HTPC help please

[cpt_damage07]

Hi,
I'm looking to build a HTPC but need a little advice. Firstly I want to use the HTPC to watch my DVD's ect and also play games and maybe use it to receiev / watch satallite TV.

Iam limited by the amount of space I have to store the HTPC case so I would need to purchase a micro ATX size box. However, because I want to play games I would like to be able to install a PCIx video card but I do not know if a micro ATX case would be able to house such a card.

I also have a XFI sound card which I would like to put into the HTPC.

I was also wandering about connecting my satallite dish to the HTPC via a satallite PCI card.


So I was hoping someone could advise me on:

1) Would a micro ATX case be able to house a PCIx video card, a XFi sound card and a PCI satallite receiver card & also be able to supply enough power?

2) Will plugging my satallite diss directly into a satallite receiver card allow me to watch the free satallite channels (BBC1, BBC2 ect) without the need of somehow connecting my satallte decoder box to the HTPC?

3) Does anyonw know of a micor AXT HTPC case that will house the above PCI - PCIx cards?

Thanks

Damage

 

[Big.Wayne]

So you are looking for a uATX motherboard that has a PCI-E slot and two PCI slots, I'm sure there are a few?

I've not really built a uATX system but I have built a couple of HTPC's for people. I went the ATX route as I had a few spare ATx boards and built them into a Silverstone LC20S chassis



even using the larger form factor it involved a lot of planning, cable management and close attention paid to cooling, then there is the problem of slotting in a modern graphics card which seem to have grown longer the past year!

A bangin' uATX system should be possible but it will be a more demanding build over a larger ATX. Having a powerful CPU and GPU housed in a tiny system tends to heat everything up, if you don't have ace cooling then either your system will crash from CPU/GPU overheat or you will slowly *MELT* your hard disk!

Re the Satellite card I have never used one of those but I can report that the freeview (DVB-T) style cards work well in a similar set-up.