Hello Everyone,
I first want to thank everyone on here for a great forum.
I'm putting together a HTPC for my living room. The following parts are what I would like to go with but am unsure of a couple things. Will not be playing games on this machine just watching streaming video, terrestrial HD, and FTA satellite.
Antec New Solution NSK2480 ($109.89)
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H ($89.99)
AMD Athlon II X2 250 Regor 3.0GHz ($77.00)
CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 ($64.99)
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 32MB Cache SATA ($84.99)
KWORLD ATSC TV Stick UB435-Q USB 2.0 Interface ($29.99)
PLEXTOR Black 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 24X DVD/CD Writer LightScribe Support - OEM ($44.99)
My main concern is that I have an older Panasonic 46" that has only 1080i
component cable inputs. Does the above MOBO have any outputs that could be converted to the 3 cable component output or would I have to buy a separate video card with the S-video jack that converts to Component? Or if someone could recommend another MOBO that has built in component outputs?
Thanks
Newbie build HTPC parts suggestions.
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee
I had to go with a separate passive Asus 3450 to get component out on my HTPC, which is based on a Gigabyte 780G mobo. (Specs linked to in my sig - its fairly similar to your planned config).
By the way, are you going with a stock CPU cooler for your build? The Scythe Ninja Mini is pretty much ideal for this case. Plus, if the included Antec PSU is a little loud, you can swap the 80mm fan that comes with the Ninja Mini into the PSU (if you're comfortable doing that sort of thing).
Replace the two included 120mm Antec fans with something quieter from the SPCR Recommended fan list and undervolt them, and you're good to go for a fairly quiet HTPC.
By the way, are you going with a stock CPU cooler for your build? The Scythe Ninja Mini is pretty much ideal for this case. Plus, if the included Antec PSU is a little loud, you can swap the 80mm fan that comes with the Ninja Mini into the PSU (if you're comfortable doing that sort of thing).
Replace the two included 120mm Antec fans with something quieter from the SPCR Recommended fan list and undervolt them, and you're good to go for a fairly quiet HTPC.
Does the Panasonic also accept 720p? If so than you can usually get a transcoder/converter to convert the DVI to component.
They are usually between $60-150 USD, and are of varying quality. They are capable of only a few fixed resolutions (720p, 1080i, 540p, 480p, etc), but I wouldn't recommend trying to use an interlaced resolution with an HTPC, unless you like going blind every 2 hours.
They aren't perfect, but they do free you from choosing between video cards and adapters.
There were also much cheaper dongles that could be used with older ATI cards (Radeon 9xxx era), but you don't mention that you have one.
They are usually between $60-150 USD, and are of varying quality. They are capable of only a few fixed resolutions (720p, 1080i, 540p, 480p, etc), but I wouldn't recommend trying to use an interlaced resolution with an HTPC, unless you like going blind every 2 hours.
They aren't perfect, but they do free you from choosing between video cards and adapters.
There were also much cheaper dongles that could be used with older ATI cards (Radeon 9xxx era), but you don't mention that you have one.
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