how does this setup look for an HTPC?

[pud]

alright Im at $704.05 shipped. This is what I have:

Samsung 22x dvd burner w/lightscribe (wtf is lightscribe?)
Asus M3N78-VM mobo GeForce 8200
Sabrent Atsc/NTSC combo tv tuner
AMD Phenom 9600 agena 2.3GHz
G.Skill 4gb 1066 ddr2 ram
Antec Black M FusionRemote htpc case
Seagate SV35.3 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

 

[wol-va-rine]

Yeah, it's just that E5200 won't be very future proof for the OP...I really like intel as well, but they've fallen behind recently in the price/performance ratio for the average builder.

not really that recently, AMD's been the best choice for budget builds for years now, though some people just decide to spend more and get the Intels strictly for performance reasons when budget isn't that much of a factor...

alright Im at $704.05 shipped. This is what I have:

Samsung 22x dvd burner w/lightscribe (wtf is lightscribe?)
Asus M3N78-VM mobo GeForce 8200
Sabrent Atsc/NTSC combo tv tuner
AMD Phenom 9600 agena 2.3GHz
G.Skill 4gb 1066 ddr2 ram
Antec Black M FusionRemote htpc case
Seagate SV35.3 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

lightscribe will burn a label onto the cd/dvd, but it takes a special disc, but those special discs are more expensive...

 

[dude_56013]

lightscribe will burn a label onto the cd/dvd, but it takes a special disc, but those special discs are more expensive...

Yes..and oddly enough, most optical drives with LS are cheaper than those w/o which I've never really understood...maybe because they are mainstream.

EDIT: Okay. This is the last time I'm probably going to post anything worth really reading in here as it's taking a lot of time right now and I'm quite busy. Idk what your plans are, but it seems from your downgrades that you don't want to spend $1K but if that's still an option, this is what I'd get:

Case
PSU
MB (Yes I know this is out of stock..you'll have to wait)
CPU
RAM
DVD (Yes I know this one has the white on it, but if it were me and I cared about my budget, a little bit of white along with a great drive, cheaper price, and free shipping would make me not care)
HDD
Tuner Card

Total Price = $776 with rebate on PSU if I added everything correctly and converted the rebate right.

Woops, just noticed that board doesn't have an X1 slot so I'd grab this tuner card (there are so many, I just look for a reputable brand. Others may work for you, including the one you picked but I haven't a clue).

Having an mATX board is really a PITA because I was going to give you a few video card/sound card options in case you would want them in the future, but you aren't going to have room for all 3 (gotta count the tuner)...it'll be a tight squeeze with just an added video card since they are usually dual slot.

3rd Edit p): Okay, so I was curious and wanted to see if I could still come in under $1000 with a little different setup:

Case
PSU (Same as above)
MB
CPU (Same)
DVD (Same)
RAM (Same
HDD (Same)
Tuner Card
GPU
Sound

Total = ~$1011.19 with rebates (if I converted right with rebates...if this is too much, you could ditch the sound card but you'll lose your optical sound output.

Again, you really should let us know the MAXIMUM you will spend on it. I highly suggest getting an ATX case over an mATX though..it just helps with future upgrades if needed...

 

[pud]

I dont want to top $1k after shipping, plus OS and cables.
Ive got a pretty good direction to go with this...now time to start saving some cash for a few months.
You guys have really helped, thanks. Ill be arount to pick everyones brains some more yet.
-Al

 

[dude_56013]

You shouldn't need any cables. What you need should come with your MB...they usually all come with enough to cover 2 SATA devices so you should be good. If you don't wanna top 1K, just dump the video card and sound card (if you won't miss optical out...) and grab your OS.

 

[pud]

I meant the HDMI and optical cables.

OT, but Ive been trying to find a 5.1 amp. Not a reciever capable of multi a/v inputs....but a 5.1 channel amp.
No input selection. Just turns on, processes the audio put in and sends the signal out to 5 speakers and a sub.

Something like this would be a great HTPC add-on.
you dont need av1, av2, sat, tv, cd, dvd, and vcr selections when you have a HTPC as it only sends out 1 audio and 1 video channel.

 

[pud]

alright well after a little while to ponder on it Ive come up with another spin on this...
Since I already have a computer...Im thinking that It would be a more wise decision to buy a couple upgrades and install them in it first and test the outcome, see how much I like it etc...then finish the upgrades as time & money permit.
Plus its easier to fork out less cash lol
So my thought is to just upgrade the cpu & memory, and since my mobo is socket 939 Ill need one of those too. So what'ya figure? Ill go with the AMD phenom 9600 agena/g.skill ram combo, a 780g or 8200 mobo....

 

[dude_56013]

You can certainly add on to your current build, but we are going to need to know the specs. PSU wattage, case size (mATX v ATX), are you reusing HDDs and Optical Drives....stuff like that.

If you are reusing stuff and can keep a decent budget, I recommend a PII with a 790GX board. There a tons of people here that love them.

 

[pud]

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00472092&dlc=en

thats what I have. Id like to stick with the stuff we've been discussing, although a 790gx board is a possibility.
My PSU is a 250w Hipro (model HP-D2537F3R)

 

[dude_56013]

Well that PSU isn't going to do anything for you, so the only things you'll be able to re-use are the hard drive, optical drive, and possibly the case, but with a mATX case which it most likely is, you're going to run into possible cooling issues when using high-quality, high-heat generating parts. I would just build an entire new system and maybe spare your HD and DVD drives. So you aren't going to save much by doing that. I'd just build up some funds and build yourself something worth it.