New HTPC build under way

[flynlr]

my first HTPC here are the parts
This Build starts today
The magic brown truck is due in today with the following for my HTPC/Gamer system.
SILVERSTONE LASCALA SST-LC14M Black
ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe Socket 939 NVIDIA nForce4 SLI ATX AMD Motherboard
POWERCOLOR X1800GTO 256MB Radeon
Antec TruePower 2.0 TP2-550 EPS12V ATX12V 550W Power Supply
AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ Manchester
GeIL Value 2GB (2 x 1GB) 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400
Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 ST3300822AS 300GB 7200 RPM
LITE-ON 16X DVD±R DVD Burner
POWERCOLOR T55E-P03 PCI-Express x1 Interface TV tuner
CHAINTECH AV-710 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Sound Card
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 w/Update

just spent the last hour getting the latest drivers for everything. only thing I dont know how to get is every update for winXP media center since the SP2 ver.
the parts

its booting!

and im done for the night.

 

[Valo]

To get the updates for media centre go to Windows Update website and select custom. Windows update will do it's scan check and bring up the updates, they'll be under either High Priority or Software, Optional menus on the left hand side pane.

Good luck with your build, looks good so far!

 

[Mr_Sukebe]

Did mine a couple of weeks ago, though on the cheap when compared to yourself (Sempron 3k, 7900GT, onboard sound etc).
Have to say that I have tried it with a DVD via DVI to my projector, and it does look stunning. Can't see me rushing to use my standalone DVD player in a hurry.

 

[tom_nieto]

Looks good so far! I'd love an HTPC, but I'd prefer a spec like that right now for playing games on!

 

[Mr Latte]

Ahh good another interesting thread...

Tip: remove the dual 60mm fans and the 90mm intake, you wont need them and it cuts the noise down a lot.

At least try the system with them all disconnected and monitor your temps.
My system has the CPU and PSU fans running only and runs better than a puppy chasing a roll of andrex.

BTW the imon software is pretty crap though look forward to more feedback as your rigs got great potential for a nice little overclock too, though a PSU with better cable management might of been a bit nicer like the "Type R"

Tidy connections allow you to only connect the power cables you need.

 

[Mr Latte]

Guys can i ask if any of you use object dock
I dont even bother with MCE as this allows a clean and tidy desktop resembling an imac desktop and more if you need it.

Basically quick and simple shortcuts to your fave apps.
Personally i see MCE as very limiting unless you use the TV-PVR functions but for general playback i prefer apps such as itunes, winamp, theatretek, vlc,winmediaclassic, quicktime etc

Thoughts please on your preferred HTPC front ends or if its worth a seperate thread sometime would look forward to discussing it.

 

[vintage-x]

I want to bulid a Htpc but I a completly silent one. I keep adding things to a shopping list here on ocuk but then I relise I can use my current pc at the moment.

Im gonna wait for proper hdmi graphics cards ect to com out and buy a blue-ray and a hd-dvd drive so I can enjoy the best of both worlds on the same machine

 

[tom_nieto]

My Logitech keyboard came with a strange media centre program. While it looks nice it is a bit limiting, and frankly just using the desktop with itunes or wmp is far easier than faffing about with it. I'm sure there are far more competent programs out there, but I'd be drawn to regular windows every time. Showshifter looks really good though, especially for integrating TV into the equation.

 

[bam0]

Guys can i ask if any of you use object dock
I dont even bother with MCE as this allows a clean and tidy desktop resembling an imac desktop and more if you need it.

Basically quick and simple shortcuts to your fave apps.
Personally i see MCE as very limiting unless you use the TV-PVR functions but for general playback i prefer apps such as itunes, winamp, theatretek, vlc,winmediaclassic, quicktime etc

Thoughts please on your preferred HTPC front ends or if its worth a seperate thread sometime would look forward to discussing it.

I use MCE as the front end to all my media, for several reasons;

The MCE box is only connected to a TV, not a monitor.
I use it to watch TV and act as a PVR (dual freeview cards).
I rarely connect a mouse or keyboard to it which would make controlling the other apps you mention a little difficult.
It's simple to use, it may not have features that other software does, but if, for example, i'm having a gathering at my house i'll often put on a load of pictures on a slideshow and have music played by MCE too.

It's a box under the (CRT) tv in my lounge, I have no need to do lots of tweaking and it works with everything i've thrown at it.

 

[thepharcyde]

Nice setup, I did simular recently as well, had MCE2005 since 2004 but had not upgraded to a desktop case. Got a silverstone like yours.


MCE is okay, but DVD playback is a total arse to master surround sound pic etc, so I stuck with theatertek, and FDSHOW. Use video playback though MCE though with 5.1 sound with AC3.

 

[bam0]

MCE is okay, but DVD playback is a total arse to master surround sound pic etc, so I stuck with theatertek, and FDSHOW. Use video playback though MCE though with 5.1 sound with AC3.

Really? What problems did you have? I bought the Nvidia DVD codec, only the basic one, and set the audio options to passthru AC3/DTS. I don't have a high enough res screen to worry about the picture but it more than equals the standalone dvd player I had before.

FFDshow is nice though, I use that to upmix stereo stuff to AC3 for sending to my amp, I realise I might lose some quality but i'd rather be using all my speakers

 

[Mr Latte]

Ok not counting TVR functions or if your really a fan of thumbnails for movies,albums, photos i dont see MCE as anything special at all.

Some areas:
I find a wireless mouse works as well on your lap with a HDTV in a living room as much as it works sitting at a desk. Yes a remote control is a good thing but be aware many of todays applications will work fine with the MCE remote, these include theatretek,itunes,winamp and many others.

My gripes are MCE isnt user configurable enough, it hangs a lot and is too restrictive, sorry but a single do it all complete product isnt better than individual applications that have improved and are proven to be the best in thier seperate fields.

For instance just check out some of the visualisations on winamp, or the picture and tweaking available of theatretek and even a free application such as "Picasa 2" for images.

Thankfully MCE is being revamped for Vista but it still left me a little dissapointed.

Anyways hope to hear more on this project, just wait to you get something nice like 17mb/sec CSI 1080i or other HDTV pumping through it and read about what all the rest of you think...