Hardware recommendation, mobo & CPU

So its time for an upgrade

Parts I already have:
Case: ML03B
BD drive: Lite-On IHOS104
PSU: EarthWatts 380W
SSD: 60gb OCZ (XBMC library is stored on my NAS)

Parts I plan on getting:
GPU: GT430, unless anyone can convince me of a better low profile NVIDIA GPU for HDMI bitstreaming & deinterlaced video with Ubuntu.

I need some help choosing the following:
CPU - I do plan on using this machine for ripping the rest of my BluRay collection to mkv. Maybe some emulation action up to PCSX2. Otherwise it will be just a HTPC, 1080p videos etc.

Motherboard - Ideally a mini-ITX, i know the case can hold a microATX, but I plan to upgrade the case at a later point and I don't know what I would use the spare PCI/e slots with. I have a tv card installed on my server so that is not a requirement. Gigabit NIC (would be nice if it was Intel), USB 3.0, at least 4gb of RAM. Would be great if it also had CIR so I could wake it up from a remote. I love the P8Z77I DELUXE but im trying to not get too carried away.

RAM for motherboard

Many thanks. I've got an addiction because I know as soon as this is built I will need a new XBMC project (cant stop tinkering!)

Edit: budget, I don't mind spending some money on the mobo & CPU, but I don't see the point in an i5 if I'm not going to utilise it. I guess I'm after the best value for money.

Seems to me that the GT430 is still a safe bet - confusing as hell with all the rebadged Nvidia GPU;s.

Couple tables to illustrate differences:

GT 6xx's
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5845/nvidi...nto-retail
http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-...erformance

GT 430 > GT 610 = GT 520. AFAIK.

GT 630+ may be worth a look if not too pricey and power-hungry.

Ok, so I'm thinking of going with the following:

P8Z77-I Deluxe
Intel Pentium G850 (can get a good price for this)
RAM- Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB, BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU

All the above for £210

Its overkill but should I look at an i5 instead?

Save yourself some money and go for H77 chipset, main difference to Z77 is overclocking and multiple video cards which I presume you won't be needing for your HTPC.
Currently P8H77-I is £80 vs P8Z77-I Deluxe at £150.

Yeh I read that overclocking was the main difference. I'm now looking at the AsRock H77M-ITX as it offers CIR too.

If you want to play PS2 games in PCSX2 you'll need a better graphics card than the GT 430. Gran Tusimo 3 for example didn't run full speed on my HTPC with an i3 2100 and the GT 430. I upgraded later to an i5 3570k which runs Gran Turismo 3 without issues in software mode. Unfortunately software mode in PCSX2 renders the games only in their native resolution.

So if PCSX2 is important, you'll need a better CPU and a better GPU. Otherwise the Pentium G850 and the GT 430 are good choices for a HTPC.

thanks for the heads up, did not know that. upgrading the CPU is not a problem. finding a low profile NVIDIA card which works well with livetv, AE and pcsx2 might be tough

That's why I use the integrated GPU of the i5 3570k (HD 4000) untill there are better low profile GPUs. It has about the same level of performance as the GT 430. It works well with livetv and does support bitstreaming (altough I don't use that feature). And the i5 3570k is fast enough to play PS2 games (at least the games I tried) at full speed in software mode.

Edit: I use Windows 7 btw. I'm not sure if the integrated GPU works well in Ubuntu. And PCSX2 is slower under Linux.