I had a look at the Via embedded boards too - they're certainly attractive from a power consumption point of view - but this is going to be the main/only computer in the house so I think I also want something with a bit more power. I want to run IPcop in a virtual machine, and probably an XP and ano...

Wow, you got a much more considered reply than I did (I emailed as well before I read your post saying you had). I guess they read yours first and then got fed up. CPU is new ni the market, and with latest bios should work support@biostar-usa.com Needing another CPU is a bit of a pain but I suspect ...

Wow, thanks for the comprehensive reply! I hadn't actually realised the Hauppage came with a remote so I was planning on getting a seperate - actually the Microsoft one was recommended by several mythtv people, but it's a bit expensive so I might try to find something cheaper. I found the motherboar...

Hi, I'm not an expert by any means but I've recently been looking to build a similar system. My parts list is here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=48281 but in brief: Biostar TA690G motherboard (AM2 board with onboard s-video out - also has a couple of PCI slots for you to play...

But I need a power supply anyway so it isn't really an additional cost... The case alone is about £55 and the 'designer' combo with Antec PSU is about £90, so it's not like that one is free. I've decided I don't want the white case that comes with the designer so I'm going to buy a Solo and a sepe...

Thanks, In fact I think 10W different probably is worth it. 10W is 87.6 kWh a year if the machine is on all the time - which in the UK will probably cost me in the region of £15... ($30) and with power bills over here going up 20% a year it will probably save a lot more over time. Anyway I don't li...

Hi, Here is the list of parts I have arrived at for my low-power always-on budget home server/mythtv box: Antec Solo Sparkle SPI250EP 80+ 250W PSU Biostart TA690G mobo X2 4850e Seems like a recent chip and theres not much price difference between this and the other 45w parts that are available in th...

Hi After reading the article I would be keen to use a Sparkle SPI250EP 250W PSU in my low-power SD HTPC project (Biostar TA690G, AMD 8250e) Does anyone know if it is possible to get it in the UK? Can't find any UK retailers, nor any US retailers that will ship internationally. Advice appreciated,

OK - thanks for the input. I guess I was thinking in terms of efficiency (I read the power supplies are only efficient above 20% load) but I suppose that is less important to me than noise. And the Sonata Designer bundle seems the easiest option and quite good value. Just wish it came in black - I t...

Hi, I am planning to build a quiet MythTV/home server box based around this biostar board: [couldn't post link] Biostart TA690G AM2 This is the only AM2 board I can find with an onboard s-video out (no HD required, just connecting to an analogue tv). I will be putting in a 45W Athlon X2 (whichever i...