[mythtv-users] HTPC Configuration for first MythTV box

[Stephen Tait]

At 22:28 08/09/2004 +0000, you wrote:
>Here's a first try at configuring a Home Theater PC with the goals of:
>
>  - run MythTV on Fedora Core 2
>  - provide redundancy for some components
>  - eliminate VCRs, DVD players, 200-CD changer
>  - do more when I realize what else the box can do
>
>
>    Case . . . . . . . . . . Antec Overture
>    Power Supply . . . . . . Included with Antec Overture
>    Motherboard  . . . . . . Asus A7N8X Deluxe
>    CPU  . . . . . . . . . . AMD Athlon XP 3200+
>    Memory . . . . . . . . . Two Samsung 512MB PC3200 400MHz DDR
>    Hard Drives  . . . . . . Two Western Digital 250GB WD2500JDRTL
>    Optical  . . . . . . . . Two Sony DRU-710A DVD+RW
>    Video Capture  . . . . . Hauppauge WinTV PVR-350
>    Graphics Adapter . . . . Asus GeForce FX 5200
>    Keyboard/Mouse . . . . . Logitech Cordless MX Duo
>    Sound  . . . . . . . . . Use Motherboard Audio Features
>    NIC  . . . . . . . . . . Use Motherboard NICs (two)

I'd say that, for a system under you TV, it's a bit overpowered, and this 
will make it noisier. Shoehorning all that into a case as small as the 
overture would also give rise to heat issues.

My advice would be...

Drop the CPU to at least a 2800 Barton. They throw out less heat and are 
still waaaaaaay more than adequate for everything. There's a useful 
comparison chart here http://www.cybercpu.net/howto/other/amdpr.asp

I'd advocate a case like the CoolerMaster 620 sine they look amazing and 
accept regular ATX PSU's, which are typically quieter and more powerful 
(not to mention cheaper and replaceable) than inbuilt proprietary PSU's, 
although it'll only take mATX boards.

Two DVDR's? One would do, surely?! Personally, I boycott Sony and would get 
one of the cheaper NEC's or Pioneers

If the system is going to be used for lots of things, save yourself the 
hassle of using the PVR's TV-Out (even though it's unmatched in quality) 
and get a PVR-250 instead. Whilst you're at it, you might want to consider 
buying two from the off, depending on how much simultaneous 
recording/watching you're gonna want to do.

You're spending all that money and using onboard sound? I'd recommend an 
Audigy or M-Audio card (both, IIRC, are supported under ALSA and OSS via 
open source drivers). Unless the onboard has SPDIF, and you can then do a 
passthrough to your AV setup.

A combined front/back end works fine with minimal swapping on just 512MB


If you can, I'd throw all the moolah into a backend in the cupboard that 
you can keep as noisy and as powerful and as full of HD's as you like. 
Keeping all that stuff under your TV will mean constant whirring. The 
backend doesn't need to be anything special; just a cheap box full of hard 
drives and the TV cards.