how much power do you really need . . .
When making your selection between different PC vendors and models, one of the first factors to consider is just how much processing power and memory you need, how much hard disk space you want, and what extras are important to you. The answers to these questions depend on exactly how you're going to use your Media Center PC.
Processing Power
Media applications include some processor-intensive operations, so Media Center PCs benefit from high-end processors. Whereas 1 GHz is recommended in the base specifications, software encoding for Windows XP MCE 2004 requires more power. It's recommended that your Media Center PC have a processor speed of 3 GHz or better for the best media experience.
Most Media Center PCs on the market run Pentium 4 processors. However, MCE computers can also be built on AMD Athlon processors. The 64-bit processors can provide superior multimedia delivery, and some custom builders are offering Media Center PCs based on the Athlon 64 processor.
System Memory
When it comes to system memory, more is better -- and this is especially true when you're working with memory-intensive applications such as video. The more multitasking you do, the more memory you need. If you intend to do a lot of multitasking on the Media Center PC, you should get a system with 512 MB to 1 GB of system memory.
It's also a good idea to find out about the upgradeability of memory before you buy a system. Future operating system upgrades or applications that you may want to install can make more memory desirable or necessary. Find out how many memory slots the computer's motherboard has, the capacity of each, and how many are already installed. For example, a computer with four slots that will each hold up to 1 GB of memory is a better deal if it comes with a single 1 GB DIMM (dual inline memory module) installed, rather than four 256 MB DIMMs installed, because you have three empty slots left for expansion. Media Center PCs typically have two to four DIMM slots for easy expandability.
Hard Disks
The amount of disk space you need depends on the types of files you want to store on your Media Center PC.
Music Files
The size of a music file depends on the bit rate at which it's recorded and the format in which it's saved. The higher the bit rate, the higher the quality of the sound.
MIDI, MP3, and WMA song files are relatively small (2 to 10 MB each). WAV files are much larger (typically around 50 MB for the average song).
Digital Photo Files
Digital photo files can range from a few kilobytes to hundreds of megabytes, depending on several factors:
The resolution at which the picture was taken. A low resolution photo (for example, 640 x 480) has a smaller file size than a high resolution (for example, 1280 x 960).
The format in which the picture is saved. For example, TIF (.giff or tif, Tagged Image Format) and BMP (.bmb, bitmap) files are much larger than GIF (.gif, Graphic Interchange Format) and JPEG (. jpg, Joint Photographic Experts Group) files. That's because the latter file types compress the data to reduce the file size.
Compression reduces the quality of a photo, as well as reducing the file size. Highly compressed files may appear blurry or distorted in places when examined closely.
Video and TV Files
Video files are often several GBs in size because they contain so much information. For example, an AVI file consists of multiple frames (still images) shown in fast sequence. An uncompressed video file can use up to 1 GB for each minute of video.
Most video files are compressed to reduce the files to a manageable size. Compression reduces the quality of the video.
Media Center allows you to save recorded TV at different compression rates. You must determine the tradeoff you're willing to make in file size versus picture quality. At high quality, a 30-minute TV program requires about 1.5 GB of disk space. Media Center allows you to decide between four quality settings, Fair, Good, Better, and Best.
Recommended Disk Capacity
If you plan to record and save a lot of movie videos and/or TV programs, look for a Media Center PC with a hard disk capacity of at least 200 GB. You'll be surprised how quickly a huge disk fills up!
Luckily, Media Center allows you to configure how much of the disk is allocated for recording. If you have multiple disks installed, you can select which drive should be used for recording, and Media Center informs you of the amount of unused recording time left on the desk.
If the recording capacity is reached, Media Center deletes older recorded programs to make room for new scheduled ones. You can also set Media Center to automatically delete programs after one week, until they've been watched, or until you delete them.
Hardware Extras
Most Media Center PCs come with combination CD/DVD players or recorders. High-speed recorders make saving those songs, pictures, videos, and TV programs to CD go faster.
Another extra you might want to look for is a built-in flash memory reader. This makes it easier to transfer files from your digital camera, digital camcorder, or MP3 player or just watch or listen to them on the Media Center PC without copying the files to the Media Center PC's hard disk. The best readers handle multiple flash memory formats. However, if your favorite Media Center PC doesn't come with a flash reader, you can easily add one via the USB port.
That brings us to another consideration: number of USB and/or IEEE 1394 ports. Some USB devices (such as some USB scanners and printers) don't work well when plugged into a USB hub; they need to be plugged directly into the computer's USB port. For this reason, it makes sense to get a computer that has as many USB ports as possible. A minimum of four is a good rule. Systems that have some of the USB and IEEE 1394 ports on the front make it easier for you to quickly attach and detach devices that you don't want to connect to the Media Center PC permanently, such as flash readers or external hard disks that you want to move between computers.
Interoperability: Make Sure You Have the Right Connections
An important consideration in buying a Media Center PC is to ensure that the system has the correct connection ports for hooking up to your TV, home audio or home theater system, home network, and other components to which you want to connect the PC.
Display Connectors
Check the video card's output ports to be sure that you can connect to the TV or monitor of your choice. For example, if you have a monitor with DVI inputs, you want to be sure the video card has a DVI output port. Even though some monitors accept both analog and digital signals, the digital signal gives a superior quality and you would be wasting some of the capability of your expensive monitor if you're forced to use an analog connection between it and the computer.
Audio Connectors
For the best sound quality, you want digital optical or digital coaxial connectors to connect the Media Center PC to your home theater system. If you plan to use your TV's speaker system, you probably need to connect via RCA (Radio Corporation of America)-type stereo audio plugs (typically color coded red and white).
Network Connectors
If you plan to connect your Media Center PC to your home LAN, look for a Media Center PC that includes an Ethernet connector (an RJ-45 jack), either on a NIC or built into the motherboard (on-board NIC). The NIC should support at least 10/100 Ethernet (this refers to the data transfer speed); gigabit Ethernet (1000 Mbps) is even better for future upgradeability.
If the computer doesn't include built-in Ethernet, or if you need to use the built-in Ethernet connector to hook up the Media Center PC to a DSL or cable modem and you also want to connect it to your home LAN, there are several ways to accomplish this:
- Install a second Ethernet NIC in a PCI slot (be sure the Media Center PC has an empty PCI slot).
- Connect a USB Ethernet NIC to a USB port.
- Install a wireless NIC -- either PCI or USB.
- If you're using a wireless 802.11 NIC and a wireless keyboard and mouse that use RF signaling, you probably don't have to worry about interference because the wireless NIC uses the 2.4 GHz frequency, and wireless input devices usually use the 900 MHz frequency.
Form Factor: Tower, Cube, Desktop, Rack Component, or All-In-One?
The physical form factor is often more important when selecting a Media Center PC than when selecting PCs for other purposes. There's no one best form factor, because it depends on where your Media Center PC will be located and how you plan to use it. This section covers the five common form factors:
Tower
Desktop
Cube
Rack component
All-in-one
Tower
The tower configuration, including its smaller sized counterpart, the minitower, is the most common PC form factor today. It works well in traditional computer furniture, where there's often a compartment designed specifically to fit its tall, slim profile. A tower case is also relatively easy to work in. If you plan to open the case often to add or switch out components, this can be an important consideration.
Tower cases come in many sizes and colors; some are even transparent to let you see everything that's going on inside the system (these are available from custom system builders). Towers, especially full towers, are relatively difficult to carry around, so if you plan to move the PC from place to place, you might want to consider a more compact form factor.
The taller the tower, the more components, such as extra hard disks or extra CD/DVD drives, it can hold. Full towers often have six or more full size drive bays, whereas minitowers usually have two to four.
Desktop
The desktop form factor is generally about the size of a small tower system lying on its side. It takes more desk or table surface space than a tower, but because of its short height, it might fit more easily into home entertainment furniture.
The technical difference between a tower and desktop layout is that in a tower, the motherboard stands up vertically within the case, and in a desktop the board lies horizontally, usually on the bottom of the case.
Cube
The cube form factor is like an extremely short tower, only slighter taller than it is wide. However, the cube is technically a variant of the desktop, because the compact motherboard lies horizontally in the bottom.
Cube cases are also sometimes referred to as toaster cases because they're about the size and shape of a large toaster. Shuttle, AMS, and other manufacturers make these cases. They're often sold as bare-bones systems with the motherboard and power supply installed; system builders then add additional components and install the operating system.
Some cubes are designed specifically as multimedia PCs and have controls on the front similar to those on audio components. Because of their small size, they fit more comfortably into a home audio or home theater system than towers do. Some cubes are made with handles on the top, making them easy to move from one location to another.
Rack Component
A rack component is designed to fit into a rack of components stacked on top of one another. One type of rack-style PC is the server that fits into a bank of servers. Rack-style Media Center PCs are designed to fit in a rack of audio/video components. This means they measure the same standard width as the typical stereo or home theater receiver, home DVD or CD player, TV set-top box, and so on.
Like cubes, rack components are technically desktops in that their motherboards lie horizontally inside the case. Rack components fit best into the home theater environment, but because their cases are small, they may be more difficult to work with when it comes to opening the case and adding memory, disks, and so on. In fact, many rack-style PCs don't have room for extra hard disks internally; you have to use external (USB or IEEE 1394) drives if you want to add disk space.
All-In-One
An all-in-one Media Center PC has the system components, monitor, and keyboard all joined in one physical piece of equipment. This can make for a very compact package and is especially good for dorm rooms and small apartments where space is at a premium. The all-in-one system is also very sleek and futuristic in appearance and makes a more stylish addition to a room's décor than several separate components.
Disadvantages of the all-in-one system include difficulty in moving it around because of its large size and odd shape. Another disadvantage is that if one component, such as the monitor, fails, you can't just easily replace that one component.
Portability: You Can Take It With You
If you like to listen to or watch your multimedia files when you're on the go, you might forego all of the form factors discussed on this lesson's previous page and opt for a portable solution: a Media Center laptop PC or a portable Media Center.
Media Center Laptops
Because laptop or notebook computers traditionally are not as powerful as PCs designed to stay in one place, only a few vendors offer mobile computers with Windows XP MCE installed. These also tend to be more expensive than other Media Center PCs.
However, mobile computers have recently been catching up with home and office PCs in terms of processing power and memory capabilities, and fairly large hard disks are now available for portable computers. This has resulted in the birth of the entertainment notebook. This is a portable computer with all the same hardware specs (3.0+ GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512 MB or more of RAM, and one or two 80 GB hard disks) as any other Media Center PC. The notebooks also usually come with built-in high-speed wireless NICs and graphics cards capable of HDTV and Dolby surround sound output.
Selecting a Media Center Laptop
If you'll be using your Media Center laptop on the road most of the time, rather than connecting it to a TV and sound system, view and listen to the types of files you'll be using before you buy. Remember that with a tower, desktop, cube, or rack PC, you can replace the sound card or connect to a better display if you need to. It's not as easy to do that with a portable.
You might also want to consider a laptop with a wide-screen (16:9 aspect ratio) display if you plan to watch a lot of DVD movies on the laptop -- the bigger the screen, the better. You can get Media Center laptops with 17-inch screens. Of course, this adds to the size and weight of the computer and reduces its portability somewhat.
Portable Media Centers
What's the difference between a Portable Media Center and a portable computer that runs Windows XP MCE? Price, for one thing. A portable computer with the power to function as a Media Center PC is likely to cost more than $2,000, whereas a Portable Media Center device costs around $500. It's also more compact than most notebook computers and smaller than any portable computer that comes with the Media Center operating system installed. Portable Media Centers weigh about 1 pound.
The Portable Media Center does not run a version of Windows XP; it's based on Windows CE. It gives you the same interface as the Media Center application running on MCE, but the Portable Media Center is designed as a dedicated entertainment device -- you can't use it (as you can an MCE-based notebook) to do word processing, spreadsheets, and run other productivity applications.
Consider a Portable Media Center if you want a more compact, less expensive device for entertainment purposes only. If you want a full-fledged computer to take with you, to share both entertainment and productivity tasks, an MCE-based laptop is a better choice.
