[elambo]

So far I've only ordered a few parts:


-Cooler Master ATC-613B case

-P4 2.4GHz 800FSB CPU

-Asus P4C800 Deluxe motherboard


I still need to decide on video card, memory, HD, DVD-rom, IR keyboard, etc.


I'll be using this maily for DVD/CD playback from HD, but also for games and web surfing. Any tips or advice on the parts I've already ordered or the stuff I still need to order would be a great help.

 

[Cryofax]

Quote:

Originally posted by elambo So far I've only ordered a few parts: -Cooler Master ATC-613B case -P4 2.4GHz 800FSB CPU -Asus P4C800 Deluxe motherboard I still need to decide on video card, memory, HD, DVD-rom, IR keyboard, etc. I'll be using this maily for DVD/CD playback from HD, but also for games and web surfing. Any tips or advice on the parts I've already ordered or the stuff I still need to order would be a great help.

P4 2.4? Hmmm. The 2.66 is really the minimum for decent DVD playback...


























Har Har


- Cryo

 

[Randall Morton]

2.4 is much more than you need for decent playback of DVD. This chip will easily overclock past 3.0 if needed and still be quiet and stable. With this MB and case it looks like you intend to OC. Make sure you get a good heatsink. Memory just depends on how fast you want to go and how much you want to spend. PC3200 is plenty to OC past 3ghz. If you want to go faster get some PC3500 or 3700 but I think it is overkill for a HTPC. Most people like the ATI Radeon Video Cards, take your choice on how much you want to spend and if you want to play games. I have a 9500pro which is more than I need YMMV.

 

[elambo]

Randall - yes, I probably will overclock at some point, but I think 2.4HGz will be good enough for almost everything I need to do right now.


Heatsink? Doesn't the CPU ship with one, or is that one not good enough?



Again, here's what I had:


-Cooler Master ATC-613B case

-P4 2.4GHz 800FSB CPU

-Asus P4C800 Deluxe motherboard


And I just ordered:


-512Mg Corsair PC3500 DDR memory

-Western Digital 80gig UATA100 7200RPM


I still need a video card, DVD/CD-Rom and IR keyboard/mouse.

 

[Axel]

Quote:

Originally posted by elambo ... Heatsink? Doesn't the CPU ship with one, or is that one not good enough? ....

Yes, the CPU comes with a heatsink and a fan. However, a lot of people think (I am being one of them) that you can achieve either better OC results or run the PC quieter if you use larger, more sophisticated heatsinks and fans.


Here a fairly old link for starters.

If you do a search you will also find a lot of more recent (even better?) products....


_____

Axel

 

[vindio]

I have a P4 2.4Ghz 800FSB and an ASUS P4S800 (pretty similar setup to yours). My HTPC does HDTV (MyHD MDP-120), S-video de-interlacing (using the MyHD app), and DVD jukeboxing (PowerDVD 5.0). It is quiet, cool, and more than adequate for HTPC use. It's the sweet spot of processor value at the moment.


The only catch: if you're gonna go with the MDP-120 for High Def (which I recommend, given the great support Cliff Watson and Kai provide on this forum), then you need to turn HyperThreading off on your MB. MIT is working on a software driver that will support HT, but at the moment, HT is broken.


Having said that, I have not missed the lack of HT support so far.


V

 

[Cryofax]

Quote:

Originally posted by elambo Randall - yes, I probably will overclock at some point, but I think 2.4HGz will be good enough for almost everything I need to do right now. Heatsink? Doesn't the CPU ship with one, or is that one not good enough? Again, here's what I had: -Cooler Master ATC-613B case -P4 2.4GHz 800FSB CPU -Asus P4C800 Deluxe motherboard And I just ordered: -512Mg Corsair PC3500 DDR memory -Western Digital 80gig UATA100 7200RPM I still need a video card, DVD/CD-Rom and IR keyboard/mouse.

Is that WD 80gig a fluid bearing drive? The noise from conventional 7200 RPM drives drives me batty so I got a Seagate Cuda IV (fluid bearing) and its quiet as a mouse...


Randall, the 2.66 minumum for DVD playback was a joke dude (see the har har)... You can run DVDs with sub 1ghz CPUs with no problem.


BUT if you want to do some fancy filtering, like FFDSHOW resize/sharpen at a high resolution, or play some of the new WM9 stuff (like Terminator 2) then 2.4 really is close to the edge.


- Cryo

 

[hvn4179]

I wish I have a bigger cpu. Mine 2.4 is barely able to keep up with the ffdshow at "small" resize option. I need the ffdshow for picture that projects out to the 105" screen.

 

[elambo]

I won't want to sharpen video or anything like that, but I'll probably want to view WM9 media. From what I'm learning, this should be an easy setup to clock up to 3.0 or higher and I'm comfortable with that... for now anyway.


Any further advice on wireless keyboards/mouse for gaming and a sufficient DVD drive?

 

[Axel]

Quote:

Originally posted by elambo I..... Any further advice on wireless keyboards/mouse for gaming....

I am not sure about gaming, but for usage in a HT environment you might want to check out either Gyration (keyboard, mouse - both RF) and Airboard (keyboard - IR).


____

Axel

 

[elambo]

I'll be using a Pronto so this machine will need to accept IR, but I also like the idea of the Gyration RF stuff. I wonder if I can use the Gyration along with an IR-receiving device???

 

[Brian Puccio]

Quote:

Originally posted by Axel Yes, the CPU comes with a heatsink and a fan. However, a lot of people think (I am being one of them) that you can achieve either better OC results or run the PC quieter if you use larger, more sophisticated heatsinks and fans.

If it is an OEM chip, it won't, if it is a retail chip, it will. This can be verified at a place like newegg by reading product descriptions.

 

[elambo]

I bought the retail boxed CPU.

 

[Axel]

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian Puccio If it is an OEM chip, it won't, if it is a retail chip, it will. This can be verified at a place like newegg by reading product descriptions.

Ahh, I did not know it! Seems like I always bought retail CPUs in the past. I will keep this in mind, because the first thing I usually do is get rid of heatsink and fan anyway .


Thanks for the info!

____

Axel

 

[Axel]

Quote:

Originally posted by elambo I'll be using a Pronto so this machine will need to accept IR, but I also like the idea of the Gyration RF stuff. I wonder if I can use the Gyration along with an IR-receiving device???

Yes, you can. I actually use a Gyration mouse (RF), an Airboard keyboard (IR), and a Marantz RC9200 (IR). I also hooked up a second IR diode to the Airboard receiver. This diode sits right next to the VFD display in my DIGN4. Works like a charm...

____

Axel

 

[Brian Puccio]

Quote:

Originally posted by Axel Ahh, I did not know it! Seems like I always bought retail CPUs in the past. I will keep this in mind, because the first thing I usually do is get rid of heatsink and fan anyway .

Sounds good, but keep in mind you no longer have a 3 year warranty, but now a 30 day (or maybe 90) warranty as it is a chip marketed towards OEMs who will warranty everything themselves.

 

[elambo]

-Cooler Master ATC-613B case

-P4 2.4GHz 800FSB CPU

-Asus P4C800 Deluxe motherboard

-512Mg Corsair PC3500 DDR memory

-Western Digital 80gig UATA100 7200RPM


just added:


-Pioneer DVD/CD Rom

-Gyration Mouse/Keyboard




Lastly, I need to decide on a video card for DVD playback and gaming. I'll be connecting to a Pioneer PRO530HD RPTV via DVI (hopefully, if it lets me). Should I go after something like a Radeon 9600 or 9800?