[nimrod77]

Hi all,
OK, I think I have two good options for my new HTPC.
Please critique these and let me know what you think. I of course only want one of these so let me know which is the one you would pic and why.
I have decided to go with Windows 7 for my OS with a PVR build of XBMC to go along with it.

Intel System

Intel Core i3 2120 $122.00
Gigabyte GA-H77M-D3H MB, Intel H77 Chipset, Socket 1155, 4x DDR3, SATA3, USB3.0, GbLAN, 7.1 CH, $85.00
Kingston 2GB DDR3-1333MHZ x2 $24.00
Hitachi Deskstar 2TB SATA 7200RPM $127.00
Intel SSD 60GB 330 Series SATA III 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC, read/write speed 500/400MB/s $75.00
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM $92.50
TP-Link TL-WN951N Wireless N PCI Adapter $31.00
MSI GT430 N430GT-MD1GD3LP2 SILENT 1GB DDR3 DVI / HDMI / D-Sub Engine Clock 700Mhz $49.00

Total $605.50

AMD System.

AMD A8-3870 3.0GHZ X4 Core Fusion APU/HD6550D Socket FM1 $125.00
ASRock A75M, 2 x DDR3 / 1 x PCI-E2.0 x 16 / 5 x SATA3 / 4 x USB3.0 / HDMI / D-Sub / 7.1CH / GBLAN / RAID / mATX $83.00
Kingston 2GB DDR3-1333MHZ x2 $24.00
Intel SSD 60GB 330 Series SATA III 6Gb/s, 25nm, MLC, read/write speed 500/400MB/s $75.00
BD-ROM $0.00
Hitachi Deskstar 2TB SATA 7200RPM $127.00
BLink LW07-A2 Wireless PCI-E 300Mbps Adapter $14.00
Tuner HVR-2200 $0.00
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit OEM $92.50

Total $540.50

Thanks for looking and your feedback.

[nimrod77]

Bump - 70 views, no comments??

[SavellM]

I vote Intel build.

Dont like AMD at all.
More firepower and futureproofing with Intel.
Yes its $60 more expensive, but its well worth it.

[jaochoo]

Whatever option you choose, I would:
- Change the HDD from 7200rpm down to the slower version. You have a fast SSD already; for just serving files the slower HDD would be enough and maybe less expensive/loud/consuming.
- Not add a dGPU since this build is not supposed to be a gaming machine
- Not add a WLAN card because you most probably will hook it up to a LAN cable anyways for speed reasons.

You didn't mention the case btw.

[jaochoo]

And I think for a Windows 7 machine, 4GB is recommended.

[Michael.F]

I´d vote for Intel.
Because it wil cause you less headache, if you ever want to switch to linux.

I´d change the 430 to something newer and less powerfull (eg: a passive 520)
And i wouldn´t want to have wifi in my htpc either.
It just sucks to have an unreliable connection for streaming media.

[nimrod77]

Thanks for the report guys!

@jaochoo, I'm planning on re-using my LC-16
I actualy have Kingston 2GB DDR3-1333MHZ x2 for a total of 4GB in each

Good info on the HDD, only problem is that 5200rpm HDD's are actually more expensive than the 7200rpm versions.
Are they a lot quieter?

The dGPU is due to the fact that the MoBo I have picked does not have HDMI out.

@ Michael.F - That is one thing that I had considered with the intel build. If I decide to give Openelec a run then I should have less problems.
So a GT520 < GT430? All the guides that I have been reading mention the GT430 as being an excelent HTPC card (23.976 fps, HDMI out, Better 3D).
Is the GT520, or any other card better or different?

The WiFi thing was due to the distance between computers/router. I might be able to run a cable but I'll have to see

Thanks for the info guys!! Keep it coming, any suggestions on things that did or didn't work.