[mythtv-users] Hardware recommended?

[R. Geoffrey Newbury]

On Wed, 16 Nov 2005 17:36:40 -0800 (PST), Bertrand M wrote:

Hello,
  
  I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction in regards 
to hardware, as I am getting a little overwhelmed with all the choices.  I
run FreeBSD and XP at home, but haven't used Linux in a long time.
  
  Here are my needs:
  
      - I want to use the Silverstone LC11M case,
      - I will probably use KnoppMyth as it seems the easiest
      - am worried about fan noise,
      - will be using MAME and bittorrent more than actual encoding
      - but want one capture card with the option of having two at some
point,
      - am not worried about money necessarily (if something costs 100$
more and is THAT much better, fine)

  For a mobo, I was looking at
      BIOSTAR TForce6100-939
  but it seems that is very problematic with Linux drivers?
  
  Another direction I was considering would be to use a mobile Pentium or
Celeron. Is this common?
  
  I assumed my first capture card would be a Hauppauge PVR-x50.
  
  What mobo+cpu combos run the coolest and are least problematic driver
wise? 
  GPU wise, sounds like nVIDIA is the only way to go, correct?
  

**********
If the choice of case is the over-riding factor, then you are restricted
to 1 AGP card and 2 PCI cards. 
I have that case, and it is quiet as it comes. I changed the side fan for
a 80mm Silenx, but that was a bit of a 'why-not' I put the old fan into my
desktop case to replace one which was far noiser. This case is quiet. The
IR/VFD in the LC11M works fine: the remote  actually uses the imon-pad
lircd.conf... I was...umm, diverted.. for quite a while trying to use the
wrong conf file.

If you are NOT trying to build a gaming machine, nor necessarily an HDTV
capable machine, then the VIA Epia series are fast enough and run cool.
The 'fast enough' is thanks to the hardware MPEG stuff. The newest boards
(SP) use the Unichrome-Pro chipset.

If you want more 'grunt' then your choice of mini-ATX motherboard should
focus on a newer one using the Centrino Mobile chipset. The Pentium-M #758
for example runs at 1.5G but equals a Prescott 2.5G at one-fifth the
watts. BUT, more expensive for the new motherboard and you will likely
have some diffifculty sourcing one....Check Tom's Hardware or SilentPC for
reviews of the new low-wattage chips/boards.

With a mini-ATX motherboard, you can then choose an AGP video card... but
again, choices are limited by the quiet/heat requirements. The very latest
nVidia boards are apparently quite capably handled by existing drivers,
but the very latest are all very hot, and noisy due to having their own
fans. If you want quiet you must step back a few levels..
 
In any event, with the Silverstone case, you should go for the PVR500 to
get 2 tuners on one card. If HDTV is not an issue, but good output to a TV
is, then lots of people are happy with the PVR350 for output.


Then again, if the first choice is the motherboard, and the case is a
follow-on, then you can invert the decision tree. But whichever way you
go, you will run into the noise factor. And the myriad threads on
silent-pc make it clear that it is very hard to build your own case which
is quiet. You really have to buy one. If case size is not a problem there
are a number of good quiet (but large) cases.. you can even go to
watercooling. 

No-one here can decide for you, but we can help with a decision tree to
help you decide.

in my case, I started with a motherboard that would meet my requirements.
I later found the Silverstone case and it met my further requirements. I
was lucky. 

R. Geoffrey Newbury                          newbury at mandamus.org
Barrister and Solicitor                         Telephone: 905-271-9600                 
Mississauga,Ontario, Canada              Facsimile:   905-271-1638