Small bedroom HTPC

First of all, thanks to everyone for all the info here and around the net. Let's get right to the build:

[CPU Intel Pentium G630 Sandy Bridge 2.7GHz LGA 1155 65W ($75 + &0) - G620 is out of stock, could save $5 if it returns
MOBO ASRock B75M-ITX LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX ($90 + $7)
[RAM] G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) ($28 + $0)
SSD OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-60G 2.5" 60GB SATA III MLC ($70 + $0)
CASE+PSU Wesena HTPC-ITX7-Black ($169 + $??) - Also includes IR receiver & remote

I think this will be a pretty awesome little machine, and look good, too! My main concerns is the PSU and IR receiver. Are these good choices to be able to power on/off and control XBMC and WMC?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for looking!

Nice Setup jcato...the G630 is cheaper than the G620 in Amazon today, it's $68, that will save you some cash and give you a lil extra mhz.http://www.amazon.com/G630-Cpu-2-70-Ghz-Cache/dp/B005LLBJ9Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338229089&sr=8-1
The ram might down clock to 1066 when using Pentium or Celerons but can easily be adjusted manually in the bios. Can't comment on the IR receiver and remote, as I have never used them but all in all is a great setup.

windows or linux?

Windows.

A little more about my overall setup...I currently have an older HTPC (Win7) in the living room. All my media is on an UnRaid box. Now, I'd like to build (nearly) identical boxes for multiple locations. I already have XBMC's database, thumbs, etc. setup on the UnRaid box, so I'm ready for a whole-house experience.

Since I want to build multiple boxes, I do want to keep the price down. It seems to me the case is the biggest splurge. I could reduce it by going with Apex MI-008 ($56 + $10). I still want an integrated IR setup, so I could add Antec Mult-Station Basic for $25 + $4. So, that would be $80+ savings. It wouldn't look as good, but is that worth $80? Maybe not. But, what about IR solution? Is one better than the other? Or, is something completely different better?

This is my favorite budget Intel Motherboard...have used it with Celeron G530 and Pentium G620 as well...This particular board comes with internal IR wire and Remote...both work great and have good range, with this board you can also upgrade to Ivy bridge later on the line with a bios update if you choose too.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813138335
You could also look at the M350 itx case with included powersupply, which will give you a silent set up and a very moddable lil case with lot's of ventilation...you could easily route your internal ir wire through one of the ventilation holes and make it look clean. You could also mount this case with the bracket on back of your TV or monitor setup if you wish too....
http://www.mini-box.com/M350-enclosure-w...0W-adapter

homewrek that looks like a pretty good solution for him. What is the performance of xbmc using that proc and mobo combo? Do they stay pretty cool in that case? any upgrades you would suggest fan wise?

As far as performance goes with that proc and Xbmc it flies, especially with his SSD even a Sata2 SSD will be fine , the remote is great and has lots of buttons you could customize in Event Ghost...Netflix HD, Hulu HD work right out of the gate with no tweaks of any kind...all skins in Xbmc have a snappy feel to them including the heavier skins. I've use this case in a fanless build and temps where in the safe zone, yes it does get hot but well under the tdp rating of the cpu's, if you have a little more room in your budget, you can add an aftermarket cooler, not needed but always recommend it due too intel's shady heatsinks. You could go with a Thermaltake Slim X3...it's low profile, quiet, inexpensive and does the job.

This case comes with a IR receiver built-in and a remote for less $$$ than the Wesena (despite the notice on the website there is one more IR receiver/remote to be had and it will come installed).
http://www.ecosmartpc.com/ht80.html



You would need a low-profile cooler for it. It makes a very nice bedroom HTPC.

You can also go with the G530 CPU. For HTPC use, you will not see a performance difference between G530, G620 or G630. The integrated GPU is the same.

Thanks all for the suggestions. I'm really liking the M350 case. I'm torn between that and having the future option of adding a BluRay player, but I think I'll go with the smaller case. Is the 80W picoPSU/60W adapter enough power? Would I need any other small items like short cables or anything? Do you think it would be possible to drill a hole where the blank area is on the front of the case and mount the IR receiver there? Other possible changes:

[MOBO] Also change to homewrek's suggestion. I'm not familiar with Biostar, though. I've mostly used GigaByte and Asus in the past. Is this a quality board? Am I giving up anything important moving from B75 to H61? Is my memory okay with this board? It's not on the recommended memory list, but not much is.

[CPU] Drop down to the G530? Saves $25, but is the performance hit noticeable my use? I'll just be consuming media, no encoding or such. But, I want XBMC and MCE to be smooth, regardless of skin.

These changes put the cost just under $300, which is nice. But, I could spend a little more if it's worth it.

Thanks

You'll spend the same for the M350 + picoPSU + AC adapter as the HT80 and the HT80 comes with a 120W DC / 84W PSU and has a place for an IR receiver. It can also be had with an IR receiver / remote too.

I am not a Biostar fan so YMMV. If you want a good H61 motherboard the Gigabyte GA-H61N-USB3 is a strong contender. It is stable and best of all it does not blink the LED in S3 sleep. You have no idea how key this feature is for a bedroom HTPC.

For HTPC duties, the G530 will perform no different than the G620 or G630. The CPU is way more than powerful enough and is not going to be the bottleneck. The SSD is what is going to make XBMC and MCE navigation smooth by removing the I/O bottleneck.