This is my first build in a long while so please bare with me:
Here's my current thoughts, from reading other threads etc:
Samsung SpinPoint S 160GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD161HJ)
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-5400C5 Dual Channel Vista Upgrade Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2VU6674GK)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+ 2.60GHz (Socket AM2) - OEM
Asus ATI Radeon EAH2600XT HTDP Silent 256MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Abit AN52 nForce 520 (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Zalman HD160+ Aluminium HTPC Case - Black
Sub Total : £396.93
2 things are missing here: CPU cooler (I have a silent 120mm fan sitting here) and a PSU - both need to be as silent as possible!
Couple of questions regarding this:
1) I guess the AMD boards are so much cheaper than the Intel ones due to the on-chip memory controller hence no north bridge?
2) Is the Asus ATI 2600XT really "Silent" - if not, is there a better choice?
3) I haven't really considered a Core 2 Duo due to the price - is this sensible?
4) I originally went for the Antec Fusion Black case but realised my TV stand only allows units 43 cm wide - that has upped my budget.
5) What is the simplest, cheapest stop-gap solution to outputting onto a 100Hz 32" widescreen TV? I think this supports composite/s-video but I've never had it working.
I will be adding a DVB tuner to this build and be running Vista using a remote keyboard/mouse combo - I am not including these in the budget. I want this build to be a hardcore HD unit (hence the beefy CPU?) as I plan to purchase a 1080p TV in the next few months. I already have a slow 1Ghz home server I build up myself which stores all my content so in the meantime i plan to use this "future-proofed" system to stream them to my current 32" CRT TV.
So, comments?
Thanks!
Here's my current thoughts, from reading other threads etc:
Samsung SpinPoint S 160GB SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (HD161HJ)
OCZ 4GB (2x2GB) PC2-5400C5 Dual Channel Vista Upgrade Gold Series DDR2 (OCZ2VU6674GK)
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+ 2.60GHz (Socket AM2) - OEM
Asus ATI Radeon EAH2600XT HTDP Silent 256MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - Retail
Abit AN52 nForce 520 (Socket AM2) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard
Zalman HD160+ Aluminium HTPC Case - Black
Sub Total : £396.93
2 things are missing here: CPU cooler (I have a silent 120mm fan sitting here) and a PSU - both need to be as silent as possible!
Couple of questions regarding this:
1) I guess the AMD boards are so much cheaper than the Intel ones due to the on-chip memory controller hence no north bridge?
2) Is the Asus ATI 2600XT really "Silent" - if not, is there a better choice?
3) I haven't really considered a Core 2 Duo due to the price - is this sensible?
4) I originally went for the Antec Fusion Black case but realised my TV stand only allows units 43 cm wide - that has upped my budget.
5) What is the simplest, cheapest stop-gap solution to outputting onto a 100Hz 32" widescreen TV? I think this supports composite/s-video but I've never had it working.
I will be adding a DVB tuner to this build and be running Vista using a remote keyboard/mouse combo - I am not including these in the budget. I want this build to be a hardcore HD unit (hence the beefy CPU?) as I plan to purchase a 1080p TV in the next few months. I already have a slow 1Ghz home server I build up myself which stores all my content so in the meantime i plan to use this "future-proofed" system to stream them to my current 32" CRT TV.
So, comments?
Thanks!
Last edited:
