[mythtv-users] Dell OptiPlex for Myth front-end

[David Levine]

Hi, all.  I currently have an "under the stairs" MythTV backend (dual
PVR250 tuners), and a single XBox front-end in the living room.  I'm
thinking about a second front-end in the bedroom, however I was
thinking about a small form factor PC instead of another XBox.

At work, I have a (small form factor) Dell OptiPlex GX260 on my desk,
and it is VERY quiet (at least as heard in my office, to my ears).  So
of course, it seems like it would make a good front-end.  It's way
overpowered for a Myth front-end, of course, and it's a bit more than
I'm looking to spend.  However, I see quite a few older small form
factor OptiPlex GX models available cheaply, used, online.  Does
anyone know if the older models were just as quiet?  I read online
that the GX50 line didn't have an AGP slot (so if you wanted to add an
after-market video card instead of the onboard video, you were stuck
with PCI).  But I'm not sure about other GX models.  I don't do HDTV,
just SDTV, so I can go for a fairly old machine, I think, without
worrying about being underpowered.  Cheap and quiet are my watchwords!

And, of course, if anyone is actually using a GX, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks,
David