PC Peripherals Need help to build a good HTPC

N

nitingoyal

Banned
Hi

Please suggest me the components to build a good HTPC.

I have the following A/V equipment with me

Display : Pioneer Kuro 42" Plasma (with three HDMI slots)
Home Theatre : Pioneer HTP-LX70 5.1ch Surround System (with three HDMI slots)
Universal Remote : Philips Pronto TSU9400 (awaiting a quote from KMD)
STB : Tata Sky
Storage : 4 bay Qnap TS-409 Pro NAS (2TB Storage Capacity)
I plan to do the following with the HTPC

1. Playing Downloaded Content (720p) is the main priority.
2. Watch/Record/Pause live Tv.
3. OS will be Windows Vista
4. Remote control the HTPC (full control)
5. Games are not a priority
6. Wireless stream HD media to the TV (if possible)
7. Simultaneous access for two users (if possible)
8. Power consumption should be minimum (as it will be working 24 hrs for downloading)
9. Budget is not an issue (not unlimited :eek:hyeah: )
let the community help...........
 
-For the Intel based system,

E2200

G31/G33/Q35/nF730i based motherboard from Intel/eVGA/Zotac/Asus.

For the AMD based system,

X2 5200+

780G based motherboard from Gigabyte/Asus.

-Get a pair of 2GB sticks from Transcend.

-Get a 250GB/320GB internal drive for the OS.

-For the gfx, get an ATI 3450/3650 based card from Asus/GeCube/Sapphire.

-Get an Antec NSK 2480 enclosure. It comes bundled with an Earthwatts 380W PSU AFAIK. If not get a Corsair VX450/CM 460W.

-See if you can get hold of the LG GGWH20L BD Super-multi drive. Can read HD-DVDs as well. Been retailing for 5.9k in the Croma recently.

-Get a Hauppauge PVR-150 TV Tuner. That should help for your live recording/pausing/watching.

No clue about the wireless streaming part though. :)
 
Yeah most of them have one or they bundle a DVI-to-HDMI converter.

Not pretty much sure of the audio card segment but you should get hold of something like the X-Fi Titanium or the Xonar D2X/HDAV 1.3 which've optical/co-axial ports. Worthless without those ports since you could be linking your receiver with the card output.

No idea about the power consumption part. Around 300-350W max perhaps with the specs mentioned and thats a highly optimistic approximation. :p
 
Just to give you a perspective of how much power it takes to run the HTPC 24x7: My first HTPC that runs 24x7 in my HT has the following specs.

ASUS M2AVM (DVI) motherboard

AMD X2 3800 CPU

Auzentech Prelude 7.1 Sound Card

Hauppauge PVR-350

Wireless Keyboard/Mouse Combo

MCE IR Receiver/Transmitter

On full load it consumes 115 Watts and generally consumes 80 Watts. Most of the time it is in S3 state and wakes up for recording every once in a while. That keeps the running costs pretty low. I am not sure when it goes up to 115 watts because sometimes when it is recording shows and playing 720p content it shows up as 80 watts consumption. Anyway, it generally varies b/w 80 to 115 watts.

In case you are wondering how I am measuring real time power consumption, I am using Kill-A-Watt (google for it if you don't know what it is). BTW, I am running it off a 110 Volts outlet instead of the 220v because the Kill-A-Watt works only on 110 V.

I am yet to measure my second HTPC in my living room (So should it be called LRPC :) ?)

BTW, as you are going not into serious gaming I would say stay away from gfx cards as they do consume a lot of power. A 780G based motherboard is good for 720P and probably for 1080p too though I would have to check it. You do get 780G motherboards with HDMI output.

As you already have a receiver I am not suggesting the MSI 7411 Live Diva 5.1 other wise it is a good card too on the AMD Maui platform. My second HTPC is based on this motherboard and my Yamaha Receiver is soon going to be on sale.

Damn! How do I edit posts here? I don't see edit link.

Anyway, the statement other wise it is a good card too on the AMD Maui platform should read otherwise it is a good motherboard too on the AMD Maui platform.
 
Hi Skoka

Do I need a media streamer after getting HTPC ?
Will the universal remote be able to control A/V features of the HTPC (search,play,pause media files) ?
is there any role of gfx card in the quality of video recording/playback in HD format ?
what is the role of sound card if I have a good amp with me ?
I've heard about Kill-A-Watt. but how did you get a 110V socket here in India ?
is there any option to get 110-220V in any particular socket, as I do not have much faith in 220 to 110V converters.
 
As I used to live in US I have accumulated quite a few 110V appliances. Therefore I am using 220 to 110 V servo stabilizer/converter. I run most of the electronics components that take 110v to 220v off this stabilizer/converter as i do not trust the electrical supply to be 220v. I guess this answers your Kill-A-Watt query. If you do not have any 110V appliances then why bother with the converter. Instead, you can go with a good Servo Stabilizer for clean 220V power output.

You have elaborate your wireless streaming of media to the TV. Why would you want to stream to the TV? Are there any wireless TVs in India? You should be looking at extenders if you are planning to stream the downloaded and recorded content from your HTPC to TVs in other rooms. For example: I use XBOX 360 as a Media Center Extender to access content on my HTPC (recorded TV, Live TV, schedule recordings, view downloaded content etc)

You would not need a media streamer after getting HTPC as your HTPC itself can function as a media streamer. Alternately, if your storage needs demand a raid system then you could go for an unRaid system of Raid NAS which has built-in media streaming capability.

A good universal remote (like the one you are looking for, the Pronto TSU9400) can easily control media. Searching might be little tricky as you would have to use a virtual keyboard but very doable.

Graphics Card: I do not see HD recording in the near future as a requirement in India. Normal video recording and HD playback should be easily handled by 780G chipset. You wouldn't need a gfx card for that.

Sound Card: If and only if you have a good receiver/amp and speakers you should go for a good sound card as they are not cheap. It costs about 9 to 10K for a card like Auzentech Prelude 7.1. It is worth the investment only if you are going to use the 7.1 analog out and not spdif. Otherwise, the usually built-in Realteck HD 7.1 is good enough.

For starters, I would suggest that you skip the gfx and sound card. If you feel like it you can always add it later.
 
Hi Skoka

I do have a servo Stabilizer installed at my place and I get clean 220V power.
The problem comes when I need to use 110V equipment. generally I prefer to change the power adapter (available locally), where ever possible. like cordless phones, chargers etc. But there are some equipment that do not have detachable power adapters, so I need something trustworthy to convert 220V to 110V.

Earlier I was looking for media players such as TviX HD M-6500A and Popcorn Hour. But after looking at the capabilities of HTPC I am confused. Recording was not in my mind earlier. Look at these products and suggest me.
 
Even i am on the lookout for a good case...initially i was thinking of CM 330 series....not good enough for a htpc case...

well, 430 looks nice...btw how much does it cost?

i guess NSK 2480 costs arnd 6k(with 380W PSU)
 
nitingoyal said:
yes I do get accurate 220V supply
Click to expand...

Well OK Listen To This .

  • All Servo Stabilisers Have a Carbon Bush That Keeps Moving Along the Toridial Transformer .this Keep Generating Noise And Small Sparks ,This Happens More When The Damn This Is Trying To Correct The Voltage When The Voltage itself is fluctuating very much ,Normally also lots of noise is generated
 
nitingoyal said:
I dont know the technical details about the stabiliser. I have a industrial servo stabiliser (NeelControls). fluctuation in electricity is not an issue in our area.
Click to expand...

Nitin Bhai ,

All servos Work Like This Only ,Thats Thier Principal of Working Noise they All Generate Noise .
 
ok........it might be true......the stabiliser is kept quite a far away, so the noise does't reach me :eek:hyeah:
g'me your suggestion regarding HTPC
 
nitingoyal said:
ok........it might be true......the stabiliser is kept quite a far away, so the noise does't reach me :eek:hyeah:
g'me your suggestion regarding HTPC
Click to expand...

Mate ,

So Buy a Extension Cord With a Noise Filtering Capacitor in It .
 
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