What sort of spec should I be looking for in a HTPC?

[SiD the Turtle]

I'm looking to put together a HTPC, however I haven't built a system since my P4 so I'm not up to date on the latest processors, chipsets, RAM speeds etc.

What sort of processor speed should I be looking at? I don't want to spend more than necessary but at the same time, I'm concerned about being able to play HD content such as Blu-Ray.

I don't think I need blisteringly fast RAM with tight timings, but what sort of speeds should I be going for? Also, as its so cheap should I grab the full 4GB or would that be overkill?

What are the major differences between the chipsets out these days?

Thanks.

 

[SiD the Turtle]

Anybody?

 

[SiD the Turtle]

Thanks for the advice so far guys. Anyone else have any input? I don't want the CPU to become a bottleneck if I get one too slow, though I'd assume that the load would be taken on by the GC.