Need help finishing home server build (cpu, mobo, ram)

[freebagel]

I'm putting together a file server for home use. Main uses are streaming media and storing large files that I use when video editing for a hobby/small side job.

I already have the hard drives (Five 2tb wd green eads drives), and the PSU (500w 80 plus cert). I plan to get this Areca card [newegg.com] and run the drvies in Raid-5.

So, now all that's left to buy are the CPU, mobo, and ram. I'm not really sure where to go here. I don't want to spend a bundle on it since I won't really be using the processing power of the CPU much (hardware raid), but I'd like something that's good on not using too much power and also works with a motherboard that will work with that Areca card and has onboard video/sound/gigabit.

So, should I just pick up a cheapy C2D or are there more power efficient options now with plenty of processing power for what I need? Should I use ECC memory?

 

[tortnotes]

ECC memory shouldn't be necessary.

Honestly, you could put just about any low-end system together for media streaming.

An i3 or Athlon II (or Phenom II) based system would likely suit your needs well.

Unless this box will be doing encoding jobs as well, I doubt you'll need much in the way of CPU and RAM.

 

[das_stig]

Intel i5-650 Dual Core with Hyperthreading @ 3.2Ghz, Turbo to 3.46Ghz, Onboard GPU, DDR3-1333 and TDP of 73W. Couple this with an H55 chipset, something like Intel DH55TC @ £60 and your good to go.

 

[freebagel]

I've done some research and picked out these two combos:

AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

or

AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz 45w single core
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H 785G HDMI Micro ATX Motherboard

Obviously, the second combo with the Sempron uses less power and is cheaper ($110 vs. $160). The question is, will it be powerful enough for what I'm doing (should be, but wanted to make sure) and will the micro atx board even fit in the full atx Antec 1200 case? Also, will the power/noise savings be noticeable or negligible, since the price difference isn't a big deal?

Also, if anyone has other suggestions besides these two combos, I am open to them as well.