[mythtv-users] performance problem on old PC

[Dewey Smolka]

With an older system, you really need a hardware card to be able to do
live TV. The good news is that with a hardware card like the PVR 250
or 150, anything down to a P3 700 (possibly less) is capable. My first
Myth box was a P3 700 with a PVR 250, and while live TV stuttered
every few seconds, it was definitely watchable. Viewing recordings was
no problem at all, even when the PVR 250 was recording a new program.

Even with a bt878 card, you buddy can probably record, though I'm
skeptical about recording 2 streams simultaneously or watching one
recording while a new program is being recorded.

Fortunately PVR 150s are only around $100 -- a lot less than a new
CPU. Once your pal gets hooked on Myth, that 150 will pop right out of
the Dell and into whatever hardware he buys to replace it.