Greetings earthlings.. hehehe.. hi everyone, since I can see a lot of HTPC enthusiasts here, could anyone help me with this problem.. actually I got two old junkyard PC that is still running.. I'm thinking about converting it to entry-level HTPC.. here are the specs :

Spec 1 :
CPU = AMD Athlon XP 2800+ Barton
MB = MSI VIA KT600V = http://asia.msi.com/index.php?func=proddes...no=&prod_no=567
RAM = Kingston DDR 400MHz 768 MB
VGA = HIS ATI Radeon 9250 AGP 4X 128MB = http://www.hisdigital.com/un/product2-373.shtml

Spec 2
CPU = Pentium 4 HT 3.2 GHz
MB = MSI VIA P4M890M-L/IL = http://asia.msi.com/index.php?func=proddes...o=&prod_no=1082
RAM = DDR2 667MHz 2GB
VGA = Asus Nvidia Geforce 9400GT 1GB = http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=D2OP...AaHA&templete=2

I'm planning to put this to my parents' living room.. Buy a TV card.. plug in Astro to that TV card.. mean while for the TV set, currently we are only having old TV (SD, CRT type) which I plan to connect to the HTPC using S-Video connector

For the casing, I already have the XQBOX 800 = http://www.hifi4sale.net/audio-v ... panel-new-t7408.htm

My question to u guys are :

1. For both spec 1 and spec 2, which one is better for the HTPC setup? I do plan to play some AVI (DIVX,XVID) and some HD (H.264,MP4,MKV) content on it..
2. Is it worth it that I concentrate to setup HTPC on either one of these specs or better for me to buy new, state of the art configurations?

Your guys opinion is really much appreciated.. TQ

This post has been edited by azwandy: Aug 14 2010, 12:24 AM

Thanks for the opinions..

Yes, I do think that the Spec 2 is more suitable for the HTPC..

But I'm thinking of installing Win XP SP3+XBMC.. Win 7 Ultimate?? It might be a little to heavy for the system..

For the spec 2, unfortunately the 9400GT only have Analog, DVI and HDMI output..

I'm planning to buy a ATI HD5770 for my current gaming+HTPC rig (info in my siggy) and swap the 9600GT which include the S-Video out to Spec 2 PC..

For the TV card, I'm planning to buy K-World TV7134 PCI.. is it a good brand or not??

BTW, the TV card do include an RCA jack in port.. ater, I'm thinking about hooking up the Astro to the TV card, and record some Astro shows to the HDD..

Dear all, thank you for all the opinions and suggestions.. after much consideration, I've decided to convert the Spec 1 PC to HTPC.. the system already fitted into XQBOX 800 HTPC casing.. I've plan to buy TV capture card later.. since my home only have old standard TV, plan to plug in the TV through to the S-Video port connection on the graphic card..

I plan to pair up Windows XP SP3 + XBMC 9.11 (it's old computer though, don't think it can install Vista/7).. as for the issue of playing HD content on old machine, I bump into this website :

http://mymediaexperience.com/play-hd-video-on-slow-pc/

I've tried it and it do works.. thank God, no need to fork out more money for this HTPC setup.. XBMC can use external player, therefore I plan to install XBMC and use KMPlayer as the default media player.

http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=HOW-T..._media_playback

By the way, right now I'm using this software : Media Center Master (http://www.mediacentermaster.com/) to manage my video libraries. This piece of software is really great. Install it, add the location of your movie collection, and all the metadata (cast info,rating,playback time,etc) will be downloaded either through themoviedb.org or imdb.com. The good thing is the metadata is stored internally in the movie folder. You can set the metadata to be recognized by both Windows Media Center or XBMC. The thing can also automatically rename the files and folder for you, eg:

Transformers.DvDRip.2007.SecretKingdom --> folder which contains
Transformers.DvDRip.2007.SecretKingdom.avi
Transformers.DvDRip.2007.SecretKingdom.srt

Using this piece of software, once the info is downloaded from themovie.db or imdb.com, automatically the folder and filename will transform to something like :

Transformers (2007) --> folder which contains
Transformers (2007).avi
Transformers (2007).srt

It will also automatically download to the folder the movie poster, fanart and background which is compatible with XBMC or MCE. Great isn't it?? Read more here :

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/20690/add-c...-center-master/

As for the HTPC casing, I do agree there's not much seller in Msia selling that kind of casing.. maybe people still skeptical about putting a PC in the living room.. for mine one I bought from Modernopc.com.. maybe u can check there..

cheers!!!

This post has been edited by azwandy: Aug 21 2010, 05:59 AM

Hi everyone.. I am thinking about building my new htpc to replace my old gaming htpc.. which i am selling soon.. my old htpc spec :

Asus M4A785-TD Evo
AMD Phenom II X4 925 2.8Ghz
Sapphire ATI HD 5850
4 GB (2x2GB) DDR3 RAM
Western D Caviar Green 500GB
Kworld PVR TV134SE TV card
CoolerMaster 550W PSU

I am planning to build fanless, low power consumption, almost 0% noise htpc.. after marriage, no more time to play games.. sob sob.. therefore now I just want a simple PC, which can be use to watch youtube, Kodi streaming movies, web browsing, simple Photoshop editing.. now I think of 2 options.. first is this :

OPTION A
ASUS J1900I-C Mini-ITX Motherboard for Intel (Build in CPU)
ADATA Premier Pro 32GB 2.5' SSD (SP600)
ADATA 4GB DDR3L 1600Mhz Short Dimm Low Voltage 1.35v Notebook Ram

which translate roughly around RM584.06 (price based on a Lelong seller).. but still no PSU and casing..

other 1 is

OPTION B
Intel Next Unit of Computing System (NUC) DN2820FYKH Mini PC
ADATA Premier Pro 32GB 2.5' SSD (SP600)
ADATA 4GB DDR3L 1600Mhz Short Dimm Low Voltage 1.35v Notebook Ram

which is roughly around RM821.50 (same lelong seller), but with supplied AC/DC adapter, NUC casing, and intel wifi..

which one do you think is a better choice?? Option A or Option B? my budget is under RM1K..

If I go for Option A, where do I can get in Malaysia a:

1) Mini itx casing with DC power board built in
or
2) Pico PSU

I would like to get zero noise from the system, therefore a fanless PSU or DC in board is a must..

Thanks for your help everyone!!!

This post has been edited by azwandy: Apr 23 2015, 10:17 AM

Thanks for your suggestion.. I just research and found J1900c do beat the AMD A50 in certain benchmark score..

http://www.cpu-monkey.com/en/compare_cpu-i...s-amd_e_350-204

as for the casing, i do manage to find local penang seller.. Gtech solution.. the price quoted is quite competitive.. I think generic China E-Q08 casing..






the casing spec :

E-Q08 Aluminum MITX Casing (Thickness 3.5mm)
HDD:
MAX M/B Heatsink Height: 343mm, Install 1*3.5" HDD or 2*2.5HDD;
M/B Heatsink Height Under 46mm, Install 2*2.5" HDD;
Power Supply: 120W DC-DC Board (LR1204)and 12V/5A AC Adapter
Dimension: 200*70*225 mm (W*H*D)
Weight N.W. 1.25KG


The Gigabyte T5140 really caught my eyes last time.. looks like a proper DVD/Bluray player.. how about the AC adapter? Is it supplied together? Since I want to build a fanless system, does the PSU/DC board on that casing includes fan as well? I want to eliminate all fan noise, thus the reason going for fanless HTPC design this time..

This post has been edited by azwandy: Apr 23 2015, 06:06 PM