Thanks kiwijunglist. I'll check on the TDP of the processor. I won't need a tv Tuner as I'm going with the Homerun HD external tuner. http://www.homerun.com.
I originally used the external Soundblaster for providing quality audio from a laptop to my amp. I probably won't use it for the HTPC which will replace the laptop for music in the lounge/TV room. My speakers are not good enough for HD Audio but I might plan for this in future if I want to become an audiophile. :-)
Would an XBOX 360 as a media extender work? I have tried it briefly with my windows 7 PC and appeared to work OK. You can get a Xbox 360 for $350 and is small and quiet.
I thought long and hard about this as an option. I'll definitely use an Xbox360 elsewhere in the house but for my main media centre I wanted the extra flexibility a HTPC will give me.
I have the Antec Minuit case you mentioned... it's good. My first build was an old P4 3Ghz with an Intel G45 onboard graphics but that struggled with TV3, so I upgraded to the video card. It was not easy finding a half-height video card! I can't remember what one I used in the end but I think it's an ATI 5150 or something (not at home at the moment), and that did the job. I've since upgraded the CPU to a Core 2 Duo something and it handles the old games I play on it fine (Flight Sim X, Grid, Trackmania).
Hmm I should add my system specs to my sig.
Regarding my case, it's quite sexy. To me it still looks like a PC case but a lot of people ask me where my computer is when I show them Windows 7 on my TV, even though the case is staring them in the face.
If the TV is off and the lounge is quiet I can hear a slight fan noise when it's on and when it accesses the disk. But if you're watching TV at even a low volume then this noise isn't noticeable.
Me, if I were gonna build one again I'd probably get one of those Dell Zino tiny PCs.
Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly
to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.
ID Verified
