Misc. Ramblings

I believe there is truth in the statement that we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. Read on and perhaps we can learn something from the following series of articles.

The Den Guru site has a three-part series (note: only the first two parts are currently available) on building a home theater computer (HTPC).

In the first part, the author lists some lessons learned: the system needs to be quiet, it must fit in with the decor of the room where it will be used (i.e., the rad gamer case with the flaming red paint job and bright blue neon interior lights may not fit in next to your Louis d'Outremer chair and sofa), the hardware needs to be compatible with your software and what you intend to do with it, and the capacity of the hard drive also needs to be sized to work with your intended use (i.e., recording video requires a lot of space).

In the second part, the author notes that you can create an HTPC from old, spare parts laying around. But if you want to do it right, you will have to buy carefully chosen components.

Like, for example, getting a CPU faster than the AMD 2000 that he used in part 1. Clearly, if you are planning to record one show while viewing another, you must have a CPU that can handle the tasks. Secondly, using a software-based tuner/decoder will further strain the CPU. Hence, get a more capable tuner and/or processor.

However, I wonder if his choice of new CPU and case were the wisest choices. First, the AMD 2800+ is a step up from the AMD 2000+ he started with. But neither, in my opinion, are fast enough. Let me explain. Although he isn't yet doing any HD viewing, I can almost guarantee he will. Or, as we may see, he will want to but won't be able to unless he upgrades the CPU to handle two streams of HD content (one being displayed while the other is being recorded). Doing just one stream of HD is processor intensive. Adding a second stream will probably cause a melt down of his system.

Secondly, the case that he got is much more appropriate looking than the gamer case he first used. But this case, which apparently includes a motherboard and proprietary power supply, limits what he can do in the future. Why do I say this? First, the motherboard has only two expansion slots (one PCI and one AGP). This should be a red flag to anyone looking for a capable HTPC. Currently, if you want to be able to watch one video stream while recording another, and you want to be able to do this with both regular analog and HD content, you will need four tuners. He is out of luck with only two expansion slots. Perhaps, in the future, there will be tuners that will do such with only a pair of them (or maybe even just one). But, as far as I know, right now he has inadvertently locked himself into upgrading to another system (which is, from what I can guess, he will do in part III).

In addition, the proprietary, non-upgradeable power supply (PS) for this case is rated at a measly 250 watts! Even if he had four slots, I wonder if this PS would run out of power with so many tuners sucking up current.

If you are planning to build your own HTPC, I would suggest choosing a case that allows the flexibility to install the motherboard/power supply that works best for you rather than an all-in-one solution. Presently, I am slowly purchasing the components for my own HTPC. I'm looking at an AMD 3200+ or the X2 3800+ CPU. The 3200+ is substantially cheaper (about $150 USD) than the X2 (about $300) but, of course, the X2 can handle multiple tasks better. Whether the 3200+ is good enough is the question.

In addition, I'm looking at two cases: the Silverstone SG01 (a case with no motherboard or power supply) and the Aspire X-QPACK (which includes a 420 watt ATX power supply). Neither includes a motherboard but both accept the industry standard micro-ATX. Hence, I can choose from a range of very good choices. As mentioned in an earlier post, the one I bought is the Asus A8N-VM CSM, which has four expansion slots (with built-in video/audio/Ethernet).

As I guessed earlier, it seems clear to me that the components the author chose in parts I and II of his series are not going to do the job. With his track record of two strikes, I hope he doesn't miss the mark again. We'll have to wait for part III to find out. Stay tuned to see what new lessons are learned.

Have a Great Weekend, Everyone - Aloha!