Hi guys. I finally have a HTPC. Merry Christmas to me. Thought I’d share my experience for the good of all mankind.
The Hardware:
Mobo: Asus M2NPV-VM micro ATX with onboard Gf6150 - eyo.com.au
CPU: AMD Athlon64 X2 4200+ Dual Core Low Voltage - pricepoint.com.au
HDD: Western Digital SATA2 320GB - eyo.com.au
RAM: Corsair 2 x 512MB DDR2 PC-6400 -
www.eyo.com.au
Tuner: Hauppage Nova-T-500 Dual Digital - auspcmarket.com.au
Case: CoolerMaster CM260 with iMon VFD and remote - auspcmarket.com.au
DVD: Pioneer DVR-111 – eyo.com.au
Keyboard: MS MCE IR. – eyo.com.au
The Software:
MCE2005 RU2 with Vista upgrade coupon - pricepoint.com.au
BladeRunnerPro 3.5 with OzTivoExtreme
Nvidia decoder
K-Lite codec pack
AnyDVD (for region coding removal)
Total cost, just over $1800 including delivery.
Existing TV:
Panasonic Viera 42” HD Plasma, connected via VGA @ 1376 x 768
The Case:
I’ve been very keen on a slimline HTPC that looks good. I was almost going to buy a Shuttle M2000 except the cost deterred me ($2500+) and had concerns about its upgradeability due to proprietary components. I finally settled on the CoolerMaster CM260 which is the closest to a slimline case that still allows common parts like a full size DVD drive etc. Not quite as nice as an M2000, but will save $700! WAF already increasing .
Motherboard:
I chose the Asus mobo for socket AM2 because of the onboard Gf6150 which is better for HDTV, it has DVI, VGA, Composite, HD Audio and I like AMD CPU’s, cheaper compared to Core Duo, Less heat compared to P4.
Of course, I dig any mobo that comes from an Asus factory.
HDD:
A Western digital HDD was chosen based on one guys opinion, so I hope it pays off, so far it has. 320GB was the largest size available before the cost starts to climb excessively.
RAM:
For Ram, I had a choice of 2GB of PC-5400 (667MHz) or 1GB of PC-6400 (800MHz) for the same $$$. I went for the latter for a faster FSB, and I can always upgrade to more ram later. You can’t upgrade slow ram, you can only throw it out.
Tuner:
Due to restrictions of the mobo and case combo, I wasn’t going to be able to use a DNTV Dual Hybrid PCI-e tuner like I wanted to, so I had to settle for a PCI tuner, I went for the hauppage Dual tuner. Although it has been flamed in the forums here, I believe newer versions of the card/driver resolve many issues. So far it has performed well.
The Experience:
Once it was all together and running, there were times when I thought I should have just bought a PVR and STB and saved $1000! Some things were a bit flakey, the CPU was reaching a scorching 70degC when in the TV cabinet with the door closed, and Digital SD TV kept stuttering and HDTV was unwatchable. I also had several BSOD’s.! Hadn’t seen once of those for years! The MS keyboard also doesn’t work with the iMon IR receiver. Scaling the picture to the TV was also difficult and still not quite right.
There is not much I can do about the digital reception since I live in a shadow of a hill, can’t blame that on MCE and a STB was not any better. I simply don’t bother with HDTV and most stuff on FTA is crap anyway. Thank God for the internet.
I also discovered the AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet feature which once enabled, has lowered the CPU temp by 10degC. Yippee. Things are looking up. I still keep a cabinet door open though, because that makes a difference.
I then added the EPG using BladeRunner and that sealed the deal. HTPC was here to stay!!! I don’t know what the TV networks are thinking, but without an EPG, a HTPC is only half as good IMO. I’m boycotting channel 9, they suck anyway .
BSOD’s have disappeared. Not sure why, they just have. Fingers crossed they don’t return.
I suspected the MS keyboard would not work with iMon from info in these forums, but I took a chance to save a few bucks since the iMon VFD comes with a remote, I skimped on the MS remote and receiver. I’ll be getting one of those real soon. Only $55 anyway.
The HTPC is now cruising along almost flawlessly. Not bad for a first go. If I did it again I would probably go for a slightly bigger case so I could use a PCI-e tuner and PCI-e plug in Video card. It is also quite toasty warm inside.
WAF: Moderately high
Mission accomplished.
sounds like a great box
