I found all of these parts (excluding the 80G HD which I already have) for under $1000, including shipping.

I am looking for a "Tier 1" easy configuration. I don't want any trouble.

Does anyone see a problem with the proposed system? Am I missing anything? I will also be using the system for *some* gaming / web browsing / etc.

I am mostly a Linux NOOB, so any input would be VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!! Thank you!


Motherboard:
ECS 661FX-M7 v1.1 Socket T (LGA 775) SIS 661FX Micro ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813135171

Processor:
Intel Pentium 4 3.2GHz Prescott 800MHz FSB LGA 775 Processor Model
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819116201
with a ZALMAN CNPS7700-CU 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16835118115

RAM:
2x Kingston 512MB DDR

Video Card
GIGABYTE GV-R96X128D Radeon 9600XT 128MB DDR AGP 4X/8X w/S-video Out
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814125124

TV-Tuners
Hauppauge PVR 350
Hauppauge PVR 150
(having two PVRs should reduce the risk of recording / viewing conflicts -
right? - I can watch / pause live TV with one and record a different show on a
different channel if I have two, right??)

Hard Drives
WD HDD 80G 7200RPM 2MB IDE for /swap, / , etc
WD HDD 250G 7200RPM 8MB SATA for /myth

Computer Case
CHENMING 118-AL-BLK-0-300PSU Black/ Silver Aluminum MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16811125485


CD/DVD Burners
2x PLEXTOR Black IDE DVD Burner Model PX-716AL/SW
(2x so I can copy dvds - might as well, right?)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16827131352

Other:
Black Floppy Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16821103116
Logitech Cordless Comfort Duo Wireless
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16823126121

First, lose the RADEON vid card. It's an ATI card and it will give you no end of problems in Myth. Get an nVidia 5200FX, fanless if you find one.

There isn't a need for a PVR-350 unless you're going to use its video out. With the video card above, you could lose the 350 and go with another 150 for the second tuner.

Some people have gotten ECS motherboard to work, I guess, because they're still in business. But of three ECS m/b's I've bought at Fry's, every single one could not be brought to life. We changed processors, RAM strips, power supplies, EVERYTHING *each* time and I was unable to get an ECS m/b to work even once. I'd suggest an Aibt, ASUS, or pretty much anything but an ECS m/b.

Try to avoid getting PCI Express slots. They're real common right now, but AFAIK they won't accept PCI cards, and the PCIe video card forces you to use the latest nVidia driver which could be problematic at some resolutions.

Oh, and you don't need two DVD burners as you'll be ripping from the drive to the hard disk, then burning from the hard disk back to the drive. Myth stores its DVDs on the hard disk.

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Unfortunately the chance of a Zalman HSF fitting on a mATX board is about zero. You may want to consider going with a cooler processor which will cut down on noise (ie, Athlon XP Mobile)

http://www.zalmanusa.com/product/cooler/7700-775MBlist_eng.htm

Their website specifically states the MB I picked.... so I hope it fits!!

Also, I have had LOTS of bad hardware from Frys. I will not buy from them anymore. I, too, have returned the same MB 3 or 4 times from them until I found one that worked, and in that case, it was an ASUS - about three years ago in California.

I will heed the anti-ATI sentiment. I really dislike those Vid Cards, too... was going against my gut when I picked the one I did.

I have the PVR 350 & 150 already - bought them before the dreded "Security Bit" thing came into effect.

Any other thoughts?

THANKS!!

Found these two cards, but I can't tell the difference, except the price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814140017

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814140056

Any comments?

looks like the only difference is one comes with an svideo cable and one comes with an svideo to rca(composite) adapter me personally I would go with the cheaper one, but I already have an svideo cable, a couple in fact. If you don't have one it might be worth paying a little extra to get it, but I'm sure it will be short and low quality.

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Xsecrets

good call

I was also looking at this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130165

Due to its 256MB instead of the 128MB and it is still fanless, and only $20 more.

I can't wait to start building this thing, but, like I said, I don't want to run into any problems...does anyone else see any speedbumps that I may run into?

THANKS!!

FYI -- The "security bit" thing was probably the Broadcast Flag. It ONLY affects digital TV recording -- i.e. high-def cards like the pcHDTV-3000. Your cards record analog TV, not digital, and are unaffected by the Broadcast Flag issue.

FWIW, I still think it is a mistake to go with an ECS m/b. Just look at the stacks of returned boards at Fry's as an indicator. Do you really want to deal with a bad board that is mail-ordered? I think you are setting yourself up for weeks of frustration. Maybe NewEgg will configure and test your board for a few bucks? That would be money well spent.

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Thanks for the "bit" info - I misunderstood.

I found this combo instead:
http://www.compu-terra.com/store/product2018.html

Combo - Asus P5S800-VM LGA775 DDR Pentium 520 2.8Ghz 1MB 800FSB CPU & Fan for $211 including shipping. Thanks to http://www.pricewatch.com.

That should do the trick.

Any more thoughts?

While the motherboard itself might not be in the way, there often isn't enough room inside the case for it.

The Intel "retail box" fan will probably fit better, but will certainly be louder and won't cool as well.

There also almost certainly isn't enough room in that case for the 77000 given the clearance required for overhang past the edge of the board. Not to mention potential height problems under the power supply and drives.

MUCH better choice. I've always had very good luck with Asus boards.

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I got this fan. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6835106048

some of the reviews say it's loud, but I don't hear it in my system, and it is no comparison to the stock intel hs/fan it replaced. It's MUCH quieter and cools better to boot. Of course the fact that the intel fan sounded like a vacuum cleaner and was actually louder than my vacuum cleaner didn't help.

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Xsecrets

I like the looks of this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835103157

nevermind - I like the Thermaltake one above better - it moves 2x more air than the coolermaster for only 3 more dBA! Definately a good trade.

www.silentpcreview.com is a decent site if you're looking for information on quiet PCs components