It's hard to say... I think 4 gigs of ram, SATA 3gb ports, PCIx16, and all the basics... I don't think I need to OC for the HTPC system. I am not planning to use the stock video, instead I am planning to use GIGABYTE GV-NX85T256H GeForce 8500GT 256MB HDCP. I would want stock sound with fiber...