enough for htpc client?

Your title description and your post is a little bit confusing. Is this suppose to be a HTPC where you watch HD content on? Or is this suppose to be a server that streams HD content to HTPCs?

If the former, forget Intel. AMD has the better chipset for HD content. Get a mobo based on any of the 780G chipset:
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G mATX Motherboard - $90

and this CPU for better energy efficiency:
AMD Athlon X2 4050E CPU - $70

With the above mobo/CPU combo, you can watch any HD content with very very littly chopiness.
 
With the above mobo/CPU combo, you can watch any HD content with very very littly chopiness.

Bah! Even then he's spending close to $100 on an ECS mobo with a shitty, under-powered video card for even regular DVD and TV playback much less any sort of HD content. He's wasting his money on anything if it's not the above combo.
 
Was that in reference to the ECS Black Edition 780G board? I'd be all over that to upgrade my HTPC if they offered a Micro ATX version. There's not a Realtek chip in sight on that thing, and it's nice to see that at least one company other than Asus has decided to differentiate their hardware by using quality audio (IDT = parent company of Sigmatel, codecs are the same afaik) and network components. Intel fits on that list as well, what with their use of their own networking stuff and Sigmatel audio.
 
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