New HTPC for around $1200

[Oakley707]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: Within a month, not a FIRM timeline. BUDGET RANGE: $1000-1200 (Preferably no rebates)

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Surfing the internet, watching movies, multi-tasking, light photo editing

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: No need for speakers or monitor using TV for that.

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: US

PARTS PREFERENCES: See Below

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: (I don't know much about HTPC cases, but I know Lian Li makes great cases. It looks like through the reviews, this is a quiet and well made case. Please let me know if you have experienced otherwise.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Case
LIAN LI Black Aluminum PC-C37B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail

Mobo
ASRock P55M Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

CPU
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

RAM
CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 - Retail (Buy 2, Total 8 GB)

SSD
OCZ Solid 2 Series OCZSSD2-2SLD60G 2.5" 60GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Retail
Don't need anything super fast, just thought it would be nice to have a SSD for boot and applications.

Bracket
BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit For 3.5" Drive Bay or Enclosure - Retail

Storage
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

DVD Burner
LG Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA DVD Burner - OEM

OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM

Power Supply
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ500MXSP 500W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply compatible with core i7 - Retail

Graphics Card
SAPPHIRE 100293L Radeon HD 5570 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Low Profile Ready Video Card - Retail

Looking for the most bang for my buck. I would like to have a quad core for future proofing and 8 GB of RAM, I realize it is most likely overkill at this time.

I have changed the motherboard and graphics card to apply my new configuration. Like I mentioned, I would like to stay Intel.

Let me know if I have any other compatibility conflicts.

Thank you for any suggestions. I have built many computers before, but this will be my first HTPC so I appreciate any and all advice you can offer.

Thank you in advance.

 

[batuchka]

Hmm the good news is i can share my expereinces as a system builder and i just happen to specialise in mATX/HTPC/Lanparty gaming cubes so 1st off

1. i5/i7 Lynnfields and Bloomfields do not have embedded IGP on die - those would be the i3/i5 Clarkdales ^^
2. Seeing your intended task that is way too much processing power and i'd hit an Intel SSD actually
So if u ok with a non i7/H55 solution

 

[blackjellognomes]

First thing, like batuchka said, i7s don't have IGPs. The IGPs on the i3 and i5 Clarkdales are a bit on the weak side anyway.
At ~$1200, you should look into getting a Blu-Ray burner and a discrete graphics card. Take a look at this article: http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=669
According to the author of that post, the HD 5570 is the "perfect" HTPC card. It also doesn't limit you to the i3s and i5s.
Anyway, batuchka's list is a bit more balanced than yours. Add a Blu-Ray burner and HD 5570 to his, and get that second set of 4GB if you want.

 

[Oakley707]

Thanks for the quick responses. My understanding was that the i3's, i5's and i7's had the IGP at the 1156 Socket. That would have been a big whoops.

Moving forward, I would like to stay in the Intel realm.

Do you think leaving the i7 that I have and pairing it with a 5570 would be the next best option? It just seems like a waste to get the 5570 and the h55. Maybe I should downgrade to the P55 now then?

Any thoughts?

Thanks again in advance.

 

[Oakley707]

Best answer selected by Oakley707.