Budget HTPC: under $450 CAD

[Betr]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 weeks
BUDGET: under CAD$450
SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: blu-ray, watching movies, surfing the internet
PARTS NOT REQUIRED: keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, OS
PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg.ca, ncix.com, or any canadian online store

OVERCLOCKING: No
CROSSFIRE: Hopefully
LCD RESOLUTION: 1920x1080

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: would like to bring noise and heat to minimum

So here is the system that I put together:

Hard Drive
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM -- $54.99

Motherboard
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard -- $99.99

Video Card
ASUS EAH4350 SILENT/DI/512MD2(LP) Radeon HD 4350 512MB 64-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 -- $36.49

Memory
OCZ Vista Upgrade 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel -- $49.49

CPU
AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor -- $99.99

Blu-Ray
LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray Reader SATA -- $79.99

Subtotal: $420.94

Have a few questions. Do I really need the video card? I was thinking to Crossfire it with on-board video, but it seems like on-board video is good enough as is. Also, what kind of power supply would be sufficient for such system? Is 300 Watts enough?
Would like to hear any comments or suggestions on how to improve this build.
Thanks!

 

[gkay09]

^ You wont need separate graphics card...I have read in an article that the mobo has enough power for Blue-ray playback and other tasks...

And invest that in a better CPU...
X3 705e
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103683

 

[AKM880]

To save some money, you don't need the other GPU. THe onboard HD3200 is fine for Blu-ray and HD content at 1080p. You can probably get a quieter system if you go with a AMD Athlon x2 5050e which has a TDP of 45W. Up to you really...

 

[gkay09]

^ Just a info AKM880, that 785 mobo has the latest HD4200 chip and not the older 3200...
Check out this article for more info...
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3599
It seems to be a solid onboard video chip for the price...

 

[AKM880]

Sorry, I read too fast, thought it was the 780G motherboard...thanks for the info.

 

[rwpritchett]

Hmmm... I'd grab that 785G board before newegg.ca pulls it from the website. They're not supposed to be selling the 785G's until later in August.

Newegg (US) did the same thing and has since pulled the 785G listings.

 

[shortstuff_mt]

You'll still want to go with a quality PSU, even though this is a low-power build. Here's a couple options:

PC Power & Cooling Silencer PPCS370X 370W ATX12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817703018 $49.99

SeaSonic SS-350ET 350W ATX12V Ver.2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - OEM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151060 $49.99

SeaSonic SS-350ES Bronze 350W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - OEM
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151075 $55.99

CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139008 $59.99 - $20 MIR

I really like the Corsair 400CX. I've used it and it's a strong, quiet little PSU. It's a good price also if you take advantage of the MIR.

 

[Betr]

Thank you guys for your input, much appreciated!