Recommend me a Media Center PC spec

[mediapc]

thanks so much guys for the system specs and recommendations of cpus. I really appreciate all this input. Templar87 has given me the idea that i could use my laptop, which currently has a faulty keyboard, but this can easily be solved by getting a wireless keyboard/mouse.

Before i go any further regarding sticking to my laptop or buying a pc, i need to know if i can sort out the issues with the laptop - The lappy has the VGA built-in and fairly on the slow side and it has only 512mb ram, 60gb HDD. Can these items be changed? If not, then i will have to rethink of buying a new htpc.

thanks

[kungpo]

It doesn't sound like the lappie will do the job. And the integrated video on most laptops isn't that good.

If you want HD video, then a decent (8500) card is a must. if it isn't, then the Intel GMA built into many boards will suffice. BUT you will need some kind of adaptor to get it connected to the TV. As most VGA cards have S-Video out, that would be the simplest option.

AMD vs C2D? Doesn't really matter. As mentioned earlier, the overall power of the system doesn't need to be massiev. My HTPC runs a P4 3Ghz, and, with the 8500, plays 1080 content just fine. Single core will be fine as XP MCE and Vista MCE won't really take advantage of multi-core anyway.

[mediapc]

kungpo mate, i don't need HDTV...does that mean that the lappy should be sufficient? If so, can i change the HDD, keyboard and add more ram to it?

[frazered]

i would think again, you want reliability with a htpc that will play divx, dvd and tv whenever you want it

therefore you are looking at a good mid spec pc in my eyes

here's my present spec - which might be considered OTT by some

HTPC:
MSI K8N Platinum NF4 s939
Athlon64 4200 x2 Toledo @1.2v
AMD X2 Heatpipe cooler
2x512mb OCZ EB CAS 2.5 @ 1T
Club3D X1600 Pro AVIVO pci-e with undervolted fan
Nova-t 500 Dual TV Tuner
1x Samsung SP120 SATA2 200gb
NEC 5170 DL DVD+/-RW
Antec 380w Truepower
Silverstone LC17 with 2x80mm & 1x120mm Nexus fans

[mediapc]

@ frazered - that setup must have set you back quite a bit! how much did it cost mate? What setup would you recommend for someone who has a max budget of £300?

[kungpo]

You might get away with the lappie - give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

[frazered]

it was £320 as I had some parts left over from my pc as I upgraded

more info here if you are interested
http://forums.hexus.net/showthread.php?t=106897

[mediapc]

@ kungpo - i tried the laptop, which successfully played the divx movies. The only problem is that i can only use a limited amount of screen resolutions. There is no 768 x 576 for PAL and 800 x 600 is going out of the screen. There are no software control options to adjust the screen size. My graphics card is an integrated SIS M650.

@ Frazered - Since I don't have any spare pc parts, i'm sure we can such a little cheaper spec for the pc to keep costs down...can you recommend me anything? Please note that i need you to recommend me a wireless keyboard and mouse too.

thanks

[kungpo]

@mediapc - you may not find a simple solution to the screen resoultion. How is the lappie connected to the TV?

[mediapc]

@ kungpo - its connected via an S-VIDEO cable.

[Templar87]

@mediapc - had the same problem when I connected my PC to TV via s-video, some bits of the picture always ended up off the edges :-( Never did find a solution so I'd be interested to hear if there is one

[tinners]

Try using Powerstrip to set a custom res & timings for your TV
http://entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

[mediapc]

Try using Powerstrip to set a custom res & timings for your TV
http://entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

I've tried to use powerstrip mate and for some reason it doesn't have any effect on the display. I can't adjust the horizontal/vertical or change the size. Whats your advice?

[mediapc]

ok guys...it seems like the laptop is a waste of time...too slow and therefore pointless. I have decided to buy a pc, but yesterday after a plenty of searching on the net, i had an idea. Since I don't know what its like to have a media pc, why don't i do a test install on my own pc??? This way i will get to feel if its worth having one or not.

I want to setup linuxmce on a blank 40gb removable HDD as my pc has too much data to risk wiping it out by accident. Is this possible? If so, what do i need to do?

Thanks for helping

[Templar87]

It's possible to do, but you won't be able to (easily) do a normal dual boot via a bootloader as the OS's are on different disks. You can install linux onto that disk as normal and set the linux disk to be the first to boot from in bios.

Of course this mean changing the bios settings every time you want to change which OS you load, but as it's only temporary it should be ok.

Btw, what was the problem with the laptop? I thought it played your videos etc fine?

[mediapc]

templar mate, its okay at playing movies, but it only has 40gb hdd and has 512mb ram. The built in SIS graphics card is a tad slow and you don't have any options to mess with the settings.

Rather than mess about with an old laptop, i might as well start a clean slate and build myself a media pc. But what better way than to try a setup on my own fast pc to see if its even worth getting a mediapc.