Off-Topic

[MTG]

go custom. :)

 

[marineclass]

yea thats what im thinking - I have found a few forums online with guys who have done similar and listed their parts and costs - doesnt seem to bad. Is there a particular part that i should skimp on to? Eg - i am thinking of going a cheaper case because it will be hidden in a cupboard anyway

 

[MTG]

as long as the case has good ventilation you will be fine. are you going to use a tv tuner card? what res are you going to run to the tv. dont skimp on the video card as it affects output quality. a quiet computer is what you want for a media pc.

 

[marineclass]

Yea - i was thinking the video card would be important. As for quiet, it will be stored in a cupboard away from where we sit so i doesnt have to be too quiet, but it would be nice. I've really only just started researching so what i want is still up in the air - basically just want to watch tv and movies from online and have a desktop computer that can be run through my tv or another lcd screen off to the side. I dont know if i should buy an old computer and upgrade it or just start from scratch. I found a good looking list of parts for an amazing computer for $1700. It had heaps of storage room for keeping all the movies and tv shows stored on the computer which would be pretty cool - I think it was 6TB.

http://apcmag.com/the-best-media-centre-pc-you-can-build-today.htm

 

[MTG]

what size does the box need to be ill spec one up this arvo. and whats your budget

 

[marineclass]

Oh wow - thanks matt. dont go to too much trouble becuase i wont have the cash for it for another couple of months.

The box size - doesnt really matter. Any normal size computer box would do. Probably a similar footprint to a normal desktop computer laying down.

Cost - as cheap as possible. Like I said, i dont really want it for paying games or anything, maily just so i can use my tv screen as a computer screen, watch youtube and movies off the computer, maybe tune it into live tv and record onto the computer. I know it will probably around $1000 or more, thats why i thought maybe getting an old desktop computer and upgrading. Im sure i can find an old desktop laying around the house or work somewhere. Ultimatley id like something around $500 that will do most of these goals....(hopefully)

 

[MTG]

if you want lots of storage it will bump the price up

 

[MTG]

this is what i would use. means you will be able to encode things decently with the cpu, enough memory not to worry about. 4TB of space with fast drives. room for a sound or tv tuner card in a smallish case that is know to be silent.video card is passively cooled so quiet has hdmi output.
decent quality power supply to support lots of 7200RM drives in the future. (could pack it out with 6x2TB drives) giving you 12TB

 

[MTG]

you could save money on CPU, power supply and case if you wanted to but for this price it would make an awsome media pc

 

[marineclass]

wow this does look good. - thanks for putting that together for me - i really have very little idea at which parts/brands are good until i have done some research. Now time to save the money!

 

[MTG]

those parts i picked are all decent parts mainly picked for reliability.
hope it helps as a base of what your looking for. id look into sound cards to if you run alot of audio.
what type of TV do you have out of interest? for media i just run a NAS unit with a WDtv addon for the tv. Works excellent i much prefered it over my last media center setup (cant record tho or play dvds)

 

[marineclass]

It is a Samsung HD plasma. I also have a HD lcd that i may use instead but the plasma is bigger.
also, what site did you get this off?
thanks

 

[MTG]

pc casegear, or for us i usualy use U mart