How are you getting on choosing the bits, Jim?
Here's an article you might find useful:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/quad-c...iew-31788.html
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How are you getting on choosing the bits, Jim?
Here's an article you might find useful:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/quad-c...iew-31788.html
Jim, I am a little late to this show, but thought I would throw in my 2 cents.
You mentioned a TV Tuner card in one of your earlier posts. I have been slowly buidling a HTPC over the past few months and the main thing I still have not purchased is a TV Tuner card as I have not found the right card for my particular circumstances and connections. However, I see light at the end of this tunnel and it may also work for you.
I am currently connected to COMCAST cable here in Houston and want to receive and record (DVR) programs off of the cable, including the scrambled HD channels. Until recently that was extremely difficult unless you purchased a special built PC from a limited number of manufacturers. That has alll changed now. ATI manufacturers an external tuner that allows a cable card from your cable provider to be inserted and the tuner acts just like your set top box. Ceton has also announced a similar product to be released this quarter.
If you wish, you can eliminate your set top box and have your PC / Tuner replace it. Many of the cable companies will provide the first card free and you can save on the monthly set top box rental.
Depending upon your needs, I would recommend you investigate the ATI unit - Google "ATI Cablecard Tuner". Amazon lists them at $240, but out of stock. I assume Newegg will soon be distributing as they ramp up the production.
With regard to hard drives, I have built 3 PCs in the last few months and have exclusively used the Western Digital Caviar Series and been very happy. I would recommend the "Black" series as you get a bit of a performance boost from the 32MB cache.
With regard to the Chip / Mobo, I am exclusive to Intel, but only because I know nothing about AMD. If you decide on Intel, I would recommend the LGA1366 I7 chips and boards, both for performance and future expandability. I use a ASUS in my gaming PC and Gigabyte boards in my business and HTPC PCs. I favor the ASUS as I have had minor incompatibility issues with Gigabyte boards before, but their quality is excellent and I still use them. Some boards are exclusively DDR2 or DDR3 memory and some allow you to use both. The DDR2 is less expensive, but the DDR3 will become cheaper and ultimately replace DDR2. Consider whether you want to commit to one or the other, or purchase a switching hitting board.
You did not mention monitor. Do you intend to replace your monitor? If so, definitely consider a montior that is capable of 1920 x 1080 native resolution, which is the equivalent of 1080p or 1080i broadcast resolution. I purchased a Toshiba 32 in 1080p LCD TV for my monitor as monitors with that resolution were scarce and no cheaper. Monitors have gotten a lot cheaper and you can buy a smaller size (25" to 28") for a very reasonable price.
I know that is a lot of 2 cents, but I hope you find something useful in that. :)
SuperSparks--Still sifting all the good advice. I do income tax returns for seniors as part of the AARP TaxAide program so that is taking me away from full time work on a new PC.
Steve R Jones and Divergent Species--Many thanks. Your comments are definitely of help.