[mythtv-users] Decisions, decisions

Mon Dec 22 14:59:07 EST 2003

I think the size of the microATX spec negates the possibility of 4 PCI
slots. I could be wrong about this, but I sure didn't see any when I was
shopping for mine a few months back. If you need 4 slots, you will have to
go with a full size ATX board...

-Sean

> What Micro-ATX mobo with 4 PCI slots are there? If there's one with 4 PCI
> plus LAN, sound, etc, I'll get one asap. That's exactly what I need.
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jarod C. Wilson" <jcw at wilsonet.com>
> To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users at mythtv.org>
> Sent: Monday, December 22, 2003 18:43
> Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] Decisions, decisions
> 
> 
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>> On Monday 22 December 2003 08:56, Joseph A. Caputo wrote:
>>> 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...
>> 
>> Hooah! Bonuses rock... :)
>> 
>>> 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.
>> 
>> I've got a Linksys ethernet to 802.11b adapter that works great, and is
>> especially nice, since any device with an ethernet port can use it,
> because
>> it doesn't require any drivers (unlike USB solutions).
>> 
>>> - 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.
>> 
>> Doable.
>> 
>>> - Need onboard firewire, otherwise I'll need another PCI card for my
>>> external drive.
>> 
>> Also doable.
>> 
>>> 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?
>> 
>> Most full micro-ATX boards have four expansion slots. Some have 4 PCI
> slots,
>> while others have 3 PCI and 1 AGP. My Chaintech nForce2 board is the
> latter
>> type. I've got two tuners and an Audigy in mine, because I've been too
> lazy
>> to find the S/PDIF bracket for this board, which I'd put covering the
> unused
>> AGP slot's back panel to make room for a 3rd tuner (my pcHDTV card, once
> it
>> plays nice with the other tuners).
>> 
>>> 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).
>> 
>> Most of the full ATX nForce2 boards I've seen don't have onboard graphics,
> but
>> many of the micro-ATX ones do.
>> 
>>> 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?
>> 
>> Chaintech 7NIF2 micro-ATX board with one PVR-250 and one M179. Runs
>> flawlessly, and has done so since the day I got it. However, I don't think
> it
>> has onboard firewire. I'd actually probably recommend the Asus A7N8X-VM
> for a
>> micro-ATX board. Again, I believe a full ATX board will mean you need
> another
>> video card...
>> 
>>> 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.
>> 
>> Cabling is a nasty bitch (I've had the misfortune of having to do lots of
> it
>> as part of my workload)... There's really no good way to get it inside the
>> wall without pulling off some drywall (short of having false ceilings, but
>> you don't typically see that in a residential building), and then you'll
>> probably still have to drill through some 2x4s to get from one level to
> the
>> next. I'm about to have the same problem when I set up my remote frontend
>> upstairs... I think I'm just going to go 802.11g though, since costs have
>> come way down. Much cheaper and less destructive. :)
>> 
>> - -- 
>> Jarod C. Wilson, RHCE
>> 
>> Got a question? Read this first...
>>      http://catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>> MythTV, Fedora Core & ATrpms documentation:
>>      http://wilsonet.com/mythtv/
>> MythTV Searchable Mailing List Archive
>>      http://www.gossamer-threads.com/archive/MythTV_C2/
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