Building HTPC, Need Advice.

[GauteHauk]

Alright, I've finally gotten around to setting aside time and cash to build an HTPC.

1. MY HTPC will be used for:
High Definition tv, movies, maybe some games, but not as a primary gaming rig. TV is a Samsung 40" 720P HD LCD. Obviously movies are going to be mostly standard DVDs, but I plan on eventually using Blurays, too. Will add a Bluray drive later on, but not initially. I have a home theater system(samsung HT-Q45) but I'm not sure if I should keep it or get something in its place(such as a standalone speaker system).

2. MY budget is:
My budget is ~$500. I could go lower or higher, if it doesn't cost too much to go up or lose too many features by going down.

3. Country I will be buying MY parts from:
America. The US. I live here and it's cheaper to get things from here.

4. I have a brand preference:
I have an Intel preference, but that's mostly because I only have experience with Intel. I fear the unknown.

5. Current parts I MAY be using:
I'd like to pass my 2gb G. Skill RAM and 965P motherboard on to the HTPC. My intent being that I can build an HTPC with good performance without buying all new parts for it, but instead buying some upgrade parts for my current PC. I can do without this step, though, and just buy all new parts for the HTPC, should a better option present itself.

6. I have searched similar threads on LOTS of forums and lots of sites, but my situation feels a little unique, or specific, which is why I am here, asking for advice.

7. I plan on overclocking only if I have trouble with smooth video/movie playback @720p or if there is a sluggish feel to the system.

8. I plan to build this within the month, preferably buying the parts as soon as I have a little advice to help me make the difficult decisions.

And finally, I just want to ask that anyone with any insider information who have built HTPCs recently and found out some things that were too late to change that would have made the build nicer. I hope I phrased that with proper clarity.

Thanks to any and all who offer advice, I feel like this is a situation where too many options have paralyzed my decision making.

:<

The system I'm leaning towards building, obviously not yet set in stone:

Case: Antec Minuet 350 (comes with PSU that is 350 Watts and 80+ Certified) ~$80-100
Mobo: Prefer to use my GA-965P-DS3 (Current PC mobo) Already own.
CPU: Intel 2180 (Cheap, powerful enough, I assume, can also be overclocked) ~$70
GPU: Sapphire 3650 Low-Profile Video Card (Low-profile for the small case) ~$70
RAM: 2gb G. Skill 800 (from current PC) Already own.
DVD: Just some ~$20-$40 drive.
HDD: Either one large or two smaller HDDs. ~$50-100
TV Tuner Card: (I haven't got a CLUE on this) ~$50-100

Willing to spend around $500+/-20% for new parts. Is this being too penny-pinchy or is it doable?

Once again, my reasons for using the motherboard and RAM in the HTPC from the PC is to upgrade the PC parts, but save on buying new HTPC parts. If you have a different suggestion, I am willing to consider just getting full new parts for the HTPC.

Well, I believe that's all I have to say and ask. I look forward to any advice. Thanks for your time!

Edit: Just keep in mind that this is an HTPC and considerations for silence/cool operation are in order.

 

[Blain]

What TV program will you be using?

 

[GauteHauk]

No clue. I'll just take suggestions and do my own research for what might be right for me. This is one of the other things I don't know yet.

This HTPC is to replace the cable company HD Digital Cable(Cox) set-up we had. I didn't appreciate my cable/net bill being so high every month for a sub-par system. If anyone has used the rental boxes from cable companies, they probably know what I mean about sub-par performance. This thing had like a five second delay in accepting button commands(change the channel up or down), had very spotty performance on recording, playback, was restrictive and unnecessarily difficult to use. And I'm a pretty tech savvy person(not a programmer or engineer, but a savvy user).

So that's the whole motivation behind all this. To build a better media center for cable, movies, music, games, etc. to replace what I got rid of. I figure, even if I keep it for only a year, or it has problems, it'll be worth the trouble, since I'll be investing in something that works better and I have total control over instead of renting something I cannot control or modify. At the cost of using the cable company cable box and such I was spending enough to buy an HTPC in a year or two.

 

[Blain]

I really like Beyond TV!