I'm almost ready to pull the trigger but I wanted to solidify my choices and was hoping for some feedback.
Needs:
Nothing major just something to play HD/BD movies, music, photo, Netflix/Hulu on Windows 7 32bit Media Center
Gaming - if it can do it great but not a priority for this machine
Quiet
Lower power consumption
Constraints:
- 15" of depth in the entertainment center. I have no other choice but to put this on the shelf (don't ask... wife rules here) so my maximum depth is ~15 inches. Really no limit on width/height.
- Trying to keep a low budget under $400 initially with potential to upgrade particularly the video card.
Current List
Mobo:
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard – Retail $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128394
CPU:
AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor – Retail $99.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103706
Case: This is the only case (not worried about pleasant visuals) that I could see meeting the less than 15 inch depth and yet allow for 2 HDs and a future(or current Ex: 4650/70) PCI-X video card. If there are any other suggestions please let me know!
CHIEFTEC Mesh Series CD-01B-B-OP Black MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail $37.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-029-_-Product
Memory:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK - Retail $38.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...8500CL5D-2GBPK
PSU: I’m not sure if the CHIEFTEC case will fit a standard ATX PSU (although the ads say yes) but my options are open here. I’m putting down the Corsair but there are complaints of long cables and this case may not have room to stuff them!
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail $49.99 / 39.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139008
DVD/CD/BD:
LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM 8X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Internal 4X Blu-ray Reader Model iHOS104-06 - OEM $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106325
HDD: I’m replacing and selling my Popcorn Hour A-110 so I will have the 1TB WD drive from it. Although I want to
use a separate drive for the OS I currently have a 36GB Raptor lying around (may not be quite enough space since it’s easy to fill!)
I also have a Logitech Harmony 550 remote and was hoping to use it. My understanding is that I will need an IR receiver so I’m not sure of the cheapest way to aquire one of these. If there are better remotes out there (maybe RF) for ~$50 dollars I don’t mind spending the additional dollars!
I'm not sure if any new hardware is coming out in the next few weeks that I should wait for but I don't mind waiting.
I think thats all, I may be missing something since I typed this up pretty quickly. Thanks ahead of time for the feedback.
Needs:
Nothing major just something to play HD/BD movies, music, photo, Netflix/Hulu on Windows 7 32bit Media Center
Gaming - if it can do it great but not a priority for this machine
Quiet
Lower power consumption
Constraints:
- 15" of depth in the entertainment center. I have no other choice but to put this on the shelf (don't ask... wife rules here) so my maximum depth is ~15 inches. Really no limit on width/height.
- Trying to keep a low budget under $400 initially with potential to upgrade particularly the video card.
Current List
Mobo:
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard – Retail $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128394
CPU:
AMD Athlon II X4 620 Propus 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor – Retail $99.00
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103706
Case: This is the only case (not worried about pleasant visuals) that I could see meeting the less than 15 inch depth and yet allow for 2 HDs and a future(or current Ex: 4650/70) PCI-X video card. If there are any other suggestions please let me know!
CHIEFTEC Mesh Series CD-01B-B-OP Black MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case - Retail $37.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-029-_-Product
Memory:
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK - Retail $38.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...8500CL5D-2GBPK
PSU: I’m not sure if the CHIEFTEC case will fit a standard ATX PSU (although the ads say yes) but my options are open here. I’m putting down the Corsair but there are complaints of long cables and this case may not have room to stuff them!
CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail $49.99 / 39.99 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139008
DVD/CD/BD:
LITE-ON Black 4X BD-ROM 8X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Internal 4X Blu-ray Reader Model iHOS104-06 - OEM $59.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106325
HDD: I’m replacing and selling my Popcorn Hour A-110 so I will have the 1TB WD drive from it. Although I want to
use a separate drive for the OS I currently have a 36GB Raptor lying around (may not be quite enough space since it’s easy to fill!)
I also have a Logitech Harmony 550 remote and was hoping to use it. My understanding is that I will need an IR receiver so I’m not sure of the cheapest way to aquire one of these. If there are better remotes out there (maybe RF) for ~$50 dollars I don’t mind spending the additional dollars!
I'm not sure if any new hardware is coming out in the next few weeks that I should wait for but I don't mind waiting.
I think thats all, I may be missing something since I typed this up pretty quickly. Thanks ahead of time for the feedback.
