Let me start off by saying this is a VERY informative site, glad I signed up and thanks in advance.
I am planning on building my first HTPC system and chose one of the recommended system builds listed below. I am trying to keep my budget below $400 with room to expand is possible.
System chose:
CPU: Athlon II X2 255 ADX255OCGQBOX/ADX255OCGMBOX 3.1GHz 65W AM3, $63
.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0
.
Motherboard: ASRock 880GMH/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G/SB710 chipsets microATX, $82. An alternative is GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G/SB850 chipsets microATX, $90 (supporting SATA 6Gb/s and IEEE 1394).
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws DDR3-1600 CL9 2 x 2GB Kit, $53.
Graphics Card: Radeon HD 4250 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB SATA 3.0Gbps 7200 RPM, $59.
PSU: Seasonic S12II-380 Bronze, $53.
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B microATX, with a card reader, $65.
Total Cost: $375
Now for the questions:
- I am mostly concerned with DVR capabilities. I want to be able to record digital cable from Time Warner. Am I able to install a cable tuner in this setup? I will be using WMC since from what I've been reading seems to be the best for DVR capabilities.
- If this system is able to DVR is it best to install a card or use a external device?
I guess what I'm really wanting to do is upgrade options on my build. I want to get the 'main' unit built and running and be able to upgrade to a cable tuner later.
I need to be able to record and playback in High Def. and I would like to support up to 3 tv's with my build.
SOUND
I also want to be able to playback in 'surround sound'
Thanks again in advance and sorry if any questions dont make sense. I was brainstorming as I was typing. Any and all suggestions or other builds are appreciated. I wanted to give you experts something to work with.
I am planning on building my first HTPC system and chose one of the recommended system builds listed below. I am trying to keep my budget below $400 with room to expand is possible.
System chose:
CPU: Athlon II X2 255 ADX255OCGQBOX/ADX255OCGMBOX 3.1GHz 65W AM3, $63
.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0
.
Motherboard: ASRock 880GMH/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G/SB710 chipsets microATX, $82. An alternative is GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-UD2H AM3 AMD 880G/SB850 chipsets microATX, $90 (supporting SATA 6Gb/s and IEEE 1394).
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL Ripjaws DDR3-1600 CL9 2 x 2GB Kit, $53.
Graphics Card: Radeon HD 4250 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB SATA 3.0Gbps 7200 RPM, $59.
PSU: Seasonic S12II-380 Bronze, $53.
Case: nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B microATX, with a card reader, $65.
Total Cost: $375
Now for the questions:
- I am mostly concerned with DVR capabilities. I want to be able to record digital cable from Time Warner. Am I able to install a cable tuner in this setup? I will be using WMC since from what I've been reading seems to be the best for DVR capabilities.
- If this system is able to DVR is it best to install a card or use a external device?
I guess what I'm really wanting to do is upgrade options on my build. I want to get the 'main' unit built and running and be able to upgrade to a cable tuner later.
I need to be able to record and playback in High Def. and I would like to support up to 3 tv's with my build.
SOUND
I also want to be able to playback in 'surround sound'
Thanks again in advance and sorry if any questions dont make sense. I was brainstorming as I was typing. Any and all suggestions or other builds are appreciated. I wanted to give you experts something to work with.
