Ongoing Advice needed (1 Viewer)

[merfyman]

Ok so my rig is as follows.....it's an older machine that was once the gaming rig that may be perfect for htpc conversion

2.4ghz P4 w/ 533fsb
1gig RAM
120gb HDD IDE Drive
2 cd/dvd drives
ATI All-in-Wonder 9800 Pro
Xp Pro
350w power supply


I plan to clean the system out and start fresh, all options could be on the table. I am hesitant to invest in hardware for an obviously older machine. I'm gonna throw in another 80mm case fan but that's about it.

Would you all suggest I fight with my AIW card or that I get a cheep tv tuner pci card (I got tons of slots). Anyone have good sucess with mp using my card? I looked at the AIW thread here but it seems like a complicated and frustrating experience. However, I'm worried about my PSU, will 350w be able to handle a pci tv tuner?

Any advice for this situation would be great. I built this pc a bit ago, but I think I can get some use outta it. I refuse to leave it as a lowly print server when it has a 9800pro (I don't care if the card is older it still is decent)

 

[Spragleknas]

About PSU: A good 350W should do, ie. Mist, Seasonic (300W would probably do), however a 350W of lesser quality, ie. Q-tec (even a 400W might be a poor choice), should not be considered (IMHO).

What brand (or specs on PSU) do you have?

 

[merfyman]

It's an antec PSU, came with my antec case. A nice big roomy tower....it's gonna be one hell of an ugly htpc but it may get the job done.

will this be good you think? I'm hesitant to pour money into this system, but i'll do what I gotta do for htpc bliss

 

[Spragleknas]

Antec delivers good PSUs - one of the best case+PSU solutions.

 

[merfyman]

thanks for the advice, so if my PSU will handle the additional load of another PCI then the question becomes what to do about video capture/tv tuner. I got an All-In-Wonder 9800 PRO....what should I do?

 

[gxtracker]

if the PSU is already able to handle the system, then adding a PCI card to the system wont even make a dent into the amount of extra required power needed. PCI cards consume very little power compared to something like a hard drive or GPU.

As for the AIW, I would forget about it and purchase a hardware encoding TV tuner. the frustration you'll save will be worth more than the $60 or so that it will cost you for the card. Not to mention the AIW is a software encoding card, so it will require your CPU to record the footage. That means you can forget about using the HTPC to, for example, watch a DVD or video while its busy recording TV.

Your system may be slow in comparison to gaming systems today, but its more than enough to run a HTPC with MP on it.