I'm looking to build an HTPC which will have various uses.
Firstly it's going to be a Hi-fi replacement. This will be its primary role, though I may also use it to connect up to either my TV downstairs or the Dell 3007WFP for the main PC to use it for Freeview (have points upstairs and downstairs, and have a USB DVB-T stick, so that's not an issue). I may even use it for web browsing and the like, to save my main PC being on so much.
I'm no audiophile, though I do appreciate nice audio (cannot go without a dedicated sound card now, though am avoiding the higher end Xonars due to their appalling failure rate (with me anyway)), and use Sennheiser HD280 headphones with the PC. So I need some speakers, a 2.0 or 2.1 system will do, as it's music only that it'll be used for. So if someone can recommend some decent speakers, that don't break the bank - I listen to metal mostly, so speakers to suit (I guess)...
Also, how does one go about getting the HTPC to boot very quickly? I'm assuming a specialised version of Linux, but what are people using? I'm not averse to using a small SSD or other such measures.
Are folk using Media Centre or another? I see XBMC is popular.
I've drawn up a quick summary:
-Small, quick boot/lightweight OS with limited functionality
-Won't be used for gaming whatsoever
-Needs good quality audio (with speakers to match)
-Not a fortune, it's quite hard to justify too much for an extra fancy hi-fi
So I was thinking something like:
-Case: Wesena ITX6
-CPU/Motherboard: AMD Fusion (preferably with Wifi) ITX or maybe Atom with ION
-Memory: 2-4GB DDR3
-Sound card: Xonar DS/DG/DX/Creative (assuming they are actually ok)
-Slot loading BD - these aren't cheap yet are they?
-Linux of some description with XBMC
Any suggestions? Sorry for all the questions which are probably obvious.
It's also occurred to me that some way of seeing what I'm doing might be helpful... Hmm...
Edit: If possible, I'd like it to be used as a central store for all the music/films in the house too, so they can be network accessed from elsewhere. So I guess that means a small/quiet laptop HDD too. And I did mean to include a Pico PSU in there too...
Firstly it's going to be a Hi-fi replacement. This will be its primary role, though I may also use it to connect up to either my TV downstairs or the Dell 3007WFP for the main PC to use it for Freeview (have points upstairs and downstairs, and have a USB DVB-T stick, so that's not an issue). I may even use it for web browsing and the like, to save my main PC being on so much.
I'm no audiophile, though I do appreciate nice audio (cannot go without a dedicated sound card now, though am avoiding the higher end Xonars due to their appalling failure rate (with me anyway)), and use Sennheiser HD280 headphones with the PC. So I need some speakers, a 2.0 or 2.1 system will do, as it's music only that it'll be used for. So if someone can recommend some decent speakers, that don't break the bank - I listen to metal mostly, so speakers to suit (I guess)...
Also, how does one go about getting the HTPC to boot very quickly? I'm assuming a specialised version of Linux, but what are people using? I'm not averse to using a small SSD or other such measures.
Are folk using Media Centre or another? I see XBMC is popular.
I've drawn up a quick summary:
-Small, quick boot/lightweight OS with limited functionality
-Won't be used for gaming whatsoever
-Needs good quality audio (with speakers to match)
-Not a fortune, it's quite hard to justify too much for an extra fancy hi-fi
So I was thinking something like:
-Case: Wesena ITX6
-CPU/Motherboard: AMD Fusion (preferably with Wifi) ITX or maybe Atom with ION
-Memory: 2-4GB DDR3
-Sound card: Xonar DS/DG/DX/Creative (assuming they are actually ok)
-Slot loading BD - these aren't cheap yet are they?
-Linux of some description with XBMC
Any suggestions? Sorry for all the questions which are probably obvious.
It's also occurred to me that some way of seeing what I'm doing might be helpful... Hmm...
Edit: If possible, I'd like it to be used as a central store for all the music/films in the house too, so they can be network accessed from elsewhere. So I guess that means a small/quiet laptop HDD too. And I did mean to include a Pico PSU in there too...
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