What hardware is needed to maximize Media Center 2005?

[empyre]

I am looking to build a Media Center 2005 system and there seems to be alot of hardware items to make this worth while. What would you suggest if you want to maximize the use of the OS features?

Thanks in advance!

 

[DaveSimmons]

What do you want to do with a media center PC? Any budget contraints? Irrational anti-AMD bias?

 

[empyre]

I would like to make it a TIVO type system...No really budget constraints....What else can it do? Actually, I am an AMD fan.

 

[DaveSimmons]

For TIVO you want
* lots of hard drive space, preferably quiet drives like Samsung Spinpoints and Seagates. PATA/IDE vs. SATA makes no difference. DVD-quality recording takes about 2 GB of space per hour, for programs you care less about you can use 1 GB / hour recording to save space.

* TV card with hardware MPEG2 encoding and preferably onboard audio capture (instead of using soundcard). The Happauge PVR- series is good, there is supposed to be a new PVR-150mce that's under $100 and designed for media center. Cards using software encoding like the $40 Leadtek tend to have dropped frames and audio sync problems.

* video card with good TV-out.

* DVD burner if you want to archive programs, or to capture and burn old VHS or analog camcorder tapes (note that commercial VHS tapes are copy-protected).

* quiet CPU heatsink like the Zalman 7000 alcu
* quiet power supply from Zalman, Antec, etc.

For a quiet power supply, you either want micro-ATX and a case that can accept standard power supplies (Cooler Master makes some nice mATX desktop cases) or a standard mid-tower case, preferably using 120mm case fans like the Antec Sonata.

With hardware MPEG2 encoding, raw CPU is much less important, so you should be thinking of one that is reasonable (2000+) but can run cool and therefore quiet. An A64-Sempron, A64 2800+, or maybe even a mobile Athlon XP would all be good choices.

 

[empyre]

Thanks...So I guess any PC can get the Remote fro Media Center? I will probably go with the Sonata case. What video would you suggest? How is the Mobile XP chip different from other Athlon XP chips? Can you run surround sound in this setup? Do you need anything special to run DTS? I really appreciate this!

 

[erikistired]

n/m

 

[DaveSimmons]

The "mobile" chips run at lower voltage and generate less heat. Less heat = less coolng = less noise.

No idea on the MCE remote. The forums here might help: http://www.avsforum.com/