Simple HTPC

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I'd like to build a simple (for now) media pc that just plays back DVD's and avi's etc stored within it or streamed to or from it, but with options for upgrading it in the future.

I was considering getting a Hiper media case, but i cannot find any decent pictures of it, so am as yet unsure.
Is there an mATX board which has a decent built in graphics card which is capable of playing back HD? And also maybe wireless built in?

Not bothered about a tv card for now as ... well, we have TV for that :/
But i would like the ability to record tv at some point.

Really not that interested in overclocking etc - i prefer computers to be stable rather than 'superfast'.

Can anyone point me in the right direction here?

Cheers
 
im about to upgrade my media pc. im going for a

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H ( out costs around £55.00 to £65.00)
AMD AM2 x2 4850e at 2.5ghz 45w ( ain't for sale yet, some time this month)

the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H as a Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200-based graphics (DX10) that supports Full HD,

there are loads of reviews around now that seems to show good stats.
 
Just been to the Gigabyte site to read about that motherboard, looks perfect thanks ;)

What's the difference between that cpu and the AMD X2 4800e 2.5GHz ?
 
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yea what mdjmcnally said, its just the same sort of cpu but uses less power

AMD Athlon™ X2 4800+ = 65w
AMD Athlon™ X2 4850e+ = 45w

i have my media pc on for most of the day so any energy saving helps

if you dont mind waiting nvidia have some new matx boards coming out
called Nvidia Geforce 8200, that do full hd as well. dunno when there
gonna be sold by retailers in the uk tho
 
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The Gigabyte looks good enough .... i have this strange feeling this media pc will end up being faster than my pc :p

Nearly ordered the board and the case yesterday, but im still not sure about the case :/
 
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hmm what sort of look are you after for the case?

desktop, sff, mini tower?

what sort of price are you thinking of spending?
 
Was considering the silver one of these, but thats the only picture i can find of it. Would be helpful to be able to see the back of it - its about £50, i dont really want to spend much more than that.
 
here are some pics for you m8 sites in russian tho

http://www.3dnews.ru/cooling/hiper_hmc_1s53a

nice looking desktop case. your only problem is HSF as there aint much space at all
but the case might come with 1. i would do soem checking up befor you go for it tho
just to see if all the parts you want work with it
 
I've got the Hiper HMC-1K53A case. It looks great, and it's a bargain at £50 or so. The CPU cooler has to be less than 40mm tall; Hiper sell one seperately.

I built it about a year ago for a bit over £300:

Hiper Media PC Case
Hiper Cooler
AMD X2 3800EE
Abit NF-M2
1GB Corsair Value 667MHz
500GB Seagate
NEC AD-7630A (Slim slot loading DVDRW)
MS Media Centre Remote

I'm sure you could get something much better for the price now (or get a similar spec even cheaper). It handles H.264 encoded HD video without a problem; there's no need to get a particularly good graphics card.

I recommend you check out MediaPortal (and the Monochrome skin) for your software needs.
 
Cheers for those links Tosk, very helpful as finally i can see the back of it .... only one slot! No worries, i probably wont be using the slot for a while anyway :)

Seft, whats the deal with the MS Remote? Does it come with a card or something? <- Just googled it, usb with external reciever, not too pricey either :)

Yeah ive seen Media Portal, i have tried both xp and vista media things and cant stand them.

Can someone tell me what the minimum speed cpu i should get for HD playback? Oh and will the 200w psu be able to power it?
 
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it all depends on the gfx card that your gonna use, if it can do full hd playback then
it will not use as much cpu power. for me i would get a cpu of 2.0ghz dual core.

so if your gfx ain't that good then it would push the cpu at its max

reviews of the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H show it can play full hd (1920x1080)
with out any probs at all.
 
Maybe its not really needed but there is a 65w Phenom that is supposed to be released soon... Hypertransport 3 affects the performance of the graphics card or is it just my idea?

If the price is right then it might be a good option for a HTPC. The 780G is ace though!
 
it all depends on the gfx card that your gonna use, if it can do full hd playback then
it will not use as much cpu power. for me i would get a cpu of 2.0ghz dual core.

so if your gfx ain't that good then it would push the cpu at its max

reviews of the Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H show it can play full hd (1920x1080)
with out any probs at all.
I was just gonna use the onboard fx on the Gigabyte - what cpu were there using in the review?
 
on a review ive seen it with that board using a 4800+ and 4850e both the same
cpus the only difference is 1 uses less wattage.

but like Seft said any think over 2.0ghz is fine dual core helps as well

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H and any 2ghz + cpu will do any full hd format.

you can use a slower cpu like the 2800 semperon @1.8. just that the cpu will have
to work harder.

nice review find thefishdude
 
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Think im gonna go for this:

Hiper Silver Media Center Case
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Socket AM2 2.3GHz Energy Efficient
Hiper HFC-20820-C1 Copper Low Frofile Socket AM2
Kingston 2GB Kit DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 Memory
Samsung HD753LJ 750GB Hard Drive
MS Media Center Remote Control

All that is around £280

Apparently the cpu overclocks well, in case i ever need a bit more power.
 
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What os do you recommend putting on a media centre?
I was going to use Vista 64 - good or bad idea?
Does Mediaportal work on Vista 64?
 
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