Author Topic: Share your HTPC Setup (Read 344933 times)

jpadua · « **Reply #720 on:** Feb 02, 2006 at 03:16 PM »

Quote from: nirvblakr on Feb 02, 2006 at 02:29 PM

Hi! Just wondering if upgrading my 32mb video card to a 128mb ATI Radeon would improve the video quality of my dvds on my computer monitor? I am not a gamer just wanted to improve the quality of videos in my pc. BTW, I am using a 21 inch HP flat screen monitor.

That would be a good upgrade, in terms of video quality, newer cards have better built in hardware decoders. The 32MB card does everything in software I'm pretty sure. Upgrading will lessen CPU load, better/faster DVD decoding. I would suggest going for an Nvidia 6200 GPU instead. This supports wmv HD already. Not sure though if its a PCI-E only solution. Go for the latest card you can get within your budget range. ATI or Nvidia. For now Nvidia Geforce 6 range is better since it supports Nvidia Purevideo so far the best Hardware/Software Decoder/deinterlacer to date for the PC.

nerveblocker · « **Reply #721 on:** Feb 03, 2006 at 02:07 PM »

Thanks for the info jay. I will scout around with the videocards you've mentioned.

jpadua · « **Reply #722 on:** Feb 03, 2006 at 07:48 PM »

Quote from: nirvblakr on Feb 03, 2006 at 02:07 PM

Thanks for the info jay. I will scout around with the videocards you've mentioned.

No Problem! you can always ask me for advise on HTPC stuff

ronjet · « **Reply #723 on:** Feb 05, 2006 at 06:52 PM »

sir jpadua...can one have a decent HTPC or if not pang HTPC eh atleast a Decent Computer on a budget? ex is between 30k to 35k? it can run na ba yung mga video na medyo nagrerequired ng high performance videocard?pwede po pa pm yung marecommend niyo sir.

thanks in advance sir jpadua.

jpadua · « **Reply #724 on:** Feb 06, 2006 at 02:05 PM »

Quote from: ronjet on Feb 05, 2006 at 06:52 PM

sir jpadua...can one have a decent HTPC or if not pang HTPC eh atleast a Decent Computer on a budget? ex is between 30k to 35k? it can run na ba yung mga video na medyo nagrerequired ng high performance videocard?pwede po pa pm yung marecommend niyo sir. thanks in advance sir jpadua.

is this 30-35K without a monitor?

Definately:
Recently built a decent computer for my Mother, we only spent 24K So if your budget is 10K more you can get a better video card and more ram or a faster processor.
This is all with stock cooling.

Casing: G3 PC Case w/power supply
CPU: Athlon64 +2800
Board: ECS Nforce3A (nforce3 250)
Ram: Generic 512MB
Video: ATI 9200 128mb
Sound: On Board
Hardisk: 80 GB Seagate Baraccuda
Optical Drive: Lite-on DVD/CDRW combo

Now here are some suggestions for a better setup on a budget
Athlon64 +3000
1 GB Ram
Nvidia Card 6600GT AGP
Benq DVDRW (currently the best DVD writer in the market, its really quiet and suuuuuper fast)
you would also want a TV Tuner if you really want to use this machine as an HTPC. Leadtek winfast expert (budget 2.8K) Leadtek winfast PVR2000 (about 5K)

Mix and match nalang, balance the hardware with your budget.

Even Better Suggestions

Go for a 939 socket mobo
Nforce4. Foxconn is really good. has 4PCI slots and only 1 useless PCIE, 1 PCIE for video. Most Nforce4 Boards only have 2 or 3 regular PCI slots.
BTW Foxconnn is the OEM provder also for a lot of Branded PCs (HP for example).

For PCIE video card here are some suggestions

Nvidia 6200 = good for video, not really for gaming
Nvidia 6600GT = good for video decent for gaming

Both cards support Purevideo WMV HD acceleration in hardware.

Goodluck!

If your budget will fit.

ronjet · « **Reply #725 on:** Feb 07, 2006 at 07:43 PM »

Quote from: jpadua on Feb 06, 2006 at 02:05 PM

is this 30-35K without a monitor?

Definately:
Recently built a decent computer for my Mother, we only spent 24K So if your budget is 10K more you can get a better video card and more ram or a faster processor.
This is all with stock cooling.

Casing: G3 PC Case w/power supply
CPU: Athlon64 +2800
Board: ECS Nforce3A (nforce3 250)
Ram: Generic 512MB
Video: ATI 9200 128mb
Sound: On Board
Hardisk: 80 GB Seagate Baraccuda
Optical Drive: Lite-on DVD/CDRW combo

sir jpadua. first, i want to say thank you po for a kind informative reply sir!

is that the pakage you are referring to that you made for your mother decent comp(24k) sir?

ronjet · « **Reply #726 on:** Feb 07, 2006 at 08:05 PM »

Quote from: jpadua on Feb 06, 2006 at 02:05 PM

is this 30-35K without a monitor?

Definately:
Recently built a decent computer for my Mother, we only spent 24K So if your budget is 10K more you can get a better video card and more ram or a faster processor.
This is all with stock cooling.

Casing: G3 PC Case w/power supply
CPU: Athlon64 +2800
Board: ECS Nforce3A (nforce3 250)
Ram: Generic 512MB
Video: ATI 9200 128mb
Sound: On Board
Hardisk: 80 GB Seagate Baraccuda
Optical Drive: Lite-on DVD/CDRW combo

Now here are some suggestions for a better setup on a budget
Athlon64 +3000
1 GB Ram
Nvidia Card 6600GT AGP
Benq DVDRW (currently the best DVD writer in the market, its really quiet and suuuuuper fast)
you would also want a TV Tuner if you really want to use this machine as an HTPC. Leadtek winfast expert (budget 2.8K) Leadtek winfast PVR2000 (about 5K)

Mix and match nalang, balance the hardware with your budget.

Even Better Suggestions

Go for a 939 socket mobo
Nforce4. Foxconn is really good. has 4PCI slots and only 1 useless PCIE, 1 PCIE for video. Most Nforce4 Boards only have 2 or 3 regular PCI slots.
BTW Foxconnn is the OEM provder also for a lot of Branded PCs (HP for example).

For PCIE video card here are some suggestions

Nvidia 6200 = good for video, not really for gaming
Nvidia 6600GT = good for video decent for gaming

Both cards support Purevideo WMV HD acceleration in hardware.

Goodluck!

If your budget will fit.

sir , about naman po dun sa 2nd suggestion niyo po sir? kasya pa po ba sa budget yun pagnagmix and match nalang po sa hardware? and sir whats foxconn po? sorry di kasi talaga familiar sa mga manufacturer(brand) eh..if it will fit to our budget,e di mas ok po sir.. thanks in advance po uli

sir ano ba talaga pinagkaiba if ill get a athlon64 to pentium? kasi naguguluhan ako sa mga salesman, they insist na pentuim daw! lalo na if magrequire ng highgraphics...

jpadua · « **Reply #727 on:** Feb 08, 2006 at 04:49 AM »

Quote from: ronjet on Feb 07, 2006 at 08:05 PM

sir , about naman po dun sa 2nd suggestion niyo po sir? kasya pa po ba sa budget yun pagnagmix and match nalang po sa hardware? and sir whats foxconn po? sorry di kasi talaga familiar sa mga manufacturer(brand) eh..if it will fit to our budget,e di mas ok po sir.. thanks in advance po uli

sir ano ba talaga pinagkaiba if ill get a athlon64 to pentium? kasi naguguluhan ako sa mga salesman, they insist na pentuim daw! lalo na if magrequire ng highgraphics...

Yeah yung 24K yun yung price ng PC na ginawa ko for my mom, and thats capable na for HTPC.

Well in the case of Athlon64 VS Pentium, mainit talaga ang Intel, and the Athlon64 runs cool and is a very capable CPU. Ang intel is usually used for workstations, or for professional applications like 3D rendering, Video Editing, etc. The Athlon64 can do that too pero masmabilis ng konti ang intel. In our case HTPC and home use lang so kayang kaya ng Athlon64 plus its cheaper, runs cool, runs quiet. Athlons are more enthusiast level than pro. So I would recommend Athlon over intel...

Anyway I gathered some market prices for you: Rough estimates.

Case/PSU/Keyboard/Mouse = P1,500 (Most cases come with PSU/Keyboard/Mouse just look for a nice looking case) - PC Express
Processor: Athlon64 +3200 socket 939 = P9,800 - PC Corner
Motheboard: ECS Nforce4 = P5,100 (has 5.1 Audio outputs, and coaxial digital output) - PC Corner
Ram: Kingston 512MB = P2,800 - PC Corner
Video Card: Inno3d FX6200 = P4,650 (supports Nvidia Purevideo and WMV-HD acceleration) PC Corner
Harddisk: Seagate 7200rpm 120GB = P4,350 - PC Corner
DVD Writer: Benq 1640 DVDRW = P3,100 - Computer Farm Festival Mall
TV Tuner: Leadtek winfast Expert =P 2,850 - PC Corner

Total: 34,150

This is pretty solid na for an HTPC. You can get an Inno3D 6600GT PCIe instead if you also want to use it for decent gaming, maybe add around 2-3K? or you could also use a lower CPU to cut your cost by about 1-3K either an Athlon64 3000 or Athlon 64 2800.

ronjet · « **Reply #728 on:** Feb 08, 2006 at 01:08 PM »

thanks again sir jpadua...

im thinking of using it din kasi sa photoshop lang and some video editing. siguro kaya niya na yun..

ganun nga din belief ko about athlon over pentuim e. i think hindi naman gaanong halata yung difference nila sa speed. sir, ive tried magtanong yesterday sa pc corner nga ata yun. someone said na yung inoofer nilang mboard is 7.1 capable na. importante po ba yun? not sure lang kung may coaxial out siya. ill try to see yung model but i know its ECS. di lang nila binigay yung buong model. i noted na sir yung mga list na binigay niyo and try pagaralan sir. changed of plan ata, hindi naman siguro change of plan ito, kasi we will build two computer nalang. one mga 20k-25k budget ( fit po yung pakage niyo kagaya sa mom niyo po siguro) ang yung isa is 30k to 35k

MAtZTER · « **Reply #729 on:** Feb 08, 2006 at 02:42 PM »

Thanks for the very informative info & price computations above sir JP!

I met Jamie (BNG) yesterday and he says he knows you. I bought my speakers from him a year ago, and yesterday I got his Rotel power amp that he used to connect to his HTPC.

QUESTION: When you say 7.1 capable, is that for pc speakers? or does it mean it comes with 7 output jacks that can be connected to amplifiers?

jpadua · « **Reply #730 on:** Feb 08, 2006 at 03:23 PM »

Quote from: MAtZTER on Feb 08, 2006 at 02:42 PM

Thanks for the very informative info & price computations above sir JP!

I met Jamie (BNG) yesterday and he says he knows you. I bought my speakers from him a year ago, and yesterday I got his Rotel power amp that he used to connect to his HTPC.

QUESTION: When you say 7.1 capable, is that for pc speakers? or does it mean it comes with 7 output jacks that can be connected to amplifiers?

7.1 meaning you can connect it to a 7.1 direct input amp, or 7.1 PC speakers. You have to use a software decoder though, like winDVD or PowerDVD That supports Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES decoding in software. If the Board has spdif out (optical or coaxial) that means if you amp/receiver has ddex or dtses then, the amp will do the decoding, windvd will just send the digital data to the reciever.

ronjet · « **Reply #731 on:** Feb 09, 2006 at 11:37 PM »

Quote from: jpadua on Feb 08, 2006 at 03:23 PM

7.1 meaning you can connect it to a 7.1 direct input amp, or 7.1 PC speakers. You have to use a software decoder though, like winDVD or PowerDVD That supports Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES decoding in software. If the Board has spdif out (optical or coaxial) that means if you amp/receiver has ddex or dtses then, the amp will do the decoding, windvd will just send the digital data to the reciever.

sounds good...

jpadua · « **Reply #732 on:** Feb 10, 2006 at 04:51 PM »

Finally an Nvidia Nforce 6150 board is out in the philippine market. Asiantech has just posted on the latest PC buyers guide. Gigabyte 6150 mobo!

Just to give you an idea the potential of this mobo:

MicroATX
Support for the latest Athlon64/FX Procs
Nforce4 Chipset Family
The onboard GPU is a Geforce6 class, so it supports HD video acceleration
Breakout Box with Component output and S-video
VGA out on board.
Spdif Header (you can just make a digital coax and connect to the spdif pins on the board)
High Definition Audio with 7.1 Analog output

Sadly no DVI output but atleast its got component out which most HDTVs support.

All in one multimedia board in microATX form factor.

ronjet · « **Reply #733 on:** Feb 11, 2006 at 12:07 AM »

magkano naman po kaya magiging damage niyang ganyan sir?

and.. worth it po ba?

yung Nforce4 is para po ba sa motherboard chipset? ang yung Gforce6 po naman ba is yung brand/manufacturer of videocard?

number1 · « **Reply #734 on:** Feb 11, 2006 at 08:18 AM »

Quote from: jpadua on Feb 10, 2006 at 04:51 PM

Finally an Nvidia Nforce 6150 board is out in the philippine market. Asiantech has just posted on the latest PC buyers guide. Gigabyte 6150 mobo!

Just to give you an idea the potential of this mobo:

MicroATX
Support for the latest Athlon64/FX Procs
Nforce4 Chipset Family
The onboard GPU is a Geforce6 class, so it supports HD video acceleration
Breakout Box with Component output and S-video
VGA out on board.
Spdif Header (you can just make a digital coax and connect to the spdif pins on the board)
High Definition Audio with 7.1 Analog output

Sadly no DVI output but atleast its got component out which most HDTVs support.

All in one multimedia board in microATX form factor.

The Asus A8N-VM CSM has a DVI output in addition to the VGA out. IMO, the Asus is a better buy bec. of that alone. The only downside is that the TV out bracket/connection is available separately only and not bundled.

jambam · « **Reply #735 on:** Feb 11, 2006 at 01:32 PM »

Better check the reviews from Newegg feedback or even the AVS forum for the gigabyte mobo.. This was my first choice before, but its seem it a lot of early users have issues.

The Asus is a better choice I think w/ DVI out ...

But for me I am waiting for the MSI model w/c has the most comprehensive set out video and audio outputs built in....

ronjet · « **Reply #736 on:** Feb 11, 2006 at 03:19 PM »

sir jambam, sir number1, sir jpadua.

paki explain naman po about sa Asus... and kung ano po yung mga issues sa gigabyte mobo nvidia. thanks

number1 · « **Reply #737 on:** Feb 11, 2006 at 04:23 PM »

Here is one review of the Asus A8N-VM CSM

http://techreport.com/etc/2005q4/system-guide/index.x?pg=2

jambam · « **Reply #738 on:** Feb 12, 2006 at 09:46 AM »

User reviews ng gigabyte GA-k8n51pvmt-9

http://www.newegg.com/Product/CustratingReview.asp?item=N82E16813128001

jpadua · « **Reply #739 on:** Feb 13, 2006 at 12:44 PM »

Maybe the earlier versions of the Gigabyte board had problems, here's a review from bjorn3d 8/10 score.

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=874

I like the Asus 6150 board too. Is it available here as well? The only thing I have against it is that they skimped on the Audio, only 5.1 and not the new 7.1 HD audio.

jambam · « **Reply #740 on:** Feb 13, 2006 at 08:09 PM »

Of the 6150 and 430 chipset combos The only ones locally available right now is the Asus and the leadtek. The leadtek has no dvi and only s-video out.

ronjet · « **Reply #741 on:** Feb 14, 2006 at 01:30 AM »

ive asked pc corner if they have a stock of the 6600GT. by order daw yun?

hehe. mukhang makatiis naman ako bago mag assemble, matatapos na kasi feb

jpadua · « **Reply #742 on:** Feb 14, 2006 at 03:07 AM »

I believe the Gigabyte board is also available, Asiantech recently released a press release, they also posted it on the latest PC Buyers Guide.

jpadua · « **Reply #743 on:** Feb 14, 2006 at 03:09 AM »

Quote from: ronjet on Feb 14, 2006 at 01:30 AM

ive asked pc corner if they have a stock of the 6600GT. by order daw yun?

hehe. mukhang makatiis naman ako bago mag assemble, matatapos na kasi feb

madaming nag bebenta ng 6600GT sa tipidpc.com... brand new yun... usually cheaper. hanapin mo si Servo from tipidpc.com, he sells palit 6600GT cards at a good price. malamang yung sa PC corner inno3d yun.. around 10K yun... ang palit is about 2000 bucks cheaper.

iceman90a · « **Reply #744 on:** Feb 14, 2006 at 12:19 PM »

Quote from: jackryan on Jun 02, 2003 at 10:59 AM

Pare,

You may want to also post approximate cost per component of what you listed and also when/where you got them.

This will give prospective new hobbyist to start thinking about the possibilities of HTPC in their HT set-ups :-)

I've been eyeing this for awhile, for now, I have to strike it out with an Xbox modified console and standard dvd player on my HT set-up.

regards,
-jackryan

hi - how much would a "beginner's" HTPC cost if built from scratch?

ty

number1 · « **Reply #745 on:** Feb 14, 2006 at 08:33 PM »

Quote from: jpadua on Feb 13, 2006 at 12:44 PM

Maybe the earlier versions of the Gigabyte board had problems, here's a review from bjorn3d 8/10 score.

http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=874

I like the Asus 6150 board too. Is it available here as well? The only thing I have against it is that they skimped on the Audio, only 5.1 and not the new 7.1 HD audio.

Just a thought...

Imo, 7.1 is really not needed since most materials (whether DVDs or HDTV) are mostly formatted in 5.1 . Die-hard audophiles would have opted for a separate high-end soundcard anyways since on-board wont really cut out for them. By the time, 7.1 materials become more prevalent or the industry standard, then it would be the start of the hardware upgrade (incl. HTPCs) for most people.

number1 · « **Reply #746 on:** Feb 14, 2006 at 08:38 PM »

Quote from: iceman90a on Feb 14, 2006 at 12:19 PM

hi - how much would a "beginner's" HTPC cost if built from scratch?

ty

Hard to say unless you put down what specific parts you want/need or what you plan to use it for.

It differs from a regular PC because you may need the ff parts to really make it a genuine HTPC per se:

1.) Tv Tuner
2.) Wireless Keyboard and mice
3.) etc..

Resident HTPC Guru, jpadua, pls add some more....

jpadua · « **Reply #747 on:** Feb 15, 2006 at 05:43 AM »

Quote from: number1 on Feb 14, 2006 at 08:38 PM

Hard to say unless you put down what specific parts you want/need or what you plan to use it for.

It differs from a regular PC because you may need the ff parts to really make it a genuine HTPC per se:

1.) Tv Tuner
2.) Wireless Keyboard and mice
3.) etc..

Resident HTPC Guru, jpadua, pls add some more....

Dali lang yan

A PC is really a machine tailored to what its going to be used for. Office computers, Computers in recording studios, Computers for 3D animation, etc. In our case, we use a PC for Home Entertainment. HTPC Home Theater PC. Home Theater meaning you're supposed to be able to do the following:

1> Watch DVDs in 5.1 surround sound
2> Watch TV / Record TV / Schedule
3> Listen to Digital Music / Organize your music collection
4> Backup DVDs
5> Backup CDs
6> Watch video files on your TV
7> PC gaming on your TV
8> Surf the internet on your TV
and so on....

All your media in one box centered around your home theater system.

based on what you want it to do, that what would compose your parts list. Of course you would want to control it from your couch right? so a Wireless Keyboard and mouse or a PC remote control.

Based on that your HTPC should have:

1. DVD-Rom / DVD-RW
2. 5.1 Soundcard preferably with Spdif output
3. TV-tuner
4. Wireless Keyboard / mouse

With those four you can make any PC an HTPC.

jpadua · « **Reply #748 on:** Feb 15, 2006 at 05:52 AM »

Quote from: number1 on Feb 14, 2006 at 08:33 PM

Just a thought...

Imo, 7.1 is really not needed since most materials (whether DVDs or HDTV) are mostly formatted in 5.1 . Die-hard audophiles would have opted for a separate high-end soundcard anyways since on-board wont really cut out for them. By the time, 7.1 materials become more prevalent or the industry standard, then it would be the start of the hardware upgrade (incl. HTPCs) for most people.

The 7.1 output from the 6150 is supposedly HD Audio, so its not your so so onboard solution. Most material is indeed in 5.1 but with a 7.1 Card, the surround channels are matrixed to produce the rear channels, It makes the sound actually better. I have a 6.1 setup at home, although most DVDs are encoded in 5.1, they are still matrixed to 6.1 and it sounds awesome compared to just 5.1. Of course dont forget Dolby Digital EX and DTS ES titles have a discrete rear channel. on a 6.1 (1 rear speaker) and 7.1 (L-R Rear speaker) the discrete audio channel will be played and not the matrixed surround channels.

Wala lang just felt bad that asus 6150 mobo stuck to 5.1 (not HD Audio also) unlike, Gigabyte, Foxconn, MSI which all integrated HD Audio and 7.1 on their 6150 mobos but left out DVI naman!? haaay sayang sana a mobo company would have a 6150 board with DVI and 7.1 it would have been perfect!!!

iceman90a · « **Reply #749 on:** Feb 15, 2006 at 09:37 AM »

Quote from: jpadua on Feb 15, 2006 at 05:43 AM

Dali lang yan

A PC is really a machine tailored to what its going to be used for. Office computers, Computers in recording studios, Computers for 3D animation, etc. In our case, we use a PC for Home Entertainment. HTPC Home Theater PC. Home Theater meaning you're supposed to be able to do the following:

1> Watch DVDs in 5.1 surround sound
2> Watch TV / Record TV / Schedule
3> Listen to Digital Music / Organize your music collection
4> Backup DVDs
5> Backup CDs
6> Watch video files on your TV
7> PC gaming on your TV
8> Surf the internet on your TV
and so on....

All your media in one box centered around your home theater system.

based on what you want it to do, that what would compose your parts list. Of course you would want to control it from your couch right? so a Wireless Keyboard and mouse or a PC remote control.

Based on that your HTPC should have:

1. DVD-Rom / DVD-RW
2. 5.1 Soundcard preferably with Spdif output
3. TV-tuner
4. Wireless Keyboard / mouse

With those four you can make any PC an HTPC.

1> Watch DVDs in 5.1 surround sound - yes through digital out going to my receiver
2> Watch TV / Record TV / Schedule - yes
3> Listen to Digital Music / Organize your music collection - yes
4> Backup DVDs - no
5> Backup CDs - no
6> Watch video files on your TV - yes
7> PC gaming on your TV - no
8> Surf the internet on your TV - yes
and so on....

hope someone will be patien enough to answer this again, i guess aesthetics will follow na lang so i dont need a high tech casing or wireless controllers (muna)