Help! New system

[bignothing1]

Hi, I am new to building PCs from scratch (although I have upgraded many things in old PCs), and need to build a new media server type of machine.

Basically, the PC will hold all my media, but will not be hooked up to a screen, speakers etc., as the media will stream to various other devices (Squeezebox, Xbox 360, internet radio, other PCs) around the house.

So, I think I need about 3TB of space (I have a lot of music, and am looking for lossless compression - and I already have a backup plan!), for music / pictures / video, and the abilit to download / stream / sync to a portable device (transcoding on the fly). And also, it should be able to record TV directly.

So, I think the PC I need must have:

• Plenty of RAM (3GB?);
• Fast-ish processor (but not necessarily so) - 2.2GHz, Dual Core?
• A case which has plenty of room for drives, a TV tuner, some controllers for USB and network.
• Quiet fan - the PC will be sat in the living room!
• A basic drive for ripping / burning (DVD only)
  
  It will run Vista Home Premium, probably, as the Media Center extender via Xbox 360 is a key factor.
  
  That's it I think (?!).
  
  Can anyone help me with what kind of things I shoudl be getting - I need a shopping list please! Obviously, that trade off between quality / cost is crucial, but I want the best value (i.e., not necessarily the cheapest, but good performance for the money).
  
  Thanks for your help

 

[A2Z]

Whats your budget?

 

[bignothing1]

Whatever it takes really - the music have cost me thousands to get, so to be able to stream it losslessly is the key. But, I was thinking about £500 plus the cost of the drives?