It's been a while since I got excellent help with my (then) new pc. It's still almost impossible to hear and a true delight!
This time, I'm looking to build an HTPC. My Pioneer HDR is getting a bit old and I've wanted to build a MythTV setup for years. This is me taking the first real step in that direction.
I'm obviously looking for advice on noise, heat, and compatibility.
FYI, for matters pertaining to MythTV itself, I've also posted in the MythTV Talk forum and am awaiting feedback.
My situation:
Signal: I'm in Denmark, and I live in an apartment building with shared cable. In other words, my cable provider is youSee, but rather than having my own cable box, the entire building gets what seems to be regular over-the-air tv from a normal TV aerial plug. (I'm very happy that I don't have to use a separate remote for changing the channel on a set-top-box.)
FYI, Denmark switched from analog to digital broadcast in November 2009, but for flat-dwellers like me there's been literally no difference (the infrastructure handles it). Also, there will be another switch, from mpeg2 to mpeg4, in about 2012. Naturally, I want to future-proof what I'm building here. Gear:-- My television is a Samsung LE32N71BX. It has plenty of inputs.
-- My current HDR is a Pioneer DVR-530H that I was very happy with until the format switch; since then its recordings flip between 4:3 and 16:9 in a random manner (yes, within recordings, and yes its firmware is up to date).
What I'd like to accomplish:
Build a high-WAF htpc appliance with low idle power draw that produces as little noise as possible. Not have to modify my system for the foreseeable future (including the upcoming switch to mpeg4). Simultaneously record two shows. I guess this means I'll need two tuner cards. Finally get a decent tv guide! I hope this will work. Any Danes available for comment?What I have in my shopping cart so far:
Case: Silverstone GD01 is one of very few cases that actually look like hifi gear (don't have exposed usb ports and a reset button on the front panel) and have room for at least two pci cards. A Silverstone LC16M might also be interesting because of the play buttons, but somehow looks bigger although it really isn't. Mobo: I'm considering an ASRock K10N78M; mainly because it's the cheapest board with an hdmi output. I hope I don't need onboard mpeg4, because they're five times as expensive! CPU: I'm looking at a Sempron 140 or LE-1300 because they both are low-heat, cheap, and fit the board. Should be plenty for non-gaming use, no? Although I don't see why the 140 is the cheaper one...? CPU cooler: Whatever comes with the CPU, although I expect I shall have to replace it -- if so, I'm looking at a Silverstone SST-NT01-E which ought to be perfect for these cases. Fans: Yeah, I know I may need to invest in 2-3 80mm fans. I'd probably go for the Nexus recommended. The LC16M definitely looks like it needs one in the front left bay to avoid having a huge dead area. Graphics: onboard, NVIDIA GeForce 8100. Should work well with MythTV. Memory: a 2-gig stick of Kingston ValueRAM should do the job. Storage: I haven't decided yet; for starters I have a silent but smallish drive lying about. I would like to store the media on my main pc via nfs, if that's feasible from a network bandwidth point of view. PSU: either a Corsair VX450W, or a cheaper --but possibly noisy?-- NorthQ 4001. Either way, 400W ought to be plenty but I can't find 'em smaller. DVD: a Samsung Super-WriteMaster SH-S223C is supposed to be low-noise, but I'm wide open for suggestions. Don't all drives spin up into a mad frenzy? Tuners: most importantly, I hope a pair of Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 pci cards will to the trick. Other stuff: Anything else I need that I've missed?...so, to recap
Things I'd really like to know:
What's your opinion on the case-mobo-cpu-cooler combo? I really don't know any of these components, and I don't have much experience in this department. I don't intend to run any games on this, just MythTV, so my only real concerns are:--:?: Whether or not the onboard decoder is up to the task?
--:?: Whether or not I'll fry the whole thing with excess heat?
--:?: Whether or not I'll hate the darn thing for excess noise?
I really need a tip on a silent DVD drive! Possibly read-only, possibly with BlueRay support: the noise is the most important factor. As I said, don't all drives spin up into a mad frenzy? I have no idea which kind of tuner cards to use; I've asked in MythTV Talk but don't let that stop you if you are in the know!... What a mouthful that was! That's a lot of asking and not a lot of having earned your time. I greatly look forward to reading your responses.
Thanks!
So thank you very much for your input!