I have been slowly accumulating parts for a htpc/pvr on knoppmyth build, which I will probably dual boot with WinXP for games eventually. So far I have only been working on the computer end, there is also the TV end (LCD one of these days), and sound system end.

I already have a few parts:

Power Supply: 500W Ultra
Hard Drive: 320GB Seagate PRT SATAII
TV Tuner: Hauppauge 500 MCE Kit with remote and ir-blaster


Since I don't have a HDTV yet ( I am currently using a 20"Apex POS ) The standard tuner should work fine and when I do get a LCD with HD (hope for 1080p) I will probably get a pchdtv5500 or 3000 card.

What I am kind of struggleing with is the meat of the system. Eventually I would like to use the TV for browsing the web, playing PC games (dual boot winxp for games), and everything else you could possibly use a regular PC for. Since my budget is quite limited there is no possible way I could get top of the line stuff. I am definately going with AMD unless someone shows me a price / performance difference in which Intel comes ahead signifigantly. My Hauppauge tuner does hardware encoding so there will be almost no strain on CPU/RAM when recordring shows or using the TV capabilities. I decided to go with full ATX for upgradability as micro ATX is limited mainly on PCI slots and in some cases RAM. So first thing is standard definition TV and no PC games because I do not yet have a nice television that would do those types of applications justice.

Here is what I was thinking. I basically have 2 options so far. I either go with AM2 socket or 939 socket. The immediate downfall for me to go AM2 is I would have to purchase DDR2 RAM. I already have 2x512 PC400 and 2x256 PC3200 so If I went 939 I could still use this RAM and not have to purchase any additional RAM until I upgraded to HDTV.

AM2 Build:
One of these 2 Motherboards DFI or Gigabyte

Now the link I provided are from Newegg but that doesn't mean I will purchase from there. The reason I picked these are mainly for upgradability. SLI, plenty of RAM space, AM2 (also there are reports that AM2 chips will be compatible with AM3 motherboards...)

Processor: Something on the low end and cheap like: $50 new Sempron

RAM: Link


Socket 939 Build:
Motherboard: Link

Processor: Link


As far as the video card goes I will be geting a budget card pci-e with vga/dvi/s-video outputs for either build. Something silent maybe like this Link.

I will also need a case to put all this crap in. Being that it is full ATX I have been having trouble finding any deals on HTPC cases or even regular desktop cases that just lay on their side.


These are things I am looking for and will probably have plenty of time to wait for a possible slickdeal. I was initially going to look for a 26-27" LCD TV but I could not find one with 1080p. I think that 30-32" is where you start to see 1080p (not 1080i).

If you guys see anything that may not work so well or have any suggestions let me know.

HD - Better SATA support may be coming, but I wouldn't want to bet on it for now, at least not as my boot drive.

Processor - AM2 will increase your cost substantially and do jack all for your performance. Future... enh...

RAM - If you're thinking HDTV thoughts I might just get the 1Mb now. Really not that expensive at the moment. Especially if you're waiting for deals.

Case - As you've already observed it's hard to find decent horizontal plan cases. Dollar for dollar a well chosen mini-tower case is going to be higher quality, have more room for drives etc., cooler, and quieter than a "desktop" case.

This is probably a little of my topic but I am having a hard time finding instructions on how to set up knoppmyth. I know some of you read that last sentence and went into auto mode with a response, so let me be more precise and simple. I am looking for the best writeup on the net regarding the installation and configuration of Knoppmyth. There are good ones out there but honestly I have not seen one that takes the cake yet. I have looked at many sites but maybe I just missed the good one. If someone could post a link to what you think is the best, most thorough, easy to follow, set of knoppmyth install instructions or guides I would appreciate.

We're waiting for you to write it.

Lest you think that's a dismissive answer... Most of the documentation in a project like this come from one of two urges. 1) Folks who are tired of answering the same FAQs over and over and write things up so that they can just point people at it. 2) People who struggle with the exisiting documentation and decide that they can do better.

There are a couple newbie guides in the forums, generally written by former newbies who have worked through the process. There are also Cecil's instructions in the Pamphlet, and a couple derivatives of those on the wiki.

The problem that they all struggle with is that there are just so many possibilities. Go look at the "WhatMoboYouUse" or "WhatCardYouUse" pages on the wiki. Now stop and think that just the PVR-150 alone represents so many subtypes that the driver writers struggle to keep up. How do you even begin to guide people through the configuration options and special behavior for that many different pieces of hardware? If you've got a real viable answer for that, we're all waiting eagerly for you to demonstrate it.

While we're hijacking threads...

Actually, I have a question that may help out the original poster, maybe not...

I have a split system: 1 backend-only box and two frontends.
I currently own a PCHDTV 5500 but have not yet installed it.

Question:
What are the hardware requirements for HD if you have a seperate backend and frontend? Is the Frontend the only thing that requires beefier hardware for HD?

_________________
cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!