Hey all, i've been out of the HTPC building game for a while (i had a stable, 100% working build
that i was satisfied with, so i've been resisting the urge to tinker), but my setup is starting
to show signs of wear. Here's my current setup (mostly frankensteined together from old parts):
HTPC:
Case:
Antec Sonata HTPC case w/power supply (don't remember the wattage off the top of my head)
Processor:
Intel Pentium 4 2.5ghz
Motherboard:
Asus P4S800MX
Memory:
1 GB DDR
Video:
Geforce FX 5500 (128mb)
Drives:
10gb OS
60gb Additional
Network:
Onboard 10/100 Ethernet
OS:
Windows XP SP2
Mediaportal:
v0.2.2.9993
Codecs:
Combined Community Codec Pack full install/ffdshow/coreAVC (for 720p content)
Media Server:
Processor:
Intel Pentium 3 650mhz
Memory:
256 MB
Storage:
10 gb OS
5x300GB (RAID 0, backed up regularly so failure isn't an issue)
Network:
Onboard 10/100 Ethernet
OS:
Windows Server 2003 R2
Currently, the HTPC plays back standard def content fine, and 720p content fine for the most
part, except that it's occasionally laggy (a reboot of HTPC and server usually solves the problem
until it happens again). Also, with 720p content there is up to a 15-second delay from when i
click to play the video and when the video actually starts, at minimum. I've also tried gaming
with the machine, and both Half Life 2 (TF2) and C&C 3 both run playably, but at mid-to-low
graphics settings.
What i'd like to do is upgrade my HTPC and server to be able to play 720p content flawlessly
without the need of CoreAVC, as well as be able to play most modern games (i don't need it to
play crysis at the highest settings, just be able to run Team Fortress 2 and the upcoming Red
Alert 3 well). If at all possible, i'd like to preserve some existing hardware to keep costs
down, but i'm not above scrapping the whole thing and rebuilding from scratch.
I haven't built a machine in forever, so i'm not really up on the latest hardware in terms of
motherboards/cpus and video cards. I read a lot about the ati HD cards performance in video
playback...how does it do for gaming? Would i need to get a separate card and link the two for
that? Also, should i go 64-bit? Dual core? Is dual core overkill?
I put it to you, Mediaportal peeps...help me out!
that i was satisfied with, so i've been resisting the urge to tinker), but my setup is starting
to show signs of wear. Here's my current setup (mostly frankensteined together from old parts):
HTPC:
Case:
Antec Sonata HTPC case w/power supply (don't remember the wattage off the top of my head)
Processor:
Intel Pentium 4 2.5ghz
Motherboard:
Asus P4S800MX
Memory:
1 GB DDR
Video:
Geforce FX 5500 (128mb)
Drives:
10gb OS
60gb Additional
Network:
Onboard 10/100 Ethernet
OS:
Windows XP SP2
Mediaportal:
v0.2.2.9993
Codecs:
Combined Community Codec Pack full install/ffdshow/coreAVC (for 720p content)
Media Server:
Processor:
Intel Pentium 3 650mhz
Memory:
256 MB
Storage:
10 gb OS
5x300GB (RAID 0, backed up regularly so failure isn't an issue)
Network:
Onboard 10/100 Ethernet
OS:
Windows Server 2003 R2
Currently, the HTPC plays back standard def content fine, and 720p content fine for the most
part, except that it's occasionally laggy (a reboot of HTPC and server usually solves the problem
until it happens again). Also, with 720p content there is up to a 15-second delay from when i
click to play the video and when the video actually starts, at minimum. I've also tried gaming
with the machine, and both Half Life 2 (TF2) and C&C 3 both run playably, but at mid-to-low
graphics settings.
What i'd like to do is upgrade my HTPC and server to be able to play 720p content flawlessly
without the need of CoreAVC, as well as be able to play most modern games (i don't need it to
play crysis at the highest settings, just be able to run Team Fortress 2 and the upcoming Red
Alert 3 well). If at all possible, i'd like to preserve some existing hardware to keep costs
down, but i'm not above scrapping the whole thing and rebuilding from scratch.
I haven't built a machine in forever, so i'm not really up on the latest hardware in terms of
motherboards/cpus and video cards. I read a lot about the ati HD cards performance in video
playback...how does it do for gaming? Would i need to get a separate card and link the two for
that? Also, should i go 64-bit? Dual core? Is dual core overkill?
I put it to you, Mediaportal peeps...help me out!