[mythtv-users] Question About Cases/Expansion Slots

[Ian]

FieryRed wrote:

>On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 23:34:38 -0500
>Chris LaForce <laforcec at centurytel.net> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Hello,
>>  I currently have MythTV setup on my Fedora Core 2 box which is a full
>>tower.  I have been going through the mailing list and researching some
>>other case in hopes to find one looking similar in size and
>>characteristics to a dvd player/VCR. The ones I think that have caught
>>my eye the most so far are the smaller ones from
>>http://www.silverstonetek.com.  With these you either have the choice of
>>2 pci expansion slots or 1 agp and 1 pci slot.  I would need 1 pci for
>>my capture card so the leaves either 1 pci or 1 agp slot. This would
>>force me to use on board audio or video instead of my Nvidia GEForce
>>5200 video card or SB Audigy sound card. I guess my question is wouldn't
>>having to use either on board video or audio lower the quality of my
>>graphical or audio playback? 
>>Thanks for any help,
>>
>>Chris.
>>
>>
>>    
>>
>
>I'm partial to not using onboard sound/video.  While they my work fine for some people... they just won't compair to your nvidia nor an audigy. And you might not be able to find a board with the tv-out your mythbox needs.  However, if using one of these cases is that important... I would recommend using the tuner and the video card, as an onboard audio card would be better than an onboard video card. Onboard audio cards are getting better but I'd still rather use an audigy if I had one.
>
>Just my two cents.
>FieryRed
>  
>
Hi,
Funny, but I would recommend the opposite.  :)
I've got a 7NIF2 Chaintech motherboard which is an nVidia nForce2 based 
motherboard.  As such, it has onboard video (Geforce 440MX) including an 
svideo tvout.  This is just fine for Myth and many people use it.  I 
bought the MB believing that it also had digital sound out, but this 
newer revision doesn't (misleading website).  So I dropped an Audigy in 
there which has even better sound quality than the motherboard's 
(although I just plan on using the digital out to my amp).  
Unfortunately that only leaves two pci slots for capture cards and 
nothing else, but I can live with that.
...looks like those cases use pci riser cards to lay the cards on their 
sides.  Depending on the riser and motherboard, these can cause trouble 
- I would be wary.  See if anyone else is using the case you want and 
get their feedback.

Ian.