[Windows] Cheap MicroATX Build

I am looking to build a cheap XBMC with a little more power and flexibility than the nettops afford. So far I have been scanning the forums and I think I have a good idea for all the components except for the case. Some of the posts I have read the cases are no longer in stock and there seems to be an abundance of choices. I prefer something that will blend in with my black Onkyo receiver and Samsung Blu Ray player.

So far I have
[Mobo] Foxconn A76ML-K AM3 Ready / AM2+ / AM2 AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard $45 + FS
[CPU] AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor ADX250OCGMBOX $60 + FS
[Memory] G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) 6 Purchased last year
[GPU] ASUS ENGT430/DI/1GD3(LP) GeForce GT 430 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR3 $75 + $4 ($60 after MIR)
[HD] Eventually a SSD but will use an available 3.5" sata for the meantime
[Case] Foxconn DH153C-CF300K Steel MicroATX Slim Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply $45 + $10

Total of $236 before rebates. If someone has a better case/psu combo or a better deal I'm all ears.

You could knock off $30 and get a Sempron. You'd still be miles above a nettop.

Would a sempron handle blu ray playback if I add a player at a later date? I went with this video card particularly because of the HD audio bitstreaming support.

looks alot like some of my suggested AMD micro-ATX builds --> Here!

but uhm, your mobo, just make sure it has a PCI-EXPRESS 2.0 x 16 slot
because if not, the GT430 card will operate at half the speed it could....
[mobo] Foxconn A76ML-K AM3 Micro-ATX ($45 + $0)
$8 more then the Foxconn A74ML-K & it'll work with your DDR2-1066 sticks...
not bad at all

and if your really on an extreme tight budget,
i guess you could go for the SEMPRON 140 SingleCore CPU...
$38 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product

and yes, with all of those parts, you'll be able to play anything 100%!
including Blurays...

Good catch I didn't realize there were newer PCI express x16 standards...it's been a few years since my last PC build.

It looks like Foxconn A76ML-K AM3 Ready / AM2+ / AM2 AMD 760G Micro ATX AMD Motherboard has support for PCI Express x16 2.0 and is only $8 more while still supporting my ddr2 memory.

http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=714763&postcount=4

also, a mobo you could buy is the ASRock A780LM-S ($50 + $0)
because for an extra $5,
you get a shot at unlocking the second Core of the SEMPRON 140

see video tutorial --> http://ow.ly/1s19bR

The only issue I have with that board is that it is lacking in Gige support. At this point i'm trying to find a cheap micro atx board that'll potentially unlock a sempron core, have pcie x16 2.0, and have integrated gig e.

[MOBO] ASRock K10N78M-PRO AM3/AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8200 Micro ATX ($52 + $3)

Features:
Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 8200 graphics, DX10 VGA, Pixel Shader 4.0, Max. shared memory 512MB
Supports NVIDIA Hybrid SLI
Supports HDCP function with DVI-D port
Supports Full HD 1080p Blu-ray (BD) / HD-DVD playback with DVI-D port
NVIDIA PureVideo HD Ready
Supports ASRock Instant Boot, Instant Flash
Supports Smart BIOS, ASRock OC Tuner, Intelligent Energy Saver

I read up and it looks like only the ATI chipset with a particular southbridge support unlocking the extra core(s). I think I'd rather spend the extra money and go with a stable processor and not deal with my wife when a dud core crashes on one of her TV shows

Here's a question though, is it worth the upgrade to ddr3, since i'll probably end up getting the 3ghz x2? I'm guessing it'd cost me an extra $30-50 dollars to go that route and I am not sure if the performance boost is worthwhile or not.

well, what can i say, DDR3 is slightly better of course...

Also, good idea about buying the Athlon X2 right away...

unlocking cores doesnt always work... at least now, your sure to have 2 cores!

at this point, you can choose these

[mobo] ASRock 880GM-LE AM3 Micro-ATX ($60 + $3)
[ram] G.SKILL 2 x 1GB 240-Pin DDR3 1066 CL7 Dual-Channel ($28 + $1)

So its not that bad huh!