So I'm thinking of buying a media center, but first I gotta see what hardware I can get for my money.
Requirements;
[list]MiniITX or µATX case[/list]
[list]Video/sound through HDMI[/list]
[list]Atleast 5.1 surround[/list]
[list]1TB Hard drive or larger[/list]
[list]Most be quiet[/list]
[list]Most be able to play Bluray movies/DVD's[/list]
Budget's 5,000DKK ($900 for those wondering)
Use this website to find the hardware:
[url]http://edbpriser.dk[/url]
What I've came up with:
MSI 890GXM-G65 w/ ATI Radeon HD 4290
Athlon II X2 250 3GHz
OCZ Gold 1 x 2 GB
Cooler Master Hyper 101 RR-H101-30PK-RU (CPU cooler)
Ace Awai2
Samsung SpinPoint F3 Desktop Class HD103SJ 1 TB
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500 watt
LG CH08LS10 Super Multi Blue
500DKK on budget.
I would drop down the mobo and get the lowest end 5000 series because they have built audio over hdmi and it is pretty good.
[QUOTE=sbradford26;21214063]I would drop down the mobo and get the lowest end 5000 series because they have built audio over hdmi and it is pretty good.[/QUOTE]
4xxx series has that also, I use it, s'alright.
That mobo is the µATX/AM3 mobo with the best graphicard avalible on edbpriser :l
[QUOTE=Tools;21214246]That mobo is the µATX/AM3 mobo with the best graphicard avalible on edbpriser :l[/QUOTE]
I mean get a graphics card with a built in sound card and get a cheaper mobo.
For a media center, it's kind of silly to have a third party cpu cooler, there shouldn't be any need to overclock whatsoever. You also don't need a GPU, practically everything you'll be doing with it (that is if it really is a media center) will use the CPU instead. You should really get an actual sound card, though, not a lot of audio receivers will take 3 3.5mm jacks for 5.1, and seldom does a motherboard actually have 5.1 via spdif be it coax or optical
[QUOTE=M_B;21226178]For a media center, it's kind of silly to have a third party cpu cooler, there shouldn't be any need to overclock whatsoever. You also don't need a GPU, practically everything you'll be doing with it (that is if it really is a media center) will use the CPU instead. You should really get an actual sound card, though, not a lot of audio receivers will take 3 3.5mm jacks for 5.1, and seldom does a motherboard actually have 5.1 via spdif be it coax or optical[/QUOTE]
The motherboard has 5.1 sound output through HDMI which I'll hook up to a surround sound ampfier (a Yamaha RX V565) and from there to the TV.
The cooling is cause it's got a large low-rpm fan which is more quiet than the high-rpm stock fan.
well i guess that makes sense, i didn't check out the product itself. really though integrated 5.1 is terrible. no matter the output
[QUOTE=M_B;21232067]well i guess that makes sense, i didn't check out the product itself. really though integrated 5.1 is terrible. no matter the output[/QUOTE]
Well then how would you get the sound from a sound card to run through the HDMI?
[QUOTE=Tools;21232599]Well then how would you get the sound from a sound card to run through the HDMI?[/QUOTE]
There are hook ups that go from the sound card to the graphics card I think.
[QUOTE=Tools;21232599]Well then how would you get the sound from a sound card to run through the HDMI?[/QUOTE]
iirc, a lot of HDMI motherboards and video cards have an adapter for sound from a soundcard.
and actually the best thing to do would just get an all-in-one ht card. but those tend to be a pinch pricey so maybe not.
[QUOTE=M_B;21234974]iirc, a lot of HDMI motherboards and video cards have an adapter for sound from a soundcard.
and actually the best thing to do would just get an all-in-one ht card. but those tend to be a pinch pricey so maybe not.[/QUOTE]
They also usually are not all that great.
[QUOTE=M_B;21234974]iirc, a lot of HDMI motherboards and video cards have an adapter for sound from a soundcard.
and actually the best thing to do would just get an all-in-one ht card. but those tend to be a pinch pricey so maybe not.[/QUOTE]
Right, seeing as my build contains a decent sized case, i'd be able to swap in something cheap.
What's the cheapest graphic card that supports being hooked up to a soundcard? I'll just cheap out on the motherboard, and then i'll have plenty for something very low-profile.
[QUOTE=M_B;21226178]For a media center, it's kind of silly to have a third party cpu cooler, there shouldn't be any need to overclock whatsoever. You also don't need a GPU, practically everything you'll be doing with it (that is if it really is a media center) will use the CPU instead. You should really get an actual sound card, though, not a lot of audio receivers will take 3 3.5mm jacks for 5.1, and seldom does a motherboard actually have 5.1 via spdif be it coax or optical[/QUOTE]
Lots of motherboards have coax or optical audio outputs mine has it and my mobo is a budget one.
[QUOTE=Tools;21213749]
[list]Most be quiet[/list]
[list]Most be able to play Bluray movies/DVD's[/list]
[/QUOTE]
Most.. :psyduck:
OP get this
[url]http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=717294[/url]
It has sound over hdmi and will handle hd video easily and is quite.
Was looking at a 5450 myself
[url]http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=778685[/url]
Slightly cheaper ($40, not that it matters)
Motherboard;
[url]http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=780249[/url]
Under half the price as it doesn't have to have a "higher-ended" graphic card inbuilt.
Now all I need is to find out how to hook up a sound card to it. :colbert:
Luckily edbpriser's search option has an option for searching sound cards with SPDIF
These are the ones avalible;
[url]http://www.edbpriser.dk/Search/Products.aspx?q=&qft=&s=igeneric4&cpath=1-2-28&qt=Fql&nf=strmatrix8%3a^%222+%C2%A42.0000000000%22%24%C2%A7specifictaxonomy%3a^Hardware|2%2fLydkort|28%24[/url]
I'd still need to know if I'd be able to run 5.1 surround through the new graphic card's HDMI port before I go and buy all this, and how I hook them up.
[B]Edit:[/B]
Gonna go to bed. Thanks for helping out btw.
[QUOTE=Tools;21237154]Was looking at a 5450 myself
[url]http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=778685[/url]
Slightly cheaper ($40, not that it matters)
Motherboard;
[url]http://www.edbpriser.dk/Product/Details.aspx?pid=780249[/url]
Under half the price as it doesn't have to have a "higher-ended" graphic card inbuilt.
Now all I need is to find out how to hook up a sound card to it. :colbert:
Luckily edbpriser's search option has an option for searching sound cards with SPDIF
These are the ones avalible;
[url]http://www.edbpriser.dk/Search/Products.aspx?q=&qft=&s=igeneric4&cpath=1-2-28&qt=Fql&nf=strmatrix8%3a^%222+%C2%A42.0000000000%22%24%C2%A7specifictaxonomy%3a^Hardware|2%2fLydkort|28%24[/url]
I'd still need to know if I'd be able to run 5.1 surround through the new graphic card's HDMI port before I go and buy all this, and how I hook them up.
[B]Edit:[/B]
Gonna go to bed. Thanks for helping out btw.[/QUOTE]
Well the graphics card has built in sound but idk how the sound card attaches to the video card.
[QUOTE=sbradford26;21236783]Lots of motherboards have coax or optical audio outputs mine has it and my mobo is a budget one.[/QUOTE]
i don't think you read that quite accurately enough
read it again
[editline]03:15AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=sbradford26;21236280]They also usually are not all that great.[/QUOTE]
...what? are you talking about for gaming? yeah he's not going to be using this for gaming.
It'll purely be used for playing videos on the 1TB hard drive, or bluray/dvd movies.
Maybe a tiny bit of surfing the web or playing older games (such as fallout 2), but I doubt it.
So, back to the question. How do I hook up a sound card's SPDIF-out to a graphic card? (read somewhere on the web you gotta do that)
Is it inside the case, outside the case, 2 seperate cables that goes into a box and from there has a hdmi output, what do I do with it?
Get Acer Aspire One Revo
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf5h6QxFleE[/media]
[QUOTE=Mr. Kobayashi;21246569]Get Acer Aspire One Revo
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf5h6QxFleE[/media][/QUOTE]
Wow, that does look kinda awesome, but I'm expecting to install a media center software that'll have the same capabilities, if I find any.
For example XMBC which is used on there.
[url]http://xbmc.org/[/url]
Whats wrong with XBMC
Nothing's wrong with XBMC. I'll use that unless I find better (which judging by reviews, I won't)
[QUOTE=M_B;21245434]i don't think you read that quite accurately enough
read it again
[editline]03:15AM[/editline]
...what? are you talking about for gaming? yeah he's not going to be using this for gaming.[/QUOTE]
I know it isn't for gaming I mean for everything because the drivers are incredibly buggy.
[QUOTE=sbradford26;21248539]I know it isn't for gaming I mean for everything because the drivers are incredibly buggy.[/QUOTE]
Well seeing as a 5450 is only $60, I don't see any financial problems with getting it.
I've looked around on my GTX275 to see if I could find where to connect the sound card.
According to the box it came in, there's 2 pins on the side of the graphic card.
Wouldn't that only give me stereo, and does the 5450 I selected even have that?
Do you want to play Blu-ray's from disk or rips on the HDD??
I would if I was you by the Acer Revo, a 2.5" 1TB HDD(Or an external 3.5"), A Cheap Remote
Put the HDD in the revo install XBMC LIVE( XBMC on a small Linux OS)
[img]http://xbmc.org/wp-content/gallery/aeon/aeon_movieshowcase.jpg[/img]
Enjoy sexy media center
Check the XBMC forum if you need help
[url]http://lifehacker.com/5391308/build-a-silent-standalone-xbmc-media-center-on-the-cheap[/url]
[url]http://www.interworks.com/blogs/rboyles/2010/01/31/hd-playback-xbmc-acer-aspire-revo[/url]
I'll be playing both rips on the HDD and bluray dvd's
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