I'm putting together a list of components I need for a inexpensive HTPC for my living room that I plan to use mostly as a TiVo type box, but also possibly for watching TV shows D/L'd off of BitTorrent links (that's how I got hooked on Dead Like Me) and other various things like that. Here's my list so far.
- Cooler Master ATC-620C-BX1 Case: A nice HTPC case that will fit in with the rest of my audio and video equipment.
- Asus A7N266-VM motherboard: Cheap mATX motherboard with Dolby Digital outputs.
- AXP1900+: $50 Processor (Might go with an Applebred Duron for cooling and price reasons if they work with the A7N266.
- 512MB Kingston Value RAM: Can get for FAR and seems to work okay for applications like this where the system will run stock.
- 120GB Hard Drive: Good deals on these right now, but may go bigger if a deal presents itself.
- Dual Format DVD Burner
- AIW Radeon 9000: Cheapest AIW I could get with the Remote Wonder. Seems like a better all around solution than the WinTV cards, since it has the Gemstar program listings and BOTH TV in and out in one card. This is the biggest part I question. What are the pros and cons of going with this vs. something like the Leadtek TV card and a NF2 motherboard with onboard TV outputs.
Any suggestions on how to make it better/cheaper? I have a spare 815EGEW sitting around I could throw a Celeron-T into for a bit less, but I'd have to get a sound card to get the Dolby Digital out and not having an AGP slot limits my graphics card options a lot (the 815 onboard video does me no good since it has no TV out). I'd save a few bucks using this board, but I think it would be more of a hassle to get the same functionality as the components I've listed above.
I figure if I take full advantage of the Hot Deals forum and am patient about finding deals, I can pull this off for $500-$600, which is a steal compared to most TiVo-enabled DVD recorders, which start around $1000 (plus $300 for a lifetime susbsciption to TiVo). If anyone else has tried this kinda thing out, let me know how smoothly it all works compared to a TiVo. I curious if the end result works well enough to be worth it. Too bad MS hasn't put out the Media Center as a standalone OS, it would make this project a LOT easier to pull off.
- Cooler Master ATC-620C-BX1 Case: A nice HTPC case that will fit in with the rest of my audio and video equipment.
- Asus A7N266-VM motherboard: Cheap mATX motherboard with Dolby Digital outputs.
- AXP1900+: $50 Processor (Might go with an Applebred Duron for cooling and price reasons if they work with the A7N266.
- 512MB Kingston Value RAM: Can get for FAR and seems to work okay for applications like this where the system will run stock.
- 120GB Hard Drive: Good deals on these right now, but may go bigger if a deal presents itself.
- Dual Format DVD Burner
- AIW Radeon 9000: Cheapest AIW I could get with the Remote Wonder. Seems like a better all around solution than the WinTV cards, since it has the Gemstar program listings and BOTH TV in and out in one card. This is the biggest part I question. What are the pros and cons of going with this vs. something like the Leadtek TV card and a NF2 motherboard with onboard TV outputs.
Any suggestions on how to make it better/cheaper? I have a spare 815EGEW sitting around I could throw a Celeron-T into for a bit less, but I'd have to get a sound card to get the Dolby Digital out and not having an AGP slot limits my graphics card options a lot (the 815 onboard video does me no good since it has no TV out). I'd save a few bucks using this board, but I think it would be more of a hassle to get the same functionality as the components I've listed above.
I figure if I take full advantage of the Hot Deals forum and am patient about finding deals, I can pull this off for $500-$600, which is a steal compared to most TiVo-enabled DVD recorders, which start around $1000 (plus $300 for a lifetime susbsciption to TiVo). If anyone else has tried this kinda thing out, let me know how smoothly it all works compared to a TiVo. I curious if the end result works well enough to be worth it. Too bad MS hasn't put out the Media Center as a standalone OS, it would make this project a LOT easier to pull off.
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