Advice Needed for a Noob's Budget HTPC w/ Blu-ray

Budget HTPC w/ Blu-ray

Approximate Purchase Date: 1 week

Budget Range: Under $350 is the target, but $400 is my limit after rebates.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Watching standard cable TV via Vulkano Flow box, watching local HDTV via clear QAM or OTA antenna, watching Blu-ray, watching DVDs , I don't plan to rip or torrent much.

Parts Not Required: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers , antenna , BT dongle


Preferred Website(s) for Parts: What ever is cheapest. .....FYI.... I live 2 miles from a MicroCenter.

Country of Origin: Colorado, USA

Parts Preferences: I would like to use a lower watt processor to save $ on power use.

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe


Monitor Resolution: Not sure, I will use a 42" Phillips LCD HDTV (42PFL7432D)

Additional Comments: My TV stand has space for a 6"x18"x24" case, but I can also put it on the floor. I prefer internal tuner & Blu-ray, but external is ok. I know I might have to upgrade the case fan to run quieter/cooler. I would like to use Ubuntu if compatable with the Vulkano player. I do not need a dual tuner

Parts:
1. Phenom™ II X2 560 Black Edition $89.99 + tax
http://www.microcenter.com/special [...] PROMO.html

2. MSI 785GTM-E45 AM3/AM2+MATX ( Free )
http://www.microcenter.com/special [...] PROMO.html
Or
MSI 880G-E45 Socket AM3 880G ATX AMD Motherboard (for $20 more)
http://www.microcenter.com/special [...] PROMO.html

3. Not sure on a case; hec Black 0.7mm 7K09BBA30FNRX Micro ATX Media Center 300W Power Supply / HTPC Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811121100

4. Crucial Cru4GB DDR2-667 (PC-5300) CL5 Dual Channel Memory Kit $35
http://www.microcenter.com/single_ [...] id=0283081

5. Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $45-$10 code = $35
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] -_-Product

6. LG GBC-H20N SATA Black 6x Blu-ray BD-ROM/16x DVD-RW (Bulk) $50
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSear [...] VD-RW%20DL

7. Tuner aprox. $40 (The tuner I get will depend on the Case I decide on.)

This build comes in at about $325, but I am sure I am missing something.


Edits:
1. Bumped up memory from 2gb to 4gb
2. Decided on a case....I think...

You need a power supply! a 400w PSU should do fine! heres a pretty cheap but reliable one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817153023

To get a deal on the motherboard I need to choose one of the Phenom™ II processors ........what am I missing out on if i go cheap and buy the Phenom™ II X2 560 Black Edition instead of the Athlon II x3 ??

Also, the 800 series motherboard available in my bundle is $20 more and not mATX.........any cheap case suggestions if I go with that mobo??

Sorry what I ment to say was, if I go with the Athlon II x3 it looks like it would put me over my $350 target, and I am wondering what the benefits of an Athlon II x3 would be to my build?


http://www.microcenter.com/special [...] PROMO.html

Satisfied (with one exception) customer, here.

For reasons unknown to me, I could not load the AHCI drivers before installing a copy of Windows Vista 32-bit I had laying around (I tried 5 different ways - none was by standard floppy for obvious reasons) on a Super Talent 64GB SSD.

Exceptional product (with that one exception). Peaks at 39w load - sleeps at 6w. Color quality is amazing - UVD3 dxva hardware acceleration works great. Essentially see 30% CPU utilization in playback with C&Q at 800NHz.

I'm going to find a workaround ... or die trying I need the esata port multiplier for a 5-bay external enclosure. No issues so far simply playing streamed media across my network (from my other 2 5-bay external enclosures )



edit: LOL at 800 'nano-hertz'

Sharing the suggestions that I got for my low power HTPC thread http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/foru [...] omponents. All credit goes to lifeking.

Note: All of the items are from Newegg


Thermaltake Element Q VL52021N2U Black SGCC / Plastic Mini-ITX Desktop Computer Case 200W SFX Power Supply
Item #: N82E16811133093 link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811133093
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$10.00 Instant
$74.99
$64.99


SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD322GJ/U 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822152244 link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6822152244
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
$42.99


Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1250 Hybrid TV Tuner /Video Recorder 1196 PCI-Express x1 Interface
Item #: N82E16815116028 link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6815116028
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$8.00 Instant
$59.99
$51.99


IOGEAR GKM561R Black 2.4GHz Wireless HTPC Multimedia Keyboard with Laser Trackball and Scroll Wheel
Item #: N82E16823176018 link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6823176018
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$11.00 Instant
$49.99
$38.99


G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10600CL9D-4GBNT
Item #: N82E16820231253 link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231253
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
$39.99


ASRock E350M1/USB3 AMD E-350 APU (1.6GHz, Dual-Core) AMD A50M Hudson M1 Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo
Item #: N82E16813157247 link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813157247
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$15.00 Instant
$129.99
$114.99


SAMSUNG Black Blu-ray Drive SATA Model SH-B123L/RSBP LightScribe Support (Retail)
Item #: N82E16827151232 link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6827151232
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$10.00 Instant
$74.99
$64.99
Subtotal: $418.93