New HTPC and monitor

[nonoitall]

Hey guys, need your help again. We're kinda in the process of revamping our entertainment system, so, out with the old TV and VCR, in with a new monitor and an HTPC. Here's what I've got in mind for the HTPC:

CPU: Intel Dual-Core E2160
CPU HS&F: ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-G33M-DS2R LGA 775 Intel G33 Micro ATX (just in case I need to overclock )
RAM: 2x1GB A-DATA DDR2-800
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ES ST3320620NS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
Optical Drive: SAMSUNG 20X DVD Burner
TV Tuner/Remote: Hauppauge 1033 WinTV-Go-Plus
Case/PSU: Antec Solution Series NSK2400 Black/Silver Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 380W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply

Basically, any opinions you have to offer are welcome. I don't want the system to sound like a jet engine, but it doesn't have to be super-silent at this point, so long as it's not a distraction when watching video. Also, if you have any suggestions for a better video capture card that works with closed-captioning in MythTV and has an IR input, I wouldn't mind hearing it. Do you think that HS&F will be sufficient if I end up overclocking the CPU? (Still not sure if I'll need/want to, but 3GHz would be pretty handy for lengthy H.264 transcodes!)

For the time being, all I need to use it for is satellite (via composite cable) and DVD viewing/capture/transcoding. In the future, I'm hoping to just need to add an optical drive and graphics card to make it able to handle whatever HD media ends up winning. And another question: Do you think a 380W PSU will be sufficient for that (potentially overclocked) CPU and a graphics card that can handle HD decoding? (Doesn't need to be a great gaming GPU.) Speaking of HD, this monitor is what I had in mind:

Hanns·G HG-281DPB Black 28" 3ms Widescreen LCD HDMI Monitor

Opinions about it are also welcome! I know it doesn't come with a remote, but we'll probably be adding in a separate audio receiver/speakers pretty soon too, so I'm guessing we should be able to get by without it for now. (That tuner card I chose comes with an IR input that should allow me to change the HTPC's output volume by remote control, right?) Anybody have any words of advice/warning about using a computer monitor in the place of a TV? I realize its only input will be from the HTPC itself and everything else will be relayed through that.

Anyway, tons of questions - answer one, some or all of them if you please! Thanks in advance!

 

[nonoitall]

Bump. Anyway, if anything stands out to you as needing to be changed or added, let me know. I kinda want to get this shipped out today, so I anxiously await feedback, but I understand you guys have lives too.

 

[mikado023]

I might have something to say about your HSF, if your case have a nice silent air flow, why not have a fanless HSF in there. Thinking of the Mini-Ninja, but other options are available...

Otherwise, nice choice of parts, 380w for now, but by adding components later, keep in mind you might have to put another PSU in...

 

[nonoitall]

Well in that case I'll order up! Thanks!

 

[jaguarskx]

Where is your video card? You don't seem to be gaming with this setup so you should choose an entry level card like the Radeon 2400 or Geforce 8400 that is HDCP compatible, just in case you decide you want to watch Blu-Ray DVDs.

While the Hanns-G monitor you picked out is a nice 28", it uses a TN panel which is inferior to other panel technologies available. Yes, it is cheap but the cost is less accurate colors and narrower viewing angles. That means if you are going to have a lot of people over to watch TV, they must sit close together. The more off center they are, the worse the colors will be.

 

[nonoitall]

Okay, well I haven't ordered yet, so I can still make changes. How far off center would you say a person could sit before picture quality deteriorated unacceptably? (I know it's a subjective matter, but I just want to get a decent idea of a videophile's opinion.) It is truly difficult to find a TV/monitor that has a 27" or larger screen without being wider than 27.5" - hopefully below the $800 mark. Any suggestions?

The main reason I want to hold off on getting a graphics card is that I'd prefer not to use Windows, and for now, support for hardware decoding of next-generation media (namely, H.264) is still pretty non-existent in Linux. If HD-DVD/Blu-ray (or some other unnamed winner format) playback becomes more plausible on Linux before one of those formats becomes mainstream, I'd like to be able to add in whatever hardware is necessary at that point, rather than guess right now.

 

[chookman]

The Antec case is nice and i was considering it... however, in the end i went with a Silverstone LC-16 which is ATX board which opened up more options (just have to watch on size of video card).

I also went with a Dvico tuner which from reviews i read at the time was better than any Hauppauge one

 

[nickc07]

I would write down all the spec on the TV you are looking at. Then I would go to dept stores (bestbuy, circuitcity, etc..) Try to find a similar spec TV and see how much you like it. It is hard to judge a display without seeing it IMO.

How long can you wait on this new system? I have bought some great TVs on black friday.

BTW its only 58 days away!!!

 

[jaguarskx]

Okay, well I haven't ordered yet, so I can still make changes. How far off center would you say a person could sit before picture quality deteriorated unacceptably? (I know it's a subjective matter, but I just want to get a decent idea of a videophile's opinion.) It is truly difficult to find a TV/monitor that has a 27" or larger screen without being wider than 27.5" - hopefully below the $800 mark. Any suggestions?

I can't really tell you, the best thing to do is to go to a computer and look at a 22" LCD monitor (they all use TN panels). Try and stand as far away as you can while still being able to make out details. Then move left or right as far as you can until the colors washes out too much for your liking, or until the angle becomes too extreme for comfortable viewing. That will give you an idea of what to expect.

In your price range you will not be able to get a monitor of comparable size with better LCD panel technology. You would need to step down to a 24" monitor for that.

 

[nonoitall]

Would this monitor have that inferior LCD technology you mentioned? That's the only LCD monitor we have that I can test out viewing angles on, unless I go to the nearest store that sells them (about 100 miles away - yeah we live in the middle of no where). If that LCD's viewing angles/color quality are comparable to the 28" one I had listed above, I think it will be acceptable. If not, well I'll have to figure something else out.

 

[nonoitall]

Okay, I've done a bit more research about the various LCD technologies. Also, I'm wondering about another monitor (actually this one's a TV). Any opinions about the Westinghouse LTV-27W6? Most manufacturers don't seem particularly forthcoming in their spec sheets when it comes to saying which LCD technology their screens use, so I'm not sure which one this TV uses. Given that it's within our budget, I'm guessing it must be another one of those inferior TN panels. Anyway, if you think the same problems will present with that TV, the next choice would probably be the SAMSUNG 275T, which my research indicates is a S-PVA panel. That would consume a very large chunk of our budget though. But would it be worth it?

 

[nonoitall]

Alrightly, I've made a few revisions and unless someone comes up with a major flaw, it should all be ordered tonight. I changed:

CPU: Intel Dual-Core E2180 (I've decided overclocking isn't a priority, so a little more power at stock speeds seemed reasonable)
CPU HS&F: Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler (passive cooling would be fantastic)
Mobo: Intel BOXD946GZISSL LGA 775 Intel 946GZ Micro ATX (again, I won't be overclocking much, if at all, so a high FSB speed isn't important)
Optical Drive: LG 18X DVD Burner (sounds like this drive is slower, but also very quiet, which I would prefer - speed can apparently be increased with a firmware update anyhow)

And I ended up choosing the Westinghouse TV from my last post. Everything else is unchanged from the original configuration. Now, shall I click the submit order button?

 

[jaguarskx]

Based on the little information available, I think the Westinghouse is a MVA panel.

 

[jaguarskx]

A
Mobo: Intel BOXD946GZISSL LGA 775 Intel 946GZ Micro ATX

I don't see why you are pairing up a current generation CPU (even though it is an entry level CPU) with an antiquated motherboard. You are better off buying a current generation motherboard based on the Intel G31 or G33 chipset for more or less the same price. There are G31 motherboards selling for less than the one you picked. Motherboards based on the G33 chipset is only slightly more expensive. You should choose one of these mobos since they are more "future proof" than the "ancient" i946GZ chipset.

Based on the user reviews and some feature I would get one of the following:

G31 Chipset:
GIGABYTE GA-G31MX-S2 - $80

G33 Chipset:
ECS G33T-M2 - $80 after $10 rebate

Of the two I would probably go with the Gigabyte because it has a PATA (a.k.a. IDE) port for IDE DVD drives or hard drives. But it only has two RAM slots which is typical for all m-ATX motherboards.

The ECS supports up to 8GB of RAM with it's 4 RAM slots.

 

[skywalker9952]

Best buy has a 42 inch Westinghouse 1080P TV on sale for $1000 (in store pickup, +60 for delivery), this may be out of your budget but it would be a nice TV / monitor (and may not be on sale when you read this). http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8386285&type=product&id=1181831586462

 

[nonoitall]

A 42" TV won't work out too well, given it has to fit in a 28" wide cabinet. Am kinda hoping for a motherboard that has PATA, since well-rated SATA optical drives are pretty sparse. That leaves the Gigabyte mobo, but if I go with that, I'll have to buy a graphics card now - which I wanted to hold off on. So... antiquated motherboard, expensive motherboard, or dirt-cheap graphics card? (Unless, of course, you happen to know what graphics card will eventually be able to do H.264 decoding in hardware in Linux. )