HTPC help...

[I-Die-Often]

Starting to explore the idea of using some of my spare parts to put together a HTPC... any of the eGO folks done this before? Suggest some GOOD sources for info... Google turns up a lot of hits, but most are old or slow forums (slow meaning not much traffic).

I want to build a box to replace my DVD player and stereo... this way I can free up some space in my TV "stand" since I run a set of Logitech Z-5500 surround speakers anyway.

I don't own an HD TV yet, but the wife and I have talked abotu getting a 40ISH inch LCD, so I would like to be able to have a HTPC to store all of our DVDs and music on... nothing too special... right? I am wondering what kind of CPU power I need as well as vieo card to run the TV... so... help? Or point me somewhere good.

 

[Deac]

I'm in the process of doing the exact same thing. Currently using MediaPortal for the software. As for hardware (if I remember right, I'm still waking up) CPU: 3.0Ghz Athlon 64, Nvidia 6600 GT video card and 1 gig o ram, 500 gig HD, and a Microsoft Infra Red remote.

 

[xKodiakx]

for a HTPC you don't need a whole lot of video power, and you want a quiet system since it's for media and a little noise might get annoying.

I personally am going with an AMD based HTPC mainly because the new 790GX boards have VGA/DVI/HDMI video ports built in, which if you plan on getting an HDTV then you have your HDMI right there. They also use a HD 3300 IGP which is currently the most powerful of the IGPs from what I've read.

I'm also planning on getting a low power dual core processor since HTPCs aren't for gaming or rendering or any kind of high demanding app.. so CPU speed is also not really as intense...


The most important thing I <-- MY OPINION think is TV-Tuner (if you plan on watchin TV through it maybe using the PVR options OR HDDs to hold all your video

 

[trykael]

One very important thing to remember - that box is going to be sitting in your living room while you're trying to watch your movies and TV. You're going to want a smallish-box that will fit in your tv cabinet, but large enough that air can move freely around without running all of your fans on high. Also, don't get any too-overpowered hardware. High-end parts will require a lot more cooling power, which equals higher volume.