[putnum]

Has anybody thought about or have done the following:


Combining a HTPC and a Media server?



I found this (yes awesome!) case that is designed to take two mobos. Its called the Thermaltake Mozart Tx. When I get ready to do mine I think this would be awsome to have everything in one case.



Any thoughts?

 

[benjamin.r]

Well it depends on what you want to do. The problems with combining the HTPC and the media server into one unit are numerous: noise, heat, space, etc. I prefer to have a lightweight HTPC (with one fast and silent 2.5in HDD to host the OS) that feeds itself off of it's tuner and from the separate media server from the network. The media server is shoved in another room or closet where noise doesn't matter. Also, you can build a much bigger media server that would be dedicated to streaming, ripping, downloading etc and that can be accessed remotely over the network.


But hey, that's just me. If space or money is an issue, combining the two is still fine.

 

[kapone]

Sure, it's a good idea, as long as the "HTPC + Media Server" sits in a closet or garage.

Otherwise bad idea. Too many heat and sound related issues.


The ideal setup would be an "HTPC" with either software or hardware based RAID backed storage (and lots of it), a bunch of tuners, all sitting in the garage/closet and extenders in your viewing areas. Much more elegant and simple to setup/operate and maintain.

 

[stanger89]



Quote:
Originally Posted by putnum /forum/post/14279938


Has anybody thought about or have done the following:


Combining a HTPC and a Media server?

Lots of people have machines that do "double duty" as media servers and HTPCs, basically that just means an HTPC with tons of storage. Of course that tactic has the troubles of making it harder to get your HTPC quiet while keeping it cool and comfortable.


Having them be separate machines eases the cooling/noise issue but then can increase cost.

Quote:
I found this (yes awesome!) case that is designed to take two mobos. Its called the Thermaltake Mozart Tx. When I get ready to do mine I think this would be awsome to have everything in one case.



Any thoughts?

I can't think of a single reason you'd want to have a "server" and an "HTPC" in a single case, it seems like the worst of both worlds combined. It combines the added cost and potential complexity of a multi-box setup with the heat and noise issues of a single box setup.


IMO, go one way or the other, single PC that does everything, or multiple PCs doing what they're best at.

 

[mcnabney]

It is very easy to do, but you have to make the right choices.


I have a HTPC / Gaming computer / Media Server.


It is all housed in a Norco 4U case that sits quietly in the stand beneath my 61" Samsung. It gets plenty of ventilation since the center cabinet has black fabric covering which lets cool air in and the hot air goes out the back (cut out the back fiberboard, those cases are deep).


Inside you will find:

Asus P5Q Pro ATX motherboard

550W Corsair power supply

one DVDRW drive (with room for a BD neighbor)

One boot/application/game drive - WD640AAKS

Six drive array (6xWD640AAKS in RAID5 = 3.2TB with parity!)

HD4850 video card (with room for a second in Xfire)

4GB of RAM

Intel E8400 core2duo

2 quiet 120mm fans controlled by the motherboard as an intake in front

2 quiet 80mm fans exhausting out and up from the back/top of the case

2 quiet 60mm fans exhausting out the back of the case

Wireless card for network/Internet access

Bluetooth mouse and keyboard

Vista 64


Soon to join it will most likely be the Asus HDAV sound card to provide Bitstream and EAX1-5 support. It actually didn't even cost that much, about $1600. Under normal operations it cannot be heard anywhere in the living room. When gaming it is possible to hear if you are within 5 feet of the case (I sit 9' away), but that is unlikely due to the very loud noises coming out of the Klipsch Reference speakers in 7.1.