[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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