Man of Honour
- Joined
- 15 Nov 2006
- Posts
- 2,071
- Location
- Hull
Hi fellers,
A mate has asked me to build an HTPC for him after having seen my own setup. This will be done slightly differently though, for mine I used older parts and found the case to fit (a large Antec NSK2400), whereas this time all the parts will be purchased new. I'm a bit out of the loop with the latest hardware, so would appreciate some advice on the following:
Case: Would like this to be small enough to fit in a 'standard' sized TV stand. My Antec is so deep that I struggled to find a stand that it would fit in. Would be prepared to accept smaller hardware (e.g. half-height video / TV cards) to achieve a smaller case assuming these parts are available.
Video card: Would like the best passively cooled card possible here for the best quality video playback - including Blu-Ray. Half-height requirement going to be a problem here?
TV Card: Am wanting a dual tuner freeview card, nothing more fancy than that, but as above, it may have to be half-height depending on the case. I personally prefer Hauppauge cards.
Everything else: Looking for an Intel system with an ASUS motherboard. Price IS a consideration, in the sense that I'm looking for the best value for money parts, rather than the cheapest or most powerful system. Overall I'd say keeping noise to a minimum is the most important consideration, hence passive cooling on components and big case fan(s) if possible.
Appreciate any advice!
A mate has asked me to build an HTPC for him after having seen my own setup. This will be done slightly differently though, for mine I used older parts and found the case to fit (a large Antec NSK2400), whereas this time all the parts will be purchased new. I'm a bit out of the loop with the latest hardware, so would appreciate some advice on the following:
Case: Would like this to be small enough to fit in a 'standard' sized TV stand. My Antec is so deep that I struggled to find a stand that it would fit in. Would be prepared to accept smaller hardware (e.g. half-height video / TV cards) to achieve a smaller case assuming these parts are available.
Video card: Would like the best passively cooled card possible here for the best quality video playback - including Blu-Ray. Half-height requirement going to be a problem here?
TV Card: Am wanting a dual tuner freeview card, nothing more fancy than that, but as above, it may have to be half-height depending on the case. I personally prefer Hauppauge cards.
Everything else: Looking for an Intel system with an ASUS motherboard. Price IS a consideration, in the sense that I'm looking for the best value for money parts, rather than the cheapest or most powerful system. Overall I'd say keeping noise to a minimum is the most important consideration, hence passive cooling on components and big case fan(s) if possible.
Appreciate any advice!
i'd pick the lg if i had it again to pick.. impulse buy