Be honest, how did I do on my HTPC build? What would you change?

[stang8118]

My entire build is about $1100 on Newegg, which was around my budget. Trying to keep the entire build at around $1k, so chances are I will be buying some of the stuff used to keep my cost under $1k. After a lot of thinking I changed my mind in going for a 42-46" LCD/Plasma, and decided on getting a 32-37" instead. Just don't need such a huge TV (and I have two small boys and live in an apartment so space is somewhat limited).

Also what TV would you recommend for me? I mostly will use it as a 2nd monitor at night when I have the TV/Computer to myself, and during the day it'll be for kid movies and sports. I really wanna go 1080p, but it seems even the 32-37" ones are almost as expensive as a 42-46". Is 720p much more inferior for what I plan on using it for? Can I still watch bluerays on 720p over my HTPC > TV?

I will also be running a 5.1 JBL home theater setup that a friend gave to me. It is an older model (probably about 3 years old or so), but heck for free I am not complaining considering the stuff looks brand new



Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
Model #:Fusion Remote Black
Item #:N82E16811129054

$189.95 $189.95


ASUS P5Q-VM LGA 775 Intel G45 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

ASUS P5Q-VM LGA 775 Intel G45 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #5Q-VM
Item #:N82E16813131345

$118.99 $118.99


EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

EVGA 512-P3-N871-AR GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Model #:512-P3-N871-AR
Item #:N82E16814130339

$159.99 $159.99


CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
Model #:CMPSU-520HX
Item #:N82E16817139001

$139.99 -$30.00 Instant $109.99


Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E5200

Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E5200 - Retail
Model #:BX80571E5200
Item #:N82E16819116072

$83.99 $83.99


OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (The Official Memory of the Championship Gaming Series)

OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB (2x2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail (The Official Memory of the Championship Gaming Series) - Retail
Model #:OCZ2F8004GK
Item #:N82E16820227334

$43.99 -$5.00 Instant $38.99


Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000333AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #:ST31000333AS
Item #:N82E16822148373


$109.99 $109.99


Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB Supra-aural Headset

Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB Supra-aural Headset
Model #:981-000014
Item #:N82E16826104214

$31.99 $31.99


SONY Black 2X Blu-ray DVD ROM SATA Model BR-5100S

SONY Black 2X Blu-ray DVD ROM SATA Model BR-5100S - OEM
Model #:BR-5100S
Item #:N82E16827118013

$79.99 $79.99


Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders - OEM
Model #:66I-01939
Item #:N82E16832116488

$109.99 -$10.00 Instant $99.99


Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Infrared Advanced Remote Control

Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Infrared Advanced Remote Control
Model #:966208-0403
Item #:N82E16880100771


$79.00

 

[Wicked Klown]

If it were me I would get an Ati card instead of a Nvidia one for HTPC use. Any reason why you went with that case over one without a LCD display?

 

[stang8118]

If it were me I would get an Ati card instead of a Nvidia one for HTPC use. Any reason why you went with that case over one without a LCD display?

Care to elaborate on why you would go with ATI over Nvidia? Again I am very new to HTPC type stuff, so any tips would be great Which gpu would you recommend? I want a higher end card to play some newer games, but it doesn't have to be top of the line type stuff since I mainly play DAoC which doesn't need a crazy video card to run at max settings. Do you think the CPU will be enough horsepower? I use to have an e4300 back when they first came out which seemed perfectly fine for gaming.

I went with the Antec case mostly because 1) I an an Antec fanboi lol... I seem to ALWAYS be very satisfied with Antec over every case manufacture I've tried in the past. Also this case matches my JBL receiver finish perfectly, so the cosmetic value will make it a lot easier when I show my wife how much this whole shabang costs

 

[Dominick]

I second ATI over nvidia from personal experience

what about this case?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.148725.11-163-118

*EDIT* As for my nvidia I'm having odd sizing of the screen right side gets chopped off I have to dumb it down
to get it to look right also (Not real sure if this is due to nvidia card) but using Microsoft media center I can not play
DVDs says something about my resolution BUT my gaming computer has an ATI card no problems at all.

 

[Wicked Klown]

Nvidia cards are great for gaming, but ATi pulls away for everything else. Ati has always been better for video and HTPC use then Nvidia. Reason I ask about the case is you could get this Antec case and case a bit.

 

[stang8118]

Bump, any other feedback?

 

[scoobydoo]

if no gaming is involved i would try the setup using onboard graphics before you throw down cash for a graphics card.

i have had no problems playing 720p content on my 37" lcd using the onboard video from the pc in my sig and it isnt nearly is good as the onboard on that Asus. i have yet to try 1080p content on my 24" monitor, it may have some issues with that

if you are going to hook it to a 5.1+ receiver i would also suggest a mobo like the Gigabyte that has onboard optical SPDIF output or HDMI