building a low profile HTPC

[sMiLeYz]

I'm looking to build a media pc, i mostly want to play MAME games on there and watch divx movies.
I want to keep this under 500$, I have a brand new Radeon 8500 AIW and a 60 gig HD that's sitting around that I would to use.
Any suggestions as what to get?

 

[mcveigh]

amd 2500+XP

motherboard...almost any nforce 2
get a shuttle to make it easy.

 

[flashbacck]

wait, you want low profile? as in low profile PCI cards & low profile case? In that case, will your AIW fit? Anyway, if you plan to have a dolby digital receiver, then I'd try to get a nforce2 board with the DICE encoding option. Most low profile cases are microATX though, and I'm not sure there are any nforce2 boards WITH DICE that are microATX (I have a mATX case myself).

 

[DivideBYZero]

What is DICE encoding?

 

[flashbacck]

basically, some nforce boards have this feature (called DICE, which I forget what it stands for) that takes audio from your computer encodes it into dolby digital and then outputs out your s/pdif. So you can have all your audio from your games, movies, music, etc. ouput through that 1 s/pdif cable.

Audio that isn't in 5.1, such as music or games, can be upmixed so that you get sound from all your speakers.

I think there is suppose to be some loss in the audio quality, but I think the vast majority of people don't hear it.

here's a review that talks all about it.
http://www.3dsoundsurge.com/reviews/nForce/nForce.html

 

[DivideBYZero]

Thanks for the explanation!

 

[Cheetah8799]

If you want to go low-profile, here's my experience after doing the exact same thing.

- AMD CPUs run hot. You will probably need to mod the case to allow for better air flow. I found that a Alpha PAL8045 with 80mm fan with a 80mm hole cut in the case directly above it worked great.

- TV tuner (if you want one) is a problem. There are a couple on the market, but are not very fancy.

- Your AIW won't work. PowerColor makes a 9200se and 9600se that are low-profile. They used to make a 9100, which I have, but nobody sells it anymore. If you want to do games, go with the 9600se, it's not all that bad. Newegg has them for under $100.

- For a case I suggest the AOpen H340D. Very good case that lots of people use. Newegg has them for under $50 after shipping. The cheaper ones from other manufacturers are much poorer quality. If you get the H340D, make sure the ATX power plug on your motherboard is on the side of your CPU closest to the PSU, otherwise you will need to get an ATX cable extender (about $10).

- For motherboard, if you don't need high-end graphics you could get a nForce2 board and have somewhat decent 3D support (GeForce4 MX440). I suggest either the Shuttle MN31n, or ASUS A7N8X-VM. Both should be under $100 if you shop around.

- As mcveigh suggested, a XPC would make life much easier on you. The only problem is that they are taller than a low-profile case. So make sure it will fit your space before you buy it.


good luck, and feel free to PM me if you want some pics of my systems. I have 3 low-profile cases, all modded for extra intake fans and such.

 

[nmcglennon]

A friend of mine has the ATI Radeon All In Wonder card in his Shuttle... however it is a Pentium 4 w/ HT which seems to be more than your $500 budget.

Edited for spelling.