kerunt

Hi all,

I'm currently running a single PC which handles my work (web development), and also doubles as a media/storage center (DVI out to 1080p TV, Optical SPDIF out to receiver).

I'm going to be getting an iMac in/around January (don't try to talk me out of this one! ) and I want to setup a dedicated PC that will be for media/storage/web server. Note that I do NOT need video recording (PVR).

The computer will be used for:
- Watching movies from the hard drive (up to 1080p resolution - mkv)
- Playing music
- Downloading torrents
- Web server (no serious traffic, just testing/staging)
- File/SVN server (remote web development from my other computers)

To save a bit on the costs, I'm going to use some hardware that I already have:
- Video card: EVGA 8600GT
- Hard drives: WD 500GB 7200 16MB, WD 650GB 7200 32MB
- RAM: 2GB DDR2 800 OCZ Gold.
- LG DVD Drive (I've got a PS3 for BluRay...)

Comp will be running either XP Pro or Win. Media Center.

Now the dilemma... do I go the HTPC route or a regular PC case? I don't know anything about HTPC's... They look nice, but other than that I don't see anything special. Most of them seem to be mATX - micro ATX?

If I go with the "regular PC case" route, I'll be getting the Antec Sonata III (no discussion here ).

What should I get for the motherboard/CPU? I'm thinking a lower-end Asus and something around a 2.4-2.6 C2D. Maybe the Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 Dual Core Processor LGA775 2.66GHZ 1066FSB 3MB ?

Are there any good motherboards out there with decent on-board audio and optical out? This would save me the need to buy a dedicated audio card. I used to have onboard 5.1 audio on an Asus mobo ages ago and it was fantastic (until the mobo died). Now I got a Creative X-Fi Audio, and it's been nothing but a headache. Have to hack my way to get XP drivers, no linux drivers, card giving me problems, etc...

Ideally I would like to keep this as low-cost as possible. Suggestions would be appreciated!

grossebeaver

I picked up an Antec Veris Fusion Remote Max a couple months ago, and it should work well for what you described. It is fairly large in comparison to most HTPC cases but it does accommodate a standard ATX motherboard, and 5 harddrives (bought a HD mounting kit that fit a HD behind the display interface). Also, the stock cooling is adequate for a mild overclock when the fans are set to medium (nearly inaudible).

You could probably get away with using an E5200 with a modest overclock to around 3.0 GHz and a decent P35/45 motherboard.