[mikes1p]

I've been reading and searching this forum and the avsforum.com htpc forum for days now trying to sort out what I should buy for my HTPC build. I had narrowed it to Intel 775 based motherboards with Nvidia GeForce 9400 GPU onboard. I plan to run an XP/Vista/Win7 and other apps besides XBMC, no blu-ray but maybe down the road, Antec Fusion micro ATX case.

ION + Atom mobo's seem all the rage but I'd like more flexibility and/or Windows performance. A few mobo reviews show that the 9400 based systems outperform 9300's, for future proofing it seems like 9400 is the way to go so that's the direction I went. Problem is 9400 mobo's are not easy to find anymore but 9300's are.

Is the 9400 on it's way out for something better?
Should I quit splitting hairs and get a 9300?
Anybody have any suggestions and/or mobo recommendations?

My first choice was the Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H but they are not readily available and appear to be discontinued

So the next thing I can find is a DFI LP JR GF9400-T2RS but not a lot of real world info out there about this board and I'm not familiar with the brand

Another option is a Nvidia 9300, this mobo has the connectors I want: ASUS P5N7A-VM , supposedly not as good as the Gigabyte though

Then again maybe the ION + Atom mobo's are the way? Or should I forget onboard video and get a low profile card?
Thanks
Mike S

[ion_man]

The ASUS P5N7A-VM is not as good as the Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H but the differences are minimal and in practice if you can't find the GA-E7AUM-DS2H anymore, then the P5N7A-VM is definitely the best choice.

The P5N7A-VM is also a very popular HTPC board, well tested and proven by many people.

The DFI LP JR GF9400-T2RS on the other hand seems to have mixed reviews and I have never seen anyone using it for a HTPC (that doesn't mean noone uses it, but it certainly is far less popular).

9400 is slightly faster than 9300, but in practice for HTPC use, you won't notice the difference.

[mikes1p]

Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it. I found the Gigabyte, a few off name shops still have them for $140US. Wish it was a Newegg, oh well I think it's worth getting
Mike S

The ASUS P5N7A-VM is not as good as the Gigabyte GA-E7AUM-DS2H but the differences are minimal and in practice if you can't find the GA-E7AUM-DS2H anymore, then the P5N7A-VM is definitely the best choice.

The P5N7A-VM is also a very popular HTPC board, well tested and proven by many people.

The DFI LP JR GF9400-T2RS on the other hand seems to have mixed reviews and I have never seen anyone using it for a HTPC (that doesn't mean noone uses it, but it certainly is far less popular).

9400 is slightly faster than 9300, but in practice for HTPC use, you won't notice the difference.