config ideas for MythBE/NAS + Myth/XBMC/Boxee FE

[jalyst]

sorry cant edit my older post so reposting this revised version.

Here is the rough outline I have in mind...
Underlined = I've decided on the part, bold = I own it.

1x Intel Core i3-530
1x mATX H57 or Q57 mobo?
2x 2GB DDR3?
1x Asus Xonar Essence ST (PCI)
1x Asus H6 (Essence daughterboard)
1x Hauppauge HVR-2200
1x Antec True Power 3.0 650W
Storage Sub-sys:
1x 1TB WD Black ..............................[capture disk, can it handle 4 simultaneous HD streams?]
3x 1/1.5TB 7.2k HDD? .........................[For content storage & BU, may not bother w/RAID]
_________
Low priority (won't buy this time round, but suggestions welcome)
*********
1x 30GB OCZ Vertex SSD? ................... [approx $219]
1x nV GT220? .................................... [only if IGP+CPU proves to be not enough]
1x HTPC Case? ................................... [Have crappy old Lian-Li (PC-60?) mid-tower]

[deanjo]

Hey...
I used to be able to go back to old posts and edit or delete.
How come I cant any more?

See here why:

http://www.phoronix.com/forums/showthread.php?p=110041#post110041

[jalyst]

Alas there's no Q5x/H5x mATX mobo's with SATA6G & USB3.
So it comes down to these three:

GA-H57M-USB3 $174.0 [may be able to get for this price]
P7H55D-M EVO $179.3 [definitely can get for this price]
P7H57D-V EVO $292.6 [definitely can get for this price]

The last is ATX....
It does have SATA6G & USB3 but is substantially more than the other two.

I've realised that SATAII's "real world" limit is about 300MB/s anyway.
I'm not aware of any 30-40GB SSD's that could reach that limit, even at sustained read speeds.
So it's no big loss, when S6G does filter-down to H5x mATX boards, I can always sell & upgrade.

I'm leaving SSD's for now, there's so much happening in the next 6mth, there'll be far better options later.
And there's the fact that I don't hugely benefit from SSD for the intended application.

So these are my finalist parts:
*********************************
approx $154 1x Intel Core i3-530
approx $179 1x GA-H57M-USB3 or P7H55D-M EVO
approx $145 G.Skill 2x 2GB DDR3 1600Mhz (PC-12800)
Storage Sub-sys:
approx $312 3x 1TB Samsung F3? ........................... [content storage & BU, may not bother w/RAID]
___________
Total = $790
---------------

Would you slot something different in? Can I get some thoughts please!
N.B. I updated my earlier post which outlines all my parts.

[jalyst]

Can I get some thoughts on this please?!!!?
I will post my progress in more detail soon.....

[Kano]

A litte compile hint for xbmc + new nvidia card: As mpeg4 playback is broken with mpeg4 using vdpau you can disable it completely using:

perl -pi -e 's|.*VDP_DECODER_PROFILE_MPEG4_PART2_SP.*\n||' xbmc/cores/dvdplayer/Codecs/ffmpeg/configure

Would be better if it would be fixed in xbmc itself - this is just a brutal hotfix...

[jalyst]

Thanks I'll keep it in mind!

What about the hardware components...
Anything you'd do differently or I'm missing?

[jalyst]

Can I get some thoughts on this & this please?!!?
I will post my progress in more detail soon.......

[Kano]

I would get something much cheaper, no extra soundcard, no usb 3. Because usally thats lost money, better use eSATA instead of usb 3. Maybe MSI H55M-E33 (mATX). In a review this board did not need much energy in idle mode, so should be a good choice. Also you should use just default ddr3-1333 with 1.5v (at max 1.65v). You should not need to oc the system anyway. Especially when you add a nv card (preferred g210 with passive cooling).

[jalyst]

I really want the soundcard, LT goal is to also to add a digital AMP and essentially make my HTPC the AVR too.

There isn't going to be a huge difference in power consumption between the MSI H55M-E33 & the GA-H57M-USB3 though is there?
Price difference will probably be significant though.....

Actually I have since gone to DDR-1333, forgot to edit my post with the new RAM (doh I cant on this forum now).

[Kano]

DIGITAL = always the same, no need for soundcard. The more extras your board has got the more power it needs. Think about that.