Noobish question for HTPC build

[BigLar]

So I'm building an HTPC (something like my 5th system build) and I've got the following components that I've picked up along the way at various deals:

Core 2 Duo 2.0 GHz FSB 800mHz Intel CPU
4 GB of Corsair DDR2 800 RAM
ASUS Video Card w/ HDMI output
OCZ Power Supply
1TB Hitachi Deathstar SATA
802.11g wireless interface
Windox XP MCE

and I'm planning to get:

an Antec Cube
a Blue Ray Player
an Asus micro ATX board

and the question is, is there anything else I need to get (or incompatabilities I've already embraced)?

I'm confused about the remote. Do I get a DVR card with a remote and put that in or do I need one specifically for windows MCE?

Thanks for any input!

Is there anything else I should be certain to put in?

 

[The Boston Dangler]

hi. details on video card and power supply? do you play video games? what's the budget? are you plugging this into a stereo?

your list is pretty good, but i think the antec cube might be a weak link. the power supply it comes with is a special model, and it really crowds the processor. it also lacks a second front bay of any type, so you might want to consider that too. if you want something other than 2 usb and mic/headphones, like a card reader, you could be boned. however, it's certainly not terrible, and it is on sale at newegg for $80.

it isn't essential to use windows media center, but it's nice to have the option. if you choose not to use it, just ignore it and use other software. it does have likely the best interface. unfortunately, there are lots file type and drm restrictions. also, media center will not let you watch digital cable tv, in either standard or high definition. if you'd like to watch or record unscrambled cable with your htpc, windows media center is not for you. it will work with over-the-air digital tv and, for the next 2 months, ota analog. this is part of the media center program and not xp mce.

you won't be able to use 4GB of ram with any 32 bit os. leave half of it out.

this is the blu ray/dvd burner i'd buy
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16827136154

i suggest getting an inexpensive hard drive to install onto, and use the big one for storage.

remote controls can be tricky. i have one, but i prefer the wireless mouse instead. if that doesn't do it for you, because of range or whatever, there's a couple ways to use a remote with a pc. all remotes currently are are either media center only, or normal. media center only remotes are available separately as a usb thingy, or packed in with dvr cards. some dvr cards don't have a usb receiver - instead the ir eye connects to the dvr card itself. these remotes should work with any version of windows.

an alternative is the imon product by soundgraph
http://www.soundgraph.com/Eng_/main.aspx

the retail boxes have apparently dried up, and they're pushing their product as oem, built into the case. these boxes cost more than $80. they include their own media centerish software, which is pretty bad. the remote does work very well, and with some DIY set up can be used for anything in any software. boxes with this usually include a small display that can show the time, news headlines, the weather, whatever. the "now playing" seems to work only with wmp/wmc, maybe winamp. there is a linux driver too, if anyone cares.

some sites to check out:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb...5be4fcb2da0c0&t=940972
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php
http://www.videohelp.com/

 

[BigLar]

Wow! Thank you very much for the thoughtful and detailed reply.

I'm not much of a gamer, the last thing I seriously played was Doom2. My budget is limited by my inherent cheapness more that anything else.

BTW, I'm in the Boston (Newton) area too!

With your help, I can now move forward with confidence. Thanks again.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

if you're not playing video games, a newer motherboard with video will do the trick.
what do you think about this one? it's pretty loaded:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813131348

i'm around newton all the time. 2 of my favorite places to eat are the greek place on needham st and the blue ribbon bbq. i haven't been to skipjack's for a while, but there's a great fish shop in the lake, across from the bakery.

 

[BigLar]

As Tthe Asus vid card I already have has an HDMI port, I was thinking of cheaping out with this one:
Cheapie Asus mobo

I don't know the Greek place, but if you are a Blue Ribbon fan, you know your stuff. I'm gonna track down the Greek joint!

Try Taqueria Mexicana in Waltham not too far from the commuter rail station!

 

[bearxor]

You want to make sure you get a motherboard with a on-board graphic solution that you can offload the video decoding to so you don't have the processor doing it. That rules out the Intel chipset motherboards currently. Also, make sure the HDMI (or DVI) port is HDCP-compliant.

As long as the tv tuner card you buy has a remote that specifically says it's MCE-compatible, you'll be fine. I recently upgraded from 6 different capture cards (a Hauppage PVR-500 (dual tuner analog), 2 Cats Eye 150's (ATSC) and two Hauppage HVR-1250's (QAM) to two Hauppage HVR-2250's. The 2250's will do Analog/ATSC/QAM and are dual-tuner in one PCI-Express X1 slot. I plan on using them in a 4XQAM until they get around to releasing DirecTV for MCE.

I would suggest breaking up your hard drives. One for OS, one for RecordedTV and one for everything else. I have 3x320GB and 1x80GB. The 80GB is the OS drive, one 320 is for RecordedTV, one for ripped movies and one for torrented stuff. The downside to this is that you need a case to accommodate as many drives. At the very least, even if you use one hard drive for your OS and videos, you at least keep a separate drive for TV show recordings and you pick up a fast, reliable drive for that. Depending on how crazy you want to go with your tuners, if you start recording a lot of things at once you're going to need a nice hard drive for it. CPU horsepower doesn't matter in this case. I can record all six streams at one time while watching an HD recording with about 50% CPU utilization.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

if you'd like to plug the pc into a stereo, i'd suggest a motherboard with digital audio outputs. if you want something other than asus, there are a few options
Text

the zotac board for $50 looks pretty good.

 

[BigLar]

The Zotac doesn't appear to support FSB 800, but this one does...at twice the cost!


Gigabyte Board

 

[coxmaster]

Originally posted by: BigLar
The Zotac doesn't appear to support FSB 800, but this one does...at twice the cost!


Gigabyte Board

The Zotac will run at 800FSB.. it'll just underclock itself. If it doesnt automatically, its not like its difficult to do yourself.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: BigLar
The Zotac doesn't appear to support FSB 800, but this one does...at twice the cost!


Gigabyte Board

edit: what coxmaster said

 

[The Boston Dangler]

update on remotes:

it seems the imon products now bear the antec veris name.
http://www.antec.com/usa/pro_e...?PC=Media%20components

 

[BigLar]

OK, the ZOTAC board looked pretty good at $50, but 20% better at $40 AR! I'm in for it and the Blu-Ray Boston Dangler suggested. I also picked up an Apevia Q-Pack case ($55 AR), so the only thing left is the DVR card and the remote.

Getting excited...

 

[The Boston Dangler]

you could hold off on the remote, unless you're sure you want it. that will defer a $30 - $75 purchase for another day.

for dvr cards, the big name is hauppauge. they seem to have the least issues. i'd suggest getting the 2250 without remote for $110. it's a bit pricey, but it should make a noticeable impact on the experience. dual tuners for digital broadcast and cable, both do hi def. you can disregard any analog capability.

good luck!