HTPC Specs - Input anyone?

[natrlhy]

Hello Sage members!

I will be buying my HTPC components this week and wanted the members input since I might be using SageTV as my frontend.

All questions welcome!

HTPC Build Specs:
Running total as of 8/12/2006: $1390 (includes estimated shipping and tax)
Green = Already own


Software: SageTV
OS: Windows XP Pro SP2
Case: Silverstone Lascala LC10M (Clean, VFD, roomy)
CPU: AMD Athlon 3800+ 64 X2 Dual-Core
DVD R/W: LG GSA-H10N
Floppy Drive: NONE
Hard Drive: 2x Samsung SpinPoint P Series 250GB SP2504C (maybe another smaller one for the OS)
Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) DDR2 800
Motherboard: ASUS M2N-E
Remote: Use the one that comes with LC10
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12-430 ATX12V (Video card recommends mininmum 400W PSU)
Keyboard: At a later time
Mouse: At a later time
Sound Card: Onboard
Video Card: MSI Geforce 7600GT (NX7600GT-VT2D256EHD)
TV Capture Card: NVIDIA DualTV MCE
HD Capture Card: Vbox Cat's Eye DTA-150
DVI-HDMI Cable: 10 ft. DVI to HDMI cable
CPU Cooler: Arctic Cooling Alping 64 (Cheaper that Zalman 8000 and cools just as good)

TV: Pioneer 50" Plasma PRO-1110HD
Satellite Box: DirecTV HTL-HD Receiver
Remote: Sony RM-AV3000

[Fluffdaddy]

Are you going to be gaming on this system ?

[blade]

Personally I'd much rather have a server/client setup if possible. The server doesn't require all that much power if you have some older hardware lying around. If you're not certain about using Sage (MCE can't do server/client and I don't know about other products) or just don't want to spend any extra $$ then I'd probably settle for a single computer setup as well.

[bcjenkins]

I see you have a DirecTV box, do you also have cable or antenna?

B

[natrlhy]

I'll be doing some gaming on this system.

My goal is to have this as a central hub for my entertainment system. ROM games, music, internet radio, DVD watching, etc. I'd like it to integrate well with the livingroom and the existing components. It's got to also be functional for my wife to just sit down and watch her shows and I can teach her the finer things of the HTPC

I only have DirecTV at this time. I'll be recording SD shows with the Nvidia DualTV (been debating if I really need this since I will only have 1 receiver) and I mainly want to record OTA HD with the Cat's Eye DTA-150.

[cord]

I second the motion for client/server. I have a fairly wimpy server with tons of storage (1.6TB) that lives in a closet. The OTA HD antenna and the cable/splitter ugliness hide there with it, and the noise from the 6 80mm fans is muffled to inaudibility from anywhere but the room with that closet. My clients have 2.5" laptop hard drives, 60GB each, more powerful processors, and more RAM. The clients are so quiet that I have to put my ear within about 6" to hear them. They're quieter than my Tivos and the fan on my LCD RPTV. Putting a lot of storage into a box, then keeping it cool and quiet can be a real challenge. I just wanted to watch TV the way I wanted to watch it, not become the chief engineer in charge of acoustic management, so I went client/server.

[geogecko]

I'd recommend the newer Western Digital 500GB drives. They are quieter than the Samsung 250GB's. (See silentpcreview.com for details.)

That is, if your case is well cooled. I have had two of the WD's fail because they got too hot (55C).

[natrlhy]

I've been thinking of only using 1 WD5000KS as the OS and data drive.

Since I only have 1 DirecTV HD receiver, I've also been thinking I have no benefit of a DualTV or PRV-500-MCE card. The PVR-250 looks like it will service my needs since I have no intention of getting cable any time soon or recording analog TV.

How long were your WD's running at 55C?

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by natrlhy

I've been thinking of only using 1 WD5000KS as the OS and data drive.

Since I only have 1 DirecTV HD receiver, I've also been thinking I have no benefit of a DualTV or PRV-500-MCE card. The PVR-250 looks like it will service my needs since I have no intention of getting cable any time soon or recording analog TV.

How long were your WD's running at 55C?

Make sure to partition the drive so that the OS has 10-15 GB and the second partition can use 64K clusters. The 64K clusters will help with video playback.

Also, you may considering sticking with a dual tuner card so you can add a second receiver easily once you start using the system. I find that I have competing timeslots all the time.

b

[phenixdragon]

You have more then enough power for what you want. I am running about the same specs as you but with a 3200+ and I can game with the high settings in most games, encode a video and record HDTV along with 2 analogs at the same time just fine. When I am gaming the media center side of things has no affect on my graphics or video encoding but my video encoding is set to use a small amount of the CPU.

I would say the mobo you want you don't really need, there are just as good for cheaper, and I would skip over the nVidia tuner card and go with the AVerMedia AverTV Purity 3D MCE 250 or the TheaterPro 550 card. I went with the 550 PCI Express model and have 2 loaded up. You will get a much better picture with either of those cards.

Now actually next month I am switching over to Intel again as the Core 2 Duo kicks butt. But I am picking up a Pentium D 815 which can be OCed to over 4 GHz with no problems. Tom'S Hardware has some info on it. But the mobo and CPU will be under $200 at NewEgg and will smoke my 3200+ and even the X2 3800+. Then once the Core 2 Duo drops in price I will upgrade to that. The Core 2 Duo is the better way to go for multimedia, with a lot less power too. NewEgg has on backorder a Core 2 Duo board for $100 but it should be in sometime this month. That's really the way to go. AMD has lost the lead until the end of the year with their new chips coming out.

[blade]

Originally Posted by phenixdragon

I would skip over the nVidia tuner card and go with the AVerMedia AverTV Purity 3D MCE 250 or the TheaterPro 550 card. I went with the 550 PCI Express model and have 2 loaded up. You will get a much better picture with either of those cards.

I haven't used any of those cards, but from what I've read I think quite a few people would disagree.

[natrlhy]

So for the DualTV cards, one can still connect 1 receiver to the RF port and another receiver to the S-Video and be able to record from TWO DirecTV receivers?

[phenixdragon]

Originally Posted by blade

I haven't used any of those cards, but from what I've read I think quite a few people would disagree.

And quite a few people will disagree about the DualTV. The DualTV PQ isn't that great which if you read the reviews the card is discouraged while ATI and aVer are rated one of the best. Check out htpcnews.com and read the reviews on there. I think they have the best details on all the cards and comparisions.

Really it's just a matter of opinion so I would read all the reviews you can on them.

[phenixdragon]

Originally Posted by natrlhy

So for the DualTV cards, one can still connect 1 receiver to the RF port and another receiver to the S-Video and be able to record from TWO DirecTV receivers?

You would have to connect 2 to the 2 diffrent S-Video. The RF I am assuming you mean coax which won't work with any external box, only OTA or through your cable outlet.

But personally if you want something that uses 1 card, go with the Hauppauge. PQ will be much nicer. But I still would go with 2 seperate cards since it's cheaper.

[phenixdragon]

Actually if I was looking for a card now I would go for the Purity 3D MCE 250. Side by side comparasions to other cards is amazing. I myself did the ATI because it can come in PCI Express so I can have more tuners with a newer mobo.

[natrlhy]

Originally Posted by phenixdragon

You would have to connect 2 to the 2 diffrent S-Video. The RF I am assuming you mean coax which won't work with any external box, only OTA or through your cable outlet.

But personally if you want something that uses 1 card, go with the Hauppauge. PQ will be much nicer. But I still would go with 2 seperate cards since it's cheaper.

So this confirms my concerns that a DualTV card is pretty much a waste for any satellite users (unless the PQ is the best in a DualTV which I haven't found).

I'll be going with a single card setup since I decided that my HTPC will be a full ATX motherboard

[geogecko]

Originally Posted by natrlhy

How long were your WD's running at 55C?

About 20 minutes. The max operating temperature for that drive is 55C, were most other drives, it is 60C.

And as bcjenkins said, you'll want at least two partitions on a single drive like that. I went with 30GB OS (because I'm storing music and pictures on that drive, since it's the only one I make images of regularly), and the rest formatted as 64K clusters.

[Opus4]

Originally Posted by natrlhy

So this confirms my concerns that a DualTV card is pretty much a waste for any satellite users

I'm not suggesting that you should get a DualTV card, but which part confirms that it is a waste? I don't have one, but the product specs shows that it has 2 svideo inputs for 2 different STBs & those 2 inputs are on the back of the card, not on an add-on connector.

BTW: you can use a coax connection from an STB to a tuner card too -- when configuring it, you just tell SageTV that it is using an external receiver and what channel the tuner should use to receive input from that receiver. (But, PQ will be better using an svideo input.)

- Andy

[phenixdragon]

Originally Posted by Opus4

BTW: you can use a coax connection from an STB to a tuner card too -- when configuring it, you just tell SageTV that it is using an external receiver and what channel the tuner should use to receive input from that receiver. (But, PQ will be better using an svideo input.)

I wondered if it did that but I wasn't sure. never used it since there is S-Video.




But ya, I wouldn't say it's a total waste but I think also you will have to pick up the 2nd S-Video bracket as I don't beleive it comes with the card. I might be wrong about that. But personally, picking up 2 cards might be cheaper and if you have the slots I would go that route. I only suggest dual cards if you are low on slots.

[Opus4]

As I said above, the nVidia DualTV has 2 svideo connectors on the back of the card w/o needing to use an add-on bracket. (The Hauppauge PVR-500 is the one that uses a bracket for the 2nd svideo connector.)

On the other hand, you can't currently use multiple DualTV cards, but you can use multiple PVR-500 cards in a single PC.

- Andy