Would something like this make a good cheapo HTPC?

hows this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
i think it would run a bit better.

That Microcenter prebuilt doesn't have HDMI. It has DVI, but no S/PDIF port... so no DTS/DD passthrough.

The build nagol linked isn't very good either I'm afraid. The 6150 chipset doesn't support HDCP, and it doesn't support hardware acceleration of h.264 or VC-1 content.

What is your absolute budget for this project?

Don't really have one - I'd like to keep it under $450 w/Blu Ray possible, I've been looking at ITX and mATX configurations as well.

this would work, though the case isn't an HTPC case:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

this combo is $542, and has the blu-ray, TV card, the works:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

I've been looking at doing a cheap build based on the Llano, I think that would do the trick. I've been looking at that second option a lot - it has everything I want but it's way out of my budget. Plus I'd also have to get another Windows license for it.

whats your total budget?

I was going to try to keep my total budget under $500. This PC isn't going to be used for any games - it's mainly going to be used for watching internet video, playing iTunes media, and act as a music server (the sound system is connected to outdoor speaker equipment). I've also thought about using a low-budget SB chip like the G620 - would that be a good option?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?Ite...

I like those choices of components but that tower definitely isn't gonna fit in the shelf space I have designated for it.

I kind of tweaked Newegg's build a little bit (unsure if the PSU will fit in the case or not) -

Case: Silverstone SUGO - $79.99
PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX430 - $44.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-A75M-UD2H - $89.99
CPU: Dual Core AMD Llano A4-3400 - $79.99
RAM: 2 x 4GB G.Skill ECO PC 1333MHz timing 9-9-9-24 (leftover from previous build)
HD: Seagate Barracuda XT 500GB $44.99
Optical: LG Super Multi BD-R Combo - $69.99
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit - $99.99

Total: $529.99

I'm not sure if the PSU would fit in the case or not for one thing, but as far as storage goes I only plan to run a 500GB initially and then add a networked 2 or 3TB external hard drive for the DVR purposes. The idea is to share this computer on my network (3 laptops, 2 desktops, and the HTPC) and use the HTPC as a centralized DVR server that any of the computers on my network can access - with the BD-R burner acting as a backup / play back device.

should work for that...and the 430W is overkill for it, believe it or not.



consider this case, $59.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

and this PSU for $29.99:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

this trims $45 off your price.

You could jump up to the A6-3500 triple core for $20 of that that (which has a stronger video card)

How about a couple of other options:

Option 1:

I upgrade my SB build from the i3-2120 to the i5-2500K. Reuse the i3-2120 and the 4GB of G.Skill RAM I have in this configuration (only thing is I'm unsure the voltage would work).

And the system would look like this:

Case: nMedia PC Black Aluminum - $59.99
PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKII - $79.99
Motherboard: Intel BOXDH67GDB3 - $109.99
CPU: Intel Core i3-2120 - already have
RAM: G.Skill ECO 4GB PC10666 1333MHz 1.35V - already have
HD: Samsung EcoGreen F4 2TB - $79.99
Optical: LG Black Super Multi - $69.99
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $99.99

Total: $464

Option 2:

I use the AMD Phenom II x6 and same RAM that I have leftover from a failed build (unsure if the CPU still works or not though) and the configuration would look exactly like above but with this motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Same total.

Think I've got it:

Case: NMedia PC Black Aluminum - $59.99
PSU: Corsair Builder Series CX430 - $44.99
Motherboard: ASRock H61V-S - $59.99
CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Celeron G650 - $59.99
RAM: 2 x 4GB G.Skill ECO PC 1600MHz RAM - already have from previous build
HD: Samsung Eco Green F4 2TB - $79.99
Optical: Pioneer BDR-203 - already have from previous build
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium - $99.99
Keyboard / Mouse: Logitech MK260 - $29.99

Total: $424

that should work just fine.

Actually now I found a better solution - I have some old hardware (Core 2 Duo, Intel motherboard, 8GB RAM 800MHz) that works just fine and I'm gonna use that in a new HTPC build - all I have to buy is the case and PSU for the time being, I will add a keyboard, mouse, etc later on. Since I wont be playing games on it, it'll handle just about anything I can throw at it just fine.

the core 2duo will handle it, but you might want to pick up a cheap video card, as intel 945 graphics won't do 1080p, and might struggle at 720p

I have a Radeon 4670 but it doesn't have a native built-in HDMI output, and that might present a conflict when trying to watch BD movies. I have a GTX 470 that I could try to use but it hasn't been the most reliable card I've ever owned, I might wind up getting a cheapo EVGA card like the Geforce 520 so I get native HDMI output.

5450 is all you'd need

Something like this?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Yep!

Awesome, I think I'm gonna order the stuff this weekend and get the whole thing setup next week. I'll post a thread or two about how it goes.

So these are the specs already on the PC:

- Intel Core 2 Duo T6600
- Intel D975XBX2 Motherboard
- 8GB G.Skill PC 800MHz RAM
- 500 GB Western Digital Caviar Black Hard Drive (will be adding internal Samsung 2TB hard drive later on once I get system up and running, also planning to add networked 3TB external for DVR functionality)
- Pioneer BD-R 203 Blu-Ray Burner
- OS: Windows Vista 64-bit with upgrade to Windows 7 Professional
- Rosewill Flash Card Reader

This is what's on my shopping list:

- Sapphire Radeon HD 5450 - $35.99
- Corsair Builder Series CX430 - $43.99
- HEC 7106BB Case - $39.99
- Logitech MK260 - $28.99
- USB Network Adapter - $11.99

The idea behind using the 3TB external is that I have a Dish Network DVR that is capable of being hooked up to an external hard drive for backup purposes and additional storage. Then I will route the DVR through a USB cable to the hard drive, buy an eSATA PCI adapter for the motherboard, and using the eSATA hard drive I will route that to the HTPC, I think that's doable, right? Do I need to add a TV tuner later on when I switch providers to DirecTV or is that not necessary?