24/7 HTPC / Home Server

Personally I haven't had much experience with AMD based systems in recent years. Please keep that in mind when reading my reasons.

Option 1:

Nvidia ION based Atom N330 system

Pro: This would obviously be the lowest power consumption system
Cons: Firstly will it have enough power to run so many programs concurrently (I'm not sure), secondly the initial cost of a Nvidia ION based MB or pre-built system is quite expensive


Option 2:

Pentium Dual Core E6300 with G31 + discrete graphics

Pro: The major benefit here is the inital cost, which is very low, G31 MB are the cheapest about. This system will definitely be able to handle all the tasks listed above. Power consumption is decent probably around 50-60W idle.
Cons: Probably there won't be optical audio output.


Please post your preferred system and reasons.

A good place to start reading is on the AVS Forum. Specifically

There a builds for different performance and price ranges. I would recommend GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H with on board Nvidia GeForce 9400 video chipset or something from a different vendor if you can't find it.

Taso

My suggestion would be -
1. AMD Sempron 140 Sargas + 2. GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

Pros:
1. Low power consumption
2. Onboard graphics can easily handle 1080p playback
3. Cheap
4. There is a possibility of unlocking the 2nd core on that Sempron. Just read its reviews.

Cons:
Just not sure how well you will be able to play on that CPU and mobo. But you sure can if you are able to unlock the 2nd core...

Also check out Tom's "Blu-ray Done Right: How Does Your Integrated GPU Stack Up?" It's full of a lot of good information and what to expect with the different video chipsets and High definition audio.

Taso

You may want to check the upcoming ZOTAC ION ITX-F mb.

Atom 330 ion + PCI-E 16x slot if you want to add a better GPU later.

I am using the IONITX-D-E as htpc 1080p/file server without any problem.

However, it does not have enough cpu/graphic power for games.

Regards,

Brad