A HTPC Build thread to use XBMC and Windows, looking for advice

Hey all,

We've dropped Directv a week or so ago to save some money. My plan all along was to build/buy an HTPC to give us a single piece of equipment for most of our media needs. Our current media center consists of a Sony DVD player with upconvert (HDMI), TH-50PX80U 720p 50" Panasonic Plasma (3 years old), and a Wii. No receiver as of now, but that will be a high priority once we get this HTPC done.

I'd like the HTPC to stream Netflix, Hulu, ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN3, etc. We'd also like to use sickbeard, SABnbdz, and couch potato for the on-demand feel. We plan to use the tuner of the TV for OTA live stuff. I'd like to incorporate a DVD/BD player in the future for possible rips, but can wait for that. I'd like for the HTPC to be pretty future proof, and capable of doing the nbz tasks and ripping tasks, if I decide to do that.

I'm looking to use XBMC due to it's capabilities and interfaces. But I know that I need to use XBMC inside of Windows in order to watch Netflix inside of XBMC. Not sure if I NEED Win7, but am expecting to.

I would like to keep this build under $450 including OS. I've put together a "wish list" based on some things I've read on the XBMC forum and here. Can you guys tell me what you think of the hardware I've spec'd below. I do have an older HDD that I can use for storage if I go SSD for the OS. I am not tied to a SSD, and could be swayed to go large HDD if that will work.

Anyway, I've got the following hardware ideas:
[MOBO] ASUS M4A78LT-M LE AM3 AMD 780L Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - GIGABYTE MOBO - $65 - $10MIR
[CPU] AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX250OCGMBOX - AMD CPU - $61
[GPU] Galaxy 43GGS8HX3SPZ GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Galaxy GT430 GPU - $65-$10 MIR
[RAM] G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7S-4GBRL - G.Skill Ram - $40
[SSD] Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV125-S2/30GB 2.5" 30GB SATA II Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Kingston SSD - $75 - $20MIR (ends tonight)
[Case] nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - nMedia Case - $70
[PSU] CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC Power Supply - CORSAIR PSU - $45 - $10MIR

Looks like a $421 -$50 MIR => $371 build before OS.

Is there any overhead in my build? Can I save some money somewhere? Maybe a better case/PSU combo? Better deals out there than newegg?

I would appreciate any help you can offer, I'd like to get the parts ordered this weekend and get this thing setup and running.

Thank you in advance!

Additionally, I have put together a system based on Assassin's recommendations in the Assassin's Simple/Beginner HTPC Buying Guide thread. Unfortunately, this build came in at $459 before OS or remote! Could I downgrade this setup somehow?

[CPU] Intel Core i3-550 Clarkdale 3.2GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80616I3550 - i3-550 - $130
[MOBO] GIGABYTE GA-H55M-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Gigabyte MOBO - $110 - $10MIR
[RAM] G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ - G.SKILL 4GB RAM - $45
[HDD] SAMSUNG Spinpoint F4 HD204UI 2TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - Samsung 2TB HDD - $80
[CASE] - nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - nMedia Case - $70
[PSU] - CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC Power Supply - Corsair 430W PSU - $45 - $10MIR

I like the form factor of the case, but am not tied to the case, if there is another good looking case available.

Thank you in advance...

hirent, thanks for the feedback. I've never fully built a computer from scratch before, so I'm kinda going out on a limb here. That being said, I've spent a lot of time reading and trying to understand what I want and need, but am still a little swamped.

If I remember correctly, the AMD dual core has the capacity to perform graphics processing, and the Gigabyte motherboard has HDMI output, so as you said, I should be able to drop the GPU. Will I notice a degradation in performance? I'm not looking to do 3D for a long time, if ever.

From assassin's thread, it seems that I can get by with a 2TB HDD instead of the 32GB SSD for about the same amount of money, however, I understand that the OS on the SSD would really speed the entire system up. Would I notice the difference?

Also, I hope to be able to set up the downloading of the media files from SABnbzd to the late night hours, to keep the CPU demands low during the daytime when the wife and kids would be using this.

Anyone have any input on the WAF of MCE vs XBMC? I know that how I set them up will have a big impact on that, but a general idea would help.

uwgb96, I was able to get an AMD based system down to under $300, including HDD and RAM, thanks to a friend, but still want to get some HTPC expert opinions on it before I pull the trigger. Here's what I put together, I hope it's a sound build.

[Mobo] GIGABYTE GA-880GM-D2H AM3 AMD 880G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Gigabyte Mobo - $73 - $10 MIR - Are Gigabyte mobo's worth the premium? I've only read good things.

[CPU] AMD Athlon II X2 255 Regor 3.1GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX255OCGMBOX - AMD CPU - $63 - This is only $3 more than the 2.9GHz processor.

[RAM] OCZ Special Ops Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3SOE1600LV4GK - OCZ RAM - $40 - $10 MIR - Only heard good things about OCZ

[HDD] Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - Seagate HDD - $65 - $10 instant discount

[Case] I haven't picked one out yet, but this was a suggestion a cheaper case or something in the same price range. - $60

That puts my build at $300 - $30 discounts => $270 before OS and remote. I also plan to snag the DVD rom from the dead desktop.

Is this going to be strong enough to rip DVD and Blu-Ray and handle any sickbeard/SABnbdz stuff on top of a Win7 OS with XBMC frontend? Not at the same time, if I can help it, but might happen. What about MCE inside of Win7? Still need to test drive MCE.