[mythtv-users] To ATX or mATX......discussion please...

jack snodgrass mrlinuxgroups at gmail.com
Thu Sep 28 17:35:50 UTC 2006


On 9/28/06, Jason <fearthepenguin at jasonandjessi.com> wrote:
> I JUST purchased a nmedia HTPC 280BA case from newegg
> http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811204016
> and I love it.  It looks like an AV component, has very quiet fans and
> is for the most part well designed. It runs very cool too which was a
> priority for me since I have torched hardware before due to bad venting
> (antec Minuet case might as well be a toaster oven).  It's about $130
> and is mATX,  but mATX will give you 3 PCI slots and 1 AGP (yeah, old
> school, but works just fine).
>
> Jason
> The place where you made your stand never mattered,
> only that you were there... and still on your feet
>
>
>
> RH wrote:
> > Well I had my heart set on going mATX with a Antec NSK 2400.
> > I was going to use and ASUS board with OnBoard video and audio however
> > I'm leaning away from onboard video.
> > In that case I'm thinking I need more PCI slots...I want to record two
> > shows at once and watch a third.
> > So I'm thinking ATX.
> > However the HTPC case at the ATX size really jumps in price.
> > For $80 i would get the NSK 2400 with a good review and power supply.
> > Now I'm thinking $200 to achieve the same thing in an ATC form factor.
> >
> > I'm looking for suggestions for ATX cases that wont beat the PVR
> > budget and are quiet and cool.
> >
> > I'm thinking 2 PVR 250's and a 6200 Nvidia card along with a 939 or
> > newer AMD socket motherboard.
> >
> > Could anyone point me in the way of a nice looking(silver preferred)
> > ATX case. I'd prefer deskop FF but not a must.
> >
> >
> > Cheers
> > Robert

I've got a big ugly case with 4 PCI slots. It has 2 HDTV
decoders, dual-port ethernet card ( I need 3 ports in the
box ) and a Promise IDE controller. It runs with a plain,
console type setup.. no graphics of gui.  It runs the
backend, database, web server, etc. It's on 24/7.

My Frontend is in a nice, small, pretty little case that has
onboard video, audio and lan and is running off of a
micro-atx motherboard.  I turn it on and off as needed.
It is configured for a minimal noise setup ( no or low speed
fans, one disk drive, etc )

The boxes are located in different parts of the house.

.... ok actually, I'm lying about the front end in the pretty little
case... it could be, but I'm too cheap to buy a special, little
case. I did have it running on a microATX motherboard
with onboard video, audio, and lan but I took that back and
went back to my ATX motherboard, sound blaster audigy
sound card and Nvidia 6200 video card. The MicroATX
board with a Nvidia 6150 was ok... but it wasn't as powerful
as the setup I have now, so I took it back. If you don't need to
do work stuff on your frontend box ( compiles, scripting, etc )
then it would have been ok.

I do have a separate frontend / backend box though. Nothing
says that they need to be the same and setting up the backend
to be 24/7 in one part of the house and the frontend to be as-needed
in a different part has some advantages.

jack


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