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I'm working on a PC for one of my classes this semester, and the perk is that we get to take it home when the class is over with. Since I have no real use for a desktop, i've been thinking about turning it into an HTPC. I know the specs suck, but I was wondering what you guys suggest I should upgrade for it in an affordable price range? Intel Celeron 2.6GHz 256MB of RAM - Yes, Needs and Update to 1GB or further 80GB Hard Drive - Definite Update CD-RW - Update to DVD at least and yes, this needs a video card with TVTuner. I've been reading a good bit about OSes for it as well. It seems a good bit of Linux-based distros really shine in this department, so what do you guys suggest in that department.
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Mar 22, 2007 05:11
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Quick question: With the holidays coming up, I'll have some spare cash to make an upgrade to the home computer I have with a ATSC/NTSC TV Tuner installed. I can pick up the 1080p signals just fine, but watching them at full resolution on my 22" monitor makes it go slower than all hell. I know my video card will need upgrading (it's a hand-me-down X200 if I am correct), but I'm also wondering if I'll need to upgrade my mobo as well considering it can only hold at max 2GB of RAM. I'm running a system with this: Antec EarthWatts 500W Power Supply Intel Core 2 Duo 1.86Ghz E6320 1GB of RAM Radeon X200 MSI 945GCM5 v2 Mobo: http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1220&maincat_no=1 Hauppauge WinTV HVR1800 Obviously a new video card is looking likely, but can I even fit a decent one in there with that mobo? I don't want a card with a giant fan possibly damaging my tuner card since it might block air flow. So let's clear up my questions: 1. Can I keep my current mobo and just upgrade the RAM and get a new video card? 2. Can I even run a video card with a big fan attached to it with this board without worrying about air flow issues, or will I have to find a good fanless card? 3. Should I just get a new mobo that can do more RAM and have more room so I can actually run things smoothly?
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Nov 11, 2008 07:50
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Im way close to biting the bullet on my first HTPC, and I need a little advice before jumping in. I've been reading about the ION platform for a few weeks now. Seeing that the barrier to entry (price) is pretty good, I decided to research on building one. I'd like to use the following build for Hulu, HD video and future BluRay use. ZOTAC IONITX-A-U Atom N330 1.6GHz Dual-Core 441 NVIDIA ION Mini ITX Motherboard/CPU Combo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813500027 Rosewill RS-MI-01 BK Mini ITX Tower/ Desktop - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147131 Kingston 2GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134636 Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAJS 500GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136178 SAMSUNG Black DVD Burner - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188 I've been reading in this thread and elsewhere that the IONs don't do Hulu too well on full screen since it appears to be a processor-intensive operation. My question is, since this is a dual-core model, will it run Hulu better at full screen? Or do I need to cut out the ION board and go for the regular Zotac Mini-ITX with the E5200 processor? EDIT: I should add that I'll be hooking this up to my 42" 1080P Samsung in the living room. Technowrite fucked around with this message at 15:30 on Aug 5, 2009 |
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Aug 5, 2009 15:27
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