Hey Tek Sindicate,
I just joined, so go a little easy with the tech mumbo-jumbo.
I want to know if this is a good Gaming HTPC build:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/iRON
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/iRON/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/iRON/benchmarks/
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($86.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock 960GM/U3S3 FX Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($61.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: HIS Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Armor A30 ATX Mini Tower Case ($92.96 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $616.87
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
Let me know if there is something I can tweak. I can't go above $700, but to have that extra $100 just in case if something goes wrong. Also, will the Phenom's stock cooler fit in the mATX case? Thanks!