Help me build a desktop pc for my livingroom to hook up to tv to play divx..

[LordJezo]

Just want something that will be able to run divx movies, dvd movies, etc and be able to hook up to the a/v ports on the tv/reciever.

It wont be doing anything else besides that..


So what does everyone suggest!

 

[jvang125]

1.4g cpu or above (doesnt matter what brand, AMD or Intel)
512MB of DDR Ram
40g HD and above
DVD or CD-ROM (DVD-ROM if you want to watch DVDs)
a good 5.1 sound card (wont get true 5.1 though)
a video card with 64MB or more onboard memory with tv out (RCA composite or s-video)
Windows 2000 as it comes with WMP 6.x which plays almost all divx movies with no problems or
a divx player like DivxPlaya
a divx decoder if using WMP (nimo....ect)

 

[DaiShan]

Mini-Itx! Get the 933 version though, it has hardware dvd decoding as well as ddr, which will play divx without skips. Newegg has it for $155 shipped, add hard drive, psu, ra, and dvd drive and you are set

 

[DaveSimmons]

What are your needs and budget?

* playback alone, or also recording?
* stylish mATX case like the Cooler Master 620 ($100 + power), or dirt-cheap mini-tower case case?

Cheap, quiet, cool = Soyo i815e mobo + Tualatin celeron 1.0a + 256 MB PC100 or PC133 SDRAM. It's perfect for divx playback, might be underpowered for Tivo / PVR use (haven't read enough about the Leadtek Winfast & ATI PVRs).

For a bit more, MSI's new booksize P4 barebone with TV-out and digital audio (newegg > barebones > MSI) + Celeron 2.0a + 256 MB DDR

Add
* Liteon 16x DVD (bundled with power DVD or buy OEM at the same time (newegg, mwave).
* Seagate Baracuda IV or V hard drvie (quietest)
* Hercules Fortissimo III soundcard (if not getting the MSI)
* Sapphire - ATI OEM RADEON 7000 64MB SDR W/TV - has no fan (heatsink only) $34 at newegg (if not getting the MSI)
* mouse extension cable or cordless mouse

 

[bluemax]

The tiny, cheap Iwill XP4 may be just the ticket... except it doesn't have TV out if I'm right. A Shuttle SK41G (AMD machine) would be nice because it DOES have TV out right out of the box and can take AGP too. You might then find yourself occasionally picking up your DivX box and going out with it someplace, or playing games on your TV!

That, or just a mini-ITX and some sort of case, as previously mentioned. Even comes with a C3 processor for cool running and "just enough" juice for multimedia stuff. No games, period.

 

[Slammy1]

I think what he is saying is he wants as cheap of a system as possible he can use as a DVD/TiVo type combo. I'd recommend a decent sized hard drive. 80 GB, would give you something fairly cheap (see "Hot Deals" forum). Any sort of small case. A cheap burner would be nice for recording stored DiVx files. It all depends on how much you want to spend. When you say A/V inputs, are those the RCA inputs? S-Video is much preferred. You can get an older ATI All-In-Wonder, which will give you your TiVo capabilities. I run a Toslink converter from the Din in my sound card to input into my receiver. I'd recommend an entry level P4 with at least 256 MB Ram (no need for low latency)

Bottom line, for DVD playback your best bet is a cheap DVD player. You'll have the converted signal issue with a video card. I do not think you can do it economically as a sole component. Better to have it as part of a system. HDTV is the way to go, if you have lots of money.

 

[McCarthy]

I just did this with my spare parts. He didn't say he wanted recording abilities so the 1ghz Celeron route is a nice one. I used my XP 1600+ and while the setup is quiet for a computer I soon came to realize "computer room noise and living room noise are two entirely different things"

It's noisy for a living room device. Still working on that. I do record with mine though so even the current CPU is too slow.

Which is why I used a 5400 RPM drive in mine. Never hear it.

Suggest either a Matrox or ATI card with TV output. nVidia will work too, but the general concensus is the video quality is better with Matrox or ATI. I picked up a used Radeon 7000 for my box, no fan, no noise, no worries. Should compare it to the TV out of the 9700 here, but I suspect they're the same.

Hooking up to the AV ports is as simple as getting a RCA to 1/8" stereo cable. Or a couple if you're doing surround, etc. 2 or 3 bux anywhere, about the same as regular RCA patch cables.

Buy your ROM drive locally so you can take it back if it doesn't work. I tried three different drives I had here till I found one that I was happy with. One would shoot up to 52x and then the movie would stutter as it slowed down, then it'd shoot up to 52 again. Very noisy and make the video jumpy, ruined the 'play from disc' aspect. If it was just Divx/other CD formats it's easy enough to just copy to the drive, but where you're doing DVD too keep this in mind with the drive choice.

A cordless keyboard/mouse make the whole Computer as a Player experience sooooo much nicer. Mouse anyway, kb not so much.

 

[MikeMike]

would a via/cyrix board do what you want? they can be had SUPER CHEAP, and include everything except ram, HD, and any other "drive"

not sure how much divx needs, but they are really really cheap, and can be had w/o a Fan on the heatsink even!

 

[LordJezo]

No video recording really nessacary..

As for the outputs, standard RCA plugs are all the reciever has.. no s-video for us.

What would be the best video card that has a tv out option with RCA jacks? Will that Radeon 7000 mentioned in this thread be the best option?

As for the soundcard.. that will be easy.. just get a standard soundblaster live..

As for budget.. <$300 if possible.

 

[LordJezo]

How about a desktop type case, not a tower?

 

[MikeMike]

Originally posted by: LordJezo
How about a desktop type case, not a tower?

well first, i would go check off topic really fast!

but i dont know, maybe an SFF case?