Building again...can't wait!

[inflames988]

OK, so ive made a little money this summer, and my parents are going to give me a little help, so i should have enough money to build my media center PC! This PC is going to be used in my house and while im at college.

the first stage of this build is going to be getting the PC built and ready to go. i will buy main components first (OS, HDD, mobo, PSU, CPU, case, ram,, maybe a vid card), then later will buy small things to finish up the build (more hdds, another DVD drive (already have a +=RW), case accessories, and of course some CCFLs, fan grilles, etc).

the firsrt part is guna be the hardest. ive been otu of the PC building loop for a while, dont really know what components to buy.

1.) have XP MCE

2.) be able to play movies stored on hard drive, record tv, and hook up an XBOX or other console (it would be nice if i coudl play music and movies by REMOTE.)

2.) have plenty of HDD space (i plan to find a way to backup all my DVD's onto my hard drive. that way i can leave the movies at home, and still watch them while i'm at college). i currently have two 80 gigs and a 250 gig in this computer, i will move the 250 gig (internal ATA), and ONE of the 80 gigs (external ATA), but i would like to get more hard drives (probably one or two to start) in the 300 gig+ range, with the fastest SATA technology possible (not sure, is this SATA II?) try to keep total spending on hard drives around $200.

3.) mobo- needs to be AMD. would like to have the newest tech available. im guessing i wont be able to use the old videocard from my current PC (AGP 8x), which is fine. i would like to have at least 3 pci slots if possible--one for TV tuner, one for wireless card, one for my audigy 2 ZS card. need plenty of SATA ports, i always need more HDD space. i have always wanted a lanparty board, but just cuz they look cool lol, maybe asus is better.

4.) CPU- again, newer tech is good, looking for AMD, not sure whats best for this application...help me out. $150-250 range is good.

5.) new gfx card? im not sure how the graphics technology is working these days...is SLI limited to nVIDIA cards? i just want one gfx card to start anyway. $100-150 range is good. surprisingly i dont need an incredible gfx card, i dont game much.

6.) tuner card (i have a tuner card taht i never got to work on my PC, but its not for MCE, so ill need a new one. something basic that works is all i need) my friend has a simple one that works well im gunna ask him.

7.) case -- i need something new. a litlte bit bigger then my antec super lanboy woul dbe nice, but not much bigger--dorm rooms are tight! im kinda too picky about cases, cant find anything i want. i want something with drive trays for the HDD's (like the lanboy has), decent amt of space, i dont want a front door ( i hate the one on the lanboy) BUT i would like to have those little hinged doors that hide the cd drives (because i can never get CD drives to match my case)

8.) RAM -- 1 or 2 gigs to start. probably 2 since buying the 2 paks is cheaper. doesnt really matter much what brand--OCZ, corsair, mushkin, kingston (anything good/reliable). not sure what kind of ram my mobo will need since i aint picked it out yet! lol

9.) PSU-- something to handle all this, and more.

if anyone wants to get me started with ideas, im really most confused about mobo/cpu/ram/gfx. wish i could use my old AGP card but i dont think itll work

lol speaking of college, this bad boy will also be used for...homework! who'd have thought. as well as web browsing, etc.

[warriorlax21]

Yo talk to me you bitzach. I got all the good ideas

[blue60007]

Before we start - what is your budget?

That'll make a big difference in our recommendations.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by warriorlax21 Yo talk to me you bitzach. I got all the good ideas

haha since when are you on this site man? get your dual core going yet?

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by blue60007 Before we start - what is your budget? That'll make a big difference in our recommendations.

i want to stay around/under $1000 for the main parts -- mobo cpu ram psu (one or two) hard drives case tuner card and i guess ill have to get a new vid card since AGP is out

[jimmyrules712]

so I don't post it all again, read my thread HERE

I built a media center PC which sits in my bedroom, while my xbox360 is using it's built in media extender function to access all the stored video and music on my PC, as well as the live TV and the guide and everything. also read my specs in my signature below to see the build I'm running, should be close to what you want.

I spent I spent less than $800

[minsonngo]

Here is my input. But think about jimmyrules712's idea first, it is pretty neat.

You need to pick you own case since everyone has their own preference on that. Just make sure it supports ATX motherboards.

The processor and memory is not the fastest out there, but for an HTPC system, you don't really need cutting edge technology.

The video card is pretty nice. I like it because it has HDTV, S-Video, and Composite Out.

I picked the Antec Smartpower 2.0 PSU for you because it runs pretty quiet and efficient.

Please feel free to make any changes to suit your needs and let me know if I forgot to include something.

*****************************************************
LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner W/ LightScribe and 5X DVD-RAM Write Black ATAPI/E-IDE Model SHM-165H6S - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106019
$31.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144701
$77.99

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD2500KS 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822144701
$77.99

DFI LANPARTY UT nF4 Ultra-D Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 Ultra ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813136152
$114.99 ($99.99 after instant savings)

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface Tuner Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815116628
$139.99

SAPPHIRE 100106L Radeon X850XT 256MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102688
$119.99

Antec SmartPower 2.0 SP-500 ATX12V 500W Power Supply - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103937
$69.99

CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB (2 x 512MB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Unbuffered Dual Channel Kit System Memory Model VS1GBKIT400 - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820145440
$98.99

Microsoft A9O-00007 WinXP Media Center Infrared Remote Control - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16880100851
$38.99

AMD Athlon 64 3700+ San Diego 2000MHz HT Socket 939 Processor Model ADA3700BNBOX - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103539
$99.00

Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 w/SP2B - OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116049
$109.99


***Total: $964.90



This also may come in handy if you want to electronically organize your DVD collection:

imation 19030 Disc Stakka CD/DVD Manager - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817133603
$115.99

[inflames988]

none of these links are working

ill add the lightscribe burner later, and to start will only do one hard drive (maybe a 300 or 320?) or would it better to do O/S on one small drive and storage on another big one. i think i might go with an ASUS board over lanparty, altho the lanparty ones look cool asus seem to be better value and i have had no problems with my current asus board. good pick on the gfx card, i might get something a little less fancy for the tuner tho. but i gotta sell some stuff on ebay then maybe ill have more cash.

[minsonngo]

I fixed the links for you in my previous post.


It would be good to do the OS on a smaller HDD. Take a look at the Western Digital Raptors.

Then use a bigger HDD simply for storage.


Yeah, ASUS motherboards are great, so you won't go wrong with one of those.


For the tuner you can just go with the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 150 instead of the 500.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by minsonngo I fixed the links for you in my previous post. It would be good to do the OS on a smaller HDD. Take a look at the Western Digital Raptors. Then use a bigger HDD simply for storage. Yeah, ASUS motherboards are great, so you won't go wrong with one of those. For the tuner you can just go with the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 150 instead of the 500.

hehe i currently have the PVR 150 in the non-MCE edition. never got it to work on my computer.


omg that antec PSU is SICK! modular design, sleeved wires, quiet, im sold

i think i just want to bump up the processor a little bit to something more powerful, and find an asus mobo to go with it. those hdd's you reccomended i may actually go with. 70 bucks after rebate for SATA II and 250 gb!

[minsonngo]

I have the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 150 MCE card in my current HTPC system and it works pretty good for me.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by minsonngo I have the Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 150 MCE card in my current HTPC system and it works pretty good for me.

i like how the 500 has dual inputs for anything, but is there any difference in like the overall quality video wise?

[minsonngo]

Yeah, I like the 500 because you can watch one thing, while recording something else.

I don't notice any difference in quality between the 150 and 500.

[inflames988]

ooooh man do i like this mobo...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131517

[Mr.Ferrari]

It woud be a good choice.

[minsonngo]

Originally Posted by inflames988 ooooh man do i like this mobo... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131517

Hehe so do I...

[inflames988]

how long do those sales last? dont want to let it slip past me. i was actaully contemplating doing the build "piece by piece", buying good deals as i see them on sale.

as for the CPU, i would like to go with one of the X2 series 64 bit procs. this brings up the question--do they offer a 64-bit version of MCE? im looking at maybe 4200+ or 4400+, i know theyre more pricey but i im hoping to find a little bit cheaper tuner and maybe just get one hard drive t ostart to save me some money.

[maximus2688]

Originally Posted by inflames988 ooooh man do i like this mobo... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813131517

i have this motherboard...it's great

[minsonngo]

Don't waste your money on the 64-bit version of Windows.

Not sure how long the sale lasts. You might want to contact NewEgg.com customer service to find out.

[inflames988]

couple questions
--should i get one 1gb stick of ram, or two 512's? i want to make sure my board has at least 4 slots, but i dont want to buy 512's and end up replacing them with gigs later...
--X2 processors--it seems that most asus boards dont even support this?!

[minsonngo]

The A8N-SLI Deluxe you said you like has support for AMD Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 processors.

Get two identical sticks of memory so it can run in dual channel mode for a small performance boost.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by minsonngo The A8N-SLI Deluxe you said you like has support for AMD Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 processors. Get two identical sticks of memory so it can run in dual channel mode for a small performance boost.

it says:

CPU Type Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64/Sempron

[minsonngo]

Go here for the most accurate information on the board: http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?m...3&l2=15&l3=148

It has support for AMD Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 processors, trust me.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by minsonngo Go here for the most accurate information on the board: http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?m...3&l2=15&l3=148 It has support for AMD Athlon 64FX/Athlon 64 X2/Athlon 64 processors, trust me.

quick question

whats the difference betwee ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

and

ASUS A8N-SLI Premium Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail

also if i go with an ATi video card will i be preventing myself from being able to use dual vid cards in the future? thx

[Mr.Ferrari]

Few extra onboard features.
Otherwise no diff.

And for dual ati, a.k.a crossfire, you need a ati chipset that supports crossfire, if going with amd.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by Mr.Ferrari Few extra onboard features. Otherwise no diff. And for dual ati, a.k.a crossfire, you need a ati chipset if going with amd.

should i get an NVIDIA Card then?

will this ram work in my pc? its DDR2 so i dont think it will. OCZ 2x1GB

emailed newegg about the sale. if its going to end soon ill just order the thing now probably, along with whatever other components are on sale cheap now.

[Mr.Ferrari]

Well ya, otherwise whats the point in getting a sli board. Mind as well save some $$ and go for a normal one.

No, you need ddr 400. DDR2 wont work.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by Mr.Ferrari Well ya, otherwise whats the point in getting a sli board. Mind as well save some $$ and go for a normal one. No, you need ddr 400. DDR2 wont work.

dang, that was a good deal too

i really dont think im ever going to get dual gfx cards, but i figure i should leave my options open you know? i built my last build on a tight budget and regretted it.

anyone got a good deal on an nVIDIA card for me? $100-150 or so.

anyone think OCZ ram would be any better then corsair? i just like hwo the heat spreader things look LOL

[Alaron]

Originally Posted by inflames988 anyone got a good deal on an nVIDIA card for me? $100-150 or so.

The eVGA 7600GT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017 $140 after rebate.

[inflames988]

Originally Posted by Alaron The eVGA 7600GT: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130017 $140 after rebate.

nice...a little higher then id like to pay but a nice card for sure.