My Low End HTPC (1 Viewer)

[stowaway]

Can I get everybodys opinions on this setup. Ive chosen most things for their price. the MOBO has to be a MicroATX to fit into the antec case. I want to be able run HD tv and surround sound. although most of the time ill be watching downloaded tv shows.

====================================================
Intel ATX E4500 CORE 2 DUO /2.2GHz/2MB CACHE/800 FSB/LGA775

Gigabyte GA-G31MX-S2 S775 QuadCore G31 FSB1333 DDR2 VGA PCIEx16 SATA2

DDR2 2048MB(2G Single stick)PC6400 800Mhz

Aopen DSW2012P Ret 20x Super-Multi DVDRW w/additional BLK panel

Antec Fusion V2 HTPC Desktop Case - Silver VFD with IR receiver, 430W

MSI RAdeon HD2600XT 256MB 2xDual Link DVI HDMI HDCP HDTV-OUT HeatPipe

======================================================
$673.00

[i have a TV hdd to go in it already and a HD TV TUNER CARD]

 

[Peter2]

Is it not cheaper to use a setup based on an Amd cpu?
Have a look at the amd 690G mainboards - there are mainly 2 good models, 1 from Gigabyte, 1 from Asus and they both are mentioned in quite some posts here.
The only downside of this chipset is that there is a minor problem with the latest driver versions and MP of the graphic card on this board; the solution is to use a specific version until this is solved.

 

[QuaiBoy]

Low-end, eh? Beats the hell out of mine. Another vote for AMD and the 690G boards, but if you're more comfortable with Intel that's fine of course. Were you going to use the retail CPU cooler or did you have another one in mind? I use silentpcreview.com for those choices. Good luck.

-Evan

 

[Spragleknas]

My new & really cheap HTPC

 

[Marcusb]

I also vote for AMD. they have much better integrated HD GFX which will save you buying a separate gfx card (but still leave the option for one in the future as needed).

I would prefer an nvidia mATX board over Ati. Check out the nVidia 7050 chipset. Built in hardware HD processing.
Ati seem to have lots of troubles for quite a while now with HTPC aps and their drivers and they don't seem to be in any hurry to fix it.

 

[stowaway]

thanks

thanks for everybodys input.. although i already order the parts.

The reason i dont go amd is because in all the CPU bench marks the intel equalivent whoops the AMD ass.

I ended up spending a bit more than normal, but i didnt buy a GFX card yet, i will upgrade later if its no good.
[And the htpc is low end for a NEW computer.. all the parts are on the lower end of the price bracket.. besides the case]

I havent picked up these parts yet, so i can always change, but i will only do that if someone has had bad experiences, or if the sound/gfx or performance would lack due to the hardware choices:

HTPC Desktop Case - Silver VFD with IR receiver
Intel ATX E4500 CORE 2 DUO /2.2GHz/2MB CACHE/800 FSB/LGA775
DDR2 2048MB(2G Single stick)PC6400 800Mhz
Asus P5E-VM-HDMI QuadCore G35 FSB1333 DDR2 PCIEx16 VGA RAID GLAN 1394a