I want to build a little PC to use with my TV save me burning things to DVD all the time or lugging my laptop downstairs to connect to my TV.
I was thinking of a Mini ATX System, wireless keyboard and mouse and a Wifi card.
Any suggestions?? Hints for tips from one of you guys who must already be doing this.
I donât' need it for recording my PVR does that job very well already.
Thanks
B)
i hear apples coming out with a media computer, which will be very small, smaller than a dvd player, and have the ability to play/capture/stream videos right from your computer/network onto a tv and it will have wifi included too. Not sure about the price but someone said in the 500-1000 range. dunno if thats your price range but it sounds worth it to some people, incl myself. if not, id wait and c what nos2got4me has to post about this subject, hes full of ideas
Thermals and noise are your biggest concern.
Shuttle and Epia have good offerings. Oscar's also on the right track about the All-in-Wonder if cable tv tuning is desired.
Otherwise, the newer ATI and Nvidia cards (ATI for sure) do HDTV/component-out with the right adapter for the DVI or VGA port on the video card. Some cards come with this, especially third-party manufacturers, some don't and ATI offers it as a buyable item on their website that I recall.
WiFi is fine for Internet connectivity, just make sure you lock it down ;)
Wireless KB/mouse are a lock for this, but you might find mousing a pain unless it's beside you on an end table or something.
Check
http://www.ncix.com for some case ideas. Stick with Asus or MSI if you can for motherboards. Samsung value RAM ought to be fine as well.
SATA hard drives make sense because of the minimalist cabling requirements vs PATA. Go with a braided / sheathed cable for the DVD ROM/RW to improve airflow.
Airflow really is king for these systems... picking a case that has the right amount of heat evacuation capability is the most important choice you'll make for this new build.
EDIT - that Shuttle Oscar posted is a great starting point. I'd put a Venice 3200+ in there, a decent DVD ROM (as you already have a PVR), 1GB RAM in dual-channel mode and a half-decent video card (X800XL, etc).
I'll just add that if your worried about using a mouse because of the range of motion needed, there are several mouse alternatives that might work better. A touchpad for example. or what I use instead of a standard mouse:
Gyration cordless mouse
This mouse let's me wave it in the air like a magic wand, no desk space required! (and it reduces wrist fatigue too :) )
NefCanuck
Or you can just get an ATI all in wonder card and use the remote wonder as a mouse function...
Canada Computers has a Refurb version of the x600 all in wonder for 169... its a pretty good deal
I can't believe I forgot about the remote wonder.
I've had a couple shuttle boxes, one with an ATI all-in-wonder pro, etc.. it works really well.. but I suggest getting one built for you. Those cases are a bitch to put together yourself the first time. (the cable routing could be done better than what's suggested in the manual).
The only downside really is the amount of dust they collect internally. Fans and whatnot seem to get clogged up at an increased rate over full sized machines... I found the graphics card fan especially prone to clogging... but considering I had the machine turned on 24x7 for 4 years, I can't say I ran into any real problems.