System Specs/Advice

[wrems]

I need some advice/recommendations. I’m in the process of reconfiguring my Sage setup. Right now I have 1 computer that acts as a Sage server, and does my entire general computing needs (not ideal). This computer is in the office, and has a wired MVP running to the living room. This setup works fine, however I want to offload my computer and separate Sage into its own box that will sit in the living room directly attached to the TV.

I need to buy a PS, Mobo, CPU, and some quiet fans. I currently have a Gigabyte 8600gts silent video card, an Antec case, 1 gig DDR2 667 and enough hard drives and tuners to get by. I don’t do HD and probably won’t do HD for at least another year, at which point I will once again reconfigure and consolidate my setup to a dedicated server buried in the wall.

This PC I’m building in the living room would be the server and the client to my main TV. It would be responsible for housing my tuners, doing the recording and playback of shows as well as running multiple instances of SA. I know that I’ll have at least 1 wired MVP going to the master, and possibly a second MVP to the guest…If not a MVP to the guest I would use placeshifter to laptop, or something…

I would prefer this PC to be quiet and relatively energy efficient. Is my 1 gig of ram enough? How much CPU power do I need to pull this off? Do you have any specific recommendations of hardware, or anything else?

Any response and or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[bialio]

There is a thread at avsforum listing recommended hardware for HTPC. It's a great read, and has lots of tips on everything.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=710828

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From personal experience, my recommendation is to first settle on the case. Sounds like you have an antec that you like. So the first and most important question : is it a full ATX or a micro ATX case? The motherboard selection is a lot less open if it's micro ATX, and you have to be careful that you have room to use the expansion slots it offers. In other words, the motherboard might have 2 PCI slots, but one is blocked by the video card - which leaves you room for only one PCI Tuner.

CPU wise I'd go with an Intel E4400 - Core 2 Duo @ 2.0Ghz - or higher. That plus your 8600GTS and you are future proof - once you go the HD route it will be a viable client.

I personally like to give my computers 2GB of the fastest memory the motherboard supports. Memory is cheap.

If you are going to use this machine as your server buried in the wall once you go HD, I'd get the fastest processor you can afford.

I highly recommend all the gear in my sig - all of it is working wonderfully.

btl.

[wrems]

Thanks for the great link! I have been looking for information just like this. Yeah, burning a PCI slot was one of my concerns with the 2 slot GTS… At the same time, I love the card and it looks great too. The Antec case is one that I’m cannibalizing and it’s full ATX.

This new build won’t become the server when I get around to building it. When I build the server down the road I will be getting the best and fastest that I can afford. As for this machine its future will be as a dedicated client with HD capabilities. That’s why I’m trying to find a balance of overall horsepower without breaking the bank.

I have had my eye one those E4400’s. I’ve got some more research to do, so I can find a nice balance of components.

Thanks again for the help!