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Thread: help me build my entertainment computer

  1. #1
    dr jones's Avatar the doctor BT Rep: +45BT Rep +45BT Rep +45BT Rep +45BT Rep +45BT Rep +45BT Rep +45BT Rep +45BT Rep +45
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    iam getting a new computer
    i want to build a entertainment computer
    for watching movies,watching tv etc
    but iam not good at selecting the goods
    so i need your help on what to get

    money is no problem

    monitors
    hard drives
    optical drives
    storage
    mother board
    etc

    which brand should i get ?
    which model should i get ?
    etc

    thanks

  2. Software & Hardware   -   #2
    Detale's Avatar Go Snatch a Judge
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    money is no problem well thats good. I can give you my specs that are fantastic except my vid card isn't top notch but you don't need one for HD movies if thats all you are doing.

    My pride and joy

    Case: Thermaltake DH102 VH2001BNS
    Chip:wolfdale 3.0
    Board:GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L
    GFX: Asus EAH 3650 Silent
    RAM: G.SKILL1000 4GB (2 x 2GB)
    PSU: Corsair 620HX
    OS: Vista X64

    Monitor IDK I use my 42" LCD HDTV to watch movies on. I would say get a TV rather than a monitor.

    Brand?? Build your own man
    Last edited by Detale; 09-28-2008 at 06:25 PM.

  3. Software & Hardware   -   #3
    ryan20021982's Avatar Z@X | t3Am BT Rep: +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40
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    Heres mine built it about 9 months ago so the onboard video isnt the highest out
    But it still plays hd 1080p rips just fine, I use a server to host all the videos
    so all thats in here is a laptop hdd for the os and programs

    Case: Ahanix MCE303 HTPC Case
    Power Supply: Sunbeam Hush 580W Power Supply
    Motherboard: BIOSTAR TForce TF7050-M2 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7050PV HDMI Micro ATX Motherboard
    CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Processor
    CPU Cooler: ZALMAN CNPS8700 2 Ball CPU Cooler
    Video Card: Onboard Nvidia 7050PV
    Ram: WINTEC AMPX 4GB (4 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800
    HDD: 120gb 2.5" Western Digital
    Optical: Lite-On DVD Burner
    OS: Windows XP Pro 32Bit
    Accessories: Microsoft Black IR Wireless Slim 3-in-1Keyboard & Microsoft IR MCE Remote

    http://www.htpccentral.org/Other/pics/10.JPG


  4. Software & Hardware   -   #4
    Acid_death69's Avatar confuddled?!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Detale View Post
    money is no problem well thats good. I can give you my specs that are fantastic except my vid card isn't top notch but you don't need one for HD movies if thats all you are doing.

    My pride and joy

    Case: Thermaltake DH102 VH2001BNS
    Chip:wolfdale 3.0
    Board:GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L
    GFX: Asus EAH 3650 Silent
    RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB)
    PSU: Corsair 620HX
    OS: Vista X64

    Monitor IDK I use my 42" LCD HDTV to watch movies on. I would say get a TV rather than a monitor.

    Brand?? Build your own man
    lol, with your case detale he will be on a budget with the case that you got

    My name is Dan for the people who care!

  5. Software & Hardware   -   #5
    peat moss's Avatar Software Farmer BT Rep: +15BT Rep +15BT Rep +15
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    What O/S are you going to use ? Media Centre might be a choice to consider .

  6. Software & Hardware   -   #6
    Detale's Avatar Go Snatch a Judge
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    Quote Originally Posted by Acid_death69 View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Detale View Post
    money is no problem well thats good. I can give you my specs that are fantastic except my vid card isn't top notch but you don't need one for HD movies if thats all you are doing.

    My pride and joy

    Case: Thermaltake DH102 VH2001BNS
    Chip:wolfdale 3.0
    Board:GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L
    GFX: Asus EAH 3650 Silent
    RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB)
    PSU: Corsair 620HX
    OS: Vista X64

    Monitor IDK I use my 42" LCD HDTV to watch movies on. I would say get a TV rather than a monitor.

    Brand?? Build your own man
    lol, with your case detale he will be on a budget with the case that you got
    LOL tell me about it. I happened to have the other parts from an older build of mine. I only got the case and the video card new when I built it. Was still like $800 bucks I have to say it is a VERY well built and good looking case, the remote it comes with works well also. I HIGHLY recommend it for anyone who can scrape up the cash for it.

    Also I agree with peat Vista IS good for one thing the media center is worth it because the IMON software is a bit user un-friendly at least for me.
    Last edited by Detale; 09-28-2008 at 06:30 PM.

  7. Software & Hardware   -   #7
    ryan20021982's Avatar Z@X | t3Am BT Rep: +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40
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    If I was gonna spend that kinda money on a htpc case it would be the OrigenAE SV16
    http://www.origenae.com/en/htpc_s16v.htm


    Also depends on what you want for a media frontend
    If your gonna use Media Center then Vistas version is nicer
    but if your not theres really no point in using the resource hog
    vista. There are may other options out there for media frontends
    I personally use MediaPortal because of all the options, I hate
    being restricted to what microsoft will let you do with media center,
    I have use mce2005,viste mce and I dont care for either one.

    Also dont know if you want amd or intel but if you want something quiet
    then i would suggest something like the Amd 4850e 45watt cpu with
    a quiet or passive cpu cooler, If you dont want to play any games then
    you wont need to spend more than needed on a video card, I prefer the
    onboard video for a htpc for 1 reason the cost, and it will play anything fine
    unless you want to play games on it, alot of people go way overboard
    on a htpc and end up creating more heat and noise than they want or
    need
    Last edited by ryan20021982; 09-28-2008 at 07:01 PM.


  8. Software & Hardware   -   #8
    Detale's Avatar Go Snatch a Judge
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    WOW that IS a nice case, not as nice as mine, but nice none the less

    I use it ONLY for watching movies so vista, being the resource hog that it most certainly is, doesn't matter to me because that's all this rig is used for.

    MediaPortal eh. Im going to look into it. Do you have a link for it?

  9. Software & Hardware   -   #9
    peat moss's Avatar Software Farmer BT Rep: +15BT Rep +15BT Rep +15
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    It was my first thought , I must be a software nut . It can make all the difference . I'v tried the 64 bit versions of Vista , XP which you would think would be the first choice for a new hardware setup be it a laptop or custom build . Sadly found both were not up to the task , 32 bit seems to run great for me .

    I suggest the Windows Media Centre only because of what you what to use your computer for . Of course JMHO and its fun to try different configs .Most good mobos have options to keep bios settings and change on the fly when O/C so it's a a win win .
    Last edited by peat moss; 09-28-2008 at 07:17 PM.

  10. Software & Hardware   -   #10
    ryan20021982's Avatar Z@X | t3Am BT Rep: +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40BT Rep +40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Detale View Post

    MediaPortal eh. Im going to look into it. Do you have a link for it?
    I sure do
    http://www.team-mediaportal.com/

    Here is the current skin I am using they have tons of different ones
    http://forum.team-mediaportal.com/mo...updated-29566/

    They also have that same skin using MCE color scheme plus many others


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