Wow. I've not heard of the Riva TNT2 being mentioned for the longest time. All you probably need to do is get a video card upgrade. I can't confirm if the Nvidia 7300GT AGP card will work on your setup though.

i also interested to find TV Card. any recomendation which brand?
preferably PCI interface.. wanna save my usb for other purpose

you know what - i thought you're mentioning a graphic card!

that one later la. i also want to buy BR but then ah, i got no other player yet.

later i got PS3 and other stuff then i will get.


it has arrived!



now i just need time to assemble it.

darn....... i mean really, i have to piece the casing bit by bit.......

feels like setting up a Bandai Gundam model kit.

lol.. nice trans UV case u got there goldfish...

i'm planning to upgrade my SFF Spec ....

Wow... how to you keep it dust and fingerprint free? i'll go crazy maintaining a casing like that

hey guys i'm planning to assemble an HTPC...how much would usually one cost...

can it be done anywhere in the region of 1k-1.5k?

i have lost touch on how much does those SFF casing cost now...any cheap ones? or decent priced ones?

besides that any motherboard that u guys can recommend? Last i read abt recommendation was the bio star TG690...

I think the one you saw is a writer as well. Just a player alone is around RM 800++ if I'm not wrong.

Besides, there are lots of things a PC can do that a PS3 can't.

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Added on June 26, 2008, 5:01 pm1.5k is not enough unfortunately. The 690 chipset is old. Best is to get the AMD 780G or the Nvidia 8200 chipset.

This post has been edited by jchue73: Jun 26 2008, 05:01 PM

Westthen,
Welcome to the club! I had originally planned to build one below RM1500 as well.

This is my setup for RM1700.

1. Silverstone SG-01B Evolution Casing <-- Budget Destroyer! (RM529)
2. Coolermaster 350W PSU (RM60 bundled deal with SG-01B)
3. Gigabyte MA78GM-S2H Motherboard (RM310)
4. Kingston 1Gb DDR2 RAM 800Mhz - X2 (RM160)
5. AMD 4850e cpu w/ stock HSF (RM288)
6. WD 500Gb SATA HD Greenpower (RM250)
7. Lite-On SATA DVD Writer (RM95)

I believe you can do it under RM1500 if you go for cheaper casings like Inwin or Icute. I haven't taken into account the cost for a wireless keyboard, but it is considered a luxury item if you're on a budget.

There are 2 main competing chipsets today (AMD 780G or the Nvidia 8200 chipset) that will work well for HTPC. Up to you read reviews and compare each motherboard manufacturer's offerings for each of these chipset to see which one suits you the best.

This post has been edited by boonhoong: Jun 26 2008, 05:21 PM

i think i will settle for a cheaper casing plus a dvd player only...i dun really need to write it...

how much is those cheaper sff casing?

Problem is a DVD player (read only) cost only around RM20 cheaper than the writer.

cheaper SFF casing (Inwin) will only set you back around RM270 and it comes with power supply already!

yea most probably i'll settle with a cheaper casing. As for wireless keyboard and mouse, just a basic one would do great.

so i guess my budget of 1.5k is still on target hehe

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Added on June 27, 2008, 11:16 ambtw any idea on which shop in lowyat where i can have a look at this inwin casing?

This post has been edited by westthen: Jun 27 2008, 11:16 AM

speaking of wireless keyboard


noone can help me with my previous post meh??? really need to find a replacement

Hi boon hoong ,

i also budgeting for this HTPC but i looking for a smaller casing because i am too 'old 'to be gamer/hardcore gamer..

Now jsut want a peaceful in house movie system...with 32 LCD will be enough for me and myfamily...

I also one of AMD fan as well...780G is my prefer HTPC mbox too. I still not yet decide on PSU and casing only.

Ask ATE. I saw a HTPC case for RM180.

Hey guys, I'm planning to build a HTPC to use with my Sharp 720p LCD TV, it has inbuilt speakers so for the moment, I am going to connect via HDMI, I need some suggestion though.

Budget is RM1500 +/-

Processor - Athlon 64 X2 5200+ RM240

Motherboard - Asus M3A78EMH RM300

Hard Disk - Western Digital 320GB - RM185

RAM - Team Elite DDR2 800 1GB x 2 - RM165

Power Supply - Silverstone ST400 - RM160

DVDRW - Pioneer SATA DVDRW RM110

Wireless keyboard and mouse (looking for those with inbuilt analog mouse joystick)

Logitech EX110 Wireless Desktop - RM125

TV TUNER - Pixel View TV TUNER - RM150

USB WiFi adapter - Belkin Wifi USB - RM90

Total before casing - RM1525

Casing - looking for those which can be put flat down, if possible with media buttons like this HTPC casing

Any cheap HTPC casing around? Looking for those desktop type, which I can put flat down, hence the drives also must be orientated horizontally on that position.

Btw, ATX PSU would fit in MATX casing anot?
Thanks guys

Can Try Bulk Section.....look for Zhen Wei , Moderno , lalaman for CM media 230 casing

Hi guys, I plan to get a HTPC to put in the living room with a decent 720p LCD TV(already have) . My budget for everything including wireless adapter, wireless keyboard and mouse is RM1500. So what parts do you suggest?

*Edit, this is my opinion, please give your comment.

Processor - Athlon 64 X2 5200+ RM240

Motherboard - Asus M3A78EMH RM300

Hard Disk - Western Digital 320GB - RM185

RAM - Team Elite DDR2 800 1GB x 2 - RM165

Power Supply - Silverstone ST400 - RM160

DVDRW - Pioneer SATA DVDRW RM110

Wireless keyboard and mouse (looking for those with inbuilt analog mouse joystick)

Logitech EX110 Wireless Desktop - RM125

TV TUNER - Pixel View TV TUNER - RM150

USB WiFi adapter - Belkin Wifi USB - RM90

Total before casing - RM1525

Casing - looking for those which can be put flat down, if possible with media buttons like this HTPC casing

Thanks guys

I also have some question regarding the resolution, so we just set to treat display as HDTV? Do we need to set custom resolution?

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Added on June 30, 2008, 3:02 pmI'm confused about resolution, can anyone explain about the resolution? When I connect the PC to TV via HDMI for 720p resolution, does the PC automatic switch resolution? Do I have to set custom resolution? Set option to treat display as HDTV?

Why do I see many resolutions for 720?

1366 x 768, 1360 x 768, 1280 x 720 ?

This post has been edited by karhoe: Jun 30 2008, 03:23 PM

Those so expensive, was thinking of some cheap and small matx casing, maybe around RM100

Whoa, that kind of pricing is really hard to come by nowadays. Unless you don't mind the casing not being SFF but more towards mini tower lar

Ya, actually I am looking for somethign like mini tower.