Question - New build or use old PC

[ShldBeStdy]

I had posted previously about turning old PC into dvr. http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 049#p38049

Since then, I had some issues with my car that had to be taken car of first before throwing money into this. Now that everything is good, I should be able to move forward. It seems that it will cost around $600 to turn old PC into HTPC, and only a few hundred more to build a brand new one that could be able support at least three TV's in the future. I am trying to decide which would be best. My wife does not want me to turn old PC into htpc if I am just going to want to upgrade/build a new one in a year or two. If I am going to build a new one, I would like it to be "future proof" for a few years, and be able to support at least three tvs.

I know no matter which option I go with, I will want to use the new Ceton InfiniTV 6 PCIe. Also, I will not be permitted to run a ethernet cord through our apartment, so I will need wireless adapter of some sort. If I go new, I will need a case. Either a nice looking "tivo/cable box" type case, or a normal PC case that I will have to hide behind tv or something. I would like to keep my budget as small as possible, but I know it will be difficult since I also want a "future proof" system.

I am asking for opinions on what you would do, and if I am overlooking costs. If new build is the way to go, what components would give me the best bang for my buck and be "future proof." I would say maximum budget is $1000, but the lower the better. Any help and opinions will be appreciated.

[3rob3]

I still think your "old" PC is more than sufficient as is. Spend the money on a nice HTPC case (Silverstone, etc.). If you must upgrade then bargain shop for a different video card, use the ram you have for 6Gb, and if your really feeling crazy a faster processor. DDR2 ram is stupid expensive so don't bother buying new there.

[mdavej]

+1

There's no such thing as a future-proof PC. The second you finish building, something better and cheaper will come along. Save your money and buy only what you need, when you need it. FWIW, my HTPC is a used $50 POS from ebay, and it supports 5 simultaneous sessions just fine. I have no plans to upgrade anything until it fails.

[smcmillan2]

There's no such thing as a future-proof PC. The second you finish building, something better and cheaper will come along.

This couldn't more true. As soon as you think about buying something it's practically obsolete...

@ShldBeStdy: In your original post you said you only wanted to support 1 TV, but now it's 3. Assuming 2 extenders you'll want as much RAM as you can pack in there. Be sure to run memtest86 against your build with all the memory in it for at least 24 hours before running with it, many times memory issues aren't picked up within the first few hours of testing. I run 3 TVs via extenders as well as the HTPC on a 4th TV with an i3-3220T, onboard HD2500 graphics and 8GB DDR3-1600. Those extender sessions suck up some RAM, I'm currently looking into bumping it up to 16GB (no trouble with CPU load).

[choliscott]

Just a couple of questions to start: 1) Are the "old parts" sitting inside a computer case currently? 2) Does this computer currently have a hard drive installed & if so, is Windows 7 installed on it?

I would agree with the others that your current hardware should be fast enough. I would purchase an HTPC case, an SSD drive (64 GB minimum, 120 GB preferred), along with the biggest hard drive you can afford. Last I would purchase a new video card with HDMI. Your previous thread did mention you had the GTS8800. Ceton's website had the following in regard to this type of card:

"Unfortunately it seems the nVidia 8800 GTS graphics card has some kind of video encryption error when dealing with any protected content/channels. This does not have anything to do with the InfiniTV as it happens with other protected content as well. If you have an nVidia 8800 GTS you will need to replace your graphics card to be able to view protected content."

Also I noticed that your motherboard has a Nvidia chipset & I do recall (as you also mentioned on the previous thread) that I read something that the Infinitv was not compatible with the Nvidia chipset. Now I'm not sure if it was just the Infinitv4 or if it also includes the Infinitv6.

If your current system does have a hard drive with W7 installed in is, I would just install the Ceton card to see if your current hardware has any issues with it & then go from there, if you come across any problems.

However if you decide "screw it, I'm going to purchase new motherboard & cpu", I would probably look at an Intel I3, along with 8 GB DDR 3 ram, or if you live close to a Microcenter, I would see how much more an Intel I5 would cost. I3 would be sufficient if the computer is strictly used for HTPC purpose (Watch live or recorded TV, or watch video from Hulu or Netflix & not for playing any games)

I had posted previously about turning old PC into dvr. http://www.thegreenbutton.tv/forums/vie ... 049#p38049

Since then, I had some issues with my car that had to be taken car of first before throwing money into this. Now that everything is good, I should be able to move forward. It seems that it will cost around $600 to turn old PC into HTPC, and only a few hundred more to build a brand new one that could be able support at least three TV's in the future. I am trying to decide which would be best. My wife does not want me to turn old PC into HTPC if I am just going to want to upgrade/build a new one in a year or two. If I am going to build a new one, I would like it to be "future proof" for a few years, and be able to support at least three tvs.

I know no matter which option I go with, I will want to use the new Ceton InfiniTV 6 PCIe. Also, I will not be permitted to run a ethernet cord through our apartment, so I will need wireless adapter of some sort. If I go new, I will need a case. Either a nice looking "tivo/cable box" type case, or a normal PC case that I will have to hide behind tv or something. I would like to keep my budget as small as possible, but I know it will be difficult since I also want a "future proof" system.

I am asking for opinions on what you would do, and if I am overlooking costs. If new build is the way to go, what components would give me the best bang for my buck and be "future proof." I would say maximum budget is $1000, but the lower the better. Any help and opinions will be appreciated.

[3rob3]

/\/\ Oh yeah, good point on the SSD. Definitely worth it.

[ShldBeStdy]

I still think your "old" PC is more than sufficient as is. Spend the money on a nice HTPC case (Silverstone, etc.). If you must upgrade then bargain shop for a different video card, use the ram you have for 6Gb, and if your really feeling crazy a faster processor. DDR2 ram is stupid expensive so don't bother buying new there.

Okay. The one thing I forgot to mention in this post was about audio. I just have the on board sound from mother board.

+1

There's no such thing as a future-proof PC. The second you finish building, something better and cheaper will come along. Save your money and buy only what you need, when you need it. FWIW, my HTPC is a used $50 POS from ebay, and it supports 5 simultaneous sessions just fine. I have no plans to upgrade anything until it fails.

I know that, by future proof, I really am most concerned about being able to support at least two extenders in the next year or two. I guess future proof was wrong term to use.

There's no such thing as a future-proof PC. The second you finish building, something better and cheaper will come along.

This couldn't more true. As soon as you think about buying something it's practically obsolete...

@ShldBeStdy: In your original post you said you only wanted to support 1 TV, but now it's 3. Assuming 2 extenders you'll want as much RAM as you can pack in there. Be sure to run memtest86 against your build with all the memory in it for at least 24 hours before running with it, many times memory issues aren't picked up within the first few hours of testing. I run 3 TVs via extenders as well as the HTPC on a 4th TV with an i3-3220T, onboard HD2500 graphics and 8GB DDR3-1600. Those extender sessions suck up some RAM, I'm currently looking into bumping it up to 16GB (no trouble with CPU load).

Currently, we only have one tv. We know we will be adding at least one more, probably two, within the next year. I do not have any extenders yet either, but not worried about that until we have another TV. I just want to be ready, and not have to upgrade.

Just a couple of questions to start: 1) Are the "old parts" sitting inside a computer case currently? 2) Does this computer currently have a hard drive installed & if so, is Windows 7 installed on it?

I would agree with the others that your current hardware should be fast enough. I would purchase an HTPC case, an SSD drive (64 GB minimum, 120 GB preferred), along with the biggest hard drive you can afford. Last I would purchase a new video card with HDMI. Your previous thread did mention you had the GTS8800. Ceton's website had the following in regard to this type of card:

"Unfortunately it seems the nVidia 8800 GTS graphics card has some kind of video encryption error when dealing with any protected content/channels. This does not have anything to do with the InfiniTV as it happens with other protected content as well. If you have an nVidia 8800 GTS you will need to replace your graphics card to be able to view protected content."

Also I noticed that your motherboard has a Nvidia chipset & I do recall (as you also mentioned on the previous thread) that I read something that the Infinitv was not compatible with the Nvidia chipset. Now I'm not sure if it was just the Infinitv4 or if it also includes the Infinitv6.

If your current system does have a hard drive with W7 installed in is, I would just install the Ceton card to see if your current hardware has any issues with it & then go from there, if you come across any problems.

However if you decide "screw it, I'm going to purchase new motherboard & cpu", I would probably look at an Intel I3, along with 8 GB DDR 3 ram, or if you live close to a Microcenter, I would see how much more an Intel I5 would cost. I3 would be sufficient if the computer is strictly used for HTPC purpose (Watch live or recorded TV, or watch video from Hulu or Netflix & not for playing any games)

Parts are sitting in old computer case. No HD, no windows 7, but I have a key available. I do not currently plan on using for gaming.

If I do build new, I was considering doing an AMD build to save money. Something like the following:

AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819113280

MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 FM2 AMD A75 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130662

Should I not consider AMD?

Anybody use wireless adapter for their HTPC? My wife will not let me run a cable.

Thanks for the responses.

[epayson85]

If you are looking to save money and is great BUT don't by processors from new egg. Check out micro center. Newer a10 6800k for the same price. You can do a mobo combo with that CPU for 139

[choliscott]

Nothing's wrong with an AMD system for an HTPC setup, but if you live near a Microcenter, I would check the pricing of a motherboard & CPU there (either AMD or Intel) first, since they seem to be a lot cheaper then compared to Newegg.

As far as wireless is concerned, if you want to be able to watch HD content on an extender, I would look into purchasing a set of Powerline Ethernet adapters, as you will probably have streaming issues on the wireless. Not saying it would happen all of the time, but probably just enough for either your or your wife to want to "scream & throw the thing out the window"

Parts are sitting in old computer case. No HD, no windows 7, but I have a key available. I do not currently plan on using for gaming.

If I do build new, I was considering doing an AMD build to save money. Something like the following:

AMD A10-5800K Trinity 3.8GHz - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819113280

MSI FM2-A75MA-E35 FM2 AMD A75 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130662

Should I not consider AMD?

Anybody use wireless adapter for their HTPC? My wife will not let me run a cable.

Thanks for the responses.

[epayson85]

As far as wireless is concerned, if you want to be able to watch HD content on an extender, I would look into purchasing a set of Powerline Ethernet adapters, as you will probably have streaming issues on the wireless. Not saying it would happen all of the time, but probably just enough for either your or your wife to want to "scream & throw the thing out the window

What have you used for power line ethernet adapters? I could never find a good one and I have a ton of them collecting dust haha. Anywhere from 200 mbps up to ones claiming 1 gigabit connections. None of them gave me a great connection and that is in 4 different homes that I have lived in. Better than wireless, but still awful when trying to watch Live TV. I ended up wiring cat5 every where in my current house and where I couldn't I used ethernet over coax. No more hiccups.

[choliscott]

Personally the last time I tried using powerline adapters, they were rated for 85 Mbps & didn't even connect at even half that speed (mind you this was only to connect another computer to the network).

Since the OP said his wife won't allow him to run wireless, I was just giving another suggestion based on what I have read, especially I have tried wireless streaming of HD content & it didn't work to well

As far as wireless is concerned, if you want to be able to watch HD content on an extender, I would look into purchasing a set of Powerline Ethernet adapters, as you will probably have streaming issues on the wireless. Not saying it would happen all of the time, but probably just enough for either your or your wife to want to "scream & throw the thing out the window

What have you used for power line ethernet adapters? I could never find a good one and I have a ton of them collecting dust haha. Anywhere from 200 mbps up to ones claiming 1 gigabit connections. None of them gave me a great connection and that is in 4 different homes that I have lived in. Better than wireless, but still awful when trying to watch Live TV. I ended up wiring cat5 every where in my current house and where I couldn't I used ethernet over coax. No more hiccups.

[LuckyDay]

I use powerline for one of my systems and it's flawless (200mpbs adapters).

I have heard so many varying reports on success I think it's just the kind of thing you have to try and see if it works for your application (or in your home).

[ShldBeStdy]

Thanks for the replies. I will let you guys know what I decide. When we move into a house, I will have house set up for internet. Even if I have to figure out how to do it on my own. Then wireless will not be an issue.

[hooraah]

I guess I am a bit late to this but thought I might throw in my experience if you haven't already purchased hardware, or maybe I'll help someone else out down the road.

While building new PCs is always fun, I've been running WMC on whats considered old hardware for some time now. 2nd and 3rd tier 'leftover' systems are getting faster, but the media requirements are not (everything still 1080P at best). In my opinion, any dual core system with 4GB of ram is a pretty good starting point. You mentioned that you want to be able to host 2 extenders - I can't help you with the hardware requirements there, but I would suggest using the setup you have to get started. Spend some time getting the main system reliable and configured the way you like, and then if it doesn't have enough grunt for the extenders, you haven't lost anything by trying.