CPU and Motherboard advice...

[aristotlewilde]

I just picked up a killer new TV for my man cave and this thing is jam packed with features. Of course, the local media streaming options include more speedbumps and roadblocks than I'd like, so I am considering building a little HTPC (micro ATX probably) so I can have a bulletproof option for playing media files of all types as well as enjoy the new Steam Big Picture Mode.

I am wondering what CPU and Motherboard would be a good choice for this. As soon as I see the initials UEFI on motherboards I am looking at, I get queasy. It's been a few years since I built a dedicated Linux box, so any advice would be appreciated.

Once I get past CPU/Motherboard, I am back in my comfort zone as far as GPU and the rest goes.

[thermion]

Since mATX and ITX boards have very limited PCI-e lanes/slots, do you need any other hardware than a dedicated GPU? In any case, since most modern CPUs include very capable GPUs themselves, I would not buy a dedicated graphics card just yet.

[ahallubuntu]

~

[oldfred]

Some ideas here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mini-itx-gaming-radeon-hd-7750,3369.html

If you look at the last page here you see the comparison of video cards versus performance. Some idea if extra money buys much. If only one or two brackets difference you will not notice performance difference.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

[Yellow Pasque]

I could see two approaches here:
1) Getting a decent quality Intel CPU with HD4000 graphics (Core i3-3225)
2) Getting a cheaper CPU (Celeron G1610) and an Nvidia GT640.

I'd probably go for option 2.
As for mobo, look at H77 chipsets. Personally, I'm a Biostar fan, so I would look into: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138358