[Solved] HTPC Build (Parents) - sorta nubbish at htpc

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 3rd Week of November (Home on Thanksgiving Break to Build)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: HTPC, maybe additional encoding/transcodings

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: N/A

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: no preference

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe SLI OR CROSSFIRE: NO

MONITOR RESOLUTION: HD ready 32" tube tv, 8yrs oldish

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Quieter the Better, Pops wants to Run Linux, looking at Mythbuntu

My parents would like a HTPC so they dont have to buy a DVR/TiVo and pay a monthly subscription, etc. It will be recording Digital Antenna which are in HD.


Here is what I have picked out thus far, I should probably try and cut the cost down a little bit, so thoughts on where to save money?


CASE:
SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum / Steel LC10B-E ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
Price: $130

MOBO:
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Price: $135

CPU:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail
Price: $170

VIDEO CARD:
SAPPHIRE 100258-1GHDMI Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Price: $125

RAM:
Kingston HyperX T1 Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KHX8500D2T1K2/4G - Retail
Price: $80

PSU:
ENERMAX Liberty ELT500AWT-ECO 500W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Compatible with Core i7 80 PLUS Certified Modular ... - Retail
Price: $120

HDD:
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F2EG HD154UI 1.5TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
Price: $110

CAPTURE CARD:
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner / Encoder 1229 PCI-Express x1 Interface - Retail
Price: $130

MOUSE/KEYBOARD:
Gyration GYR4101US Black 2.4GHz RF Wireless Mini Air Music Remote w/ MotionSense & Compact Keyboard - Retail
Price: $120

WIRELESS CARD:
D-Link DWA-552 32-bit PCI Xtreme Desktop Adapter - Retail
Price: $80

Grand Total: ~$1150

I would prefer a wired connection to the router, but this will have to do as far as networking is concerned with how the rents how is setup.


I am leaning towards Windows 7 for an OS, but my pops would like to have something free, hence the Mythbuntu for the OS, this is really the only part that I have no idea on, I am a complete noob when it comes to setting up/installing anything linux, but I do have knowledgeable friends to assist in this area.

I feel the areas that could be cut back on are the, CPU, and Video Card at the very least. I think a 4670 would do the job just fine, but i decided to "over do it" with room to cut back.

I like shorties list. I would even try to save a bit more and look at ddr2, and a 780 G motherboard. Its true that they will be able to watch whatever they want with the onboard, but I would spring $50 for an HD4650. You could easily find one that is passively cooled, although those run about $10 more.

If interested in the 785G, look at Biostar's.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813138156