The i series Intel processors are really overkill for a HTPC.
If you are interested I have some HTPC parts for sale:
- Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 550 3.1GHz 7MB
- Heat Sink: Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro
- Mobo: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G mATX AM2+
- RAM: Mushkin 4GB XP2-8500 (4x2GB) 1066MHz (8GB Total)
- Video card: Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5450/PCI-E 2.0 1GB
I also have a AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850E Dual Core Processor for sale.
We are a match made in heaven because you already have the case, a PSU and a harddrive, and OS.
Otherwise check out this HTPC hardware guide:
http://assassinhtpcblog.com/?page_id=160