[jstainer]

Hey gang,

Been browsing here and at other places for some time. Picked up a TV and out sound setup a couple days ago. The basement is being redone and so it's time to order the parts for the actual HTPC.

Wanting to:

-Use the HTPC for streaming music (I am guessing that means Dolby TrueHD?)
-Use the HTPC for streaming Netflix, NHL Game Center, HGTV etc.
-Use the HTPC to watch movies.
-Want to install Windows 7 (likely 64 bit unless there is a good reason to do otherwise)
-Will run XBMC.
-Will plug into network, doesn't need to be wireless.
-Will be using a NAS drive for all data (have 2 other computers in house) so will go with an SSD drive for the HTPC.
-Want to watch Blueray

Not going to game on it. Not worried about watching 3D. Not going to be doing the torrenting thing.

Have some flexibility with the budget, but not going to spend extra just for the heck of it - here's the setup so far. Hoping to get some feedback on if it will be sufficient and anything I may need to be aware of ahead of time. Rough pricing estimates in brackets.

1) [Mobo]
SRock E350M1 Zacate Dual-Core 1.6Ghz HD6310 ALC892 mITX ($110)
2) [Case]
Apex MI-008 Black mITX 250W ($40)
3) [Fan]
80mm SilenX IXP-74-09 1700RPM 32CFM 14dBA ($15)
4) [Optical Drive]
Lite-On Bluray and DVD/CD player ($60)
5) [SSD Drive]
60GB Corsair Nova 2.5" SATAII Trim Read:270MB/s Write:240MB/s ($100)
6) [RAM]
2x2GB DDR3 1066 CL7 - Kingston ValueRam ($30)
7) [Remote]
Win 7 Media Center Remote

Also, do I need a CPU Cooler for this unit?

Thanks for any feedback in advance, these forums have been an excellent source of research for me!

EDIT: Price does not include Windows 7.

[Kirky99]

I think you're pretty good there, the only thing I would say is consider spending a tad more for a bigger SSD. While a 30G will probably work, I'm guessing you're going to be pretty close to that with a "proper" Win7 install along with everything else.

You can up to 60G for about $15 more (wait a bit on deal if need be) and that should be a little more future proof without breaking the bank...

EDIT: Just checked, I'm at 20.5G with Win7 x64 and a few supporting apps (Hulu Desktop, Kylo, and MediaPortal TV Server). Thumbnails and content stored on a central server.

[jstainer]

I had wondered about that, thanks for the suggestion. Should I also buy a CPU Cooler or no need?

[T800]

I went with a 40GB SD for mine I ended up using 32GB for Windows 7 Ultimate x64 and applications.

From what I've seen the E350M Zacate has a CPU fan already on it.

[jstainer]

It does yeah, I just am not that familiar with it, so wasn't sure if the stock one would suffice. Sounds like it should be fine.

I've updated my original post with a 60GB drive.

[eskro]

you dont need a 60GB SSD,,,,

Win7x64 works perfectly on a 30GB SSD...

i bought a 32GB SSD and i still have 13GB of free space
after installing Win7 + XBMC + all my needed apps,,,

but price difference is not much so,
if u feel safer with a bigger SSD,
no problem there!

Also note that some heavy duty Skins like AEON MQ2
might not run as fluid as you'd like on a Zacate platform,,,

[jstainer]

So stick with the skins that are a little lighter and I should be good to go.
Sounds fine with me.

I'll do a last quick pricing check and then order it all!

[eskro]

good