HTPC spec needed.

InvaderGIR

InvaderGIR

InvaderGIR

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Another speccing thread, oh the joys...

Anyway, my brother is after an HTPC, this is what he's said to me...

Brother's first email. said:
a PC which can perform the following?!

Play back DivX to a TV, perhaps even HD (and DVD)
Play computer games, such as Call of Duty 4
Record freeview channels - PVR (ideally dual input, so possible to watch and record different channels)

Now it also needs to be quiet, or silent when running, so perhaps an external power supply.

Ideally something like an XBox 360, but on a PC platform with Freeview.

It will probably need to be made up, but should be possible with something like Media Center, but not sure how it is with games.

It would be nice to have a remote, and wireless game controllers/keyboard/mouse.
Click to expand...

Brother's second email. said:
it doesn't need to have a HD DVD, and budget around about 500ish.

Perhaps something like a desktop replacement laptop, which can take PCI cards. If they are still made!
Click to expand...

He's asked me to do this, but I'm so out of the loop with regards to motherboards and the lower end of the C2D CPU market I'm a bit stuck.

So basically, spec me up a HTPC than can do all that, for as little as possible, I doubt he wants to budge too much on the price, but obviously if it's just over £500 then that's nt a big deal.

I'm thinking for an OS he should be looking at something like Vista Home Premium, as it comes with WMC, and can still play games. Only problem is that it rolls in at just over £200.

Get speccing away..

InvG
 
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Doubt you could get something decent with that amount of the money, but i'll give it a go.

Edit:

This is what I would do:



You would then need to source a Hauppauge Nova-T 500 (~£50) and sort out a graphics card/keyboard/mouse/remote/controller. Make sure the PSU can handle everything though.
 
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Ok, so basically I should be looking at P35 boards, and E2xxx chips, that was the main thing I was unsure about what would be sensible. I'll see what I can rustle up, and if need be spec him something over £500 and see what he is prepared to compramise on.

Cheers.

InvG
 
Woah Woah...wait...I am not that up to date with the latest hardware, that was just a guess, I don't know how well/do they work together, I am just going by what i have skim read on the forums.

P35 seems to come up a lot :p
 
To be honest he's going to have a hard time doing all of that on a £500 budget but I'll see what I can come up with.

OK, best I could come up with, as Conrad said you will need to add keyboard, mouse, tv card and stuff ontop but its should just about do the job.
To be honest on that budget he is really pushing the constraints of a HTPC, especialy as he want it to play something like COD4.

 
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InvaderGIR said:
I'm thinking for an OS he should be looking at something like Vista Home Premium, as it comes with WMC, and can still play games. Only problem is that it rolls in at just over £200
Click to expand...


Why bother with retail vista for 200 when the oem only costs 70, unless of course he will be changing the MB
 
^ Thats the reason I went retail, but theres also a LOT of people on here who only buy oem.

I was only thinking of his budget :D
 
I don't know if he will be changing things around in the system at a later date, so retail is a safer bet is all.

The thing is, I don't know how well he wants it to play COD4. My PC plays it happily, which is an AMD AM2 4600+, Asus M2N32-SLi Deluxe WiFi, 2GB Corsair RAM, 256MB ATi X1950XT. It also happily plays HD content on (currently) a 1440x900 screen, and previously on a 1280x1024 one.

I mean something like my current system wouldn't cost all that much now...when I bought it, it cost £1500, but I know AM2 stuff is cheap, and my RAM is like £50 now, instead of the £150 it was when I bought it.

I recon he can get away with getting a DX10 card as they don't seem to cost all that much now, well the ATi 2600s and 2900s, aswell as the Nvidia 8600s. There seems little point in getting a DX9 card now really.

Cheers for the specs so far lads :)

InvG
 
Hows this system for a media capable, and mid-setting gaming system....

mediasystem.jpg


...have I missed anything?

InvG
 
juno_first said:
I've already got the parts & issues laid out (budget rig needs micro atx mobo):
Not inc. Vista you're talking £580:

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/wayne.chell/MediaPC.htm
Click to expand...

Well it wouldn't be needing the BlueRay/HD drive, so that cuts like £120 off to fit a standard DVD drive instead.

He's also looking at a slimline case, ideally with more than one PCI backplate, but they seem hard to find decent ones.

InvG
 
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