Adrien, I'm kind of in the same position as you, and have been moving towards HTPC in fits and spurts for a while.

One ongoing frustration I have is control. I guess if you use MCE, that the IR remote is more embedded in the OS and you may not have to worry about it.

I'm not a geek, so I'm having trouble with things like integrating an IR receiver into the HTPC and then using Girder (or whatever). I am also predisposed to NOT use MCE, because I cannot get a deep discount on it, but I can get a good deal on XP. Hey, a hundred bucks is a hundred bucks, right? Especially when I (like you) am not using it as a DVR.

bibere usque ad hilaritatem