[mythtv-users] Comments sought on combined FE/BE box spec

[Brian Wood]

On Tuesday 02 February 2010 06:47:23 am Michael PARKER wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm a newbie to Myth and, having developed an idea of the functionality
>  available using an old 500MHz P3, I'm trying to spec out a combined FE/BE
>  HTPC.
> 
> I'm aiming for something quiet and relatively low power, but with enough
>  horsepower for HD decode/BluRay playback. As far as is possible, I'm
>  looking for something that won't require significant upgrades for a good
>  few years.
> 
> Having trawled around the net for similar spec HTPCs, I've settled on the
>  following spec.
> 
> The uATX form factor dictates a max of 2 PCI slots - needed for a wireless
>  card and the HVR-4000 tuner card.
> 
> MB: 		ASUS M3N78-EM
> CPU:		AMD Athlon II X4 605e Energy Efficient Quad Core, S AM3, 2.3GHz, 2MB
>  Cache, 45W RAM:		Crucial DDR2-1066/PC2-8500 2x2GB
> PCI1:		D-Link AirPlus Xtreme G DWL G520
> PCI2:		Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-4000
> HDD:		2TB Samsung HD203WI Spinpoint F3EG, EcoGreen, SATA 3Gb/s, 32MB Cache,
>  8.9 ms, NCQ CASE:		Antec Fusion Remote Black
> PSU:		385W Enermax PRO82+ EPR385AWT
> FAN:		Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile
> OPTICAL:	Samsung SH-B083L/BSBP Blu-Ray Combo Player 8x BD-ROM, 16x DVD-ROM,
>  48x CD-ROM Read, LightScribe, OEM
> 
> ---
> 
> Before committing to purchase any of the above, I'd *really* appreciate
>  some informed feedback.

Pushing video around over WiFi is iffy, especially HD video. Some folks report 
OK results, but many have found it problematical. There are too many variables 
to be able to predict performance in advance, but I'd go with wired networking 
if at all possible. Since this is a combo FE/BE, you may not plan on using 
that WiFi card for video, but I just thought I'd mention it.

You probably want a small separate drive for the OS and database.