[mythtv-users] OT: Help me upgrade my mythbox

Robert Johnston anaerin at gmail.com
Sat Jan 20 04:58:50 UTC 2007


VIA chipset? Not my first choice, but not too much to worry about really.
And that would be a very nice HTPC. Pretty quiet, too, if you get a decent
cooler for that Celeron (Or underclock it a little)

On 1/19/07, Chris Ribe <chrisribe at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> On 1/19/07, Chris Ribe <chrisribe at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > On 1/19/07, Justin Luitjens < luitjens at cs.utah.edu> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > I'm looking at upgrading my mythbox and am looking for advice on what
> > > to
> > > get.  I'll start out by describing my setup.
> > >
> > > Motherboard:  Asus A7v 133
> > > Processor: AMD Thunderbird 1.2 ghz (underclocked to 1 ghz for
> > > stability
> > > reasons)
> > > Memory: 768 mb PC 133 ram.
> > > Videocard:  NVidia Geforce 2 Ultra
> > > Capture cards:      PVR-500 PVR-350
> > > Hard Drives:  2 120 GB ATA drives for storage one 17 GB drive for OS.
> > >
> > > Playing video causes my mythfrontend to take up about 60-70% of the
> > > CPU
> > > and X takes up another 10-15%.  This doesn't leave much room for
> > > recording.  When 2-3 shows are recording I cannot watch anything
> > > because
> > > the CPU is pegged.  Also when my machine is pegged it has a tendency
> > > to
> > > hard lock with no errors.  My birthday is coming up and my girlfriend
> > > is
> > > willing to spend up to $200 on me.  There isn't anything I want so i
> > > figured i'd just have her get me something for the mythbox so we can
> > > watch tv when recording multiple programs.
> >
> >
> >
> > I think the best solution would be to upgrade the video card so I can
> > > offload the decoding onto it.  Upgrading the mobo/proc/ would also
> > > require me to upgrade the ram and possibly more.  Right now this isn't
> > > an option.  So I feel upgrading the video card would be the best
> > > solution.  Which video card would be the best in my situation?  I
> > > could
> > > get one of the nicer NVidia cards but would it have much effect or
> > > would
> > > the CPU bottleneck it to much?  Or would I be better off to get a
> > > cheaper card and use the money elsewhere?
> >
> >
> > Myth has little use for a nice video card, but a nicer card than the one
> > you currently have would certainly help.  I, and many others on this list,
> > have had good experiences with nvidia FX5200 based cards.  These card are
> > easy to find new in the ~$40 price range, and they offer enough hardware
> > acceleration to do 1080i with the right processor.
> >
> > In fact, I think I can probably post back here within a half hour with a
> > shopping cart that will turn your box into an HD ready box for less than
> > $200. Stay tuned...
> >
>
>
> I apologize for the HTML, but here it is - $170 shipped (to my house) for
> everything you need to turn that tired old box into an HDTV ready barn
> burner...
>
>
> Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
>
>  MSI FX5200-TD128LF Geforce FX5200 DDR AGP 4X/8X Low Profile Video Card -
> Retail <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814127181>
> Item #: N82E16814127181
> Return Policy: Standard Return Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#1>
>
>  $33.99
>
>  pqi POWER Series 256MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory
> Model MD4456UOE - Retail<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820141165>
> Item #: N82E16820141165
> Return Policy: Standard Return Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#1>
>
>  $24.99
>
>  Foxconn P4M800P7MA-RS2 LGA 775 VIA P4M800 PRO Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
> - Retail <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813186090>
> Item #: N82E16813186090
> Return Policy: Standard Return Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#1>
>
>  Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Service Net Replacement
> Plan -- $9.99 2 Year Service Net Replacement Plan -- $14.99
>
>  $42.99
>
>  Intel Celeron D 352 Cedar Mill 3.2GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80552352
> - Retail <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819112211>
> Item #: N82E16819112211
> Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#5>
>
>  Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Service Net Replacement
> Plan -- $14.99 2 Year Service Net Replacement Plan -- $19.99
>
>  $58.99  Subtotal: $160.96  Calculate Shipping  Zip Code:  FedEx Express
> Saver -- $14.49 FedEx 2Day -- $26.34 FedEx Standard Overnight -- $32.14 UPS
> Guaranteed 3 Day Service -- $9.01 UPS 2nd Day-- $19.53 UPS Next Day Saver
> -- $27.39  GO
>  Shipping: *$9.01*
>
>
>
>
> --
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> WCJB-TV Gainesville, FL
> (352) 377 2020 x248
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-- 
Robert "Anaerin" Johnston
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