that is one sexy case!
never knew an ATX case could be no bigger than an AVR.
all ATX system that i've ever came across are big big tower that looks awfully too big next to the tv

i LoLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL-ed
that puny thing?

5.1 X 100W?
at 8Ohm?
from 12V PSU power?
at 0.1% THD+N?

er wait,
100W peak?
0.1% THD at 1W?
what about continuous driven?
what about at say, something like 50W driven? with 5 channels simultaneously?



overblown specs?
as expected from a manufacturer

with not much budget to start, i won't go either way.
if i were you, i'd get myself some decent 5.1 speakers with a sub and use that instead for my movies. those shouldn't cost too much

but hey maybe that's just me.

---

Added on April 4, 2010, 10:06 pmand owh forgot to add..
even if you manage to find the amplifier card for the mobo, you still have no sub.

a sub, IMHO is quite important for that umph in movies

This post has been edited by paskal: Apr 4 2010, 10:06 PM

you get a core i3 which can do hd audio.
doesn't look right if you get 365 which can't do hd audio. then after reading the forums for a while, reading how good and better hd audio to some ears, you're inclined to experience hd audio yourself in your setup.

then you're inclined to sell off the used 365 to move up the ladder.
by then you're gonna regret getting the 365 in the first place seeing that a used 365 won't fetch that much money. you're gonna have a hard time selling the avr which can't do hd audio.

Marantz SR5003 at RM1.3k is a good buy. i though it's at RM1.8k like pioneer vsx-919
RM1.3k with DTS-HDMA/TrueHD decoding and 7.1 preout is

RX-V465 if you like yamaha sound signature.
Pioneer VXS-819 if you like pioneer sound signature.
Denon 1610 if you like denon sound signature.
Marantz SR5003 if you like marantz sound signature.
and then there's also onkyo and harman kardon.

they all sound different from each other.

it's not N264, but H264.
try and google klite mega codec. install either the full mega codec or the standard one. should be able to play most (if not all) of your media files.
or try and download vlc media player. it has built in codec in it.

cheap casing could be had for RM50 till a few thousand.
i just built 3 HTPC using

for RM1.5k

core i3, the best gigabyte h55 board that i can find, 2gb ram and silverstone strider st400 power supply. didn't skimp on the power supply, mainboard and casing as it will be sitting in front of you.
the case costs me RM400 each.

OMG it is N264!
i thought it's a typo. N264 codec is CCTV codec right? a search in google for N264 codec turns a few other question about playability. no answers though.. tough luck

it is silverstone lc17. would like to go for lc20, but the price difference is too big. better invest it in extra hdd.
czone is selling it for RM430+ so i got mine through a seller in garage sales selling it for RM400

look very nice. blends well with everything else in the cabinet.

them cheap Onkyo can't be beaten for the price. but they also can't be improved with external amplification. i tried plugging them to my power amp and they sound more or less the same haha

even my old aiwa mini hifi speaker improves with amplification. guess for the price i bought them onkyos for, i can't complain much.
anyway they're now discarded delegated as test speakers for my amp. blown one on the first day of test.

LC20 and LC17 have 2X80mm fan at the back. and optional 2 at the front and 1 at the side. using LC17 at the moment, i do believe 80mm are enough. there's no audible noise from it and my case doesn't even heat up when in use. but i only turn it on to watch movies and turn it off after that.

and it has 6 HDD bay. i'm using all 6 bays with samsung 1.5TB drives. still it doesn't heat up.
2 of my recently built HTPC are also running LC17 with core i3 and H55. the pair doesn't produce much heat thanks to the 32mm die. and all 3 are running the stock heatsink and fan combo.

IMO you don't need 120mm fan, not even if you're thinking of running the HTPC 24/7. the LC17/LC20 have great internal arrangement and lots of ventilation space.
and the best thing is, it supports lots of HDD. with little mod, i could fit in 8 HDD in there. and will do so once all my 6 are full.

the 80mm fan sound in an aluminium case, a few meters from your sitting position, next to the TV and speakers won't be audible IMO. unless you put the HTPC next to you.

even then, the 80mm sound will be overwhelmed by the aircond hehe

at that price, it better be..

i rest my case..

precisely. i've grown out of aftermarket solutions for years now.
unless people are thinking of overclocking the CPU, the stock heatsink and fan are good enough. even closer than 5 ft, i can't hear anything from my HTPC.

and IMHO it would also be helpful to get a PSU that has high efficiency rating.

you want a portable htpc to accompany you to your vacation?

LoL

better get something small like the wdtv live. costs just RM300-something.

and how do you expect to plug the HTPC to your TV?
eh wait, are you using the computer LCD to play your movies?

but doesn't do HD audio bitstreaming.

i've build some core i3 with gigabyte h55m-usb3 also costed RM800+
the mainboard supports 8 SATA drives, i think 12 USB port and USB 3.0

5450 is an entry level card. i doubt you could game on that card. and AMD usually runs hotter than intel chips. esp compared to the newer i3.