Intel i3 Vs i5

[linktoinsanity]

Nah. Get the i3 2100. Even using it's onboard video processor will do the job nicely for you. It'll save a bit of money on the 2500K, which is quite frankly overkill for a HTPC.

 

[cmndr_andi]

With a low budget and the uses of light gaming and videos then the i3 is the ideal chip to go for. It is a dual core and can't overclock - but it is still mighty quick in lightly threaded applications (like games) and costs a whopping £78 cheaper than the i5 2500K (money which is much better spend on a decent graphics card).

The spec that beejjacobs posted (minus the case as you don't need one) is very nice and within your budget.

 

[pc_monkey]

to add a bit, instead of the 2100, go for 2120 which is 200mhz faster. The difference is only 5 quid.

 

[Orcvader]

+1 to beejjacobs' spec. However if you want to bring it closer to the £450 mark swap the 460 for a 6770: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-203-XF&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1982

And from my experience, I find AMD cards better for HD film decoding as the quality seems better compared to Nvidia.

 

[Thekwango]

worth noting that the psu beejjacobs specced is 10 quid cheaper at the minute. if you can i'd get that bought at that price