Basic HTPC; very simple and no frills; by newb for newbs

[liquidsense]

Any thoughts on this build? Will it all fit? Is the RAM right? Also, someone told me that I can get an AMD processor and compatible board for less at this level.

CASE:
APEX DM-387 (12.75" x 3.9" x 15.75") w/ 275W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811154087
$50.00

MOBO:
ZOTAC GF9300 HDMI Micro-ATX (Integrated GeForce 9300 GPU)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813500019
$100.00 ($80.00 after rebate)

CPU:
Intel E7400 @ 2.8 GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16819115206
$80.00 (at Microcenter)

RAM:
G.SKILL (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800 240-Pin
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820231122
$52.00

HDD:
Western Digital 640GB Black
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16822136319
$75.00

ODD:
LITE-ON 4x BD-ROM SATA
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827106326
$68.00

Other:
Molex to SATA adapter (only one SATA power on PSU)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16812201002
$4.00

$409.00 total.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Don't know if this is what you are looking for ...

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor / Gigabyte 785G AM2+: $129

The Gigabyte 785G AM3 combo is $20 more.



(plus whatever additional costs yer DDR3 memory will bring)

 

[liquidsense]

Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
Don't know if this is what you are looking for ...

AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor / Gigabyte 785G AM2+: $129

The Gigabyte 785G AM3 combo is $20 more.



(plus whatever additional costs yer DDR3 memory will bring)

Ah. Ok. Yea, come to think of it, I think the other person was talking about a lesser board. But now that I'm looking at it, could it be better? I don't know:

Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT HDMI (Micro-ATX)
AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz 65w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...?ItemList=Combo.237644
$150.00

At any rate, I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on the Intel-based configuration two posts up. Would someone be so kind as to give me the green light or stamp of approval? Will this all fit and work right together?

 

[elconejito]

looks like a winner to me...

 

[liquidsense]

Another noob question that I cannot find an answer to:

Does the motherboard have to match the I/O plate of the case? Or does the motherboard come with a custom plate? For instance, I chose this case and this motherboard, but the I/O plate on the case does not match the motherboard ouputs at all! How do I find the right plate?

CASE:
APEX DM-387 (12.75" x 3.9" x 15.75") w/ 275W PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811154087

MOBO:
ZOTAC GF9300 HDMI Micro-ATX (Integrated GeForce 9300 GPU)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813500019

 

[Knavish]

Every motherboard I've bought comes with it's own IO plate. I think I've used the one that came with the case once -- many years ago on a P3-733

I'll also second the above warning about the Atom not being able to decode 720p flash video (hulu) -- if they ever fix flash not to be such a resource hog it would work, but right now it's risky without testing it.