Best budget LGA1155 chip for HTPC?

[nategator]

Hi, I'm trying to figure out what Intel chip provides the best cost/value for a very budget PC I'm putting together. It will serve as either a HTPC or an office computer. Here is what I've got so far:

CPU Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI PH67S-C43 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Case: CFI Prime 101 ATX Mid Tower Case
Case Fan: Masscool FD08025S1M4 31.7 CFM 80mm Fan ($3.49 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: HEC 585W ATX12V Power Supply ($37.13 @ TigerDirect)
Other: Ultra Slim USB Keyboard - USB, 105 Keys, Slim Design, Black, OEM
Other: Hauppauge PCTV HD 80e mini Stick PCTV23058RS USB 2.0 Interface
Other: Tenda W311MI Wireless N150 Pico Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 150Mbps Wireless Data Rates WPA2

I'm thinking a IB Pentium 2010 would be fine, but am interested in any other suggestions either lower or higher. Biggest question is what's the best value/price for anticipated use and the relatively lower quality of parts. Thanks!

 

[jacktesterson]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116889

 

[abbcccus]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116889

It looks like you live near a Microcenter (since you've put them down as the source of your case fan), so you can get the same processor mentioned above for a nice discount: http://www.microcenter.com/product/408967/Celeron_G1610_26GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor

 

[Insert_Nickname]

The G1610/20 is an excellent little chip, so I agree with the other posters. The only upgrade I'd consider worthwhile is an i3 with the HD4000, in case you want to do a little post processing. One other thing is that the Celeron/Pentium does not support Clearvideo HD.

Also, why the H67 board?. I'd see if I couldn't find a B75/H77 based board, newer chipset with out-of-the-box Ivy Bridge support. For HTPC you might wan't to consider the Gigabyte B75N or H77N-WIFI, they're tailor made for HTPC duty.

Oh, and you don't really need a third party cooler. The standard Intel heat-sink is more then capable of cooling these budget chips, and anyway you can't overclock them...

 

[adnank77]

Do you really need a mid tower case for HTPC ? If ungradability is not a requirement I would highly recommend mATX or even Mini ITX

 

[NTMBK]

The Pentium and Celerons don't have Quick Sync, which seems like a good feature to have in a HTPC.