[mythtv-users] Decisions, decisions
Joseph A. Caputo
jcaputo1 at comcast.net
Mon Dec 22 11:56:36 EST 2003
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...
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.
- 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.
- Need onboard firewire, otherwise I'll need another PCI card for my
external drive.
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?
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). 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?
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.
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