Windows Pro or Media center edition?

[ShadyTails]

I was building a new system and wondering which I should get, heres the specs.

-AMD ATHLON 64 3200+ 2.0 GHZ Socket 939
-K8N Neo4-F MSI Motherboard
-CRUCIAL 1GB PC3200 400MHZ 184-PIN DDR DIMM (2x 512MB sticks)
-SATA Harddrive Size not determined yet
-DVD RW
-XFX GeForce 6600 / 256MB DDR / PCI Express / SLI / DVI / VGA / TV-Out / Video Card

I heard Mediacenter is a great OS but I heard Pro can do certain things, so im confused

[doctorgonzo]

It depends solely on your needs. If you want the niceties that Media Center gives you, like software to record TV and so on, then go with Media Center. Unless you need to connect to a domain, use several processors, or set up complicated security schemes for file access, Pro doesn't give you anything more.

[ShadyTails]

Originally Posted by doctorgonzo It depends solely on your needs. If you want the niceties that Media Center gives you, like software to record TV and so on, then go with Media Center. Unless you need to connect to a domain, use several processors, or set up complicated security schemes for file access, Pro doesn't give you anything more.

)off topic, hey you live in the same city as me! LOL

sooo, i heard a TV tuner isnt needed for mediacenter edition if your not gonna watch tv, is that true?

[doctorgonzo]

No, I don't think you need a TV tuner for Media Center to work. Media Center just has added software for media functions; you don't have to use them.

[AdamFink]

I have Media Center on my "Super Computer," and XP Pro on this. Media Center shares probably the exact features of XP Pro, along with "media center" abilities. It comes with a program to watch tv, dvds, and all kinds of media things. If you plan on watching TV and such on your computer, be it now or in the future, go with media center, its more friendly. You do not need a TV tuner to run media center, its an extra.

Hope this helps.