[mythtv-users] Hardware advice for new combined frontend/backend

Mon Dec 22 15:02:25 UTC 2008

On Sun, Dec 21, 2008 at 11:48 PM, Josh White <jaw1959 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 21, 2008 at 10:00 PM, Richard Shaw <hobbes1069 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> On Sun, Dec 21, 2008 at 1:06 AM, Josh White <jaw1959 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> > First, a little background information:
>> >
>> > I'm building a new media room in my basement, and I'll be adding my
>> > first
>> > HDTV to my setup which means I'll need another frontend.  My current
>> > setup
>> > consists of an old P4 Dell that hosts my 3 tuner cards (Hauppauge
>> > PVR-250
>> > and 2x PVR-500)  and recordings drive, and I have an 2 500gb drives in
>> > an
>> > LVM arrangement on my desktop machine that host my video collection
>> > (mainly
>> > ripped DVDs) which I share via NFS with my various frontends.  My video
>> > storage is filling up fast, and I'd like to remove it from my main
>> > desktop
>> > machine (since I'm prone to tinkering on that machine, and that leads to
>> > reboots...which is a pain with all my frontends and NFS).  Since my
>> > video
>> > collection is growing larger, and I since I see little chance of the
>> > growth
>> > rate slowing) I'm starting to become concerned with the risk of a drive
>> > failure wiping out my entire collection (the time I've spent ripping my
>> > dvds
>> > is extensive, and something I'd rather not repeat).
>> >
>> > Since I need a new frontend, and since I can't currently do all I want
>> > my
>> > current backend to do with a single machine, my proposal is to build a
>> > new
>> > combined frontend/backend for my new HDTV, and to retire my old Dell
>> > backend.  For the time being, I intend to move my 3 tuners to the new
>> > backend/frontend machine (which are analog, but I have no intention of
>> > stepping into the HD tuning world yet, at least not HD cable, I may
>> > tinker
>> > with OTA...), add two more 500gb drives for my video collection, that I
>> > will
>> > work into a raid 5 array.  I'll also be adding a 500gb drive just for
>> > recordings.  I'll install the OS, database, etc., on an 80gb drive.  The
>> > network will be hard-wired via gigibit ethernet.  I'll be using a Phenom
>> > 4X
>> > cpu, 4gb of 1066mhz ram, and the motherboard has onboard nvidia 8-series
>> > graphics.
>> >
>> > It seems like a 4 core cpu with 4gb of ram should be able to handle the
>> > various tasks involved; displaying HD video content (on occasion),
>> > commercial flagging, occasional DVD rips, and the overhead involved with
>> > the
>> > RAID array.  I run .21, and tend to stick with the major releases, so I
>> > won't have VDPAU support until it .22, so displaying HD content will
>> > likely
>> > work the machine a bit in the near future.  My main goal is that it
>> > perform
>> > any/all of these tasks at any given time.  I'd like to be able to set it
>> > up
>> > so that video playback has high enough priority that anything less
>> > noticable
>> > to a human will be done when it gets done (if the CPU is maxed, then a
>> > DVD
>> > rip may take longer, or commercial flagging would have to go a bit
>> > slower,
>> > etc.).
>> >
>> > I will be wiring the room for 5.1 surround-sound speakers through the
>> > walls,
>> > and I will be using the on-board sound, assuming it will be powerful
>> > enough.  If need be, I will add some kind of amplifier (this will be
>> > quite
>> > configurable for me, as I will be integrating a network and sound/video
>> > patch panel).
>> >
>> >
>> > So what does the myth community think?  Can this work as I've eluded I'd
>> > like it to work?  Are there any bone-headed hardware choices I've made?
>> >  Do
>> > I need more? Can I do it with less?
>> >
>> > If anyone's interested, here's what I'm looking to buy from newegg:
>> >
>> > Case:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811160008
>> >
>> > DVD burners (2x):
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151176
>> >
>> > OS Drive:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148231
>> >
>> > Raid aray drives (4x)
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288
>> >
>> > Recording drive:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148288
>> >
>> > Motherboard:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157141
>> >
>> > Network Switch:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122139
>> >
>> > Power Supply:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153052
>> >
>> > Memory:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104038
>> >
>> > CPU:
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103244
>> >
>> > Case Fan (2x)
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835132010
>> >
>> > Case Fan (3x)
>> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835705038
>> >
>> > Of the items in the list, I'm the least sure about the power supply, and
>> > the
>> > fans.  I've never had a bad power supply, ever, and I've had one bad fan
>> > (in
>> > my current dell backend that I replaced 5 years ago...no problems
>> > since).
>> >
>> > Thanks for reading, and thanks for any assistance.
>>
>>
>> Are you sure you want to go with onboard ATI video? Also, it looks
>> like your MB is has 2 PCI-E slots which you'll never need. I would
>> knock the MB down a bit and spend the money on a processor or storage.
>>
>> Also, from browsing the list most people indicate that for now you'd
>> probably be better with a faster dual-core CPU than a slower
>> Quad-core. So again, I would spend a little less on the MB and more on
>> the CPU. I have the following in my desktop system and really like it
>> for the price. It's well rated, has a dual BIOS in case a flash goes
>> wrong and has all solid capacitors. In addition it has optical and
>> coax digital audio out, MB headers for audio out over HDMI while the
>> board you chose does not have digital audio out as far as I can tell.
>>
>> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128081
>>
>> Get a nvidia 9000 series fanless for VDPAU support later.
>>
>> Just my $0.02
>>
>> Richard
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>
>
> Um, thanks...Richard.
>
> Sorry, I couldn't resist.  See my previous post concerning the video card
> and the PCI-E slots.  I will consider a faster, dual core CPU, but honestly,
> the motherboard and CPU are two of the lower-priced parts on the list, I'm
> not sure what dual core CPU I could buy that would be faster; I was under
> the impression that the Phenom CPUs are faster per clock-tick than an
> Athlon64x2.  I suppose for the same money I could get a low-end Core2Duo,
> but that would be running about the same clock speed, and I have to think
> that four 2.3ghz CPUs would be better than two 2.4ghz CPUs.  I suppose I
> could buy a $55 Athlon and add another hard drive to my raid array.

Well maybe the confusion is mine but the link for the MB is a 790GX
chipset which is onboad ATI, not Nvidia. As far as the CPU, you can
get a Athlon X2 at 3.2Ghz for nearly $30 less. Of course without any
sort of benchmarking it's a judgement call on which will be faster for
your situation.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103228

If price it not a problem, why not go with the fastest Phenom you can get?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103291

Richard