[ProfessorChimpo]

Fire off, I am a huge XBMC fan and have been for years. Any device in my house than can support XBMC has it installed and setup to play video from my main HTPC. Currently I have an Acer AspireRevo 1600 as my main HTPC running XBMC, with an upgraded to 2GB Ram and an External 2TB HDD. It works, but doesn't do anything spectacular and any form of gaming and most of the better skins or skin features just don't work well (or don't work at all).

So, I have finally decided to stop being lazy and upgrade! I have built many computers in the past and since I enjoy doing it, I am going to go that route. The problem is, I've never pieced and built a HTPC. I checked out the guide on this site but it clearly states that it's outdated by about half a year. I was hoping that I could give you guys some general specs/info and have you help recommend a direction to go in.

First, budget for everything listed is going to be about $1000. Other than needing a decent wireless mouse/keyboard, everything else can go towards parts. I don't need an OS. Naturally, if I don't have to spend all of that money for a great build, I won't complain!

So what I'm looking for:
$1000 budget
HTPC, so needs to be pretty silent and not too large
HD output is a must
Needs to be able to run games
Recommendations for a good wireless mouse/keyboard would be nice, but not needed

Other than that, I'm pretty open. I have U-Verse so live TV isn't really an option, and as long as it can run XBMC/Games pretty well, I'll be happy

Thanks in advance for the help all.

[assassin]

Check out my free hardware guide on my blog.

[GortWillSaveUs]

$1,000 will get you one sweet build!
You won't have to really spend 1/2 that and still get a great build that will do everything you want.

The IOGEAR Multimedia Keyboard with Laser Trackball and Scroll Wheel, 2.4GHz Wireless GKM561R (Black) is what I use and I love it.

[ProfessorChimpo]

Thanks for the link assassin. I checked it out (briefly) and it didn't really seem to be what I was looking for, but I'll go back and read it more later.

And bookmarked the keyboard/trackball GortWillSaveUs. Thanks!

[assassin]

Thanks for the link assassin. I checked it out (briefly) and it didn't really seem to be what I was looking for, but I'll go back and read it more later.

And bookmarked the keyboard/trackball GortWillSaveUs. Thanks!

If you are looking for something off the shelf or something custom check this out instead

[ProfessorChimpo]

Sorry assassin, I was posting quickly and wasn't very clear. I do want to build my own, just the issue I have with your guide (again after only a quick read) is that your blog clearly states that the HTPC won't do well with games, and I'd love for it to be able to. Any suggestions to be able to do typical HTPC stuff while still being able to do decent gaming if needed?

[assassin]

Sorry assassin, I was posting quickly and wasn't very clear. I do want to build my own, just the issue I have with your guide (again after only a quick read) is that your blog clearly states that the HTPC won't do well with games, and I'd love for it to be able to. Any suggestions to be able to do typical HTPC stuff while still being able to do decent gaming if needed?

That's not entirely true. Let me explain.

I use the iGPU (Intel) and APU (AMD) for typical HTPC use. And I don't personally game but sell and build an awful lot of gaming machines.

But to me neither iGPU/APU is a good option for someone who wants to do any serious or semi-serious gaming. Even the AMD APUs can't do many games at anywhere near max settings and you have to turn some or most of these down or off to be able to game.

Actually with your budget if you choose an Intel CPU like the dual core i3 2105 (which is comparable to the 8 core AMD A8 except that it uses half the energy) with a discrete card you will get the best of both worlds and be able to play games now and into the future at max settings without any limitations. If you go with the quad core i5 for about $70 more you will truly get a beast of a CPU which coupled with a discrete GPU will give you one hell of a gaming machine.

So really just choose an i3 (or i5) system from my hardware guide and then add a gaming card in a case that can hold these and you will have a truly capable gaming system.

[ProfessorChimpo]

Thanks again for the response. I'll go read your guide and come back with any questions I might have. Thanks!