media center pc

[invisik]

hey guys so i want to build a media center pc. my budget is $300 or less. so far this is wat i have. i already have a a dvd rom
so all i need is a tv tuner and a wireless card thats low profile since my case i believe will limit me to it. so any suggestions? i need one from newegg. is the build okay for a media pc?
THANKS.

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Intel Celeron E1200 1.6GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E1200
$49.99

1 ZOTAC N73PV-Supreme LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$52.99

1 Kingston 512MB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5/512

-$16.00 Instant
$28.99
$12.99

1 hec Black 0.7mm Thickness SECC Steel 7KJ9 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case (built in psu 270watt)
-$10.00 Instant
$69.99
$59.99

1 EXCELSTOR Jupiter Series ESJ9250S 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

$49.99
Grand Total: $225.95

 

[invisik]

anyone?

 

[roadrunner197069]

IT will suck without atleast 1g of ram. Make sure to get a mobo that can do a mild OC.

 

[invisik]

even tho im gonna use linux on it?

 

[roadrunner197069]

Then it will suck even worse.

 

[hurbt]

If I was going to build the cheapest media pc, this is what I would build (which is under $300, also). I picked these components because they would allow for an upgrade to a blu-ray player with no additional upgrades, aside from the player itself... which you can get on newegg for $130 (PS3 eat your heart out):

Motherboard: BIOSTAR TForce TF720 A2+ AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA nForce 720a ATX AMD Motherboard
$79.99

Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Brisbane 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor - OEM
$47.99

There are also a host of single core, AM2 procs that cost as little as $30, which would probably work fine, as well.

Case: Athenatech Black SECC Steel A3712BB.450 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
$64.99

RAM: Kingston HyperX 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model KHX6400D2LL/1G
$27.99

HDD: what you selected looks great!
$49.99

For a grand total of: $270.95

Blu-ray player (optional): LITE-ON Black SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-4O1S-11 - OEM
$129.99

 

[knotknut]

Wait for the G45 boards to come out.
They should be out this month.

The only thing you picked out that wasent sub-standard was the RAM and that was not enough.

 

[outlw6669]

780G mATX Mb $66.99 after MIR
X2 4600+ $56.99
1Gb DDR2 800 $20.99

The 780G has better integrated video which can fully decode HD video streams. Very important in a media PC. The 4600+ is way more powerful than the E1200 you selected and you really need at least 1Gb RAM.

As for low profile tv tuners...
The cheapist I could find was a Hauppauge WINTV-PVR 150MCE-LP for $69.99. Good brand but a little pricey. You can get a USB tv tuner for $14.99 after MIR but you will probably get what you pay for.

That is all.

 

[invisik]

the g45 how much better would that be and do u no how much its going to cost?

 

[nvalhalla]

I like the avermedia combo PCIe, usually around $80. Low profile even. With tuners you REALLY get what you pay for. I agree with the 780g/x2/1gb ram. 2GB if you can spare it. Your choices will stutter under anything more than 720p. Use froogle to find the items at ewiz. They have a 500GB hitachi for $67 that I buy twice a month. They won't have the tuner, I don't think, so newegg might be better there.

 

[nvalhalla]

Worlds better than the 7100, but the reviews aren't in as to its comparison to 780g.

 

[invisik]

hey guys so this is wat i have so far. i might wait for the new g45 to come out. any more opinions?

Product Description Savings Total Price
1 Intel Celeron E1200 1.6GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E1200

$49.99
1 ZOTAC N73PV-Supreme LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard


$10.00 Mail-in Rebate
$52.99
1 hec Black 0.7mm Thickness SECC Steel 7KJ9 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case


-$10.00 Instant
$69.99
$59.99
1 EXCELSTOR Jupiter Series ESJ9250S 250GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive


$49.99
1 BTC 9116URF BLACK Black USB RF Wireless Mini Wireless Internet Keyboard With Dual Mode Joystick Mouse Mouse Included

BTC Black RF Wireless Wireless Internet Keyboard With Dual Mode Joystick Mouse

$24.99
1 GIGABYTE GN-WP01GS PCI Wireless Adapter


$17.99
1 mushkin 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory Model 991527

mushkin 1GB 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Desktop Memory


$7.50 Mail-in Rebate
$22.99
1 LITE-ON Black SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-4O1S-11


$129.99
1 KWORLD ATSC 340U Dongle HDTV USB Stick ATSC/ClearQAM AC3 Output

KWORLD ATSC 340U Dongle HDTV USB Stick ATSC/ClearQAM AC3 Output
Item #:N82E16815260013


-$15.00 Instant
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$49.99
$34.99
Grand Total: $443.91 - 37.50 rebate

 

[nvalhalla]

Dont bother with the bluray if you want that mb, it wont cut it.

 

[outlw6669]

Just what I posted earlier.
Nvidia chipsets are junky.
You would do much better getting the AMD setup.
Better decoding support and faster proc.

 

[nvalhalla]

Here, I did the leg work.

780g MB $67
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=MB-TA780G&c=fr&pid=931ba81018adccc81b4813b9830cc14f965ec31d34a79c812b4ff5f959f499d6

X2 3800 $40 (you'll need a cooler, should be less than $10)
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=ADO-3800CZ&c=fr&pid=931ba81018adccc81b4813b9830cc14f965ec31d34a79c812b4ff5f959f499d6

2GB DDR2-800 $41
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=T800UX2GV&c=fr&pid=931ba81018adccc81b4813b9830cc14f965ec31d34a79c812b4ff5f959f499d6

 

[nvalhalla]

Outlw6669's links at newegg are good prices too.

 

[invisik]

k ill go with the 780g and the amd x2 3800.
thanks guys ill order this when i get back from vacation.
=]

 

[outlw6669]

No problem and best of luck with your new build!

 

[invisik]

ooppppss one last ? anyone no of a good low profile wireless card the one i found was not lp.

 

[outlw6669]

ooppppss one last ? anyone no of a good low profile wireless card the one i found was not lp.

Hard to say.
I could not spot any low profile WiFi cards on newegg. What you could do is get one with a low profile PCB and remove the backplate. If you don't jostle the system around it should stay seated and work fine for you. You could also look into a USB WiFi adapter although I might be leery of the range on those.

 

[rwpritchett]

Here's one at zipzoomfly:

ZyXEL G-302 54Mbps 802.11b/g PCI Network Adapter Retail $20

You can always just get a USB WiFi.

 

[invisik]

kk thanks guys,
=]

 

[matthroswell]

Just make sure you put a Hemi in it. They usually show at least a 56% increase in write speed, and are able to stream black and white video at unprecedented levels. These components also have a very small energy footprint, especially when you take into account their (Dollar/Euro+Dinar)/performance ratio!