All,


I'm in the process of giving my 2K Server an overhaul. I plan to use this box as my media server for my new home theater via a X-Box 360.

Thanks to TVersity (http://www.tversity.com) I've found a way around 2K's complete lack of UPnP support. However many of my video files are in formats other than WMA and AVI so I have to transcode them from say DIVX to a streaming format that the 360 supports.

I've experimented with the program and it seems quite capable of transcoding Quicktime and DivX to that streaming format (uncertain what it is) on the fly but my dual 750's are totally incapable of keeping up with it. I get about 3 minutes of video then it crashes.

So, I'm looking to upgrade from my old Dual PIII 750's to something more... robust. Right now I was thinging of a cheap Socket 775 Celeron w/ 2G of cheap RAM on a DFI board. Something like this:

$90 for the Intel Dual-Core E2180 Allendale 2.0GHz (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116052)
$44 for Corsair XMS2 2GB(2 x 1GB) DDR2 675 PC2 5400 Dual Channel (http://www.directron.com/twin2x2g5400c4.html)
$56 for the DFI 662-TMG/G Socket 775 mATX Motherboard (http://www.directron.com/662tmgg.html)

So that brings the total to $190 for the whole project. CPU comes w/ heat sync and fan. So I shouldn't be leaving anything out. I'd not even begin to consider this parts list for my main machine. For a file server that needs to transcode on the fly what do you think?

Upgrading the board will help out alot. It'll have onboard GigE (using a RealTek card now). Onboard USB 2.0 (using a Promiss card now). Onboard video and sound. This will elimate about 4 PCI cards I'm using now.

Thoughts? Do you think a single core proc is fast enough for this?

FYI, the machine currently supports 4 IDE PATA HD's and two PATA optical drives (Plextor DVD burner, and a DVD Reader). I eventually plan to get a stand alone RAID controller and do a 2T Raid 5 array.