780G is vastly superior to NF8200... also, what about the LE-1640 Athlon 64, it's pretty cheap and single cored... could it handle 1080p Blu Ray Not strickly true, most of them will but you'll always get odd ones out so you need to check with the manufacturer Also, the HT speed drops from 4000MHz to 3200MHz when you install a AM3 CPU in an AM2+ Motherboard, your better saving your money and going for a AM2+ CPU for peace and easy of installation...[B[/B]
Win! It won't be 15W more, that's just an arbitrary value. Actually the 8200 is better if you're after LPCM audio output. For a HTPC all you need is "HT 3.0 spec" for maximum IGP performance, according to AMD. http://www.jwele.com/motherboard_detail.php?419#_bios ^^ New BIOS for 780G
That J&W motherboard is a great find. Well suited to the task. However, considering its size and its use being a HTPC I suggest going for a 45W 'e' processor from AMD, as long as it's capable of doing what you need it to do. That's why I suggested the Athlon X2 4850e/5050e to begin with. The lower the power, the less heat, and subsequently the less noise, it'll produce. I believe there are some 45W Athlon II 'e' versions also, but I can't quite remember the exact product name. You should be able to recognize them by the 'e' suffix.
People seem to be more interested in the BE processors atm which to me doesn't make sense, current AM3 boards atm are pretty good overclockers and with a non BE proc with a high multiplier you can get just as high OC's than their BE brothers. And I know it won't consume 15 more watts I was referring to the heat it would produce
Thanks again for the great replies. I think I'll skip getting a AM3 simply because I'd need to find a temporary CPU to update the BIOS with first, and then install the actually CPU. Too much hassle imo. Also I don't think the increased speed warrants all the extra heat generated. Have you seen the included low profile heatsink/fan? I don't have a lot of faith in it to say the least.
What about the Scythe Shuriken? Perhaps that'll fit. It's certainly low profile, but of course it might be a bit too wide.
BEs are just for easy overclocking - it takes out finding an excellent board to push further. Wattage and heat are synonymous.
if you havent ordered your kit yet nutech, you might want to consider this case http://www.ebuyer.com/product/140998 as its about 40% cheaper than normal!
