My new & really cheap HTPC (1 Viewer)

[Spragleknas]

Here is what I bought to make a cheap and "OK" HTPC (all pricing in Norwegian kroners - see below for NewEgg price):

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ 65 nm
474,-

Antec NSK2480 - Review of earlier modell (2480 got a better PSU)
723,-

Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H - Review
484,-

Hauppauge WINTV PVR150 (We like Hauppauge)
648,-

Kingston ValueRAM DDR2-667 1GB (CHEAP)
141,-

Nec AD-7173 (SATA) (CHEAP)
265,-

Western Digital Caviar SE16 500 GB S-ATA AAKS (SILENT AND CHEAP)
736,-

TOTAL: 3471,-
Pricegrabber: http://prisguide.hardware.no/vis_handlevogn.php?waggon_id=58339

Price simular HW @ NewEgg 445 $ (including remote/IR for PVR)


To do/buy:
nVidia 8400/8500/8600 (probably 8500) 65nm to FORCE 50 Hz!
Get decent CPU fan
--> later: BD/HD-drive?


Summary:
+ Great rig when you consider price/performance. The NSK 2480 does not look great, but it is hidden inside my IKEA TV-bench, so...
+ Low noise

Notes:
The Gigabyte board requires angled s-ata cables (well, you can use normal, but it's not recommended).

- Impossible (?) to force 50HZ @ 1080P
- Drivers after 7.2 screws up skins like XFace
- Tendency to A/V sync issues when watching TV w/DXVA enabled


... more to come.

 

[THDBASED]

I have the exact same case and I like it so you won't be disappointed! I like the fact that it is very very silent even PSU fan you can't here!

 

[Spragleknas]

After playing around with this setup a couple of weeks, I must say that I am a happy with it except for the driver/skin-bugs with all integrated X1250 boards.