I think i have my HTPC parts picked out, any suggestions?

[ride365]

Date of purchase: Now
Parts not needed: keyboard, mouse, and i will be using my 50" plasma 1080P TV for my monitor
Uses: HTPC Streaming TV, Recording TV, and playing DVD movies


DVD/CD drive
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
$23.99

CASE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061
NZXT GAMMA Classic Series GAMA-001BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811146061
$49.99

Storage drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136284
$89.99

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-430D Green 430W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS 12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power ...
Item #: N82E16817371034
$49.99

Memory:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Item #: N82E16820231253
$81.99

Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121396
Intel BOXDH55HC LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813121396
$99.99

CPU
Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I3540
Item #: N82E16819115221
$124.99

OS
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM
$139.99

Hard drive for OS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820139133
Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV425-S2BD/64GB 2.5" Desktop Bundle 64GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Item #: N82E16820139133
$159.99


TV tuner:
Ceton
http://www.cetoncorp.com/products.php

On the website it says that you need a HDCP compliant on-board graphics or graphics card, Will my MOBO work or will i have to buy a separate video card?


Will the CPU be enough? or should i go with a quad core?

Any comment or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[builderbobftw]

I would go AM3 / X3 Athlon here.

Edit: TO awnser your question, the i3s have GPUs right on the CPU.

(2 dies in 1 chip)

 

[ride365]

I would go AM3 / X3 Athlon here.

Edit: TO awnser your question, the i3s have GPUs right on the CPU.

(2 dies in 1 chip)

I know they have GPU's on them but are they HDCP compliant? i know all of the video cards state they are but i was not able to find it on the MOBO

 

[builderbobftw]

I would assume so, as HDCP was made by Intell.

 

[lugalbanda]

It is compliant: http://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/quick-reference-guide-to-intel-integrated-graphics/

You can save $ (50-75) going with AMD and on-board video, which would also be HDCP compliant. There seem to be some reasonable 880G boards out there that would pair nicely with the X3 (X2, by all reports, is fine for htpc as well + 65 watts; 95 watts for X3).

The 540 doesn't get you much for the extra money, and the consensus on these boards seems to be that the Samsung F3 is the superior HDD. In terms of WD, the Black might be more (heat) than you need for htpc.

 

[cmcghee358]

I personally use a 5900 RPM Samsung 1.5 TB HDD as my storage drive on mine.

 

[lothdk]

It looks like a very solid build, though I would make some changes if I were to buy.

For storage drive, I would get (and have in several builds) Western Digital Caviar Green, size is however much you need.

The i3 530 is plenty, so I would go with that, it is HDCP compliant, and supports the newest blu-ray profiles, including running 2 HD streams at the same time.

And talking about HDCP compliance, you need to check if your TV is!