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Turning old PC into HTPC
kpeezy
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
So, I'm going to be building a new PC in the next couple of weeks so I'm looking at ways to turn my old PC into a home theater PC (on that note, is the P5Q and E8400 still the best base for a gaming rig for under $1k?).
Specs:
AMD 64 3000+
1.5 GB ram
9600SE (or a geforce 6800 if my friend lets me keep it)
250GB internal drive
So, I could probably get a larger hard drive for it ( I have a 500GB sata drive in it as well but I might use that with the new PC) but I think everything else should suffice for a HTPC. The question is, what's the best way to make this transformation?
I'm hoping there is a smaller form factor motherboard that accepts this processor. Something I could put into a shuttle case or something similarly small. What else would I need?
Also, I have a nice audio setup so I use a soundcard to output a digital signal into my audio setup. I need to know what is the best way to build the PC and the best way to control it from the couch.
Specs:
AMD 64 3000+
1.5 GB ram
9600SE (or a geforce 6800 if my friend lets me keep it)
250GB internal drive
So, I could probably get a larger hard drive for it ( I have a 500GB sata drive in it as well but I might use that with the new PC) but I think everything else should suffice for a HTPC. The question is, what's the best way to make this transformation?
I'm hoping there is a smaller form factor motherboard that accepts this processor. Something I could put into a shuttle case or something similarly small. What else would I need?
Also, I have a nice audio setup so I use a soundcard to output a digital signal into my audio setup. I need to know what is the best way to build the PC and the best way to control it from the couch.
me itt
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SSBB: 5370-1223-4258
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Silent PC Review is a great place to start off. IMHO, the things that seem most important for HTPCs are [in no particular order]:
1) Noise
2) Heat
3) Performance
Are you planning on doing HD video? 1080p? Blu-ray playback? You might want to consider getting one of the passively cooled newer-gen cards, as they don't make any noise, and some of them are really heat efficient (they'll mostly be in the #500 or #600 series it seems). Look for something that has hardware hd processing, as that will make it much easier to deal with HD playback in a small card.
For storage, you might be better off using an external hard drive, such as the Mybook World (though that one I linked has some bad reviews). It let's you wirelessly transfer data which will let you offload some of the heat and power requirements to another location. I think that the more stuff you removed from the case, the better off you would probably be, if that makes sense.
Grabbing an 85%+ PSU will really help with heat too, and with the addition of the more efficient card will mean that you can probably downgrade the wattage for even less wasted heat. As for controlling, I'm not sure what you'd specifically want, but perhaps something that was compatible with a Harmony so that you could control all of your gear with one device.
I'm going to look into whether or not the 6800 can output 1080p video before I look into upgrading the card. If possible, I would like to recycle as many components as possible and not sink too much money into this.
Why do you think noise and heat are so important in a HTPC? My current PC is a little loud and I wouldn't mind getting quieter fans, but other than that it seems fine. Definitely not disturbing.
Edit: What sort of OS would be best for this application?
SSBB: 5370-1223-4258
The 6800 can probably do 1080p, but it cannot do HDCP content. That means Blu-ray will be out, as well any copy protected HD. You need at least a 7000 series on nVidea, an X1800 is ATI's oldest card that will work, and anything ATI 2000+ series will work. The other advantage these cards have is that they offload a lot of the work from the CPU to the GPU, which will give you better FPS on HD playback (basically it will reduce or remove most stuttering), and it will probably keep your computer running a bit cooler.
Noise is important for me because I don't want a loud device distracting me from my movie. I can't always play things at a high volume because of where I live, so having something quiet is really nice. It also allows the HTPC to blend in with area a lot more, as it won't draw as much attention to itself for the wrong reason. This is really important if you plan to put it in a living room or other area where presentation is important.
The other thing is that you said you probably want to use a smaller case. You typically have a lot more problem controlling heat in a smaller area, and fans are going to be the biggest contributor to noise. If you can cut down on heat, you can cut down on fans. The other nice benefit of this is that you can save yourself some money every month on the electric bill 8-). If you just want to keep the device in a regular PC case and just 'hide it' a bit, you can always do that to, but you may want to consider the new videocard if you plan on using a Blu Ray drive.
*EDIT* as for OS, there's supposed to be some older windows based programs that will handle all of this really well, but I personally just use a mouse and keyboard for selecting media. My player of choice has been MPClassic, since it supports almost every codec and does a great job of software upscaling.
I see what you mean about the fans. Luckily, I live in the country. I will look into making the PC quieter later but that will be less important than the other issues. I think I have a decent idea on how I'll build the computer (new graphics card, mobo, case). Now, I need to know what type of OS I should use and how I can control the PC (a remote control would be nice).
SSBB: 5370-1223-4258
Blu-Ray: You could try AnyDVD HD, which lets you watch BR movies on any display, not just HDCP. The program is really solid and can do other awesome stuff like automatically skip past ads and copy protection warnings to the main DVD menu.
Anyway I have not actually set up BR playback on my machine, but I hear that it's still kind of finicky and not well supported so you may want to hold out on buying that drive, especially if you already have a PS3.
OS: Vista Home Premium / Ultimate are your best bets. 32 bit is probably fine (for device compatibility) unless you plan to shove a lot of RAM in it and play games.
Sound: I've found by far the easiest option is to find a motherboard with integrated optical output (for 5.1 sound if you need it). Avoid "HD" sound cards like the plague: in general they are overpriced, have bad driver support and really don't sound one iota better than onboard sound. This is of course if you have an optical input on your receiver, otherwise you might just get a 3.5mm -> Stereo RCA cable.
Fan Noise: If you don't mind it you really don't need to bother. My HTPC isn't exactly whisper quiet but we really don't notice it.
I have the sound covered. I use the optical signal from my Chaintek AV710 (cheap) to my audio setup. DAC > Amp > Speakers. The PS3 is hooked up through optical as well.
SSBB: 5370-1223-4258
The good news: it'll make an excellent unRaid or MCE server.
The best news: then you can play your media via an Xbox360 or PS3.
Though ultimately it's up to you.
Also it doesn't look like you'll be able to keep many of your old components if you decide to upgrade your processor. New processor -> New motherboard -> New GPU (no AGP slot, but your friend's 6800 should be fine) + probably new RAM (DDR vs DDR2).