Help with building Win Media Center PC

seaniboy

Sick of the amount of space between a midi system, dvd recorder etc take up I want to build a pc capable of running windows media center 2005

anyone enlighten me to what the minimum specs for hardware would be ?

I appricate large hard drives, large capacity ram but I have not a clue wich motherboard or processor to start with.......all help greatly wanted



Thanks

dalepearson

I have built lots of these machines, so I think this is finally a thread I can help out on.

Required:
ATX Motherboard (Any should do, as long as its got AGP or PCI-E)
1.8Ghz Processor Minimum (AMD or Intel)
256MB Ram (512 or more recomended)
40GB HD (More the better for storing recorded TV)
128MB GCard (Some dont work, I have used FX5200 in a few machines, cheap and work well)
Decent sound card if replacing HI-FI
DVD Writer for storing recorded TV
PVR Card (Must be non USB, and I recomend the Haupauuge range)
Media Center OS
Case of some sort
Keyboard and mouse

Optional:

Media Center Remote Control
Media Center Keyboard

Hope this helps, feel free to ask more questions. I think if your not to flash you should be able to make a working system for £400.

Heres a pic of my latest :

wolfman

What case have you used there? Nice, do I recognise a KX580 above too?

Yeah I've been looking around at doing one too. You can pickup old P4 (2.4Ghz for example) and decent motherboard for £60-70. Another £40 on memory, £30 on a graphics card, £100 on a PVR card, £40 on a 160gb hard drive, £15 on a DVD-Rom, then £80 on an Antec Overture II (case I'm currently deliberating over).

Put the sound card and DVD-Writer down as optional extra's or upgrades.

dalepearson

Close, its the KX493. Hardly ever used it, but thought I should have a tape deck, I mean you never know.

The case is The Accent HT-400 Series, it wasnt cheap but bought it from the profits from building and selling many MCE machines.

The Oveture II is a good case, I am actually just about to sell a machine built from an Oveture I that I built to do some MCE testing on, great case, very quite too, you wont be disapointed.

seaniboy

wow cheers dale £400 ! bargain I spend £200 on this recordable dvd

http://www.worldofbaccarat.net/product_info.php?products_id=29&language=en


what a waste of £