[mythtv-users] OT: Help me upgrade my mythbox

[Chris Ribe]

On 1/19/07, Chris Ribe <chrisribe at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> On 1/19/07, Justin Luitjens <luitjens at cs.utah.edu> wrote:
> >
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm looking at upgrading my mythbox and am looking for advice on what to
> > get.  I'll start out by describing my setup.
> >
> > Motherboard:  Asus A7v 133
> > Processor: AMD Thunderbird 1.2 ghz (underclocked to 1 ghz for stability
> > reasons)
> > Memory: 768 mb PC 133 ram.
> > Videocard:  NVidia Geforce 2 Ultra
> > Capture cards:      PVR-500 PVR-350
> > Hard Drives:  2 120 GB ATA drives for storage one 17 GB drive for OS.
> >
> > Playing video causes my mythfrontend to take up about 60-70% of the CPU
> > and X takes up another 10-15%.  This doesn't leave much room for
> > recording.  When 2-3 shows are recording I cannot watch anything because
> > the CPU is pegged.  Also when my machine is pegged it has a tendency to
> > hard lock with no errors.  My birthday is coming up and my girlfriend is
> > willing to spend up to $200 on me.  There isn't anything I want so i
> > figured i'd just have her get me something for the mythbox so we can
> > watch tv when recording multiple programs.
>
>
>
> I think the best solution would be to upgrade the video card so I can
> > offload the decoding onto it.  Upgrading the mobo/proc/ would also
> > require me to upgrade the ram and possibly more.  Right now this isn't
> > an option.  So I feel upgrading the video card would be the best
> > solution.  Which video card would be the best in my situation?  I could
> > get one of the nicer NVidia cards but would it have much effect or would
> > the CPU bottleneck it to much?  Or would I be better off to get a
> > cheaper card and use the money elsewhere?
>
>
> Myth has little use for a nice video card, but a nicer card than the one
> you currently have would certainly help.  I, and many others on this list,
> have had good experiences with nvidia FX5200 based cards.  These card are
> easy to find new in the ~$40 price range, and they offer enough hardware
> acceleration to do 1080i with the right processor.
>
> In fact, I think I can probably post back here within a half hour with a
> shopping cart that will turn your box into an HD ready box for less than
> $200. Stay tuned...
>


I apologize for the HTML, but here it is - $170 shipped (to my house) for
everything you need to turn that tired old box into an HDTV ready barn
burner...


Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price

 MSI FX5200-TD128LF Geforce FX5200 DDR AGP 4X/8X Low Profile Video Card -
Retail <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16814127181>
Item #: N82E16814127181
Return Policy: Standard Return
Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#1>

 $33.99

 pqi POWER Series 256MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory
Model MD4456UOE -
Retail<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16820141165>
Item #: N82E16820141165
Return Policy: Standard Return
Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#1>

 $24.99

 Foxconn P4M800P7MA-RS2 LGA 775 VIA P4M800 PRO Micro ATX Intel Motherboard -
Retail <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16813186090>
Item #: N82E16813186090
Return Policy: Standard Return
Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#1>

 Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Service Net Replacement
Plan -- $9.99 2 Year Service Net Replacement Plan -- $14.99

 $42.99

 Intel Celeron D 352 Cedar Mill 3.2GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80552352 -
Retail <http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?item=N82E16819112211>
Item #: N82E16819112211
Return Policy: Processors (CPUs) Return
Policy<http://www.newegg.com/CustomerService/ReturnPolicy.asp#5>

 Select An Optional Extended Warranty Plan 1 Year Service Net Replacement
Plan -- $14.99 2 Year Service Net Replacement Plan -- $19.99

 $58.99  Subtotal: $160.96  Calculate Shipping  Zip Code:  FedEx Express
Saver -- $14.49 FedEx 2Day -- $26.34 FedEx Standard Overnight -- $32.14 UPS
Guaranteed 3 Day Service -- $9.01 UPS 2nd Day-- $19.53 UPS Next Day Saver --
$27.39 GO<javascript:CalShippingCharge('http://secure.newegg.com/NewVersion/','1')>
 Shipping: *$9.01*




-- 
Engineering Department
WCJB-TV Gainesville, FL
(352) 377 2020 x248
cribe at wcjb.com
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