Help w/my HTPC build

[Spartan]

This is my first HTPC build and I have a few questions on parts and how every thing will go together. I guess let me start with the build...

CPU- 6600 (already have)
Mobo- Striker Extreme (already have)
RAM- 2 gigs Corsair (already have)
GPU- EN8800 GTX (already have but should I go with another?)
HDD- Western Digital 1 terabyte
Sound- Auzen Prelude http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829156005
KB/Mouse- diNovio mini 920 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126039
Remote- Harmony One http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16880111006
Optical- Samsung SH-s203bw http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151154
Case- Silverstone http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163106
O/S- XP Pro and BeyondTV

Ok now the questions....
Should I replace the video card?
What capture card? I am leaning towards a Hauppage 350 but really need some advice on this.
Do I need more than one tuner card to be able to record more than one program at a time?
What am I missing guys? :)

I have a good Thermaltake PSU but may pick up a quieter one, will probably use a quiet Zalman CPU cooler, may upgrade to a Blu Ray, have an IR engine picked out but don't have those notes in front of me.

My purpose here is to record, archieve, pause, and playback TV and movies as well as play movies stored on my NAS. Am I hitting the mark with this build or am I better off buying a Tivo? Will I be able to record pay per view events like UFC fights?

-Spartan

[Tin]

If this isnt a gaming HTPC build youre going way overkill. My HTPC uses a 3800+ X2, HD3450, Chaintech AV-710, 1GB of memory, Hauppage HVR-1800, and a mess of hard drives....works great without a hiccup. HTPCs arent as demanding as a gaming computer, you could easily use hardware thats 3+ years old no problem. For my front end, I use Media Portal...its free and highly customizable. Instead of spending a ton on a mouse and keyboard, I use the Logitech Mediaboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16879212011&Tpk=mediaboard). It says its for PS3, but you can get a bluetooth dongle and use it as a PC keyboard as well, comes with a laptop-like touchpad as a pointing device. It works great, dont break the bank, and its bluetooth, so you wont get any interference like you would with an RF device. Also, which Thermaltake PSU do you have laying around? Most of the Thermaltakes wouldnt power your intended system very reliably...unless its of the Toughpower series. You would need multiple cards to record multiple channels unless you get a card that supports it.

[Spartan]

This will be a dedicated HTPC. The mobo, cpu, vid card etc. are just laying around so I thought I would put them to work. The diNovio KB/mouse I like just for the cool factor :) The Thermaltake is a Toughpower 850 which I will most likely replace for something smaller and quieter.

I will check out Media Portal and that tuner card. How do you have it connected to your cable service?

-Spartan

[Tin]

I just run the cable from the wall to it, because itll only do 125 channels anyway. You could hook your cable box to it if you wish.

[Freakitchen]

Will noise be an issue for you? I recently set up an HTPC for myself, and the majority of the effort involved came with getting noise down to an absolute minimum. What I'd normally class as a quiet computer was anything but quiet when installed on my TV stand, you just don't expect to hear the whoosh of fans in that environment.

I bought a dedicated Antec HTPC case (NSK 2400 I think) and a passively cooled video card - an ATI 3450 - for zero noise (small fans on video cards tend to be louder than you think). I then enabled the CPU fan speed controls on the motherboard that took the CPU fan down from 3200RPM to 1600 - this made a HUGE difference. Now it's hardly audible with this and two 120mm case fans set to low. Just thought I'd mention this to you - the 8800GTX is a gaming card and as such won't necessarily have been engineered for quiet operation.

[Spartan]

Just thought I'd mention this to you - the 8800GTX is a gaming card and as such won't necessarily have been engineered for quiet operation.

Good points and yes I would like to get it as quiet as reasonably possible. I am more than willing to replace the GPU and was even considering one like this

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121077

-Spartan

[Freakitchen]

Well obviously you've already picked out an HTPC case, very expensive but no doubting Silverstone's pedigree here. Just have a look at some of the lower priced options....you could build an HTPC from scratch for $700! It's also huge....it took me a while to find a compact TV stand with dimensions that would fit the Antec case that I bought. Make sure it fits where you want it go, with obvious clearance at the back for cables and airflow.

Since you have existing components, its worth giving them a try. Making a silent computer can be a bit of a bug thing, as soon as you've silenced one component, you start to hear a different one that you previously thought was silent enough! Unless you're wanting to game with this machine, consider getting the lowest powered passively cooled card you can that is designed for HD media playback - ATI is probably your best bet here.

I've done a lot of research into tuner hardware, but my knowlege is very much skewed towards my side of the pond, and I'm largely unfamiliar with USA TV standards. But general rules are that you need a dual tuner card, or two separate tuners, to watch/record two programs simultaneously. Have a look at Hauppauge's 'HVR' range of hybrid cards - they have dual tuners, one analogue and one digital. The 1800 is top-of-the-range.

http://hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr1800.html

I wrote this somewhat basic article a while back for PC Mech, it may or may not tell you what you already know!

http://www.pcmech.com/article/choosing-a-tv-tuner-card-for-your-computer/

[Spartan]

I chose the Silverstone case after seeing some good reviews and I like the touch screen just because it looks neat lol.

I read the spec on the 1800 and if I am understanding correctly it is a dual tuner combining NTSC and ATSC/QAM one one card. If I want to watch one analog channel and record 2 programs on other analog channels would I need 2 1800's? Am I going to run into any conflicts running 2 cards? I am assuming I would run 1 coax and use a splitter at the HTPC to provide signal to both inputs on the card correct?

Nice job on the article, it was a good read :)

-Spartan



But general rules are that you need a dual tuner card, or two separate tuners, to watch/record two programs simultaneously. Have a look at Hauppauge's 'HVR' range of hybrid cards - they have dual tuners, one analogue and one digital. The 1800 is top-of-the-range.

I wrote this somewhat basic article a while back for PC Mech, it may or may not tell you what you already know!

http://www.pcmech.com/article/choosing-a-tv-tuner-card-for-your-computer/

[Tin]

I chose the Silverstone case after seeing some good reviews and I like the touch screen just because it looks neat lol.

I read the spec on the 1800 and if I am understanding correctly it is a dual tuner combining NTSC and ATSC/QAM one one card. If I want to watch one analog channel and record 2 programs on other analog channels would I need 2 1800's? Am I going to run into any conflicts running 2 cards? I am assuming I would run 1 coax and use a splitter at the HTPC to provide signal to both inputs on the card correct?

Nice job on the article, it was a good read :)

-Spartan
Most of the good media center software has support for multiple tuners.

[alanebro82]

I realize this is a few days old... but I think you misunderstood what Hauppauge meant when they said "dual tuners."

One tuner is for analog only.
One tuner is for digital (atsc/qam) only.

So in order to watch 1 analog channel and record 2 others on other analog channels, you would actually need 3 cards.

Also, about the splitter. Whenever you split a signal, it obviously loses power. This can result in poor video quality. Especially if you get 2+ cards and split it 4+ ways, you will need an externally powered splitter/amplifier in order for your signal quality to not degrade drastically.

Some extra info. (http://www.swhowto.com/VideoLoss.htm)