total newb with basic questions...............

ok this will be long question but will come with a simple answer.....im starting to build a small low end home theater system.
it will be primarily used for movies and gaming. i have a 50" samsung 450 plasma tv...... ps3 hooked to it via hdmi.... i am looking at  a yamaha receiver RX-V465 as i need(will need) the 4 hdmi inputs...i have pioneer speakers that i bought around 10 yrs ago in a cabinet style setup.(glass case with cd/tapedeck/amp all in one package).also have a 5 disc pioneer dvd player that runs on rcas for sound and svideo for picture.....i guess something happened to the amp/receiver so now i have everything but the receiver....... that setup had 2 stand up speakers 12" with the mid ranges built in and 2 rears and one center channel speaker.... 5 total speakers.... Now to get the surround effect while playing my game i must run the hdmi through the receiver (ps3 -receiver- tv) then into the tv correct? also since my dvd player is older and runs off of s video and/or rcas would it just be better to also us the ps3 for dvds instead my pioneer? so now you ask why do i need 4 hdmis if i only use the ps3 for games and movies..... well just in case :D       
i also have my dvr to use another hdmi slot... if my current speaker setup does not sound like i want then i will be looking at updating them with klipsch....

so my question is..................................................
is this receiver a logical start to building a low end surround sound???????????????? but has room to grow.....

id say 7.1 channel reciever  would have room to grow , you can run it at 5.1 and expand it later on .
 that way youve got something to improve on / add to if you feel like it.
if youre into  blasting people online like call of duty a big sub will make grenades sound pretty awesome
the more power the better

The receiver is the heart of any HTS. So I wouldn't skimp on it if you can help it.

hi guys
I would not agree with the "heart of the system" comment.
IMO, the speakers are by far the most important part of the system.

The Yamaha 465 would be a good entry level receiver but so would a Denon 1610, Onkyo 507 and the pioneer 819 if money is real tight and raw power not so important.
 
If your Pioneer dvd player doesn't have a component video output or a digital audio output then I would use the PS3 for dvd playback. You should use hdmi whenever possible, and a digital audio connection as well. And you certainly should get a sub at some point, regardless of how big your Pioneer fronts are.
 

I also think speakers are the most important part and more should be spent on them than the avr but a modern audio/video receiver is the heart of the system, the thing in the center that all else must pass thru.

you think i would need another sub? even with these 2 -15's? heres what i have for fronts......2 floor standing

ifyoure into gaming a big powerfull sub will set your system off bigtime
a powered sub would be best

The 15's in your speakers are not subs, only woofers.  Yes, they are the same size as some subs but their design is different.  Pull the driver and look at it.  It will have a shallow, stamped steel frame and a magnet that is about 3" in diameter.  A real sub looks like this - http://www.audiopulse.com/products/subwoofer-drivers/lms-ultra or this - http://www.shipsound.com/product_info.php?products_id=103609.  Capable of extreme amounts of travel and a motor structure that is beefy enough to properly control the moving parts.  No, not all subs are built like this but they all have the same characteristics. These are on the extreme end of the performance spectrum.

A true subwoofer is also self powered and will take a lot of strain off your receiver. Most entry level receivers will perform a lot better if they don't have to power the low end. This is particularly true with things like explosions which take quite a bit of power even if it's for a short period of time.

totally agreed....any serious subwoofer needs to be self-powered.