Mailing List Archive: MythTV: Users

My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build

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rudolph4404 at comcast

Sep 12, 2007, 6:01 PM

Post #1 of 19 (2189 views)
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My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build

I'm tired of VHS tapes and multiple VCRs so I've decided to build a MythTV box.
This will be my first Linux machine and my first build.
I'm looking for recommendations to the following. Over built? Under built? Too noisy?

I wanted some room for expansion - more disk and capture cards.
I'd also like it quite. It'll be in the entertainment cabinet with the TV.
The TV is not digital and wont be for a few years yet.
I have 3 different inputs:
a.. analog cable
b.. cable converter box for scrambled channels - Motorola DCT2224/1662/ACDEG
a.. It has a 9 pin Female D connector labeled data
b.. It has what looks like a phono plug labeled IR
c.. and the afore mentioned VCR - I'd like to get rid of some of those tapes...

Here's my current http://newegg.com shopping list...

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body ATX Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
Model #: SST-LC17-B
Item #: N82E16811163055
$139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: M2N-SLI Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131013
$139.99 $139.99

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface Personal Video Recorder - Retail
Model #: 1081
Item #: N82E16815116628
$139.99 $139.99
I picked up a Hauppauge WinTV GO-Plus cheap from my local CompUSA when it was going out of business. Don't know if the card will work with Linux or not yet, but I figured I could make use of the IR Blaster and remote that came with it.
I'd like to add another PVR 500 in the not too distant future.

XCLIO STABLEPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: STABLEPOWER 500W
Item #: N82E16817189014
$69.99 $69.99 - Tried a couple of the online PSU calculators which told me I need something at least 440W.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
Item #: N82E16819103771
$149.50 $149.50

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
Item #: N82E16820134117
$119.99 $119.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3500630AS
Item #: N82E16822148136
$119.99 x3 $359.97 - Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

Subtotal: $1,099.42
-Chuck Rudolph
Email: rudolph4404 [at] comcast

mitchell.gore at gmail

Sep 12, 2007, 6:29 PM

Post #2 of 19 (2169 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

On 9/12/07, Chuck Rudolph <rudolph4404 [at] comcast> wrote:
>
> I'm tired of VHS tapes and multiple VCRs so I've decided to build a
> MythTV box.
> This will be my first Linux machine and my first build.
> I'm looking for recommendations to the following. Over built? Under built?
> Too noisy?
>
> I wanted some room for expansion - more disk and capture cards.
> I'd also like it quite. It'll be in the entertainment cabinet with the TV.
>
> The TV is not digital and wont be for a few years yet.
> I have 3 different inputs:
>
> - analog cable
> - cable converter box for scrambled channels - Motorola
> DCT2224/1662/ACDEG
> - It has a 9 pin Female D connector labeled data
> - It has what looks like a phono plug labeled IR
> - and the afore mentioned VCR - I'd like to get rid of some of those
> tapes...
>
>
> Here's my current http://newegg.com shopping list...
>
>
>
> *SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body ATX
> Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
> <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811163055>*
> *Model #:* SST-LC17-B
> *Item #:* N82E16811163055
>

I would suggest going with a mATX case. especially if you are puting it in
your living room. mATX cases are the size of stereo recievers so the
'blend' better than a full ATX case.

*$139.99* -$20.00 Instant *$119.99*
>
> *ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard -
> Retail <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131013>*
> *Model #:* M2N-SLI Deluxe
> *Item #:* N82E16813131013
> *$139.99* *$139.99*
>

Again...go to mATX. I would suggest the Asus
M2NPV-VM<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131014>it
a great board. It has onboard nvidia 6150 graphics card. Comes with
a
TV bracket so output too S-video, composite, or Component HDTV (480i, 480p,
720p, 1080i). all of that is configureable in linux. Plus its only $89.99

*Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface Personal Video Recorder
> - Retail <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815116628>*
> *Model #:* 1081
> *Item #:* N82E16815116628
> *$139.99* *$139.99*
> I picked up a Hauppauge WinTV GO-Plus cheap from my local CompUSA when it
> was going out of business. Don't know if the card will work with Linux or
> not yet, but I figured I could make use of the IR Blaster and remote that
> came with it.
> I'd like to add another PVR 500 in the not too distant future.
>

good choice

*XCLIO STABLEPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail
> <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817189014>*
> *Model #:* STABLEPOWER 500W
> *Item #:* N82E16817189014
> *$69.99* *$69.99* - Tried a couple of the online PSU calculators which
> told me I need something at least 440W.
>

may be overkill but with all your HDD wont hurt.

*AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model
> ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
> <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103771>*
> *Model #:* ADA5600CZBOX
> *Item #:* N82E16819103771
> *$149.50* *$149.50*
>

good choice. this will give you some great HDTV when you deside to
upgrade. Does this support AMD Cool-n-quiet? Thats a nice feature may
want to look into it.

*Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual
> Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
> <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820134117>*
> *Model #:* KVR800D2N5K2/2G
> *Item #:* N82E16820134117
> *$119.99*
>

overkill in IMHO. I run 512mb RAM in my FE/BE. I have 1 pvr, 2 OTA
(HDHomeRun), and firewire HD have never had an issue while all are recording
and I am playing HD. Thats with a P4 3.4ghz too. (with XvMC)

*$119.99*
>
> *Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
> Drive - OEM
> <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148136>*
> *Model #:* ST3500630AS
> *Item #:* N82E16822148136
> *$119.99* *x3 **$359.97 - *Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.
>
> *Subtotal:* **
>

wow, thats alot of storage. I would stay away from LVM. also why do raid
5? You going to loose alot of storage. is you TV that important to you? I
would mount each drive on a differant point then add them in storage
groups. This way if one dies you will only loose that disks recording and
the rest of the system will be fine.

One thing maybe you already have it but what about a DVD burner? Are you
going to want to rip your DVD collection to your Myth box? Or archive you
recording to native Myth backups or regular DVD's?

overall good chioces. This advice comes from lesenser learned from buying
the wrong hardware and suffering or buying the right hardware and then
having to rebuy stuff to upgrade to my needs. This system will really do
alot and has lots of room for expansion. For only doing SD now its going to
be way overkill. When you move to HD it will still be overkill but it will
be nice to get the fast comm flaggin and transcoding.

let me know how it turns out for you

Mitchell

chrisribe at gmail

Sep 12, 2007, 8:24 PM

Post #3 of 19 (2163 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

On 9/12/07, Mitch Gore <mitchell.gore [at] gmail> wrote:
>
>
>
> On 9/12/07, Chuck Rudolph <rudolph4404 [at] comcast> wrote:
> >
> > I'm tired of VHS tapes and multiple VCRs so I've decided to build a
> > MythTV box.
> > This will be my first Linux machine and my first build.
> > I'm looking for recommendations to the following. Over built? Under
> > built? Too noisy?
> >
> > I wanted some room for expansion - more disk and capture cards.
> > I'd also like it quite. It'll be in the entertainment cabinet with the
> > TV.
> > The TV is not digital and wont be for a few years yet.
> > I have 3 different inputs:
> >
> > - analog cable
> > - cable converter box for scrambled channels - Motorola
> > DCT2224/1662/ACDEG
> > - It has a 9 pin Female D connector labeled data
> > - It has what looks like a phono plug labeled IR
> > - and the afore mentioned VCR - I'd like to get rid of some of
> > those tapes...
> >
> >
> >
> >
> wow, thats alot of storage. I would stay away from LVM. also why do
> raid 5? You going to loose alot of storage. is you TV that important to
> you? I would mount each drive on a differant point then add them in storage
> groups. This way if one dies you will only loose that disks recording and
> the rest of the system will be fine.
>
> One thing maybe you already have it but what about a DVD burner? Are you
> going to want to rip your DVD collection to your Myth box? Or archive you
> recording to native Myth backups or regular DVD's?
>
>
> overall good chioces. This advice comes from lesenser learned from buying
> the wrong hardware and suffering or buying the right hardware and then
> having to rebuy stuff to upgrade to my needs. This system will really do
> alot and has lots of room for expansion. For only doing SD now its going to
> be way overkill. When you move to HD it will still be overkill but it will
> be nice to get the fast comm flaggin and transcoding.
>
> let me know how it turns out for you
>
> Mitchell
>

I would definitely call that insane overkill for an SD only box. Look at it
this way, instead of spending $1100 on an HD capable but SD only box now,
you could spend $400 on an SD only box now, and put that extra $700 in the
bank, and then use it to but an even more powerful HD box a year from now.

I, for one, really enjoy the freedom that having multiple myth systems
allows me - I can have my backend running on older, slower SD hardware, and
then tinker with the new frontend stuff without worrying about missing
recordings on the backend.

Alternatively, you could scale back on the computer components and get an HD
box + a small HD monitor for the same $1100 you have budgeted right now.

I'll be back shortly with my suggestions....

-chris

--
TV/IT Engineer
WCJB-TV Gainesville, FL
(352) 377 2020 x248
cribe [at] wcjb

ryunokokoro at gmail

Sep 12, 2007, 8:46 PM

Post #4 of 19 (2163 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

>
> *Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
> Hard Drive - OEM
> <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148136>*
> *Model #:* ST3500630AS
> *Item #:* N82E16822148136
> *$119.99* *x3 **$359.97 - *Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

I would recommend the following:

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA
3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD7500AAKS
Item #: N82E16822136131
$189.99 x3 $569.97
or two for $379.99.

Set up as two you get the same size for ever-so-slightly more. You
don't get RAID 5 with that set up, I don't think, but you certainly get
fast drives. I'm building a new backend that uses 5 of those as their
disks. Here's why they are so killer:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/07/06/record-making_hard_disk/

Basically it's the fastest 7200 RPM disk available, is cheaper than the
750GB competitors, and adds a whole bunch of space to your setup. The
three disk array admittedly adds around $200 to your cost but it
certainly sounds attractive! Over 2TB? Nice!

Looking good!

- Eric
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users [at] mythtv
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

jjc1231 at gmail

Sep 12, 2007, 8:49 PM

Post #5 of 19 (2155 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

you can save $40 on your power supply, use the money for some other
component, i just bought two of them.

HYPERLINK
"http://www.xoxide.com/powmax-demon-480w-psu.html"http://www.xoxide.com/powm
ax-demon-480w-psu.html

>> Here's my current HYPERLINK "http://newegg.com" \nhttp://newegg.com
shopping list...

HYPERLINK
"http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811163055"
\nSILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body ATX
Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
Model #: SST-LC17-B
Item #: N82E16811163055

$139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

HYPERLINK "http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131013"
\nASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard -
Retail
Model #: M2N-SLI Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131013
$139.99 $139.99

HYPERLINK "http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815116628"
\nHauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface Personal Video
Recorder - Retail
Model #: 1081
Item #: N82E16815116628
$139.99 $139.99

HYPERLINK "http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103771"
\nAMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model
ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
Item #: N82E16819103771
$149.50 $149.50

HYPERLINK "http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820134117"
\nKingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
Item #: N82E16820134117
$119.99

HYPERLINK "http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148136"
\nSeagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3500630AS
Item #: N82E16822148136
$119.99 x3 $359.97 - Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

Subtotal:

No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.485 / Virus Database: 269.13.15/1002 - Release Date: 9/11/2007
17:46

ryunokokoro at gmail

Sep 12, 2007, 9:10 PM

Post #6 of 19 (2155 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

Also, check out ClubIT for parts:

http://www.clubit.com/

I priced out a system both there and at Newegg and found that I saved a
ton of money by going with ClubIT. They shipped my whole order within
24 hours of placing it (it's in the mail now with a FedEx tracking
number). They also had a few parts that Newegg was either out of or
flat out didn't carry. I did a lot of price shopping and rarely ever
found a cheaper price. I am a seriously happy customer there!

So far... I have yet to actually receive said package so I don't know
about the condition and what-not. I'm expecting good things, though,
considering the experience up to now.

- Eric
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users [at] mythtv
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

steve at priorityelectronics

Sep 12, 2007, 11:54 PM

Post #7 of 19 (2162 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

-----Original Message-----
From: mythtv-users-bounces [at] mythtv
[mailto:mythtv-users-bounces [at] mythtv] On Behalf Of Justin Corner
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 8:49 PM
To: 'Discussion about mythtv'
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] My first MythTv box,first linux box and first
build

you can save $40 on your power supply, use the money for some other
component, i just bought two of them.

http://www.xoxide.com/powmax-demon-480w-psu.html

>> Here's my current <http://newegg.com> http://newegg.com shopping
list...

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811163055> mm SECC
body ATX Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
Model #: SST-LC17-B
Item #: N82E16811163055

$139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131013> AMD
Motherboard - Retail
Model #: M2N-SLI Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131013
$139.99 $139.99

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815116628> Personal
Video Recorder - Retail
Model #: 1081
Item #: N82E16815116628
$139.99 $139.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103771> Processor
Model ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
Item #: N82E16819103771
$149.50 $149.50

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820134117> DDR2 800
(PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
Item #: N82E16820134117
$119.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148136> SATA
3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3500630AS
Item #: N82E16822148136
$119.99 x3 $359.97 - Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

Subtotal:

I would recommend at least 1gb of ram, because if you are going to be doing
transcoding, that takes up extra memory. Also, what distro are you planning
on using...that makes a big difference. I'm using ubuntu feisty, and when it
all loads up with myth and all, it's using around 900mb ram. I have 1gb
total. When i transcode, or when comm flagging starts up, it starts using
the swap. Still, never had a problem.

Also, unless you will be doing tons of transcoding, you wont need a
processor that fast. You could save a few bucks here.

Lastly, get a good power supply. If it goes out, you could lose a drive, the
board, or anything else. I'd save the money on the ram and stick with teh
1gb since that's been enough for me and seems to be more than enough for
most myth users and go with a good name brand power supply that has a ton of
newegg good reviews.

-my two cents

-Steve

cynical at penguinness

Sep 13, 2007, 1:26 AM

Post #8 of 19 (2152 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

Chuck Rudolph wrote:

*snip*

> SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body ATX Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
> Model #: SST-LC17-B
> Item #: N82E16811163055
> $139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

Small gotcha on this case (I have this exact model): The front optical
bays. Those tiny panel bits on the front? They attach to your optical
drive via double stick tape. Had I known this previously, I would have
picked up something like a LC-20 or SST-LC16B.

*snip*

> XCLIO STABLEPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail
> Model #: STABLEPOWER 500W
> Item #: N82E16817189014
> $69.99 $69.99 - Tried a couple of the online PSU calculators which told me I need something at least 440W.

Spend the extra money on a quiet power supply. My personal favorite is
Seasonic. They cost a bit more, but they are well worth it for the
extra efficiency and low noise level.

> AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
> Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
> Item #: N82E16819103771
> $149.50 $149.50

Planning on watching 1080i without needing any hardware acceleration?
If not, this is major overkill. There are systems running 3800+ dual
cores playing back 1080i without any hardware assist from the video card.

> Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
> Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
> Item #: N82E16820134117
> $119.99 $119.99

As others have said, stick with about a gig of RAM. If this is to be a
dedicated Myth machine, generally anything over a gig is wasted.

My own system is a P4 Northwood core overclocked to 2.8 GHz from 2.26
with an 6200 AGP video card and 512 megs of RAM. Output to the
television via component, resolution of 800x600, and I am able to watch
1080i shows from the local digital transmissions with no problems at
all, automagically rescaled on the fly.

For straight standard def stuff, your system specs have insane amounts
of overkill, especially considering you are looking at getting a
hardware encoding tuner card. :-)
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users [at] mythtv
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

richard at mail

Sep 13, 2007, 3:00 AM

Post #9 of 19 (2136 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

Hi,

Re your first linux and Mythtv build.

Be prepared for a steep learning curve - just learning where
things are filed takes time. Whichever distro you choose,
use a kernel that is already well utilised by mythtv people
- 2.6.18 seems popular, and there are good recent reports
for 2.6.20. If you use anything newer, and it may be hard to
decide where problems lie and you may not find your
answers in the archive.

For a first time build, the trailing edge is advisable.

HTH

Richard A Lough
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aclose at gmail

Sep 13, 2007, 7:37 AM

Post #10 of 19 (2143 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

welcome to MythTv!

since several others have replied with good insight on your
configuration i will refrain. :)
but you may want to spend a little time checking out the MythTv
mailing list archives for more info:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/

you can search for system configurations, hardware recommendations,
distros, etc. great deal of info there.

since you are new to MythTv and Linux in general, it would be worth
your while to check out a couple of the pre-built distros. they
generally make installation and setup much easier and quicker.
two highly recommended pre-built distros:

KnoppMyth - http://mysettopbox.tv
KnoppMyth is based on the Knoppix distro which is of the Debian family.
it has its own forums that you can join, search and ask specific
questions on. not that you can't ask distro specific questions here,
but you may get more detailed, quicker help there. i've been using
this distro for quite a while on a dedicated FE/BE (Frontend/Backend)
MythBox. great distro, great support.

MythDora - http://g-ding.tv/ or
http://www.mythdorawiki.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
MythDora is based on Red Hat's Fedora Core Distro. i haven't
personally tried it out, but it has received rave reviews here on the
list and has several prominent Developers/Users from the MythTv
community working on it.

there are a couple other 'all in one' distros, but they escape me at
the moment. the two previously mentioned target MythTv specifically.
some of the others are just multimedia distros that include MythTv.

don't hesitate to ask questions, either about MythTv or Linux here.
the majority of the time the Myth community is extremely helpful.
however, it would be wise to search the archives before asking a
question that may have been asked jillions of times already.

good luck!
;)
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steve at priorityelectronics

Sep 13, 2007, 2:41 PM

Post #11 of 19 (2126 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

On 9/12/07, Chuck Rudolph <rudolph4404 [at] comcast> wrote:

I'm tired of VHS tapes and multiple VCRs so I've decided to build a MythTV
box.
This will be my first Linux machine and my first build.
I'm looking for recommendations to the following. Over built? Under built?
Too noisy?

I wanted some room for expansion - more disk and capture cards.
I'd also like it quite. It'll be in the entertainment cabinet with the TV.
The TV is not digital and wont be for a few years yet.
I have 3 different inputs:

* analog cable

* cable converter box for scrambled channels - Motorola
DCT2224/1662/ACDEG

* It has a 9 pin Female D connector labeled data

* It has what looks like a phono plug labeled IR

* and the afore mentioned VCR - I'd like to get rid of some of those
tapes...

Here's my current http://newegg.com shopping list...

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16811163055> mm SECC
body ATX Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
Model #: SST-LC17-B
Item #: N82E16811163055

I would suggest going with a mATX case. especially if you are puting it in
your living room. mATX cases are the size of stereo recievers so the
'blend' better than a full ATX case.

$139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16813131013> AMD
Motherboard - Retail
Model #: M2N-SLI Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131013
$139.99 $139.99

Again...go to mATX. I would suggest the Asus
<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131014> M2NPV-VM
it a great board. It has onboard nvidia 6150 graphics card. Comes with a
TV bracket so output too S-video, composite, or Component HDTV (480i, 480p,
720p, 1080i). all of that is configureable in linux. Plus its only $89.99

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16815116628> Personal
Video Recorder - Retail
Model #: 1081
Item #: N82E16815116628
$139.99 $139.99
I picked up a Hauppauge WinTV GO-Plus cheap from my local CompUSA when it
was going out of business. Don't know if the card will work with Linux or
not yet, but I figured I could make use of the IR Blaster and remote that
came with it.
I'd like to add another PVR 500 in the not too distant future.

good choice

XCLIO STABLEPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16817189014>
Model #: STABLEPOWER 500W
Item #: N82E16817189014
$69.99 $69.99 - Tried a couple of the online PSU
calculators which told me I need something at least 440W.

may be overkill but with all your HDD wont hurt.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16819103771> Processor
Model ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
Item #: N82E16819103771
$149.50 $149.50

good choice. this will give you some great HDTV when you deside to
upgrade. Does this support AMD Cool-n-quiet? Thats a nice feature may
want to look into it.

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16820134117> 800 (PC2
6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
Item #: N82E16820134117
$119.99

overkill in IMHO. I run 512mb RAM in my FE/BE. I have 1 pvr, 2 OTA
(HDHomeRun), and firewire HD have never had an issue while all are recording
and I am playing HD. Thats with a P4 3.4ghz too. (with XvMC)

$119.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM
<http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148136> SATA
3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3500630AS
Item #: N82E16822148136
$119.99 x3 $359.97 - Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

Subtotal:

Tiger direct has your Seagate 500GB SATA 2 drive brand new for $99.99,
that'll save you $60 on your build

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3
206259
<http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=
3206259&sku=TSD-500AS4&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1454C>
&sku=TSD-500AS4&CMP=EMC-TIGEREMAIL&SRCCODE=WEM1454C

-Steve

chrisribe at gmail

Sep 13, 2007, 5:06 PM

Post #12 of 19 (2133 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

>
>
> Alternatively, you could scale back on the computer components and get an
HD box + a small HD monitor for the same $1100 you have budgeted right
now.
>
> I'll be back shortly with my suggestions....

***CASE / POWER SUPPLY****

You picked: Silverstone SST-LC17-B, $120 ,XCLIO STABLEPOWER 500W ATX
500W Power Supply, $70
I suggest: Foxconn TLM041-CN300C-01 Black Steel MicroATX Mini Tower
Computer Case 300W Power Supply, $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811153080

reasoning: I'll be damned if I could figure out what made the Silverstone
worth all that money, and I'm trying to go cheap to squeeze in extra
features.

saved/total saved: $150 / $150

******MOTHERBOARD********

You picked: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX
AMD, $140
I suggest: Open Box: BIOSTAR TForce TF7025-M2 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025
Micro ATX AMD Motherboard , $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138074R<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131172>

reasoning: SLI?, 4 x PCIe slots? 8GB memory supported? what are you going
to do with that?
Go with something cheaper and smaller that has integrated nvidia video and a
DVI port.

saved / total saved: $100 / $250

*****VIDEO CAPTURE*****

You picked: Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE, $140
I suggest: good choice, add an HDHomerun, too $310, total
http://www.silicondust.com/wiki/products/hdhomerun

reasoning: You may not know it yet, but you really do want HD.

saved / total saved: - $170 / $80

******PROCESSOR*******

You picked: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz 2 x 1MB L2
Cache, $150
I suggest: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ Windsor 2.2GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache, $74

reasoning: it's cheaper and it will get the job done.

saved / total saved: $76 / $156

*****RAM******

You picked: Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2
800, $120
I suggest: 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400),
$40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820161067

reasoning: 1GB is plenty for a myth system, $80 in your pocket is nice.

saved / total saved: $80 / $236

***STORAGE****

You picked: Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA
3.0Gb/s Hard Drive x 3, $360
I suggest: same thing, but 2 of them, $240

reasoning: RAID 5 is not worth the hassle. Using a JBOD setup allows you
to add additional disks of any size easily. For data security, just create
backups. BY the time you have your system up and running and have filled a
TB worth of disk, 750 GB disks should have come down in price
significantly.

saved / total saved: $120 / $356

***** Video card ****

You picked: You didn't! Oops!
I suggest: Gigabyte GV-NX72G512P1 GeForce 7200GS $30

reasoning: You're TV viewing experience will be much improved if you can
actually get video out of the computer :) This is a nice and cheap card
that should work well.

saved / total saved: -$30 / $326

***** High def monitor ****

You picked: Oops! Forgot this too!
I suggest: Westinghouse L2410NM Glossy Black 24" 8ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
500 cd/m2 1000:1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824255001

reasoning: Some people are of the opinion that high definition TV isn't
that big of a deal. Those people are wrong.

saved / total saved: -$450 / -$124

There you have it - for $124 more than your current shopping list, you can
have a 4 tuner HD beast of a backend AND a shiny new 1200p monitor.

-chris

TV/IT Engineer
WCJB-TV Gainesville, FL
(352) 377 2020 x248
cribe [at] wcjb

huffcslists at gmail

Sep 14, 2007, 4:42 AM

Post #13 of 19 (2118 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

On 9/13/07, Chris Ribe <chrisribe [at] gmail> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> >
> >
> > Alternatively, you could scale back on the computer components and get
> an HD box + a small HD monitor for the same $1100 you have budgeted right
> now.
> >
> > I'll be back shortly with my suggestions....
>
> <snip>
>
> ******MOTHERBOARD********
>
> You picked: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX
> AMD, $140
> I suggest: Open Box: BIOSTAR TForce TF7025-M2 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025
> Micro ATX AMD Motherboard , $40
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138074R<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131172>
>
> reasoning: SLI?, 4 x PCIe slots? 8GB memory supported? what are you
> going to do with that?
> Go with something cheaper and smaller that has integrated nvidia video and
> a DVI port.
>
> saved / total saved: $100 / $250
>
>
> ***** Video card ****
>
> You picked: You didn't! Oops!
> I suggest: Gigabyte GV-NX72G512P1 GeForce 7200GS $30
>
> reasoning: You're TV viewing experience will be much improved if you can
> actually get video out of the computer :) This is a nice and cheap card
> that should work well.
>
> saved / total saved: -$30 / $326
>
> ***** High def monitor ****
>
> <snip>
> saved / total saved: -$450 / -$124
>
>
>
> There you have it - for $124 more than your current shopping list, you can
> have a 4 tuner HD beast of a backend AND a shiny new 1200p monitor.
>
> -chris
>

Chris,

Good analysis, but there were a couple of glitches.

1) the link for the open box BIOStar mobo had the right URL in the label,
but the URL behind it was wrong. Here's a good link:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138074R

2) Why buy the 7200GS video card when the mobo has a built-in 7025 with
support for VGA and DVI already? Save another $30. (for now, anyway).

Craig.

chrisribe at gmail

Sep 14, 2007, 4:19 PM

Post #14 of 19 (2082 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

On 9/14/07, Craig Huff <huffcslists [at] gmail> wrote:
>
> On 9/13/07, Chris Ribe <chrisribe [at] gmail> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > >
> > >
> > > Alternatively, you could scale back on the computer components and get
> > an HD box + a small HD monitor for the same $1100 you have budgeted right
> > now.
> > >
> > > I'll be back shortly with my suggestions....
> >
> > <snip>
> >
> > ******MOTHERBOARD********
> >
> > You picked: ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX
> > AMD, $140
> > I suggest: Open Box: BIOSTAR TForce TF7025-M2 AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7025
> > Micro ATX AMD Motherboard , $40
> > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138074R<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131172>
> >
> > reasoning: SLI?, 4 x PCIe slots? 8GB memory supported? what are you
> > going to do with that?
> > Go with something cheaper and smaller that has integrated nvidia video
> > and a DVI port.
> >
> > saved / total saved: $100 / $250
> >
> >
> > ***** Video card ****
> >
> > You picked: You didn't! Oops!
> > I suggest: Gigabyte GV-NX72G512P1 GeForce 7200GS $30
> >
> > reasoning: You're TV viewing experience will be much improved if you
> > can actually get video out of the computer :) This is a nice and cheap
> > card that should work well.
> >
> > saved / total saved: -$30 / $326
> >
> > ***** High def monitor ****
> >
> > <snip>
> > saved / total saved: -$450 / -$124
> >
> >
> >
> > There you have it - for $124 more than your current shopping list, you
> > can have a 4 tuner HD beast of a backend AND a shiny new 1200p monitor.
> >
> > -chris
> >
>
> Chris,
>
> Good analysis, but there were a couple of glitches.
>
> 1) the link for the open box BIOStar mobo had the right URL in the label,
> but the URL behind it was wrong. Here's a good link:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138074R

2) Why buy the 7200GS video card when the mobo has a built-in 7025 with
> support for VGA and DVI already? Save another $30. (for now, anyway).

Thanks for picking that up. I went through a few iterations of that list
trying to get the numbers to work out and a forgot to remove the video
card.

--
TV/IT Engineer
WCJB-TV Gainesville, FL
(352) 377 2020 x248
cribe [at] wcjb

rudolph4404 at comcast

Sep 16, 2007, 2:35 PM

Post #15 of 19 (2065 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

Good call on the video card. Like I said, I've not built a PC before and I didn't understand the whole north/south bridge thing. I've since done a little more homework...

The AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ does support the Cool-n-Quiet technology. But a later post did suggest a less powerful processor. But I was thinking that I might need the extra power to support the software RAID 5. I was thinking of using some of that disk space as backup for the other PCs in the house - including digital pictures that we don't want to loose. I picked the memory that I did to support this CPUs dual channel processing.

I also wanted 3 PCI slots for capture card expansion. Viewing habits in the house means recording multiple programs at the same time. I have yet to see an HD capture card with dual tuners like the Hauppauge PVR 500.

The case got picked because it supports everything that the ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe does. The PSU got picked for similar reasons.

The missing DVD burner was an oversight. But my understanding is that these are pretty much a commodity item and that I can pick one up for < $40.

-Chuck Rudolph
Email: rudolph4404 [at] comcast

----- Original Message -----
From: Mitch Gore
To: Discussion about mythtv
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] My first MythTv box,first linux box and first build

On 9/12/07, Chuck Rudolph <rudolph4404 [at] comcast> wrote:
I'm tired of VHS tapes and multiple VCRs so I've decided to build a MythTV box.
This will be my first Linux machine and my first build.
I'm looking for recommendations to the following. Over built? Under built? Too noisy?

I wanted some room for expansion - more disk and capture cards.
I'd also like it quite. It'll be in the entertainment cabinet with the TV.
The TV is not digital and wont be for a few years yet.
I have 3 different inputs:
a.. analog cable
b.. cable converter box for scrambled channels - Motorola DCT2224/1662/ACDEG
a.. It has a 9 pin Female D connector labeled data
b.. It has what looks like a phono plug labeled IR
c.. and the afore mentioned VCR - I'd like to get rid of some of those tapes...

Here's my current http://newegg.com shopping list...

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body ATX Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
Model #: SST-LC17-B
Item #: N82E16811163055

I would suggest going with a mATX case. especially if you are puting it in your living room. mATX cases are the size of stereo recievers so the 'blend' better than a full ATX case.

$139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: M2N-SLI Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131013
$139.99 $139.99

Again...go to mATX. I would suggest the Asus M2NPV-VM it a great board. It has onboard nvidia 6150 graphics card. Comes with a TV bracket so output too S-video, composite, or Component HDTV (480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i). all of that is configureable in linux. Plus its only $89.99

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface Personal Video Recorder - Retail
Model #: 1081
Item #: N82E16815116628
$139.99 $139.99

I picked up a Hauppauge WinTV GO-Plus cheap from my local CompUSA when it was going out of business. Don't know if the card will work with Linux or not yet, but I figured I could make use of the IR Blaster and remote that came with it.
I'd like to add another PVR 500 in the not too distant future.

good choice

XCLIO STABLEPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail
Model #: STABLEPOWER 500W
Item #: N82E16817189014
$69.99 $69.99 - Tried a couple of the online PSU calculators which told me I need something at least 440W.

may be overkill but with all your HDD wont hurt.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
Item #: N82E16819103771
$149.50 $149.50

good choice. this will give you some great HDTV when you deside to upgrade. Does this support AMD Cool-n-quiet? Thats a nice feature may want to look into it.

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
Item #: N82E16820134117
$119.99

overkill in IMHO. I run 512mb RAM in my FE/BE. I have 1 pvr, 2 OTA (HDHomeRun), and firewire HD have never had an issue while all are recording and I am playing HD. Thats with a P4 3.4ghz too. (with XvMC)

$119.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3500630AS
Item #: N82E16822148136
$119.99 x3 $359.97 - Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

Subtotal:

wow, thats alot of storage. I would stay away from LVM. also why do raid 5? You going to loose alot of storage. is you TV that important to you? I would mount each drive on a differant point then add them in storage groups. This way if one dies you will only loose that disks recording and the rest of the system will be fine.

One thing maybe you already have it but what about a DVD burner? Are you going to want to rip your DVD collection to your Myth box? Or archive you recording to native Myth backups or regular DVD's?

overall good chioces. This advice comes from lesenser learned from buying the wrong hardware and suffering or buying the right hardware and then having to rebuy stuff to upgrade to my needs. This system will really do alot and has lots of room for expansion. For only doing SD now its going to be way overkill. When you move to HD it will still be overkill but it will be nice to get the fast comm flaggin and transcoding.

let me know how it turns out for you

Mitchell

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ryunokokoro at gmail

Sep 16, 2007, 3:12 PM

Post #16 of 19 (2073 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

>
> I also wanted 3 PCI slots for capture card expansion. Viewing habits
> in the house means recording multiple programs at the same time. I
> have yet to see an HD capture card with dual tuners like the Hauppauge
> PVR 500.

Have you considered an HDHomerun?

http://www.silicondust.com/wiki/products/hdhomerun

It's well supported in MythTV and it eliminates the need for outdated
PCI slots. Need more than two tuners? Buy a second unit and toss it on
your network switch (with more than one unit you may want to consider a
gigabit ethernet switch)!

- Eric

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rudolph4404 at comcast

Sep 16, 2007, 6:32 PM

Post #17 of 19 (2054 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

I remember reading somewhere (probably couple of years ago) that Seagate
made better drives than Western Digital. How do the current products stack
up?

-Chuck Rudolph
Email: rudolph4404 [at] comcast
----- Original Message -----
From: "Eric Robinson" <ryunokokoro [at] gmail>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users [at] mythtv>
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 10:46 PM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] My first MythTv box, first linux box and first
build

>
> *Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
> Hard Drive - OEM
> <http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16822148136>*
> *Model #:* ST3500630AS
> *Item #:* N82E16822148136
> *$119.99* *x3 **$359.97 - *Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

I would recommend the following:

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA
3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: WD7500AAKS
Item #: N82E16822136131
$189.99 x3 $569.97
or two for $379.99.

Set up as two you get the same size for ever-so-slightly more. You
don't get RAID 5 with that set up, I don't think, but you certainly get
fast drives. I'm building a new backend that uses 5 of those as their
disks. Here's why they are so killer:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/07/06/record-making_hard_disk/

Basically it's the fastest 7200 RPM disk available, is cheaper than the
750GB competitors, and adds a whole bunch of space to your setup. The
three disk array admittedly adds around $200 to your cost but it
certainly sounds attractive! Over 2TB? Nice!

Looking good!

- Eric
_______________________________________________
mythtv-users mailing list
mythtv-users [at] mythtv
http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users

_______________________________________________
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rudolph4404 at comcast

Sep 16, 2007, 6:40 PM

Post #18 of 19 (2054 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

MessageI was planning on using Ubuntu as recommended in Practical MythTV (http://www.amazon.com/Practical-MythTV-Building-Media-Center/dp/1590597796/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-8477770-3755023?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189994808&sr=8-1). While I've been a UNIX user and developer (application & OS) for the last 20+ years. Surprisingly, I've only used Linux for about 1 of those years. I like the cookie-cutter approach when building something this complicated that I haven't done before.

-Chuck Rudolph
Email: rudolph4404 [at] comcast

----- Original Message -----
From: Steve Peters - Priority Electronics
To: 'Discussion about mythtv'
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 1:54 AM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] My first MythTv box,first linux box and first build

-----Original Message-----
From: mythtv-users-bounces [at] mythtv [mailto:mythtv-users-bounces [at] mythtv] On Behalf Of Justin Corner
Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2007 8:49 PM
To: 'Discussion about mythtv'
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] My first MythTv box,first linux box and first build

you can save $40 on your power supply, use the money for some other component, i just bought two of them.

http://www.xoxide.com/powmax-demon-480w-psu.html

>> Here's my current http://newegg.com shopping list...

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body ATX Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
Model #: SST-LC17-B
Item #: N82E16811163055

$139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe AM2 NVIDIA nForce 570 SLI MCP ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
Model #: M2N-SLI Deluxe
Item #: N82E16813131013
$139.99 $139.99

Hauppauge WinTV-PVR 500 MCE White box PCI Interface Personal Video Recorder - Retail
Model #: 1081
Item #: N82E16815116628
$139.99 $139.99

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
Item #: N82E16819103771
$149.50 $149.50

Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
Item #: N82E16820134117
$119.99

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 ST3500630AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: ST3500630AS
Item #: N82E16822148136
$119.99 x3 $359.97 - Thinking of software raid 5 with LVM.

Subtotal:

I would recommend at least 1gb of ram, because if you are going to be doing transcoding, that takes up extra memory. Also, what distro are you planning on using...that makes a big difference. I'm using ubuntu feisty, and when it all loads up with myth and all, it's using around 900mb ram. I have 1gb total. When i transcode, or when comm flagging starts up, it starts using the swap. Still, never had a problem.

Also, unless you will be doing tons of transcoding, you wont need a processor that fast. You could save a few bucks here.

Lastly, get a good power supply. If it goes out, you could lose a drive, the board, or anything else. I'd save the money on the ram and stick with teh 1gb since that's been enough for me and seems to be more than enough for most myth users and go with a good name brand power supply that has a ton of newegg good reviews.

-my two cents

-Steve

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rudolph4404 at comcast

Sep 16, 2007, 6:42 PM

Post #19 of 19 (2070 views)
Permalink

Re: My first MythTv box, first linux box and first build [In reply to]

Thank you for the great recommendations.
I'll be reworking my wish list soon.

-Chuck Rudolph
Email: rudolph4404 [at] comcast
----- Original Message -----
From: "Justin The Cynical" <cynical [at] penguinness>
To: "Discussion about mythtv" <mythtv-users [at] mythtv>
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2007 3:26 AM
Subject: Re: [mythtv-users] My first MythTv box, first linux box and first
build

Chuck Rudolph wrote:

*snip*

> SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body ATX
Media Center / HTPC Desktop Computer Case - Retail
> Model #: SST-LC17-B
> Item #: N82E16811163055
> $139.99 -$20.00 Instant $119.99

Small gotcha on this case (I have this exact model): The front optical
bays. Those tiny panel bits on the front? They attach to your optical
drive via double stick tape. Had I known this previously, I would have
picked up something like a LC-20 or SST-LC16B.

*snip*

> XCLIO STABLEPOWER 500W ATX 500W Power Supply - Retail
> Model #: STABLEPOWER 500W
> Item #: N82E16817189014
> $69.99 $69.99 - Tried a couple of the online PSU calculators which told
me I need something at least 440W.

Spend the extra money on a quiet power supply. My personal favorite is
Seasonic. They cost a bit more, but they are well worth it for the
extra efficiency and low noise level.

> AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Windsor 2.8GHz Socket AM2 Processor Model
ADA5600CZBOX - Retail
> Model #: ADA5600CZBOX
> Item #: N82E16819103771
> $149.50 $149.50

Planning on watching 1080i without needing any hardware acceleration?
If not, this is major overkill. There are systems running 3800+ dual
cores playing back 1080i without any hardware assist from the video card.

> Kingston ValueRAM 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2N5K2/2G - OEM
> Model #: KVR800D2N5K2/2G
> Item #: N82E16820134117
> $119.99 $119.99

As others have said, stick with about a gig of RAM. If this is to be a
dedicated Myth machine, generally anything over a gig is wasted.

My own system is a P4 Northwood core overclocked to 2.8 GHz from 2.26
with an 6200 AGP video card and 512 megs of RAM. Output to the
television via component, resolution of 800x600, and I am able to watch
1080i shows from the local digital transmissions with no problems at
all, automagically rescaled on the fly.

For straight standard def stuff, your system specs have insane amounts
of overkill, especially considering you are looking at getting a
hardware encoding tuner card. :-)
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