HTPC parts spec. advice please :)

[Orpheous]

I've finally got the go ahead from the Mrs to build a HTPC using some of the parts out of an older P4 we're currently not using.

Specs currently are:
Asus P4S533-X Motherboard (533MHZ FSB)
Celeron 2.4Ghz CPU (S478)
768Mb of PC3200 DDR (running at PC2700 speed)
Sapphire Radeon 9250 128Mb (400MHz DDR) VPU operating at 240 MHz (@4X AGP because of Motherboard)
120Gb WD PATA HDD
Chimei 22" WS LCD
onboard 5.1 ch sound
Logitech 530 speakers

I'm considering buying/installing:
Leadtek DTV2000 H TV Tuner card
PCI to SATA RAID card
320GB WD SATA HDD
StreamZap pc remote control
MediaPortal

I've built quite a few PC's before, but this will be my first HTPC. So I'm unsure of a few things which I hope you might be able to help me with.

1) Do you think that the combination of CPU/RAM/AGP etc will be enough to capture digital, or will I be restricted to analog, thus negating the need for a hybrid card?
2) Will I be able to record Digital and watch Analog at the same time and vice-versa using the Leadtek and MediaPortal?
3) Have any of you guys used a StreamZap pc remote before? Is there another remote in the budget range which could be a better alternative?

Any advice which you could give would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/im...milies/thx.gif

Orpheous

[regeszter]

I think the Leadtek DTV2000 H TV Tuner card has software encoder for analog part.

[Orpheous]

Originally Posted by regeszter

I think the Leadtek DTV2000 H TV Tuner card has software encoder for analog part.

Can anyone confirm this?
Also, if this is the case, how would it affect the ability of a system with the specs listed to record & watch separate channels at the same time?

[Paranoid Delusion]

On the Leadtek website, nothing about hardware encoding (and they would advertise it), so if you go for this card, you will need a 2.8ghz processor to take full advantage.

[Spragleknas]

Sapphire Radeon 9250 128Mb (400MHz DDR) VPU operating at 240 MHz (@4X AGP because of

You can run a AGP X8 on a AGP X4 mobo - AGP X8 is just a hype; you might lose 3-4 % or something in performance.

Also: 9250 is NOT a DX9 card (no matter what ppl or homepages say)

[Orpheous]

This is all starting to sound like it'll be too much for my poor old setup.....

Looks like I'll be doing a ground up build instead I think. Thank you all
for taking the time to read and reply, I really appreciate the assistance!

[Spragleknas]

The way I see it, all you "need" (recommended, anyway) is a HW-based analogue-card and a cheap DX9 card (nVidia FX5200/5500, 6200 or ATi 9600-series or better).

[Orpheous]

I have a 256 Mb 9600 Pro which is used in another machine at the moment.
But I'm a bit reluctant to spend the extra $'s on a hardware base tuner, and other parts which the motherboard would need just to put it in a machine which is outdated anyway.
Digital TV signals are supposed to be becoming standard in Australia in the 2nd or 3rd quarter of this year, so I'm aiming at building something that will be upgradeable in another 6 or 12 months time.

Thank you for your help Spragleknas !

[TOTMS]

Well I have a 9250 and MP runs like a dream Its cheap, does the job and is passively cooled. It even plays quite a few games quite nicely, although that might be to do with the 800x600 resolution as well but I am not complaining ;P

My specs:

2600+ XP (undervolted AC4)
512 Mb DDR400
Asrock Mobo
80 Gb WD 8Mb Cache HDD
9250 running at 8x passively cooled
Nova DVB-T Pci card

[ScaryBob]

PCI to SATA RAID card, 320GB WD SATA HDD

I wouldn't bother with the SATA RAID card unless you want to go RAID 5. PATA drives are still available for the same price as SATA. Also, a new motherboard that supports PATA/SATA RAID (and more) might be as cheap as a RAID card.