I am planning to use the following hardware:
AMD Sempron LE1100
Corsair CM2X512-6400C4 * 2 = 1GByte of 800Mhz DDR2
Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H (integrated sound, video, LAN, etc.)
Western Digital Caviar GP 750GB
Antec NSK-2480
Satelco EasyWatch PCI DVB-C * 2 (I'm located in Finland in a cable household, so DVB-C is appropriate)
Microsoft MCE Remote


Old CRT TV with component (and s-video) input.

For software I am planning MythUbuntu.

I don't care about HD. I'll get a better CPU for that later if necessary.

The motherboard is with the ATi x1250 video adapter. Is this a problem? It appears to have Linux drivers available now.

All suggestions and comments are very welcome.

While the general consensus is that Nvidia video is better supported and less buggy than ATI right now, I actually prefer ATI for 480i Svideo output.

If you use EnvyNG, and do some forum searching and/or Googling to verify that the ATI driver installs properly with EnvyNG on that motherboard, then you might do well with that board. Be sure to verify audio driver support under Linux, too.

You're getting some decent components here and installing a crappy CPU? Seems like a waste of good hardware to me. Spend a little more and get an X2, they're not a lot more expensive. I've seen retail 5000 Black Editions for less than $100 recently.

I already bought the Sempron, so that is set in stone. It is a low power and low cost processor, I got it for something like $30. So it really was significantly cheaper than a $100 X2. And since I am not concerned about HD video and DVB is very light on the cpu, the Sempron is more than sufficient. If I do want to upgrade later, it is simple to switch out.

The motherboard choice was motivated primarily by the presence of component-out. I haven't seen any nVidia based motherboards with integrated component out. It's that I am most worried about. I'll check out that "EnvyNG" thing later today once I get off from work, I've never heard of that.

LE1100 $31.05 shipped. 1 core at 1.9GHz 256K L2 cache.

X2 3600+ $43 shipped. 2 cores at 1.9GHz 1024K L2 cache (2x512).

Yep. makes a lot of sense to me.:-)

The motherboard choice was motivated primarily by the presence of component-out. I haven't seen any nVidia based motherboards with integrated component out. It's that I am most worried about. I'll check out that "EnvyNG" thing later today once I get off from work, I've never heard of that.I've got an Asus M2NPV-VM running a 65w 4800 X2 with nVidia 6150 component out. Very easy to get it working with Myth 0.20 in 1080i with my plasma. Good board but I don't know if it's still available, bought it a year ago.

You might miss that dual-core X2 when you start doing commskip or transcoding. Makes a big difference but you might not care.

NewEgg.com has the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 Processor for $58 - $4 with coupon code CPU5294 = $54 with free shipping. This is the retail boxed chip with accessories (Heat Sink + Fan) included.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 4600+ 2.4GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core CPU = $59 code CPU5307

(snagged from Bens Bargains)

These would be great in a HTPC. You really do want a dual core chip. I have the X2 4200+ with the M2NPV-VM and it works great but I would have issues with watching/recording/commercial flagging without two cores.

I've got an Asus M2NPV-VM running a 65w 4800 X2 with nVidia 6150 component out. Very easy to get it working with Myth 0.20 in 1080i with my plasma. Good board but I don't know if it's still available, bought it a year ago.

You might miss that dual-core X2 when you start doing commskip or transcoding. Makes a big difference but you might not care.That motherboard is no longer available. That would have been my first choice, but this seems to be the only one still available.

I'll see if the Sempron is sufficient. If it's not, I'll upgrade later. CPUs maintain rather well their resell price.

The Sempron I chose because it is a low-heat output unit. It should run cooler than a standard X2. A low heat dual core would have been significantly more expensive, so I chose to first try with this.

That motherboard is no longer available. That would have been my first choice, but this seems to be the only one still available.

I'll see if the Sempron is sufficient. If it's not, I'll upgrade later. CPUs maintain rather well their resell price.

The Sempron I chose because it is a low-heat output unit. It should run cooler than a standard X2. A low heat dual core would have been significantly more expensive, so I chose to first try with this.

I'm using the 65 watt X2 4200+ and it's being passively cooled using a ninja-mini scythe. Even under load it's nice and cool. I have a near silent case fan close to it and that is all it takes.

I've got an Asus M2NPV-VM

slowbiscuit,

I have a need for HD component out like your ASUS mobo offers but they are very hard to find. Do you or anyone else have a solution for HD component out?

TIA,

Kwisher

Are you looking for an Asus M2NPV-VM? I don't even remember why I bought it. I can use about any MB with onboard video. I don't care about sound other than the normal stuff. Make me an offer. I've got an ECS board I can replace it with that will work just as good for me.

I chose to go with Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 mATX.

It has component out, which seems to work fine. I'm using s-video at the moment, but the component out seemed to work fine. The only problem is my TV, on which the audio-in associated with component is integrated into a SCART plug. So I need to make/obtain a SCART audio cable before I can use the component out with sound.