My first HTPC build, Hybrid

[Kallan]

Dear users and developers.

I'm just about to order my first HTPC, and I wanted to make sure that these components had any chance of being compatible so I thought I'd run them through you guys before I spend $1300 AUD on it.

Samsung 1TB 7200rpm SATA II HD103UJ (1) ($135.00)
DFI LanParty JR-GF9400-T2RS Motherboard (1) ($215.00)
LG GH22NS30 SATA DVDRW Black OEM (1) ($55.00)   $55.00
Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 (1) ($79.00)   $79.00
Hauppauge HVR2200 MCE PCIe Dual Hybrid (1) ($195.00)   $195.00
Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 (1) ($225.00)   $225.00
Intel Core2 Duo E7600 (1) ($219.00)   $219.00

Sorry for the short post, but I've gotta rush to work, I'll be back later to post any more details if you need them.

Thanks again guys, and i look forward to installing Linuxmce for the first time.

[merkur2k]

I haven't done a whole lot of research yet, but then you apparently havent either.
For starters, there is absolutely no need for more than 2 gigs of ram. sure theres probably not a huge difference, but it all adds up.
That motherboard also looks like some serious overkill, you could spend half that and still have something really nice. Of particular note: sound chip will most likely require alsa upgrade. not a big deal, as an automated script is available. It only has one network interface, so you will need an addin card for the second interface.
I dont know much about intel CPUs, but that one is probably severe overkill as well.
That case also probably doesnt have any linux support for the lcd display nor the remote control, so youre just paying extra for stuff you cant use. In any case, an infrared remote is not the ideal way to control LinuxMCE. Look into the WEBDT pads sold here by tkmedia. You will also need a way to control your a/v devices. Some have RS232 ports, but most can only be controlled via infrared. In this case you should also consider something that can blast ir commands, such as the USB-UIRT (http://www.usbuirt.com/).
It looks like the HVR2200 has no linux support for the analog tuners, so you might be better off with something like the HDHomeRun for digital and something else for analog (if you even truly need that).
It would be highly recommended to use the 0810 pre-release, especially with new hardware like that.

You may want to browse the user pages in the wiki: http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/User_Setups and look to see what other people are successfully using.

[pigdog]

Hi,

Here's some wikis to guide you in case you haven't read them yet...

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/User_Manual

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/How_to_Select_Mainboards_for_Your_LinuxMCE_System

http://wiki.linuxmce.org/index.php/Network_Setup

Enjoy!

[colinjones]

Dear users and developers.

I'm just about to order my first HTPC, and I wanted to make sure that these components had any chance of being compatible so I thought I'd run them through you guys before I spend $1300 AUD on it.

Samsung 1TB 7200rpm SATA II HD103UJ (1) ($135.00)
DFI LanParty JR-GF9400-T2RS Motherboard (1) ($215.00)
LG GH22NS30 SATA DVDRW Black OEM (1) ($55.00)   $55.00
Corsair TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 (1) ($79.00)   $79.00
Hauppauge HVR2200 MCE PCIe Dual Hybrid (1) ($195.00)   $195.00
Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 (1) ($225.00)   $225.00
Intel Core2 Duo E7600 (1) ($219.00)   $219.00

Sorry for the short post, but I've gotta rush to work, I'll be back later to post any more details if you need them.

Thanks again guys, and i look forward to installing Linuxmce for the first time.

I would agree - seriously over spec'd! 1-2GB for a core, no more than 1GB for an MD. The CPU is overkill unless you are doing very high rate HD video decoding, and that will be dealt with by the next incarnation of the xine stuff with VDPAU, so big CPU is becoming less and less necessary. I haven't seen anybody using that mobo, so I would suggest that you choose one that is known to work. Perhaps look at some of my other postings on how to select a mobo genericly by focusing on the GPU, sound and NIC chips, and aligning them with the appropriate linux drivers from the manufacturer.

Not sure why you are choosing that TV card... you really don't need analogue TV tuning as well. There are far cheaper tuners on the market now, and USB ones are becoming de rigeur... take a look at some of Totallymaxed's comments on these recently (and his pages on the wiki).

You might want to consider not putting big HDD in your core, and having your media separate on your network somewhere (say on a PC or NAS), keeping them separate is a good idea for several reasons.

When you do start purchasing, use www.staticice.com.au as you will get all these components cheaper than the prices you are quoting here. eg the HDD can be got for $100. The Abit AN-M2HD mobo is a good one, well supported and several people are using them, can be got for under $100 (AUD)

[Kallan]

Thank you for your replies,

I have done alot of research, believe me, but not that much in specific linuxmce issues, which is what I'm doing now.
The reason for the Analogue/Digital tuner is because Only a couple of channels are digital in my broadcasting area, so I wanted to capture the other analogue only channels as well.

I don't want to buy components from more than 2 online retailers, so searching component by component on staticeice isn't an option, I'd like to just have it all from one , maybe 2, places. I don't suppose you know of an HD Digital / Analogue card (preferably dual) that works with LinuxMCE.

I looked up that AN-M2HD motherboard, but it's only on one site on staticeice and it is out of stock.
Do you think I should go with Intel or AMD for the mobo and CPU?
I'm really after HDMI out with intergrated audio, I know you can just use a DVI to HDMI cable and digital audio out, but I'd rather have a single cable.

Also with the 4GB of DDR2, I'm still going to go with that, because the price difference plus the shipping makes it worth getting 4GB, even if I only use 1 of those memory modules in the machine. I do intend to build more machines in the future.

Thanks for your time, I'll look into this some more.

[Kallan]

Samsung 1TB 7200rpm SATA II HD103UJ (1) ($135.00)   
Arctic Cooling MX-2 Compound (1) ($6.00)   
Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 (1) ($225.00)   
Gigabyte GA-M85M-US2H mATX Motherboard (1) ($109.00)   
OCZ DDR2 PC2-8500 SLI-Ready 2x1GB OCZ2N1066SR2GK (1) ($59.00)   
AMD Athlon II X2 250 (1) ($132.00)
LG GH22NS30 SATA DVDRW Black OEM (1) ($55.00)   
Sub Total :    $721.00

I've revised my build, and I've come up with this. I sure hope these components are compatible because I don't really have any other build options. Also I'm still going with the Micro fusion case because it is the best value, any cheaper options don't come with a good PSU and most likely have noisey fans.

I've downgraded from 4GB to 2GB and moved to the AMD platform. What I really am after is a good Dual HD Digital tuner available in Australia that's compatible with Linuxmce. I guess I could live with no analogue support, but it would be nice to have it. Video in would also be a plus.

Thanks again.
Looking forward to becoming an linuxmce user in practice. I've got the money for the build all I need now is the compatible hardware.