Building a new pc.

[trilerian]

The pc I am currently using, I built about 7 years ago, I am thinking of passing it along to my daughter as it still runs, and I pretty much have to give her the boot when I want to use it anyways. Here is what I want my pc to do, I need help with the hardware. I want my pc to be a home media center, so storage is definitely needed. I don't do any heavy gaming, just my rc heli sim, which runs fine on a 7600gs vid card. I will be getting win 7 64b either home or pro, not sure which yet. And are bd burners worth it yet, or should I just get a bd player, will have to have at least a bd player. My budget will be about $1300, including everthing, os new monitor (19" widescreen lcd), keyboard mouse (wireless) and speakers. Also would very much like a vid card that allows sound to pass through the hdmi out to tv.

[chunkylover53]

Two thoughts:

1) I'm thinking Budget Build Plus http://forums.mysuperpc.com/showthread.php?t=1642

2) I'm widely known for saying that the monitor is a critical component, since every $100 you spend can have a HUGE impact on your experience. Put another way, buy the monitor and build the system around it. I've had my full 1080 24inch Dell for a few years now, and I've upgraded the rest of my system at least twice.

[trilerian]

About the monitor-- I'm upgrading from a 15" crt, so I'm pretty sure I will be ecstatic with a 19" lcd, and if I need more I can use my 37" 1080p lcd tv. At least I think I can, I don't really understand the difference between a lcd tv and monitor.

[RickyTick]

I agree Chunky. I think the Budget Build PLUS (A Step Above) would be a perfect fit. I would, however, probably substitute a different video card and save about $40 with THIS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150448).

Use the money saved to put as much as possible into a nice monitor. Like Chunky said, a good monitor can outlast the pc for a couple of generations.

[trilerian]

How would the ASUS VH222H-P monitor be? It seems to have decent specs.
Also need some speaker recommendations, again, mainly for listening to music and watching movies. I'm already over budget so price friendly speakers would be good.