Long time lurker, first time poster. Yes, I am asking for advice with my first post, but you lot seem like a friendly bunch!
I'm looking at building a half-decent HTPC to run videos, streaming and some lower-end games. I've built a couple of towers in the past, but this is my first attempt at something a bit smaller. Here's the spec I've pulled together so far:
i have a htpc in my house currently that i use for gaming and movies in my living room. i went with the 6800k processor. i put in 8gb of adata 2400mhz xpg ram. used the new samsung evo 120gb ssd. and a 2tb wd for storage. the case i used is the antec minuet. comes with a 350w 80+ certified psu. this setup runs extremely fast load times and boot times are amazing. i chose that processor and ram to be able to achieve some gaming on it also. the gaming was ok at first. but i wasnt happy. i picked up a low profile 7750 and crossifred it with the 6800k. i use this mostly on steam. the newest game i have tried on it is cod ghosts on 720 i can run high settings and get 40+ fps. on 1080 its medium/high and 35+ fps. still looks as good or better than my ps4. i recommend getting a fm2+ motherboard also. the new kaveri processors will be released beggining of next year and this will ensure you can upgrade to them when they release. hope this answers some of your questions.