Hey All,
So this will be my first HTPC build. I am kind of a newb so be gentle. I am looking for recomandations on hardware. At this time I don't really have a budget in mind but I am looking to keep it under a 700 if not less of course. 1000 max. That being said from my research so far this budget should give me some breathing room to build a good machine.
My current set up is as follows,
HP Mediasmart running WHS 2007
Acer Aspire Revo 3610 running Windows Media Center (Win 7)
I stream movies from the WHS to the Acer. I am using My Movies running on the WHS and the Acer. As for file types my blu-rays are ripped to MKV and my DVD's are ripped as Video_TS folders.
My current set up works but I find it to be not very snappy in regards to navigating in WMC and loading movies. It works, it just isn't very fast.
For my new build I am looking for the following functionality,
1- Use as a DVR. I have been looking at the Ceton InfiniTV 4 Digital Cable Quad-tuner Card PCIe. In all honesty I don't need four tuners but I am looking for something that will work with Verizon Fios and will take a cable card. I don't have any premium channels.
I also intend on storing my recording on the WHS. From what I have read there is an automatic way to do this, just need to do some more research.
2- Generally needs to be faster then my old machine. Very responsive, no lag. From what I have read I should put the OS on a SSD and have another hard drive purley for storage. Not sure what would work in regards to a processor.
3- Be able to handle 1080p MKV's.
4- Be able to Wake On Lan. This isn't a requirement but it would be nice.
5- Be controlled by remote control. Specifically a Logitech Harmony 550.
6- Be asleep most of the time, wake up for recording TV and go back to sleep.
7- Be able to be woken up automatically from the remote.
8- Give me room for upgrades in the future.
9- Would like to run WMC as the main interface.
There just seems to be so many options out there in regards to hardware. It's difficult to determine what I need for the functionality I want without going overkill. Thank you for any help.
New to Building HTPC
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Jade10145
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New to Building HTPC
Tyler Durden: It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.
Tyler Durden: Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?
Tyler Durden: Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?
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richard1980
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1. If you don't need 4 tuners, there are two other options, the Hauppauge DCR-2650 (2 tuners) or the SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime (3 tuners). However, I think you'll find that more tuners is always better.
2. I would recommend following Ceton's recommendations. Their system requirement is a 2.0 GHz or greater dual or quad core processor, but they recommend 2.7 GHz or higher. Any "regular" processor that meets those requirements will work. Just stay away from the low powered processors like the Atom.
5 and 7. You just need an infrared receiver. You can find them on eBay for fairly cheap.
6. Handled natively in the OS.
2. I would recommend following Ceton's recommendations. Their system requirement is a 2.0 GHz or greater dual or quad core processor, but they recommend 2.7 GHz or higher. Any "regular" processor that meets those requirements will work. Just stay away from the low powered processors like the Atom.
5 and 7. You just need an infrared receiver. You can find them on eBay for fairly cheap.
6. Handled natively in the OS.
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Ack
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I agree with Richard on the tuners. I just have OTA and 4 tuners is barely enough; I have to utilize a 5th one on a second box occasionally. I do record anything that looks remotely interesting, though. In light of that, also don't over look storage. I have 4 TB and getting close to needing more. These are just my houses recording/watching habits; yours might be different.
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Jade10145
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Thank you all for your suggestions. Much appreciated.
In regards to the tuners, I def hear you on wanting to record several shows at once. The Centron is pretty pricey though, that's my only beef. Thank you for the mention of the other cards. I will need to check out if they support cable card though. From my knowledge I will need to get a card that will support cable card if I intend on using it with my fios.
In regards to the processor any recomandations? I will follow the guidelines for the Centron, but I was thinking in terms of snappy performance navigating menus etc. Coming from the atom processor I currently use probably anything is going to be better. I realize this is kind of general question, just thought I would put it out there.
In regards to the tuners, I def hear you on wanting to record several shows at once. The Centron is pretty pricey though, that's my only beef. Thank you for the mention of the other cards. I will need to check out if they support cable card though. From my knowledge I will need to get a card that will support cable card if I intend on using it with my fios.
In regards to the processor any recomandations? I will follow the guidelines for the Centron, but I was thinking in terms of snappy performance navigating menus etc. Coming from the atom processor I currently use probably anything is going to be better. I realize this is kind of general question, just thought I would put it out there.
Tyler Durden: It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.
Tyler Durden: Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?
Tyler Durden: Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?
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soccerdad
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The Hauppauge DCR-2650 is a cable card tuner. It has two tuners. I have one, it works well, but I wish I had 4 tuners....
Basic budget pricing
Storage drives - 1, SSD and 1 HDD, $200
Mother board with integrated HDMI- $65-100
CPU- $65-100
RAM- $65
DVD drive $20
Case, power supply, etch. $100 (free if you can use and old one)
OS- $90 (or free if you have a license laying around)
Tuners- $150-250
Total is about $900, but you can shop and get most of the above for less, and you can reuse an old case, PS and DVD drive if they are in OK shape. If you work hard, you can do it for about $500. YMMV
Basic budget pricing
Storage drives - 1, SSD and 1 HDD, $200
Mother board with integrated HDMI- $65-100
CPU- $65-100
RAM- $65
DVD drive $20
Case, power supply, etch. $100 (free if you can use and old one)
OS- $90 (or free if you have a license laying around)
Tuners- $150-250
Total is about $900, but you can shop and get most of the above for less, and you can reuse an old case, PS and DVD drive if they are in OK shape. If you work hard, you can do it for about $500. YMMV
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richard1980
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Both of the other products I mentioned are CableCARD tuners. I don't see how the Ceton InfiniTV is "pricey", considering the cost of the other two products. The InfiniTV is $200 for 4 tuners. The SiliconDust HDHomeRun Prime is $200 for 3 tuners. Same price, one less tuner. The Hauppauge DCR-2650 is $130 for 2 tuners. So you could save $70, but you lose 2 tuners. You could buy another DCR-2650 to bring your tuner count to 4, but that would mean spending a total of $260 plus you'd have to rent another CableCARD each month.
As for the processor, pretty much any processor you can buy is going to give you the performance you want, aside from processors like the Atom. I don't really keep up with AMD, but I'm sure they've got an equivalent line of processors that you'll want to stay away from as well. What processor you buy really depends on what motherboard you are going to use. You really need to have a motherboard picked out first, then buy a processor that works with that motherboard. And what motherboard you get is really a matter of personal preference and depends on several factors such as what form factor you are looking to go with as well as what features you want on the motherboard. Once you select a motherboard that you like, then start looking at processors for that motherboard. You don't need to go all out and get some monster processor. Just follow the recommendation of 2.7 GHz dual core or better. And if you plan on running any extenders, you'll want an extra core per extender.
There is one thing you will want to consider. If you go with a processor that integrates a GPU on-die, and you intend to use that GPU, the GPU may not perform to your liking. So you'll want to make sure you select a processor that integrates the GPU that you want to use. This is very important because not all GPUs work the same way...specifically, there is a problem with digital content where the content gets flagged with incorrect frame rate metadata. The end result of this issue results in visible stuttering with certain GPUs. AFAIK, the only integrated CPU/GPUs that can play this content smoothly are Intel Clarkdales and Atoms.
As for the processor, pretty much any processor you can buy is going to give you the performance you want, aside from processors like the Atom. I don't really keep up with AMD, but I'm sure they've got an equivalent line of processors that you'll want to stay away from as well. What processor you buy really depends on what motherboard you are going to use. You really need to have a motherboard picked out first, then buy a processor that works with that motherboard. And what motherboard you get is really a matter of personal preference and depends on several factors such as what form factor you are looking to go with as well as what features you want on the motherboard. Once you select a motherboard that you like, then start looking at processors for that motherboard. You don't need to go all out and get some monster processor. Just follow the recommendation of 2.7 GHz dual core or better. And if you plan on running any extenders, you'll want an extra core per extender.
There is one thing you will want to consider. If you go with a processor that integrates a GPU on-die, and you intend to use that GPU, the GPU may not perform to your liking. So you'll want to make sure you select a processor that integrates the GPU that you want to use. This is very important because not all GPUs work the same way...specifically, there is a problem with digital content where the content gets flagged with incorrect frame rate metadata. The end result of this issue results in visible stuttering with certain GPUs. AFAIK, the only integrated CPU/GPUs that can play this content smoothly are Intel Clarkdales and Atoms.
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newfiend
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I agree with the comments on the tuners.. I started out with a ceton PCIe and just added another for a total of eight tuners. I never thought I would ever need more than 4. As I added extenders I found my needs changed and i actually needed more. Do some forward thinking before purchasing..will you need or want to add extenders? If so the more tuners the better. Now that the ceton cards are down to $199. That's a really a good deal. I paid double that for my first card but have no regrets, it's an excellent product with great support. Apply the same thinking to processor selection, one CPU core per extender as Richard said above. Do you want to use the PCIe cards inside the case? Then you will want to look at a main board with multiple PCIe slots etc.. picking out hardware is half the fun, once you have it picked out post it and we can make suggestions as well. Good luck!
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Last edited by newfiend on Mon Mar 12, 2012 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
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adam1991
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what newfiend said.
Never build something to grow out of. Build something to grow into.
you *will* install a second tuner, no doubt--be it internal or external. And you *will* use extenders. And eventually you'll try out one of those commercial skip thingies....
BTW, 4TB drives are coming out. $370 now.
Never build something to grow out of. Build something to grow into.
you *will* install a second tuner, no doubt--be it internal or external. And you *will* use extenders. And eventually you'll try out one of those commercial skip thingies....
BTW, 4TB drives are coming out. $370 now.
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QingGuy
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Jade, you can see my build here - http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... f=7&t=1454 and I just today added a Ceton InfiniTV 4 Digital Cable Quad-tuner Card PCIe card for $200 bringing my total to $623. I'm very pleased with the build and think if I had to do anything over again I don't know that I'd change a thing, it's been a great first build for my needs. Looking forward to seeing what you come-up with.