Hi everyone im new to the forums, I am moving into a new apart after Annual Training in 2weeks and want to build a htpc for my Samsung 61' dlp tv. I've built a gaming rig back in febuary of 08 so I'm fimiliar with the inside of a pc. This htpc will be used only for movie watching, music, pictures w/ editing, and some gaming.
I want to go AMD with this build, I probly wont do alot of encoding but i want a good enough processor to do it none the less. I have a brand new reciever still n the box (the Pioneer Elite SC-07) to conect it to, but don't no if I should get a good sound card such as the Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe. I will be playing some games on it like nba 2k9, burnout paradise, ghostbusters, etc so I will need a pretty good graphics card and wireless remote. I will also be copying all my blu-rays to my hd as well as. I don't mind turning on my pc to play music but a case with a built in screen would b nice so i dont have to turn the tv on just to play music. I will be running vista but I don't no if I should use 32 or 64. All help is much appriciated. My budget total for this build with everything is 1,500. Thanks for the help

     I would find a motherboard with great on board sound as opposed to a discrete sound card.  The less parts the better.  Same holds true for the graphics card (as far as playing video's goes).  Since you mentioned some gaming I would get a cross fire capable SILENT card.  No fan is the preference if the computer will be near the TV.   A lot of people go with dual core CPU's and have no problems.  I personally went with a Quad Core.  They are fairly cheap now and most AMD cpus have the Cool N Quiet tech that is supposed to save energy and reduce heat.  If possible I would not go with a low profile case, they look good but limits you on what components you can add.  Also make sure your case has a place for the IR receiver.  Looks better than having the dongle on the outside.
     I just built my HTPC a few months ago so I learned some of this the hard way.  :)  Good luck.

Do u think I should go intel over AMD? I was thinking of the x3 720 on the AMD side. All the other parts i have no clue

hyg71886:

Do u think I should go intel over AMD? I was thinking of the x3 720 on the AMD side. All the other parts i have no clue

My last couple computers I built with AMD.  Its been a while since I used Intel so I'm not the best judge.  If you are adding a tv tuner I would recommend the hauppauge 2250.  Works great for me so far.  And definately use Windows 7 over Vista.

hyg71886:

Do u think I should go intel over AMD? I was thinking of the x3 720 on the AMD side. All the other parts i have no clue

My last couple computers I built with AMD.  Its been a while since I used Intel so I'm not the best judge.  If you are adding a tv tuner I would recommend the hauppauge 2250.  Works great for me so far.  And definately use Windows 7 over Vista.

mobo- ASUS M4A78T-E

cpu- AMD Phenom II X3 720

psu- Antec BP550 Plus 550W

dvd- LG Black Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM

hd- Western Digital Caviar Green 2tb

what graphics card would be discrete but still max 2k9?