Looking for suggestions on first build

[sync00]

This system will be for gaming and HTPC.

I am basing it on this SPCR Silent Mid-Gamer build:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/Silent_Mi ... _Selection

I want to get all the parts from the same place and need to make some substitutions.

The only PHENOM II X4 CPU available is the 970. It is not the black edition. I assume that is only a cosmetic thing but I want to check.

The Seasonic power supply is not available and I plan on using the Antec TP-650, which is a suggested alternative.

The Scythe Mugen 2 CPU cooler is not available and I plan on using the Thermalright HR-01 Plus.

I'm thinking of getting the Sapphire 6850 video card.

I'm looking for suggestions on an alternative to the Antec 900 case. I want something more understated since this is going in the living room.

[ces]

Look at some of the Lian Li cases. The A05 is a nice looking conventional one. Some of their cubes will go well in a living room.

I may be prejudiced, but I would take a look at the intel sandy bridge cpu... the cheapest one you can buy. They use less than 4 watts at idle. That is probably enough to pay for themselves as a substitute for an AMD.

Every watt you use 24/7 for a year costs about $1.00 per year in the US. It doesn't take soo many watts to make up the price difference between an AMD and and Sandy Bridge.

[sync00]

I've been thinking I might like to use Sandy Bridge but I didn't know enough about this stuff to know if it would really make a difference.

Would an ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 mobo be good to use with Sandy Bridge?

Is there anything else in the build I need to change if I go with Intel? I guess I'll need a different CPU cooler.

I like that Lian Li case. I've never had a mini case. I searched the forum and see a lot of talk about modding the case to get good airflow and that isn't something I want to do.

[fumino]

what games do you normally play?

there might be better combination of cpu's and graphics cards depending on your use.

[sync00]

what games do you normally play?

there might be better combination of cpu's and graphics cards depending on your use.

I've never been much of a gamer in the past. Recently I became very fond of Borderlands. I got Starcraft 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 recently.

I can see how some games might require a different gpu but I'm puzzled about what games would need a different cpu.

[fumino]

not all games make use of more than 2 cores; a fast 3 core athlon might be great for you. leaves you a thread to handle all the background stuff while youre gaming.

[ces]

Is there anything else in the build I need to change if I go with Intel? I guess I'll need a different CPU cooler.

Thermalright HR-01 Plus is a nice heatsink for any CPU. Just make sure you get one with a mounting kit for the 1155.