[El Bandit]

I'll be gutting my current computer in a few weeks to upgrade it to Sandybridge, and I want to put the components I'm replacing (Intel C2D E6750 and 4GB DDR2 RAM) to good use.

I need a set up that can use those components (or at least the processor - RAM is dirt cheap) with three hard drives - a small SSD for the OS plus two storage drives (both are 2TB so I can't consolidate my media into a single drive).

Can anyone recommend a build that can handle 1080p while meeting my requirements? Apologies for not suggesting a build myself but I'm new to HTPCs and have no idea which components are worth using.

Thanks

[El Bandit]

OK, maybe it isn't realistic to expect to use components that are well over three years old in a decent build.

Could someone recommend a cheap build that can take 3 HDs and play 1080p? I only want it for media playback, so no need for a GPU that can handle games.

Edit: Worth adding I'm in the UK so need components that can be sourced locally.

[eskro]

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=92375

[El Bandit]

Thanks for the link, but I actually managed to just dig up this spec from an old thread:

Gigabyte GA-G31M-ES2L iG31 Socket 775
Asus GeForce G210 512MB DVI VGA HDMI Out PCI-E
Antec NSK 2480 MATX - With 380W EarthWatts PSU

Only £160 and it'll take my current RAM & CPU. The case can't take three HDs, but I reckon I'll just put Live on a USB stick instead.

Does that look good for 1080p playback? I don't want to play games, rip and encode, etc, with it. Also, I see the GFX isn't HDMI 1.4, but I'm not bothered since I can't see in 3D anyway.