not at all sure how well that intel chipset can handle sound/video through hdmi.

New build

GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX240OCGQBOX - Retail
$121.99

Patriot Signature Dual Channel 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Memory (2 x 1024MB) 28.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] 7&CatId=10

APEX DM-318 Black Steel MicroATX Slim Case Computer Case ATX12V Flex 275W Power Supply - Retail $44.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811154062

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 152181&Tpk 54.99

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151187 29.99

total $ 280.85

Looks like a pretty good build what do u guys think

It's looking good! What OS will you be using? You could step up to 4GB of RAM and stay under $310. It's kind of weird to see a new build with 2GB of RAM.

WINTEC AMPX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 3AXT6400C5-4096K - Retail $48.99 - $10 MIR

and the psu will handle your system just fine. i have a similar case, the dm-387 model with same psu ( same case, just different front ) it handles my amd phenom 9500 2.2 ghz quadcore with 785 chipset mobo just fine. i can even use my phenom II 955 , but at full load the psu fan ran loud. still stable.

and by the way, the psu has only one sata and one ide power in it. you will need ide/sata power adapter if both the hard drive and dvd drive are sata.

the psu is the cheapest part in this computer configuration and the first part to die. it's not gonna last forever, but it can handle this configuration easily.

here are two more htpc cases with power supplies for your consideration

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811164098
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811144232

they all have cheap psu that will end up dying on you in couple years anyways. you'll need to replace them, but for 50 bucks, it's hard not to buy this case/psu combo

the linkworld case i just sent you is only 40 bucks with 400 watts. you can save 5 dollars if you get this case, lol. i'm just not sure what your budget is? 310 dollars, 280?

also it has a lot more molex connectors judging by the pictures. but you'd still need the power adapter thing.

just trying to give you some options. i know the linkworld sucks. that why i got he dm-387 case myself. i'd say that having a 280 dollar htpc build is very good. personally i don't know where we could go even cheaper except for the motherboard. but most definetly stick to the one i recommended.

another 2gb of ram? easily. ram doesn't use all that much energy. unless you got some freaky 2.1volt ram. i believe the one you are getting is 1.8 volts.

i don't see why you would use 4gb of ram. just buy two for now. and if its' not enough, just buy two more. 4gb seems a lot for htpc purposes.

As much as 4 GB of RAM is nice to have, it's not necessary for an HTPC. It's more useful for gaming. Half the posters in this thread are still on 2 GB, and It's fine to use.

I also agree with shortstuff_mt. Stay with the SATA drives and buy a connector, or just switch case/PSU. The choice of case/PSU seems to be you're biggest concern. Get someting that fits your size and look desires. I doubt the PSU will die very quickly with that setup. It should get you a few years without a problem.

I agree with Trans: an investment in an 80+ certified PSU with active PFC is a sound buy but not sure if u ok with this mATX case i picked out hehe. Free ship too ^^

sounds good. another update will be a remote control. kinda sucks if you would be using a mouse and keyboard to watch movies.

Sure, you can get a TV tuner card. Just be sure to get a low-profile one so it fits in your case. I've had great luck with the Hauppauge HVR-2250, but it's a little spendy.

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Media Center Kit Dual TV Tuner 1213 PCI-Express x1 Interface - Retail $127.99

Of course there are cheaper options out there. Would you want a dual tuner so you can record two shows at once or record a show while watching another? What type of TV signal would you be recording? Cable, digital over a roof-top antenna, etc...? Those will all play into which tuner card is recommended.

The HVR-2250 above has a dual tuner that can record either analog or digital. Do you have basic cable or digital cable? I just have basic analog cable. My HD content comes from an OTA antenna. I don't have experience with recording digital cable using the cable box. If that's what you're looking to do I'm going to have to punt to someone with experience with that. If you're just looking to record analog cable, I can help with that.

The one shortstuff linked will be great for your purposes, it also gives you the option of recording/watching HD content, should you upgrade in the future.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6815116007

You wont get a dual tuner for much less, but this one here is a good choice and about half the price.

That one won't fit in his case. He'll need a low-profile tuner. Good low-profile dual-tuner tuner cards don't come cheap. Here's another option, but I only have direct experience with Hauppauge tuners. I can't speak from experience on how well it'll work.

ASUS My Cinema-PE9400 Combo TV Tuner Card w/Low Profile Brackets - Retail $79.99 - $30 MIR

You shouldn't need to upgrade the PSU. TV tuner cards don't draw that much power. I'm running two dual-tuner TV tuner cards, a highly overclocked CPU, and five HD's in my system.

congrats. seems like a decent full htpc system for less than 400 bucks.

Here is a really good source for researching and comparing TV tuners for HTPC's:

http://www.hdtvtunerinfo.com/

On that site there is a table that lists most of the popular tuners by interface, ranks them, and gives pros/cons for each.

Check it out here.

True maybe the usb tuner would be the way to go, i was also thinking maybe later on i can add a video card but i don't know if it will be necessary to play Starcraft 2 when it comes out 1st quarter of 2010, also do u guys think i can maybe OC the CPU to 3.0 or would it get to hot. Many thanks for all your help guys

That's not a tuner, it's just a remote.

Wow Nice system, less than 310 and u have a hell of a rig, I'm jealous... ;(