building pc: SFF or regular ATX

[misfitsfiend]

hey guys, this'll be the 4th computer i build. this one is for my sister and her husband who is stationed in stuttgart, germany, and they recently asked me if i could build them a computer, and of course i happily obliged. now here's the trouble: i suggested maybe they could use this as a "media center" pc or something of the like? so i thought of perhaps embarking on my first journey into the small form factor area of pc building. the specs are as follows:



Antec ARIA Aluminum MicroATX Cube Case with 300W Power Supply, Model "LS-968(ARIA)" -RETAIL
Item# N82E16811129146
Instant Rebate
$119.00
-$10.00
Instant Rebate

NEC 8X Black Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive, Model ND-2510A BLK, OEM BULK
Item# N82E16827152023
$71.99

Western Digital Special Edition 120GB 7200RPM IDE Hard Drive, Model WD1200JB, OEM Drive Only
Item# N82E16822144118
$85.00

Logitech Cordless MX Duo USB/ PS/2 104keys -RETAIL
Item# N82E16823126124
$69.00

DIY Blowout Sale!
Geil Value Series 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200
$82.00

Monitors - LCD Flat Panel


SAMSUNG 710N-Black 17" LCD Monitor -RETAIL
Item# N82E16824001158
$400.00

GIGABYTE "GA-K8S760M" SiS760 Chipset Motherboard for AMD Socket 754 CPU -RETAIL
Item# N82E16813128244
$105.00

DIY Blowout Sale!
AMD Athlon 64 3000+, 512KB L2 Cache 64-bit Processor - Retail
$172.00


SAPPHIRE ATI RADEON 9800 PRO Video Card, 128MB DDR, 256-bit, DVI/TV-Out, 8X AGP -BULK
$193.00

GRAND TOTAL: 1,286.99

is there anything else i should worry about? are these things hard to build? should i just get one of the shuttle "barebones" systems? should i get a tv tuner? thanks in advance!

 

[paulmofyourhand]

i'd go with at least a VIA kt800 chipset,

do they really need a 9800pro? if its going to be a "part time" media center, then at least get the 9600 AIW or if they are the avid gamer - 9800 pro AIW

imo: go for the Zalman CNPS7000alcu for the processor,

mod a side fan, with the heat from the vid card and proc , it helps a lot