[darkling]

So this is yet another "How's my hardware?" post...

I've been trying to put together a parts list for a new Win7 XBMC machine running Aeon with all the bells and whistles turned on. What I've come up with should be overkill for anything I plan on doing with it now but this should be futureproof for quite some time.

This box will live in the family room and be a front end with all content being retrieved off of a wired LAN. Drive will be for booting and OS use only.

Outside of the case fans (which I may not need more than 1-2 of) and the CPU cooler the machine should be silent.

The budget for this is about $1000:

Case: Moneual LAB Black Aluminum MonCaso 312B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
PSU: SeaSonic X Series SS-400 Fanless 400 Watt
CPU: i5 2500K
Cooling: Scythe Big Shuriken SCBSK-1000
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
Motherboard: Intel BOXDH67BL LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
HDD: OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2-2VTX40G 2.5" 40GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Blu-Ray: LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray Reader SATA Model iHOS104-06 - OEM
Extra case fans (3): EVERCOOL FAN-EC4010M12CA 40mm Case Fan

I spent a lot of time looking at cases before deciding on the Moneual one. I probably looked at every model offered on half a dozen sites this weekend. It's expensive but looks like it'll fit in perfectly with the rest of my home theatre gear. Reviews seemed generally positive (outside of a goofy remote that I probably won't use).

The i5 2500k should allow me to get away without needing a discrete GPU.

I went with 8Gb of RAM as it sounds impossible to add more later without having to remove the CPU cooler. I'll pay $50 more now so I can avoid the hassle of having to take the whole thing apart to add more RAM in 3 years.

I almost randomly selected a SSD. I know nothing about different models so I just clicked on one that seemed large enough for Win7. Suggestions for better models would be appreciated. The same for the motherboard and the CPU cooler. I know that's the right Intel board for what I need but I don't know about other manufacturers.

Any big criticisms?

[toolpunk]

Haha, this looks a whole lot like my setup.

Anyways, I would recommend adding a dedicated graphics card.
Theoretically the i5 2500K's GPU is fast enough, but I heard some complaints about poor image quality with the integrated chip.

Speaking of the CPU, you might want to rethink your choice.
I have the same case and can tell you it's really small and ventilation can be a problem.
Especially with a cooler that's only meant for 65W chips.
So you most likely won't be able to overclock your processor at all, which is the only purpose of the K edition.
I originally intended to use the Core i5 2300, but now I'm thinking about getting the 2400S or 2500S instead.

[bmcclure937]

Unless you are using the rig for gaming, or other functions, the Core i5 is completely unnecessary. I would stick with an Intel Core i3 530 (possibly a 540 if you plan to game). The Core i3 is low-heat and perfect for HTPCs. Otherwise, I would go with AMD to save some $$ (if you want higher power and lower cost).

I would also recommend a discrete graphics card, such as the nVidia GT430. This is currently the most recommended GPU for HTPCs!

Finally, you could get away with 4Gb of RAM. There is really no need for the 8Gb at this point, but it is not like the added RAM would hurt. It just may not help.

[eskro]

$1000!!
its an overkill....
you could look at these parts and build around them...

[cpu] Athlon X2 3.0GHz AM3 65W ($60) http://ow.ly/1rZJZZ
[ram] GeIL 2 x 2GB 240-Pin DDR3 1066 CL7 ($41) http://ow.ly/1rZK2n
[mobo] ASRock 880GMH AM3 USB3 MicroATX ($85) http://ow.ly/1rZPPe
[gpu] ZOTAC GT430 1GB DDR3 128-bit Low Profile ($65) http://fwd4.me/uJ8
[ssd] Corsair Nova 2.5" 32GB SATAII ($75) http://ow.ly/1rYus5
[psu] CORSAIR CX430 430W ATX12V ($25) http://ow.ly/1s09c7
[case] nMEDIAPC Black MicroATX HTPC Case ($70) http://ow.ly/1rZEGh
[bd-rom] LG 10X Combo SATA ($70) http://fwd4.me/uGZ

TOTAL= $490 + Taxes & Shipping

[maxinc]

+1 for discrete video card.