[mythtv-users] Decisions, decisions

Carlos Fernandez Sanz cfs-myth at nisupu.com
Mon Dec 22 14:23:41 EST 2003


What Micro-ATX mobo with 4 PCI slots are there? If there's one with 4 PCI
plus LAN, sound, etc, I'll get one asap. That's exactly what I need.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jarod C. Wilson" <jcw at wilsonet.com>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 18:43
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Decisions, decisions


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> On Monday 22 December 2003 08:56, Joseph A. Caputo wrote:
> > Well, I never thought I'd be asking a 'what hardware should I buy'
> > question ('cause I didn't think I'd have the budget), but I got a bonus
> > this year, so...
>
> Hooah! Bonuses rock... :)
>
> > I've been running a combined frontend/backend since the 0.7 days on my
> > beige tower, ASUS A7V266 w/Athlon 1600+ XP & WinTV 401 card.  Now I
> > have a small budget for some new toys (I got my 2 new M-179s today),
> > and I'm trying to figure out how best to spend it.  I was hoping to do
> > something SFF, probably micro-ATX, but I can't seem to make it work.
> > My limitations:
> >
> > - I need a wireless network solution.  My current Myth box has an
> > 802.11b WLAN PCI card.  Hard wiring is currently not an option, so I'll
> > need either a free PCI slot or an external wlan solution.
>
> I've got a Linksys ethernet to 802.11b adapter that works great, and is
> especially nice, since any device with an ethernet port can use it,
because
> it doesn't require any drivers (unlike USB solutions).
>
> > - Ideally, I'd like a 3-tuner backend/frontend combo.  Separating the
> > frontend/backend is really not feasible for me, since I'm limited to
> > 802.11b bandwidth.
>
> Doable.
>
> > - Need onboard firewire, otherwise I'll need another PCI card for my
> > external drive.
>
> Also doable.
>
> > Since one of my 3 tuners is analog, plus I have a bunch of xvid-encoded
> > movies, and do a fair amount of ripping, transcoding & burning, I think
> > a mini-ITX (VIA Epia, etc) solution is probably inadvisable.  I've
> > looked at the Pundit & Shuttle systems, but none of them have more than
> > 2 PCI slots.  Even if I get an external wlan solution, that would still
> > force me to abandon 1 tuner.  Does anybody know of any micro-ATX
> > solutions (cases or mobos) with more than 2 PCI slots?
>
> Most full micro-ATX boards have four expansion slots. Some have 4 PCI
slots,
> while others have 3 PCI and 1 AGP. My Chaintech nForce2 board is the
latter
> type. I've got two tuners and an Audigy in mine, because I've been too
lazy
> to find the S/PDIF bracket for this board, which I'd put covering the
unused
> AGP slot's back panel to make room for a 3rd tuner (my pcHDTV card, once
it
> plays nice with the other tuners).
>
> > If micro-ATX isn't feasible, I was thinking of going with an Antec
> > Overture case + full ATX mobo.  I was thinking of getting an nForce2
> > mobo w/on-board GF4MX (my current AGP card is a GF4MX, and it suits me
> > fine, but I'd like to keep it in the current box).
>
> Most of the full ATX nForce2 boards I've seen don't have onboard graphics,
but
> many of the micro-ATX ones do.
>
> > If I have to go
> > this way, I know some people have no problem with nForce2 while others
> > have had trouble getting theirs to work.  Any suggestions on a good
> > full-ATX mobo?  I've seen some folks on the list recommend Chaintech,
> > and I already know to stay away from VIA KT-XXX chipsets.  What mobos/
> > chipsets are folks with M-179's using?
>
> Chaintech 7NIF2 micro-ATX board with one PVR-250 and one M179. Runs
> flawlessly, and has done so since the day I got it. However, I don't think
it
> has onboard firewire. I'd actually probably recommend the Asus A7N8X-VM
for a
> micro-ATX board. Again, I believe a full ATX board will mean you need
another
> video card...
>
> > Thanks for your indulgence!
> >
> > -JAC
> >
> > PS- Anyone want to give me tips on how I can run CAT-5 cable from my top
> > (2nd) floor to my basement with minimal wall damage?  I'd really like
> > to get rid of my wlan dependency.
>
> Cabling is a nasty bitch (I've had the misfortune of having to do lots of
it
> as part of my workload)... There's really no good way to get it inside the
> wall without pulling off some drywall (short of having false ceilings, but
> you don't typically see that in a residential building), and then you'll
> probably still have to drill through some 2x4s to get from one level to
the
> next. I'm about to have the same problem when I set up my remote frontend
> upstairs... I think I'm just going to go 802.11g though, since costs have
> come way down. Much cheaper and less destructive. :)
>
> - -- 
> Jarod C. Wilson, RHCE
>
> Got a question? Read this first...
>      http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
> MythTV, Fedora Core & ATrpms documentation:
>      http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/
> MythTV Searchable Mailing List Archive
>      http://www.gossamer-threads.com/archive/MythTV_C2/
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