Is it best to build Media centres or buy one

[inforwarrior]

Hi all

In light of the 20 centures i am working towards a digital home and part of that involved media centre is it best to buy one or is it best to build one

now correct me but can i convert my Shuttle X PC to a media centre if so what do i need or do i need to buy one ?



many thanks

regards
Waheed

[jimmyrules712]

Have you built a normal PC before? If you're new to building PCs then you're not ready to build a a media center PC. If you consider yourself experienced then go for it.

You question of which is better has no direct answer. If you don't want to have to deal with setting it all up, and want to be able to call tech support if something doesn't work, then buy one. If you want to be able to customize it more and upgrade as needed, plus have the enjoyment of building it, then build. Basically the same reasons to buy or build a normal PC, I'm not sure what pre-built Media PCs are selling for, so I can't comment on whats better priece-wise.

I just built a media center PC a month ago. At first it's the exact same as building a normal XP box, except when your putting the hardware together you need to throw in a Tuner card (I got a hauppauge PVR-500)

Installing windows media center edition is identical to instaling XP Pro. You don't see anything about media stuff until after windows is installed. Once you're in windows there is a media center program you go to, and that is when you config all of your media center stuff. Once you start that stuff, the woftware pretty much walks you through it. If you hit something you're not sure of, just guess and if you're wrong it's easy to go back and change it to something else.

Yes you can convert your shuttle PC to a HTPC (Home Theater PC). You will need a tv tuner card (such as a Hauppauge PVR-150) and media software (Windows Media center edition or a third-party software).

you also might want to buy a big hard drive, depending on how much storage you have already.