 | Amd Athlon64 Dual-Core 4850E (2.5Ghz) Socket Am2 L2=512Kbx2 Cpu Retail Box
Buy new: $59.99 / Used from: $97.47 We start with a dual core processor at 2.5 Ghz. With solid media playback, and a 45w thermal design power envelope, it will give you all the power you need, without the excess heat. Thermal management is extremely important to achieve a quiet HTPC.
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 | Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H Motherboard
Buy new: $90.25 / Used from: $87.00 This board features the latest HDMI and DVI interfaces to connect to your home theater. It's mATX form factor saves space and offers a standard layout for almost any case. Includes on-board video, sound, ethernet, and various USB and other connectivity options for expansion.
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 | CORSAIR XMS2 2GB ( 2 X 1GB ) PC2-6400 800MHz 240-pin DDR2 CL5 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit - TWIN2X2048-6400
Buy new: $39.98 / Used from: $29.99 2GB of ram provides enough for the OS to run while leaving plenty for media center programs. For a 32-bit operating system, 2GB is optimal.
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 | Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE 2-Tuner PCI-Based Digital Video Recorder (NTSC)
This dual TV tuner card will enable you to record up to 2 programs at once or allow you to watch one show while recording another. It even has FM radio. With all the HDTV cable-card standards up in the air, and constantly evolving, it's best to stay away from using HDTV tuners in a HTPC for now. But you will be able to upgrade to HDTV tuners when the time is right.
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 | Seagate ST3500641AS-RK Barracuda 7200.9 500GB SATA NCQ Internal Hard Drive
Buy new: $84.99 / Used from: $105.38 While typical off the shelf DVRs only offer a couple hundred gigabytes on the high end, and a measly 40GB on the low end. The beauty of building your own HTPC is that you can easily add storage whenever you want. This drive is a good starting point.
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 | Antec Fusion Black 430 Veris Media Center microATX Desktop PC Case with 430-Watt PSU (Black)
Buy new: $160.99 This case is not only stylish and blends into the living room aesthetic, but it's also very functional and will keep all your components cool. It allows the use of full height PCI/PCIE expansion cards. It comes with a very capable 430 watt power supply, and has a useful LCD display. A silver colored version is available too.
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 | Liteon 4X Blu Ray Reader Black Retail Pack
Buy new: $105.99 When you're not watching broadcast TV, your HTPC can be playing blu-ray high definition movies. With the ability to read blu-ray, standard DVD, CD, and variants, this BD-ROM drive is a must for a modern HTPC.
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 | Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer Sound Card (70SB073A00000)
Buy new: $93.24 / Used from: $78.03 Though you may not be gaming on this system, sound is definitely still important for a good home theater experience. On-board sound may cut it for most people, but if you have a serious speaker setup, adding this option will make a noticeable difference. If you are trying to make it barely under a budget or want WiFi instead, you can omit this.
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 | Linksys WMP54GS Wireless-G PCI Card with SpeedBooster
Buy new: $58.24 / Used from: $37.00 Since most home theaters are not conveniently located near a cable or DSL modem, you will most likely have to rely on wireless networking. Networking your HTPC will allow you to stream media from your other PCs or the internet. If you do have a wired connection available, omit this.
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 | Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1
Buy new: $209.99 / Used from: $167.42 A 32-bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium is the least you should settle for when choosing an OS for your home theater PC. It includes the media center features that will make organizing, browsing, and playing back your media easier.
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