@ Hulkss. Interesting. So if an i7 is too much then it seems an i5 (or AMD's Phenom) dual or quad core is more than adequate. But about the RAM. 8 gigs also seems to be the sweet spot, but could'nt JRiver work better, as the OS, with more RAM? You can run the entire OS and MC with 16 gigs RAM, which would be faster than from the hard drive. Another advantage would be less hard drive noise and wear and tear if it doesn't have to spin anymore. Can MC be made to operate from RAM 100% of the time? Or is this a Windows specific thing?
Another this that is interesting is that todays on-board graphics seems to be more than adequate and powerful enough for 1080p blu-ray playback. I'm running all my HTPC's off the on-board graphics - HDMI out and full 5.1/7.1 audio. Never any studdering. This makes a quieter PC since you don't have a noisy fan on the card, and your case stays cooler, with lower power consumption. So, if this is true (which it is), then why would one want to upgrade to a video card? What advantage, HTPC wise, could one gain from a video card over the on-board video? Currently I have a couple hundred bucks that I want to spend on my HTPC and I've been thinking about getting a GTX560ti video card. But honestly, if I get perfect 1080p playback right now with my on-board video card, then is this a moot point?
Jimmy