[mythtv-users] Dell OptiPlex for Myth front-end

[Khanh Tran]

I maintain a college network that uses nothing but the Dell OptiPlex
hardware since 1999.  I'd suggest using nothing but the newer ones in
the gray charcoal/black colors.  I think the oldest of the black ones
are the GX150s.  The GX110s are the newest of the beige, lighter colored
cases.  Anything in the GX110 and older have loud hard drives that whine
like you wouldn't believe.  However, this isn't much of an issue since I
don't think anyone wants a MythTV system with the 10G or so hard drives
they came with.

Do yourself a favor and look at the Dell message forums (sorry, don't
know the link off-hand) about what Linux distros work or don't work.  I
had issues with the onboard video card not working in SuSE on one of the
newer desktop form-factor boxes.  This one didn't have AGP either.  They
do that to keep the small form factor for business use.  OptiPlexes are
their office line.  Dimensions are for their home users.

-Khanh



-----Original Message-----
From: mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org
[mailto:mythtv-users-bounces at mythtv.org] On Behalf Of David Levine
Sent: Tuesday, December 07, 2004 4:43 PM
To: mythtv-users at mythtv.org
Subject: [mythtv-users] Dell OptiPlex for Myth front-end

Hi, all.  I currently have an "under the stairs" MythTV backend (dual
PVR250 tuners), and a single XBox front-end in the living room.  I'm
thinking about a second front-end in the bedroom, however I was thinking
about a small form factor PC instead of another XBox.

At work, I have a (small form factor) Dell OptiPlex GX260 on my desk,
and it is VERY quiet (at least as heard in my office, to my ears).  So
of course, it seems like it would make a good front-end.  It's way
overpowered for a Myth front-end, of course, and it's a bit more than
I'm looking to spend.  However, I see quite a few older small form
factor OptiPlex GX models available cheaply, used, online.  Does anyone
know if the older models were just as quiet?  I read online that the
GX50 line didn't have an AGP slot (so if you wanted to add an
after-market video card instead of the onboard video, you were stuck
with PCI).  But I'm not sure about other GX models.  I don't do HDTV,
just SDTV, so I can go for a fairly old machine, I think, without
worrying about being underpowered.  Cheap and quiet are my watchwords!

And, of course, if anyone is actually using a GX, I'd love to hear about
it.

Thanks,
David