I5 htpc??

[fanatik]

Hello all. First time poster + newbie builder here and I've decided that I wanted to build a ground up pc around the i5 processor (the stupid latest and greatest in me wants it whatever odd reasons lol). My uses are more on the average user sense with the movie watching, web surfing and whatnot. I was steering towards building a budget gaming rig but I hardly game and the wallet is quite shallow lol.

I was looking at the Antec Fusion case / GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD2 and thought I'd build around that but as far as vid cards, ram, and all of the other shenanigan components I need is beyond me. Can anyone help this poor soul?

 

[gkay09]

Sticky please -
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261222-31-build-advice

 

[batuchka]

If common sense won the day i would say

A2X3 425 with stock clock + undervolt in BIOS
Shuriken 120mm low profile cooler
AM3 785 with HDMI, 1394, esata, etc
2 x 2 DDR3 1333 CL7
use onboard HD 4200

more than matches your needs ^^

 

[rodney_ws]

As an owner of an i5, I must admit that I LOVE IT as a gaming CPU... but I'm not sure it's ideally suited for an HTPC. Its 95 watt TDP pretty much guarantees you some noise... ideally, you'd go for a CPU that requires less cooling for an HTPC setup.

Batuchka's suggestion seems a bit more on-target... the ability to undervolt a CPU lowers heat generation even more and gives you more quiet cooling options. Also, it's less than 1/2 the price of the i5.

If you're going to game, go for the i5... just be be prepared for some noise... if you're not gaming, you really should pass on the i5 for your HTPC setup.

 

[Mr_Strong]

've been looking at buying similar systems for light gaming (not necessary) but is fairly powerful, and i quite that's my main aim to get something i cant hear roaring int he background while i watch a movie, i also would like to be able to record or watch two shows at one time, I'm a bit worried that the 5670 wont cut it?
I've researched the ati 5xxx series and they look very good for a HTPC because of the low power usage (5670 especially) and ability to output 7.1 Dolby True HD and DTS HD MA, i would really like a HTPC with one but I'm not sure what else to get

I'm seriously considering buying this from eBay
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110520054316&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT
can anyone help me if this is a good buy or if there's something else i should consider

cheers