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Need case & PSU suggestions for HTPC build

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Last response: in Systems
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I want to build an HTPC but the idea is that I want a low profile, low power-consuming unit that can sit in a home theater cabinet without generating a lot of heat in the process (that part is inevitable, I know). And for the longest time I couldn't make this system work until AMD's new APU came about, and not having to utilize a central graphics card makes a huge, huge, huge difference. So with that in mind these are the requirements:

- Low profile
- Low wattage PSU (no more than 400 or 500 watts)
- Micro ATX form factor

This is the hardware I'm getting:

- CPU: AMD A8-3850
- Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H
- RAM: Kingston Hyper-X 8GB PC 1600 MHz
- my spare Pioneer BDR-204
- Hard Drive: 2 x 750GB Western Digital Caviar Black in RAID 0
- OS: Windows 7 Home Premium

Some suggestions - I would suggest a SSD instead of going RAID,
Reason - Noise of 2 HDDs,...
So get a small SSD for boot and a single large slower, silent HDD for data...

How much are you willing to spend for the case + PSU??
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gkay09 said:
Some suggestions - I would suggest a SSD instead of going RAID,
Reason - Noise of 2 HDDs,...
So get a small SSD for boot and a single large slower, silent HDD for data...

How much are you willing to spend for the case + PSU??


So instead of RAID 0 I should go with like a 32GB SSD for boot and then a 2TB for programs / DVR etc? I'll keep that in mind and try to work it into my budget.

As far as budget goes - I'm trying to keep this as low as possible - under $700 if I can. I'm trying to tweak it a bit - the AMD APU is really helping the case for it since it doesn't make use of a central graphics card and drops the price by like $200 - $300.

As far as using 8GB of RAM goes - I figure I can get 8GB of RAM for $50 or 4GB of RAM for $40 I might as well max it out.

Also is it really hard to turn sync your PC with your DVR or use it as the main DVR?

Wow, I really like that first case. If it's an ATX form factor I think I'll go with a Corsair PSU - I seem to have really good luck with those. I have a Samsung Spinpoint that I got off a Newegg sale a couple weeks ago, not a bad drive at all.

And I have a 4GB G.Skill kit - it's PC 10666 that I was using in my AMD system - the RAM is still good so I think if that's enough I'll just use that and save the money off it.
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