Newbie with a hardware list looking for suggestions - budget ideas

[Bigpurple]

Any help you wise men can send my way would be greatly appreciated:

I'm looking to ditch cable and use OTA reception for HDTV with PVR and the ability to record one show and watch another at the same time.

I have a 5 year old Phillips CRT HDTV which has Component inputs (no HDMI, which makes it impossible to go with a Mobo with integrated graphics - they don't come with component outputs) and an AV receiver with digital audio inputs.

I just priced out a Tivo HD system (refurbished) with wireless connection, 500GB of appproved expanded storage, and an antenna for about $545 including 1 year of Tivo service prepaid.

I figured why waste the money on the Tivo service when I can do it myself, no?

I read as much as I could here in the forums and on NewEgg, and have driven myself crazy trying to find the right combination of cards, cases, etc.

The system I came up with (below) is pricing out at about $785, not including an antenna, splitter, or purchasing BeyondTV or Sage. 

Dropping cable and DVR would save me about $420 in one year, so it makes sense to do something, especially since I am already down to basic cable.

Any ideas on how to cut the budget for this project?  I live in a relatively small apartment, so I can't hide the hardware anywhere but in the wall unit.  I have very little experience in building PC's.  Lot's of experience in doing installs of hardware, swapping drives and memory etc. but nothing from scratch.  I rejected the HD Homerun because I don't want to add another ethernet card, but maybe that's being shortsighted.

My instinct tells me that I shouldn't even consider trying a Linux solution because of my lack of experience, but I would welcome any thoughts on that end.

I also don't know if I would need an audio card or not.


CASE
 SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum / Steel LC10B-E ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163118
 $109.99

Motherboard
ECS BLACK SERIES A780GM-A AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item= N82E16813135075
 $69.99

CPU
 AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX240OCGQBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103688
 $60.99

Power Supply
Antec earthwatts EA430 430W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.0 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item= N82E16817371006
$49.99

Memory
mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996603 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item= N82E16820146764
 $34.99

Tuner  Card
 Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Media Center Kit Dual TV Tuner 1213 PCI-Express x1 Interface - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item= N82E16815116036
 $127.99

Video Card
    MSI N9500GT-MD1G-OC/D2 GeForce 9500 GT 1GB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item= N82E16814127425
    $20.00 Mail-in Rebate14-127-425    
    $64.99

Hard Drives
  2 x  Western Digital Caviar Green WD6400AACS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (bare drive) - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136298
129.98 (64.99 each)

Optical Disk
    SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S223B - OEM 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151187
$27.99

OS
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 64-bit for System Builders w/ Tech Guarantee – OEM
With Coupon for Windows 7
109.99

Subtotal:  $786.89

[Craig]

First off, nice case choice. I haven't seen the LC10-E version of the LC10. I just might buy that one to replace my LC17.
Second, this is a really solid build. There are only a couple of things I can suggest.  First, you could save a few bucks with some cheaper RAM (not much though). Second, although the 9500GT is perfectly fine I would go with a ATI HD4350. It will also save you a few bucks. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102828
For PSU's I like to look for ones with 120mm fans because they tend to be quieter than 80mm fans, but the PSU you choose is from a good company so you may not notice much difference in terms of noise. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151061
There not around much anymore, but if you can get a 45w cpu for the same price or cheaper it would save a little in the energy bill.
http://shop2.frys.com/product/5876943

Like I said though, you have a very solid build there.

I wouldn't bother with linux either.

You should give Windows 7 Media Center a try before you buy a PVR app (VMC for now though since you won't have it until it's released). Hearing lots of good things about it.

Actually if you hurry I think you can still download the W7 x64 Ultimate and test drive it until next June.

[Bigpurple]

Thanks Craig, I appreciate the fact that staying up until 3 am got me a compliment on a "solid build"!

A really newbie question:  How do I know if the video card will allow me to use an adapter to HD Component Video?  The Sapphire Card you suggested looks like it will do that through a supplied adapter cable that connects to the S-Video output, which seems unusual to me.  Other than that, what is the normal output path?  Does it require a VGA to Component Cable?  Does the video card need to say "HDTV Out"?

Thanks for the tip on the Windows 7, I think it just might fit my needs.

Thought:  Will this hardware allow me to play DRM protected content out through itunes?

[Craig]

A IGP or GPU needs to say that it supports "TV Out".  "TV Out" can come in various forms. If you go to the graphics card section on newegg and look at the left hand column that has all the search parameters you will see one that says "TV out". This is generally what is needed for adapters, for example VGA to Component, to work. To be safe I generally look for a card that comes with the appropriate adapter. That way I know for sure it works. You can always ask the manufacturer too. The cards that likely won't work will just have DVI, HDMI, D-Sub, or a combination of the three listed as outputs. Again, you could always ask the manufacturer. 

I don't know much about the whole DRM thing, but I do know that i can play music off of Itunes with my setup and it's not much different from the one you proposed. I don't see why it wouldn't.

Another option to consider is to get a AMD Sempron 140 for $40 and a mobo with ACC. You can then unlock the second core and have a dual core AM3 socket CPU. Not sure you can get a mobo with that feature for the same price as what you have listed though.
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Sempron-Second-Core-Unlocked-athlon,8447.html

For about $10 more of the CPU/mobo you have listed I'd get http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128395 for $90 and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103698 for $40.
Then unlock the second core, get rid of the video card, and then buy a new bigger better TV 

[Bigpurple]

Hi Craig (and anyone else who cares to chime in).

I went back to the drawing board and assuming that this case and power supply will power everything on this list, I've got the budget down a bit, got a copy of Windows 7 64 bit to play with for now, added a blue ray combo drive (do I really need to buy any extra software to make this play Blue Ray?)

My original list had a mismatch between processor and mobo one was AM3 and the other AM2/AM2+.

I plan on unlocking the sempron but used a sturdier Mobo to go with it.

I'll add hard drives later as needed, I have lot's of external storage anyway.

I have the right PCI slots for these cards, but I am not sure how to calculate the power draw needed.  Is there a website or a simple guide you can point me to to make sure I'm covered?

HERE'S THE NEW LIST


CASE, POWER AND FAN
Elite 331 ATX Mid-Tower Case with 350W Power Supply    1     $39.99     $39.99    MicroCenter   
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0250924

COOLER MASTER SAF-S12-E1 120mm Case Fan - Retail     1     $8.99     $8.99    New Egg   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999072

MOBO, CPU, MEMORY
GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM3/AM2+/AM2 AMD 785G HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retai
1     $89.99     $89.99    New Egg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128395

AMD Sempron 140 Sargas 2.7GHz Socket AM3 45W Single-Core Processor Model SDX140HBGQBOX - Retail
1     $39.99     $39.99    New Egg   
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103698

mushkin 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996603 - Retail
1     $34.99     $34.99    New Egg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146764

VIDEO CARD AND TUNER

SAPPHIRE 100274L Radeon HD 4350 1GB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
1     $44.99     $44.99    New Egg    $10 mail in rebate   
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102828

Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Media Center Kit Dual TV Tuner 1213 PCI-Express x1 Interface - Retail
1     $127.99     $127.99    New Egg   
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116036

DRIVES
ASUS Black 6X Blu-Ray DVD Combo SATA Model BC-06B1ST - OEM     1     $89.99     $89.99    New Egg   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135188

Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - OEM
1     $56.99     $56.99    New Egg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073

Total with tax and shipping:  $547.89

[Craig]

That case and PSU will likely work fine 99 percent of the time; but me personally, I steer clear of budget PSU's. The PSU is one of the most important components of a computer. I always stick with a quality ones. With that said though, it will likely work fine.
Here's your PSU Calculator.

The BD drive you selected doesn't come with BD software to play the discs. You'll need to buy a retail version not OEM. If you want a  CD/DVD burner in it then there is this Lite-on for $110. Most I think are coming bundled with PDVD 7. You can upgrade to PDVD 9 for fairly cheap I believe. Or you could by the one you linked and buy a codec separate. PDVD 9 and Total Medial Theater (TMT) are the big ones I believe. Don't forget that buying OEM means you don't get cables. Your retail Mobo will come with likely 4 sata cables though.

The original mobo/cpu combo would have worked. The ECS board has a BIOS update that will make it compatible with AM3 CPU's.

EDIT: I'm not going to say that you WILL be able to unlock the core. But with just a minute of googling I have found at least one person who has verified that he unlocked the core using the mobo you listed last. Not trying to scare you, I just don't want you to think I'm guaranteeing it to work. Read up on it first.

[Miller]

I know you're trying to cut back, but it's much more efficient just to pony up for the 1TB drive for $80 now.