Cheap SFF for PVR

BigLar

Senior member
Jun 22, 2003
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OK, here we go.

Anyone have an opinion of what the best, cheap SFF for use as a PVR is?
 

forcemac101

Senior member
Oct 29, 2001
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I just built a sub 500 HTPC...heres what I used

Soyo K7VME-Free after Rebate (check hot deals)
Mobile xp 2500-$90
Coolermaster Black mATX Home theater case (model 620 I think)-$80
512mb Mushkin basic-$85
dynatron all copper hsf-$8
16x DVD-$34
XFX Geforce 5200 128mb $50
Beyond TV ver3.0 $39
Lite-On Wireless Keyboard mouse combo-$23


ATI Wonder VE card and Remote wonder $20/ea on ebay.

I had a 250 watt PS and a pair of 80gb/hds.
 

coolred

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2001
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Are you actually looking for a small form factor, or do you just not want a tower in your entertainment center?

When i think SFF, I think either mini ITX or the shuttles and the like. While those are nice size, i don't think the shuttles look much better then a standard tower in an entertainment center. There are a lot of cases, such as the one forcemac has, that are not really SFF, more like the old desktop style cases. They tend to look more like a peice of home theater equipment.

What are you looking to put in this rig? Single or multi tuner?
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
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[noob]

What's the difference between SFF and mini ATX cases?

I want a small HTPC system but to be able to use standard sized hard drives, PCI cards and AGP.

I'm also looking for the "best bang for your buck" from NewEgg.com or Fry's B&M

[/n00b]
 

coolred

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2001
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Hey rossman,

SFF generally refers to either mini ITX, or the proprietery(SP?) shuttles and the like. While many mATX cases can be small form factor, such as the antec aria, they are still generally bigger then the shuttles and definately beat out the mini ITX's in the size department.

This may not be accurate, but I guess one way you could look at it is.

ATX=5+ PCI slots
mATX=3 PCI slots
mini ITX I don't know as much about, I think they generall use a riser card and support 2 slots(PCI or AGP)
The shuttles and others like them generally have room enough for 2 cards, again PCI or AGP, soemtimes 2x PCI.
 

BigLar

Senior member
Jun 22, 2003
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Guys:

I'm trying to put together all the stuff I've been buying from Hot Deals. Like forcemac101, I nabbed a FAR SOYO-K7VME (Why'd ya use a Mobile XP, anyway?). I also have got a 52-24-52 CD-RW, a Raedon 8500 card 32MB ($35), 256 mB of Centon PC2700 (lookin' for another 256!), and a Winfast PVR card. I need to get the CPU (thinking about a , a HDD, and other minor stuff. I'm really trying to minimize the cost of the case, fan and heatsink.

It would also be nice if it worked when I was done.

Wadda ya think?
 

geecee

Platinum Member
Jan 14, 2003
2,383
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The mobile XP is unlocked (frequency-wise), lower voltage and runs cooler than the standard desktop XP, i.e. much better overclocking potential. Or so I'm told. :p

I posted this in another thread as well, but it looks like it might suit your needs also.

Link to HTPC case

It costs about the same as the Aria (cheaper initially, but no power supply included), but it's not as small. The good points are that it will look great on a rack with other home theater components (assuming your stuff is black) and that it can take a full size power supply. Other than that, it should also fit all your components.

EDIT: This is the same case that forcemac101 mentioned earlier in his sub-$500 setup. BTW, wouldn't you want a DVD drive (or burner) for your setup? Some of the 4X burners can be had for as little as ~$50 @ staples (last week at least).
 

geecee

Platinum Member
Jan 14, 2003
2,383
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Originally posted by: BigLar
Know anything about this case? Price looks good.

PowMax Case
Hmm. Mixed reviews here. Seems like airflow/cooling is an issue.

EDIT: It might be OK with a few fans in it. But if you're using it as a PVR, it won't be quiet.
 

superflysocal

Senior member
Nov 4, 2000
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question about that coolermaster case.

dimension listed is 140mm or 5.5 inches. is that including the feet? if not is the feet removable? what is the height with the feet (ground to top of case)? i have a strange setup where i have about 145mm of opening clearance; once it goes in the opening it has plenty of room so no heating issues.
 

BigLar

Senior member
Jun 22, 2003
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I don't know anything about the XBOX's. I'm just looking at the Tivo thinking it would be nice to have one in the bedroom, but I'm way too cheap to pay for another subscription. Also, I really need to do something with the components I've been buying as Hot Deals...
 

coolred

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2001
4,911
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I really like that new FIC Condor, but not sure if it offers me enough expansion room, oh and its expensive, and they say that is the stripped down version, hate to see the price of the loaded version.
 

piasabird

Lifer
Feb 6, 2002
17,168
60
91
Might look at www.directron.com

They seem to have a lot of smaller cases.

It is hard to find a good quality inexpensive small case for M-ATX, that has normal height PCI and AGP slots. Antec makes a couple of cases but they are not inexpensive. The Antec Aria costs right at $100 or so and is a cube case with full size slots and a 300 watt power supply. A-Open may have a smaller case that would work.
 

BigLar

Senior member
Jun 22, 2003
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Er, sorry. The Athenatech at $36 seems good...plus $15 for shipping, ouch!

I'm assuming the case takes normal sized PCI and AGP boards. Anyone know for sure?
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
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Originally posted by: coolred
Hey rossman,

SFF generally refers to either mini ITX, or the proprietery(SP?) shuttles and the like. While many mATX cases can be small form factor, such as the antec aria, they are still generally bigger then the shuttles and definately beat out the mini ITX's in the size department.

This may not be accurate, but I guess one way you could look at it is.

ATX=5+ PCI slots
mATX=3 PCI slots
mini ITX I don't know as much about, I think they generall use a riser card and support 2 slots(PCI or AGP)
The shuttles and others like them generally have room enough for 2 cards, again PCI or AGP, soemtimes 2x PCI.

Thanks for the info.

The Antec Aria is around $86 with free shipping, tempted to buy one.
 

Geogray

Junior Member
Jun 26, 2004
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Hi there!

I built a fairly cheap pvr pc using the Mini-ITX EPIA M10000 motherboard.
I use a Casetronic 2699 case (smaller than most VCR's) and it is very quiet.
Mind you, it is not a speed demon, but is more than adequate for most htpc needs.
It's not going to be playing the latest and greatest 3d video games, but will handle
most 2d and older 3d games and emulators just fine. It can perform timeshifting
and most Tivo features. I can record upt 70 hours of video in 'standard' (better than VHS) quality
or about 35 hours in high quality mode (pretty close to what the broadcast looked like initially.)
I use Showshifter for PVR functionality, my HTPC for most else and PowerDVD/Showshifter for
DVD playback.

I have a small web site with pictures and some specs:
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geogray/myhardware.html
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
78,855
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Originally posted by: Geogray
Hi there!<BR><BR>I built a fairly cheap pvr pc using the Mini-ITX EPIA M10000 motherboard.<BR>I use a Casetronic 2699 case (smaller than most VCR's) and it is very quiet.<BR>Mind you, it is not a speed demon, but is more than adequate for most htpc needs.<BR>It's not going to be playing the latest and greatest 3d video games, but will handle<BR>most 2d and older 3d games and emulators just fine. It can perform timeshifting<BR>and most Tivo features. I can record upt 70 hours of video in 'standard' (better than VHS) quality<BR>or about 35 hours in high quality mode (pretty close to what the broadcast looked like initially.)<BR>I use Showshifter for PVR functionality, my HTPC for most else and PowerDVD/Showshifter for<BR>DVD playback. <BR><BR>I have a small web site with pictures and some specs:<BR>http://mywebpages.comcast.net/geogray/myhardware.html

Sorry to bump an old thread but thanks for the link, I bookmarked it!
 

TrentSteel

Senior member
Oct 9, 2003
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Originally posted by: hytek369
is it possible to use a XBOX for this job?

If you want to use it as a PVR, you'd have to get a USB TV tuner to work on it, and I'm not sure if that's easily done. There are probably people here that could figure it out, but I don't think it would be that simple.