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new HTPC build, WHS box and router

E

efficient

Junior Member
I am starting from scratch and i want to put together a WHS and HTPC. I will be getting mobile internet aswell and will need a router to tie it all together.

I am located in australia so i am happy to search for deals myself but i would appreciate some suggestions for components to get.

budget wise i can afford to spend what i need to to get the functionality i want (nothing here is particularly powerful or expensive), so i guess value for money is more important. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Router

requirements:
compatible with mobile internet (usb 3G dongle modem).
Gigabit lan
Wireless N

any suggestions of a good router that meets this description.


WHS

I am thinking of getting the ACER Easy share plus a few extra terabytes (happy to decide on the HDD's myself).

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16859321013

Any particular thoughts on atom based servers? reviews i have read seem to indicate they are up to the job. any reasons Why would i need anything more powerful?


HTPC

This one is the most interesting. the HTPC will be used with a 26 inch 720P LCD TV. This is the tv in the bedroom (a bigger tv in the lounge is a few months away and will eventually require a htpc as well)

So this HTPC doesnt need to be particularly powerful, wont be overclocked, only capable of 720p output, no bluray is required and it should be very quiet, i don't anticipate it will ever be used for anything other than TV and occasional the internet.

An Atom based setup seems sensible to me, so which atom motherboard would you suggest?
I am fairly sure i want a SSD, probably 30 Gig (enough for the OS and a couple of other programs), so which SSD would you suggest?
TV tuner needs to be dual HD tuners, other than that is there anything i should be looking for? any suggestions for tuners

I am happy to pick the case and rest of the components myself.

Cheers,

Efficient
 
I have Easy Store as one of my home servers. Works just fine. Streams to PS 3, back-up, remote access. No problem. Nice little machine
 
I'll leave the router recommendation to others.

WHS, the Acer box is an easy and cheap decision. Shop around, because sometimes various vendors run sales, or give extra free hard drives.

HTPC, I'd highly recommend something faster than an Atom. I have a netbook and while it plays standard-def AVI fine, anything higher drops frames (including 720p anime). You can get the lowest end Celeron Dual Core E3200 or whatever Sempron you want, mated to a cheap motherboard. Power consumption would be a bit higher but IMO would be worth it. For 30GB SSD, just get one of those OCZ Vertex/Agility units that go on sale for $90. Alternately get a Kingston or Intel 40GB for near the same price when on sale. Regular pricing is around $120-140. When calculating space requirements, remember that you do NOT want to fill up the SSD more than around 3/4 full, and Windows 7 can take around 15GB by itself (if you go that route with Media Center).
 
Zap said:
You can get the lowest end Celeron Dual Core E3200 or whatever Sempron you want, mated to a cheap motherboard.
Click to expand...
I was unaware of the Celeron 3200 until yesterday, when I missed out on a ($30 A.R.) Fry's Electornics deal on a Celeron 3200/MSI motherboard combo.

Jeepers. That Celeron 3200, at least on paper, is faster than any CPU in my office! Plus, it supports Intel VT extensions. It looks like a nice piece of hardware.
 
RebateMonger said:
That Celeron 3200, at least on paper, is faster than any CPU in my office! Plus, it supports Intel VT extensions. It looks like a nice piece of hardware.
Click to expand...

Because of its VT capacity I used it few weeks ago to replace a better CPU in one of my systems.

Using the stock HSF and every thing else default, I raised the core frequency to produce 2.9GB and it works better than the previous CPU.

.
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys,

i found a combo, for a decent price with a:
Zotac GeForce 9300 Mini-ITX motherboard
Intel Dual Core celeron E3300 2.50Ghz
Corsair 2048MB Value Select PC-5300

this system would appear to have more than enough power for my needs. anyone got any particular concerns about this motherboard? will it be able to run quiet enough for a bed room?

This still leaves me in need of a tv tuner and a router, any suggestions on these.


Cheers,
 
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