HTPC upgrade / shrink build advice

[oxygene]

Hey guys, I was hoping for some confirmation, or even some pointers on a build I want to do.
Currently my htpc was the cheapest I could make it at the time, this means old components. Its my old phenom II quad core, its a silent low profile gfx card (cost around £30), its an old desktop case that barely fits in the tv unit!
Its been juttering a little of late and I and considering it could be the graphics card overheating, either way its a good excuse to finally put in the money it needs to be a great machine!

This is what I have so far:


Asus H81T Motherboard - £60.44
Crucial CT2KIT51264BF160B 8GB Kit (4 GB x 2) DDR3 PC3-12800 - £38.33
Akasa AK-CC7129BP01 Low Profile Intel Cooler - £9.95
SilverStone Petit PT13B Case for PC - £39.38
Intel Core i3 Processor (3.7 GHz, 3 MB, LGA1150 Socket) - £89.40

Not sure the exact model number of the cpu. The prices are taken from a foresty competitor currently I'm afraid.

Due to the tiny nature of the case I am looking at, the motherboard takes SoDimm, and a laptop power adapter. Another consideration is I also already have a laptop harddrive in my current htpc, and spares if needs be. I also have a small SSD sat around if I feel it needs it!
The biggest cost so far is the cpu though, and I am not sure the spec that would do justice to a htpc, baring in mind I need one with built in graphics as the case and motherboard dont allow addons.
Any thoughts? Or should I continue as planned!

 

[oxygene]

What will you use the htpc for films or films and games ?

Purely films and tv!
I have The Beast for games!

 

[oxygene]

Have you already purchased those parts you listed?

Not yet, payday is next week!

I would have just got an Intel Nuc, but building one your self does seem more fun.

Indeed, I was considering one of those chaps, but theres something about building it yourself thats just nicer. Plus this currently works out cheaper!

 

[oxygene]

Intel Nuc is a good idea or if you want to build something I went for.

Silverstone Milo ML05B Case
Intel Pentium K G3258 CPU
Corsair CMV4GX3M1A1333C9 Value Select 4GB Ram
MSI H81I LGA1150 Mini-ITX Motherboard
Silverstone SST-ST30SF Strider 300W SFX Power Supply
TBS Twin tuner
Kingston 120 GB SSD
500GB Hard drive
flirc IR reciever

Cost at the time just under £300 you could drop the tv card and save £60 and maybe fit a cheaper psu in there also no need really for cpu that high.

This runs everything media wise currently running openelec/tvheadend and as you can see I use it as a tv set top box as well

Yeah could drop the hds too as I have those chaps, and the IT receiver as Kodi is controller by phone so thats good, but tbh its a bit bigger then I am looking for!
I am looking for a case with an external power supply and no optical drive ideally.

 

[oxygene]

Are you sure something like NowTV box wont be fine for you?

Tried that, not a fan. I like the pc route because I am a big fan of Kodi, especially with the Kore phone app remote control. They work wonders together and allow a lot of usability for myself and my gf while still having a lot of customization.
All content is currently stored on a NAS and theres not a lot of streamer boxes that allow a nice UI and easy of use for streaming from network sources. Although it has been a while since I last looked.