Please help me with an HTPC build <$1000

[LegoMyGeggo]

Hi Guys,

Brand new to the forum and sorry if I make any mistakes with my first post. Anyhow, I decided I wanted to build an HTPC for my parents that would either hold some movies on its drives and just stream the rest from a NAS.

Approximate Purchase Date: This week
Budget Range: <$1000; cheaper the better
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Mostly watching movies/streaming netflix/ (may consider steam box further down the road)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon
Location: San Jose, CA
Parts Preferences: intel
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080p
Additional Comments: Quiet HTPC. Am considering micro-ATX in case I may want to get a GPU down the line to make a steam box.

I compiled a small list of parts from researching around, but please correct me if I am missing anything. This is my first time building an HTPC so any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance!


Processor: Intel core i3-4330 3.5 GHz - $139.99 (can get discounted) http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUUN76U/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VRQGI00R7OZW&coliid=I26Q7V26MNAY5P

Mobo: MSI H87M-G43 - $89.99
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D12OBCM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VRQGI00R7OZW&coliid=I1TJVQG8GO6IDI)
or Gigabyte Z87MX-D3H - ~$125
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CU4L4XG/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VRQGI00R7OZW&coliid=I1UBUCUPKLUHDY)

RAM: 8 GB Single DDR3 1.35 V Crucial - $63.99
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A14ZTWE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VRQGI00R7OZW&coliid=I1CA7C11H480K8)

Storage: WD Blue 1 TB - $59.99
(http://www.amazon.com/WD-Blue-Desktop-Hard-Drive/dp/B0088PUEPK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387091665&sr=8-1&keywords=3.5+hard+drive) & and an old SSD for OS

Case: I was looking at the Silverstone GD04/GD05 but don't know what the major differences are between the two as the prices are about the same - ~$100 any suggestions?

Optical Drive: Pioneer 15x SATA BD/DVD/CD burner - ~ $85
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A4ZXE40/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VRQGI00R7OZW&coliid=I7K8HFTNP8EIF)

PSU: Seasonic SS-400 FL2 400W 80 PLUS Platinum Fanless - $129.99
(http://www.amazon.com/SeaSonic-SS-400FL2-Active-Platinum-Fanless/dp/B003ZWQXUQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1387092359&sr=8-2&keywords=seasonic+fanless)

Cooling unit: Cooler Master GeminII M4 - ~$35
(http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0080ATR2Y/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3VRQGI00R7OZW&coliid=I3EK7EBRY65R9I)

Thanks in advance everyone I really appreciate all the help I can get.

 

[spat55]

Going to have ago, but not to good with this so it might not be too good, normally look at gaming pc's.

 

[spat55]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G2020 2.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B75M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($58.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($54.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($88.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $445.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-15 19:22 EST-0500)

With the little space in a HTPC box I think you would struggle to fit in much more GPU power than that. With the little GPU power you can fit in anything more than an i3 is overkill so I put in a Pentium which is more than enough for anything that you'd want to do on a HTPC.

Left out the case and power supply as they are upto you to decide, as I might like the look of one and you might dislike it, seen you have an old SSD for OS so that will give it a nice little boost in boot time.