Hi All,
I've been reading your threads with interest, and am now posting my proposed system. I am currently living in Singapore where hardware is readily available to me, but will be moving to Brazil, where it will not be available (almost impossible to import it once living there without paying silly money in import tax, bribes etc.)
My proposed system is intended to meet my needs for the next 3-4 years, so I have to get it right while I am here in Singapore. It will be used to draw content from a local file server (MPEG4, MP3, JPEG, TIFF), work as a PVR too and of course display TV from a satellite decoder system in Brazil. Initially I won't have the file server, hence the large HDD size - also, I can fill this case full of SATA drives and not pay duty on them if they are pre-owned, so will use them as spares:
Case: Zalman HD160-XT PLUS Case (Silver) x1
Motherboard: Asus P5W DH Deluxe Motherboard (Crossfire) x1
Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 775 2.4Ghz CPU x1
Graphics: NVida 8600GT x1
TV-Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV PVR 350 x1
RAM: PC5300 DDR2 1024Mb x4
HDD: Seagate 500Gb Barracuda NCQ 7200.10 (SATA) x4
DVD/CD-ROM: Samsung S183A SATA Black DVD-RW x1
PSU: Zalman ZM600-HP Heatpipe Cooled 600W Modular PSU x1
Cooling: Zalman CNPS8700 LED CPU Fan x1
Software: Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit DVD OEM x1
Media Software: MediaPortal - latest version
EDIT: I'm probably going to be told this is over-spec'd for HTPC, but I don't want to limit myself just to HTPC on this, given I don't know when I will be able to upgrade or replace it, as I don't know what the future uses of it will be. I may be running all sorts of other applications of this one day. I will have 1 desktop PC, but it's a P4 Shuttle XPC from 2003!
Cooling is an issue, as both countries are hot - humidty is also an issue with both countries - short of throwing packets of silica gel in the case, I don't know how to combat this, or if it matters - anyone from countries with 90%+ humidty here? The Zalman case seems to have good airflow though.
Although I am not really into gaming, I might want to play a game on this now and again, displayed on the TV screen - what's the general rule on graphics cards for this?
Also, what is the general consensus on 2 x TV cards or 1 x Dual TV Card? My thoughts were that if one fails the system is still partly usable in Brazil while I await a replacement (or a visitor bringing one)
On software - I woud rather have Windows XP 64-bit, but need to think of the future support. What's the feeling on Vista - is it usable yet, or is it a major pain still? Do I really need the business version, or is the home version ok? From past experience in the work-place, the 'business' version of Windows was always better supported than the 'home' versions'. (Dare I say it here, I considered Linux MCE Software but do still prefer Windows).
I'd appreciate your feedback on these points, or any general comments on the proposed hardware - I will be posting progress on this build here over the next few months.
I've been reading your threads with interest, and am now posting my proposed system. I am currently living in Singapore where hardware is readily available to me, but will be moving to Brazil, where it will not be available (almost impossible to import it once living there without paying silly money in import tax, bribes etc.)
My proposed system is intended to meet my needs for the next 3-4 years, so I have to get it right while I am here in Singapore. It will be used to draw content from a local file server (MPEG4, MP3, JPEG, TIFF), work as a PVR too and of course display TV from a satellite decoder system in Brazil. Initially I won't have the file server, hence the large HDD size - also, I can fill this case full of SATA drives and not pay duty on them if they are pre-owned, so will use them as spares:
Case: Zalman HD160-XT PLUS Case (Silver) x1
Motherboard: Asus P5W DH Deluxe Motherboard (Crossfire) x1
Processor: Intel Core 2 DUO E6600 775 2.4Ghz CPU x1
Graphics: NVida 8600GT x1
TV-Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV PVR 350 x1
RAM: PC5300 DDR2 1024Mb x4
HDD: Seagate 500Gb Barracuda NCQ 7200.10 (SATA) x4
DVD/CD-ROM: Samsung S183A SATA Black DVD-RW x1
PSU: Zalman ZM600-HP Heatpipe Cooled 600W Modular PSU x1
Cooling: Zalman CNPS8700 LED CPU Fan x1
Software: Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit DVD OEM x1
Media Software: MediaPortal - latest version
EDIT: I'm probably going to be told this is over-spec'd for HTPC, but I don't want to limit myself just to HTPC on this, given I don't know when I will be able to upgrade or replace it, as I don't know what the future uses of it will be. I may be running all sorts of other applications of this one day. I will have 1 desktop PC, but it's a P4 Shuttle XPC from 2003!
Cooling is an issue, as both countries are hot - humidty is also an issue with both countries - short of throwing packets of silica gel in the case, I don't know how to combat this, or if it matters - anyone from countries with 90%+ humidty here? The Zalman case seems to have good airflow though.
Although I am not really into gaming, I might want to play a game on this now and again, displayed on the TV screen - what's the general rule on graphics cards for this?
Also, what is the general consensus on 2 x TV cards or 1 x Dual TV Card? My thoughts were that if one fails the system is still partly usable in Brazil while I await a replacement (or a visitor bringing one)
On software - I woud rather have Windows XP 64-bit, but need to think of the future support. What's the feeling on Vista - is it usable yet, or is it a major pain still? Do I really need the business version, or is the home version ok? From past experience in the work-place, the 'business' version of Windows was always better supported than the 'home' versions'. (Dare I say it here, I considered Linux MCE Software but do still prefer Windows).
I'd appreciate your feedback on these points, or any general comments on the proposed hardware - I will be posting progress on this build here over the next few months.