A Fast DVD JukeBox System....??

[madonfilms]

Hi guys!

I've been thinking about this for a while -- but now i have some cash to actually do it!! YAY!!!


I want to build a cool fast booting xp media centre pc that is just going to be used to play dvds using the media centre and "MyMovies" software.

I dont really know anything about building a pc -- i have an idea, but have never done it before.


I was thinking of buying a really small very fast hard drive to load the OS on, then a 1tb drive for my dvd images.

A cheapish sound card (as long as it has optical out, i can just connect it to my surround sound system) and a graphics card with a hdmi connector.

I'd really like to be able to use a remote somehow infront of the tv aswell.

I could really do with some advice on how to make the pc boot as fast as possible -- and any other advice. Like will any 1tb be fast enough to play dvds ok, or would i need a certain one?

Thanks for any advice!!!

Cheers.

 

[Wolfshadw]

Here are my HTPC system specs (old by today's standards):

Case: nMediaPC 200BA (m-ATX form factor)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-965GM-S2
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E6600
RAM: 2x512 Meg (used to be 4x512Meg) DDR2-533 RAM
PSU: Antec SmartPower 2.0 450watt
Graphics Card: ATI HD2600Pro
TV Tuner: AverMedia P180 PCI-Ex1
Sound Card: Onboard S/PDIF
HDD1: 160GB SATA 3.0 7200RPM (OS)
HDD2: 750GB SATA 3.0 7200RPM (Media)
Optical Drive: LG DVD-ROM SATA (saw a tempting deal at BB for a Blu-Ray Drive for $120)
Keyboard: Microsoft Wireless RF
Remote: MCE Remote Control
OS: Windows XP Media Center Edition
Monitor1: Olevia 232T 32" LCD HDTV (1366x768)
Monitor2: BenQ MP610 Projector (1280x720 native)

As far as building a system, there are lots of YouTube videos with plenty of instruction. I'd recommend watching several videos on each topic. Keeping it cool depends on where you keep it and what components you have installed. Mine is sitting 6 feet away as I type this and I can't hear it (it's always powered on).

While you can spend more money on a faster OS drive, I really don't see the point. With my 7200RPM OS Drive, my system is up and ready for use (if I had to turn it off for some reason) in under a minute. The key is: Don't Browse and don't install non-HTPC related software (games/performance monitors/tools). My system has the OS/Anti-Virus (just because)/Updated Drivers and Codecs and my media. That's it. There are two websites that this system visits:
1) windowsupdate.microsoft.com
2) netflix.com (as I'm a subscriber and occasionally use the Watch Instantly feature).
Anything else (updated drivers/divx.com), I'll download on my browsing system and transfer via JumpDrive.

If you keep your system clean (and I'm talking both software and hardware), it'll run fast and cool for as long as you own it.

-Wolf sends

 

[Proximon]

Wolf has you covered well, I'll just update his MB.

You can actually meet most of your requirements with a newer motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131331
790GX will meet all your sound and video needs.

That one has a combo deal with a faster Phenom... probably overkill but the MB is just right for you. I'm not a big AMD fan anymore, but this 790GX board is the best for HTPC.

Get a machine working properly with sleep mode and you won't have to worry about boot times... you'll typically be up and running at around 8 seconds.