Non-Gamer, 4 years out of date seeks advice from gods of Tom's

[spencerfine]

I do:
encode video occasionally
like speed
watch a lot of HD content
lots of downloading/unraring

I have:
p5wdh deluxe
e6600 OCed to 3.0 with a monster tuniq 120 on it
4x1gigs of Corsair DDR2 6400 c4
550hx antec psu
ati radeon 4650
os is on Seagate 7200.11 /1tb
os is a stripped down version of xp
storage is an external fantom 2tb (runs at close to 50c-way too hot)
case is an antec 180 (way too big for what i have imo)

The problem:
my spdif AND digital coax died and I output my sound through my 5 speaker stereo system (across the room)

The solution:
I'd either like a cheap/quick fix for a good replacement 775 with none of the gaming whistles,
or
dump this box and start over with a smaller QUIET case maybe recommended by the noise-haters at silentpc as I hate any sound whatsoever
new mobo but i would need ddr3 and dont care about upgradability but possibly sata 6 not sure if thats of great importance but as for usb 3.0 i can't see a need for myself personally
some sort of ssd for the heat, sound, speed benefits to run the os but have not done any research on ssds
i3 or i5 because I've read that it can be useless for a non gamer but am unsure about the integrated video on the cpu itself because I've got a decent video card and how 1080p may be improved or even downgraded by onchip graphics
I've also got to buy about 4 gigs of ddr3

Final thoughts:
I have the money to start over but if i can get away with $75 for a great 775 board, I'll take it. any thoughts? Newegg is really confusing me with all the mixed reviews on every board, even the award winning boards

Thanks for your time I felt like I just wrote a paper

 

[o1die]

I would get a new sound card or a low end 775 board. Newegg has a couple of asrock and biostar p43 boards with 4 ddr2 slots for around $75 shipped.

 

[RetiredChief]

Might take a look at this (Not a gamer dream - no sli/xfire)
I3-530 review (Looks like it overclocks very well AND ONLY Draws 120 Watts at Idle YOU would need to add for 100 -> 150 W for GPU)
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/c [...] u-review/5

Build for my wife: NOTE Low end games, for her any game over $10 is a rip off
I3-530 (will OC), H55M-UD2H (No sli/xfire needed), Corsair 400 W PSU (can easily run a 5770 GPU), 4 gigs of ram CL7 1.35 V (Cheaper available - DDR3 1600 CL7 a little more). $365 Hard to beat.

I added a 3rd party HSF for $23.

Optional: What I didn't need to buy at this time. (I'll probably buy her a new case (HEC 63RABB, and latter on the 5670 GPU)
If need new operating system (Recommend win 7) that adds $105. WIn 7 provides better support than XP and much SIMPLER to install as No drivers need to be loaded.
If needed (as I already had):
New case - $40->$60
HDD ($50 -> $75)
DVD writer Reuses DVD $25, Blu-ray writer approx $200
GPU - 5670/5750 approx $120, or 5770 approx $160

SSD: Recommend Intel 80 G2 (I love it on my I5-750) Currently $220 at
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167016

Comments; This is a low power consumption system which reduces Loud fan requirements!!!
I've tried a mild overclock (3.3 GHz - great)
There are a couple of "silent HSF: One from Zalman and the one I used - Much cheaper, But uses the Push pins which I detest. Plan on modifing it by removing puspins and using nylon screws with a nylon washer on the backside of the MB.

 

[spencerfine]

I would get a new sound card or a low end 775 board. Newegg has a couple of asrock and biostar p43 boards with 4 ddr2 slots for around $75 shipped.

The biostars hate ahci and ssds and don't have toslink out or coax for that matter and the asrocks http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16813157175 are getting doa reviews with the newest bios and all that. Are there any other options you might recommend?

 

[spencerfine]

Best answer selected by spencerfine.