Performance PC: Win 7 64bit/ ASUS P7P55D PRO/ Core i5 750/ DDR3 1333 4GB/ 640GB SATA/ 1GB HD5770 VGA/ 650W PS
ANTEC NINE HUNDRED TWO GAMING STEEL MID-TOWER ATX BLACK NO PS Bays:9/0/0/USB/1394 4 FANs
ANTEC EA-650 *** 650W ATX V2.2 Metal EarthWatts PS
ASUS P7P55D_PRO SKT1156 ATX DDR3 2133 (4/16) PCI-E X16x3 PCIx2 INTEL P55 A&GBL&1394
LGA1156 Core I5 750 2.66GHz INTEL SKT1156 8MB Cache Retail W/ Heatsink Fan
KINGSTON KVR1333D3N9/2Gx2 4GB (2X2GB) DDR3 1333 Non-ECC 240-pin DIMM PC10600 CL9
WD WD6400AADS 640GB **** 3.5-in Internal SATA2 7200rpm 32MB BULK 86348
SONY AD-7240S-0B Internal SATA DVD+/-RW BLACK 24X DVD Burner BUFFER BULK 80405
ASUS EAH5770 CUCORE/2DI/1GD5/A ATI Radeon HD5770 . 1GB PCI-Express DDR5 DVI VGA HDMI Retail
MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 HOME PREM Operating Systems 64-BIT DVD OEM Pack
TOTAL: $1165
I recently had a chance to compare this Zotac MAG to the to its most popular competitor from Acer (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030L3ASU?tag=a52-20&ie=UTF8) and I have a bit to say about both. I've broken down my comparison by specific sections, detailing often-overlooked characteristics of computers.
"Good intro to HTPC"
If you hadn't heard the Hannover horror - also known as CeBIT - is just around the corner, but wisely we're staying home because a) we've already been to CES and Mobile World Congress in the last two months (much better shows), and b) consequently manufacturers are largely tapped out of goodies right now. Furthermore, those that aren't are largely announcing them ahead of the show - like MSI...
Overall then Wired2Fire has put together a good PC. While it won't play all the latest games on maximum detail at higher than Full HD resolutions, it will play all of them very well indeed if you're willing to compromise a little, and it will remain relatively frugal and quiet while doing so. The only real negative is that the choice of motherboard means adding a second Radeon HD 5850 in CrossFire at a later date is not a viable option.
