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HTPC Home Theater PC (quiet and cool)

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I am needing some input and help deciding on what to get for a HTPC that will be quiet but perform well.

I would like to stay under $400 but don't have a problem going higher if something appealing comes up.

I have:
1. Win7 Ultimate 64/32-bit
2. Samsung F3 1TB -(have a second on hand if needed)
3. Media Case
4. 460w Power supply
5. Blu-Ray drive
6. ATI TV tuner

I need:
1. CPU
2. Motherboard
3. Ram
4. Video Card or integrated

I am not sure if I should get an AMD or an Intel.
I am not sure how much memory I should get either.

I will be using it just for watching ripped blu-ray at full 1080p and listen to music.
I will also be using it to rip my blu-rays so that I have a digital copy of them.

I was thinking that the i3 would be a good choice since they have a low wattage.

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If all you were doing was watching Blu-Rays, then I'd definitely recommend the I3 processor. But since you're wanting to rip/encode them on this system as well, I'd have to recommend going with a strong quad-core (if not six-core) system.

Do you have another strong system that could perform the ripping/encoding duties while this new one acts only as a media player?

-Wolf sends

I do but I would prefer to not use it.

My main PC is a

Q9550 @ 2.9
4GB DDR2 pc6400
ATI 4670
SSD vertex 2 main
2 x 1TB F3
Blu-Ray/DVD burner
DVD burner

It does a decent job but I would like to consolidate the process to one system.

Best solution

In that case, I'd probably opt for an Intel CoreI5-750 processor. What motherboard I'd recommend would depend on your case (does it accept ATX form-factor boards or just Micro-ATX?), what other internal cards you need installed (is the ATI TV Tuner internal?), and what interface they require (if the tuner card is internal, what slot can it be installed in, PCI or PCI-Ex1/x16?).

A CoreI5 system will probably put you around $450 (including 2x2GB of DDR1333 RAM and an AMD HD5670 graphics card). You could probably save between $50 and $100 by going with an AMD Quad-Core system, but again, I'd have trouble recommending a motherboard.

-Wolf sends
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