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<blockquote data-quote="wickyman" data-source="post: 378262" data-attributes="member: 87955"><p>Hi, after some tinkering I managed to get my media center up and running and was so impressed with it, I had to build another one <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite8" alt=":D" title="Big Grin :D" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":D" /> This 2nd version is using retail parts rather than what I had laying around, and its turned out quite well so far. Given the hardware limitations that exist with the components I used, it'll have some trouble dealing with high bitrate 1080p, but as the TV its connected to is 720p and most of the content it'll be viewing is standard TV recordings (recorded from another box), it doesnt really impact the usability of the media center at this time.</p><p></p><p>Specs:</p><p>Case - Apex MW-100 mini ITX</p><p>PSU - 60w DC-DC with external brick (included with case)</p><p>Mobo - Intel D945GCLF2</p><p>CPU - Embedded Intel Atom 330 (1.6 DC w/ HT)</p><p>Memory - 2gb Kingston DDR2 800 (low profile)</p><p>Hard Drive - PQI 32gb SSD (intel NAND)</p><p>Optical - LiteON slim SATA (DS-8A2S-A01)</p><p></p><p>OS - Windows XP Home SP3</p><p>Software - Media Portal 1.0</p><p>Remote/Receiver - Windows MCE 2005 receiver, Anyware GV-IR01WT remote</p><p></p><p>This media center acts as a streaming front end device to keep things simple. There is no TV tuner as I have a system that does my recording and I then edit out the ads and place them on my servers. All the media accessed through this device is stored on 2 separate servers, totaling ~20 TB worth of storage overall. The main server is a past project of mine, and is basically a data dump inside a lian li 343b, with 24 hard drives.</p><p></p><p>As this little media center has few moving parts it is very quiet. The only fan in the PC is the northbridge cooling fan on the motherboard, which is a 40mm fan. It is not noticeable when you are using the system and in sleep mode the fans are disabled, but I think I may end up swapping the cooling unit for a passive heatsink if only to have no moving parts. Honestly I cant even hear it with the box right next to me, so across the room it may as well be called dead silent.</p><p></p><p>On board video and audio are decent enough, but I would honestly much prefer to see Intel release an Atom based system with a better chipset and onboard features. Nvidia's Ion platform looks to be a real winner, as its Atom 330 + Geforce 9400M but so far it is absent from the market place. I am intersted in VIA's Nano platforms, but dont have my review sample yet to compare it to the Atom. My immediate thought would be that the Nano would be a better choice given that its more powerful and VX800 and CN896 are much better chipsets than 945GSE used on the D945GCLF2...but then again its hard to say a $80 atom combo is a bad deal when you'll pay twice that for the nano platforms.</p><p></p><p>Pictures:</p><p><img src="http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-1.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p><img src="http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p><img src="http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p><img src="http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-4.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>===</p><p>total cost:</p><p>~$350 retail</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="wickyman, post: 378262, member: 87955"] Hi, after some tinkering I managed to get my media center up and running and was so impressed with it, I had to build another one :D This 2nd version is using retail parts rather than what I had laying around, and its turned out quite well so far. Given the hardware limitations that exist with the components I used, it'll have some trouble dealing with high bitrate 1080p, but as the TV its connected to is 720p and most of the content it'll be viewing is standard TV recordings (recorded from another box), it doesnt really impact the usability of the media center at this time. Specs: Case - Apex MW-100 mini ITX PSU - 60w DC-DC with external brick (included with case) Mobo - Intel D945GCLF2 CPU - Embedded Intel Atom 330 (1.6 DC w/ HT) Memory - 2gb Kingston DDR2 800 (low profile) Hard Drive - PQI 32gb SSD (intel NAND) Optical - LiteON slim SATA (DS-8A2S-A01) OS - Windows XP Home SP3 Software - Media Portal 1.0 Remote/Receiver - Windows MCE 2005 receiver, Anyware GV-IR01WT remote This media center acts as a streaming front end device to keep things simple. There is no TV tuner as I have a system that does my recording and I then edit out the ads and place them on my servers. All the media accessed through this device is stored on 2 separate servers, totaling ~20 TB worth of storage overall. The main server is a past project of mine, and is basically a data dump inside a lian li 343b, with 24 hard drives. As this little media center has few moving parts it is very quiet. The only fan in the PC is the northbridge cooling fan on the motherboard, which is a 40mm fan. It is not noticeable when you are using the system and in sleep mode the fans are disabled, but I think I may end up swapping the cooling unit for a passive heatsink if only to have no moving parts. Honestly I cant even hear it with the box right next to me, so across the room it may as well be called dead silent. On board video and audio are decent enough, but I would honestly much prefer to see Intel release an Atom based system with a better chipset and onboard features. Nvidia's Ion platform looks to be a real winner, as its Atom 330 + Geforce 9400M but so far it is absent from the market place. I am intersted in VIA's Nano platforms, but dont have my review sample yet to compare it to the Atom. My immediate thought would be that the Nano would be a better choice given that its more powerful and VX800 and CN896 are much better chipsets than 945GSE used on the D945GCLF2...but then again its hard to say a $80 atom combo is a bad deal when you'll pay twice that for the nano platforms. Pictures: [IMG]http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-1.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-2.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-3.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://www.wonderllamaproductions.com/uploads/mw100-4.jpg[/IMG] === total cost: ~$350 retail [/QUOTE]
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