show off your htpc! [Archive] - Overclockers Forums

kovboi

02-05-07, 11:02 AM

Let's try to consolidate some of the threads of individual htpc projects and see if we can get some juicy pics posted in one place, eh? Don't forget to post your rig's details.

Here's mine:
Case: Lian-Li PC-V800B
CPU: Opteron 165
Heatsink: Zalman 9500-AM2 (running at 1700-2000 rpm, temps never go over 40 C during normal use)
Motherboard: Asus A8V-E SE
Video: Gigabyte Nvidia 6600LE (passive)
Decoder: Nvidia Purevideo
Sound: onboard (SPDIF passthrough to receiver)
Tv tuners: 2 x Hauppauge PVR-150 MCE
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint-T 300Gb
PSU: Seasonic S12 330W

Notes:
I put the 2 x 60mm exhaust fans on the Coolermaster Musketeer's fan controller so they run virtually silent. I also stuck the zalman's fanmate to the rear of the case so I can adjust it without pulling out the case and opening it up.

I also removed the 80mm fan that came attached to the case's top lid. At some point it would be worthwhile to cut a wider hole for better air circulation, but first I'll have to get some tools...

http://img104.imageshack.us/img104/2223/htpc003smallic4.jpg
http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/1253/htpc002kt9.jpg
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6598/htpc008smalloa2.jpg

Wicked Klown

02-07-07, 04:16 PM

Case: SIlverStone LC20-m black
CPU: Intel q6600
Heatsink: Thermalright SI-120 with 120mm CoolerMaster Aluminum fan
Motherboard: Abit AB9 QuadGT
Video: Sapphire HD4830 HDMI
HDD: Western Digital 74gig Raptor OS, x2 1TB Samsung SpinPoint F1 for DVD and HD rips, Seagate 7200.10 500gig for movies, 500gig external WD for movies.
PSU: OCZ GamerXtreme 600watt modded
Screen: Samsung HL-S6187w
LG GGC-H20LK HD-DVD/Blu-Ray
AVR: Yamaha RX-V463
Front Speakers: Klipsch B-2
Center Speaker: Klipsch C-1
Side Speakers: Klipsch S-2
Sub: Yamaha YST-SW216BL with Dayton Black Chrome 1.5" speaker spikes

Movies list so far (http://www.invelos.com/dvdcollection.aspx/WickedKlown)

Case 1 (http://wickedklown.host56.com/HTPC/100_1591.JPG)
Case 2 (http://wickedklown.host56.com/HTPC/100_1593.JPG)
Case 3 (http://wickedklown.host56.com/HTPC/100_1592.JPG)
Audio and Video gear (http://wickedklown.host56.com/HTPC/100_1595.JPG)
Side speakers (http://wickedklown.host56.com/HTPC/1001137bl9.jpg)
Screen, Speakers and Sub (http://wickedklown.host56.com/HTPC/100_1599.JPG)

Mr. Roboto

02-07-07, 06:10 PM

I'm still in the process of redoing the room that mine is sitting in right now, will be a few days, but I'll get some pics up.

wnnbgwrrr

02-07-07, 09:01 PM

The room this thing is in is nothing to look at and I’m no photographer so these aren’t exactly glamour shots like the ones kovboi posted. But for what it's worth here's a look at the inside of my rig (same computer is in my sig.) I live in a small apartment, with small rooms, so for now I just have this thing hooked up to a 19in LCD. And for sound I use SPIDF pass through from the onboard sound to a receiver hooked up to a couple of BOSE bookshelf speakers. Oh and in the picture those case fans are some SilverStone FN121s but they’re coming out and the original Antec 3 speeds are going back in because they’re near silent on the lowest speed setting.

55419
55421
:beer:

edit:
deleted pic

kovboi

02-07-07, 09:12 PM

:welcome: to the forums!
those are some good pics! i would have preferred that antec case but i needed a full atx. how well does that xp-90 work on your x2?

wnnbgwrrr

02-07-07, 09:57 PM

Well, this room is a little chilly right now, with it being winter and all outside and this room getting the shaft as far as heating goes, but my computer was on when I took those pictures... and my computer had been on all day and granted I wasn't doing much with it except for a couple minutes online before I stopped and took those pictures, but that CPU fan (as you can clearly see) was not spinning, not once the whole time. So I'd say it does just fine.

Neuromancer

02-07-07, 10:07 PM

Well its not like you alls but its my htpc

Excuse the mess I am in the midst of selling everything I dont need

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/display004.jpg

EDIT: I use the TV for SDTV and widescreen for Widescreen :) Right now the setup is either or... soon to be both :)

EDIT EDIT: Oh yah the htpc is in the other room were its cool and quiet... did ja want a pic of that? Not very sex@h....

Mr. Roboto

02-07-07, 10:37 PM

Excuse the mess I am in the midst of selling everything I dont need

Did you sell the back to your chair? :D

Xtreme Barton

02-07-07, 10:43 PM

Did you sell the back to your chair? :D

hahahahahaha ..... i was gonna ask something similar ...

kovboi

02-07-07, 11:19 PM

A stacker works, after all a HTPC doesn't need to be in a desktop style case. It can be in a cube case, full, mid tower or just laying on your table.
100% agreed. let's see your pix!

hyperasus

02-07-07, 11:33 PM

I didn't have time for glamor shots so I just ripped the top off my case and took a few pics dirt and all. This is the same rig I have in my sig.

C2D E6600 @ 3.3GHz (3.7Ghz PCMark stable)
Asus P5B Deluxe/WiFi
Team Group (2 x 1Gb) 3-3-3-8 667 Mhz
4 x 320GB Seagate 7200.10 on Matrix Raid
X1600xt X 2
3x VP930b 19" ViewSonic LCD's + 42" LCD HDTV
600w Seasonic

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/893/cimg1346largezc0.th.jpg (http://img444.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg1346largezc0.jpg)
http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/2585/cimg1347largetb6.th.jpg (http://img489.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg1347largetb6.jpg)
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6167/cimg1348largemg9.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg1348largemg9.jpg)
http://img459.imageshack.us/img459/4402/cimg1349largeqs1.th.jpg (http://img459.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg1349largeqs1.jpg)
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6050/cimg1350largeof7.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg1350largeof7.jpg)
http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/7484/cimg1351le6.th.jpg (http://img175.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg1351le6.jpg)
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/8527/cimg1354hk4.th.jpg (http://img116.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cimg1354hk4.jpg)

As you can see. It's very very dusty where I live.

Neuromancer

02-07-07, 11:37 PM

Okay but be gentle.. I am replacing the SATA and Floppy cables with UV blue one (I have them just havent got around to changing them..) and am swapping out the rear fan for a blue LED one from my iCage. Also will be adding a full length Blue and UV CCFL, although am considering a 3.5 bay switch I made to add to it...that will need work (cuz I dont have a 2nd pre made 3.5 slot)... and wont matter cux 3.5 is facing the wall for now so maybe i will rebuild the pci slot switch.. I need some longer cables...
Can revert to standard ATX once I get a USB hub and my PS2 extension cable arrive... oh yah and I need to find a male DVI to male VGA cable too...

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/display008.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/display009-1.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/display010.jpg

EDITED cuz I forgot to resize one pic

EDIT EDIT: NO I did not lose the back of my chaire. I purchased a new one and turned the old one into a hassok :)

Yes I like to live comfortably :)

nd4spdbh2

02-07-07, 11:45 PM

Mathersalan

02-07-07, 11:46 PM

As you can see. It's very very dusty where I live.

OMG wow you aint foolin..

I would kick my self if the inside of my setup was that dusty ;)

hyperasus

02-08-07, 12:10 AM

I know what you mean, but you guys really don't understand just how dam dusty it is here. It has been less then 2 months since last I hosed out my pc with an air compressor. Every fan I use has to be top notch ball bearing or it wont even last long enough to be worth installing. Trust me. It's alot worse to live with then it is to look at in a photo. The dust doesn't hurt anything so long as it's not clogging up radiators or heatsinks.

Xtreme Barton

02-08-07, 12:38 AM

where do you live ?? inside a tornado ?? next to a race track ??

Mr. Roboto

02-08-07, 01:17 AM

Dude, forget about worrying about your pc sucking that crap in, I would be worried about your lungs! That can't be healthy, any idea where that's coming from? Thats not dust, looks like dirt.

Wicked Klown

02-08-07, 01:28 AM

Guys can we get back on topic please. After all the guy knows it's very dusty there and dust isn't really a good thing for computers or people.

Pinky

02-09-07, 04:28 PM

No pics, just specs.

Standard ATX case (black generic)
Sempron 1.5ghz (333mhz bus) oc'ed to 1.8ghz (400mhz bus) with a decent variable speed cooler set to low - equivalent to a 2800 Sempron
512MB DDR400 ram
ATI 9250 AGP w/ DVI
160GB 7200 ata133 Hitachi HD
320GB 7200 ata100 Western Digital HD
Audigy 2 value sound
16x dvd burner
Antec Neo Power 480W (not skimping on power, needs to be reliable)
MS Media center keyboard and remote
Westinghouse 27" 16ms LCD 1280x720 via DVI
Onkyo 5.1 HT stereo
4 head stereo VCR

This is a simple and cheap setup. It also acts as my primary data store and server for friends to access (ut2k4, other files).

No TV capture since we don't have cable TV and rarely find ourselves wishing we were able to record a program while away (TV just isn't that important to us).

DVDs and other videos are run from the PC using power dvd 6, analog outs from the sound card to the analog ins on the Onkyo receiver.

The westinghouse is a great screen for what it's worth. Lots of connections. Not the best for gaming (with a 9250 I rarely game with this computer). Great picture for video viewing and as a PC monitor.

I used to be bleeding edge, but when it comes to a work horse machine a little common sense goes a long way to saving money.

||Console||

02-09-07, 04:40 PM

some very nice to see , I cant belive that these are your guys htpc's with they specs they have . Props :attn: is all i have to say your htpc's are better than alot of ppls main rigs .

smokie mcpott

02-09-07, 05:25 PM

still looking for a new tv...should have one in a week or 2
HTPC specs:
silver coolermaster cav-t04
asrock dual sataII mobo
AMD 3400+ 2.2ghz
2x256mb gskill 2-2-2-5
160gb WD sata HD
ati radeon x300 128mb
hauppauge pvr-150 mce
gigabit nic
5.1 analog to RCA 630 watt 5.1 receiver
now i just need a better TV than this 27" POS i got

Pinky

02-10-07, 11:37 AM

is all i have to say your htpc's are better than alot of ppls main rigs .

And while you may see real gains encoding or doing any other intensive applicatin work, to do basic HTPC functions you don't need top of the line PC components. But if you're building from the ground up you mind as well maximize what you can afford to buy yourself a decent lifecycle for the machine. I'd say the minimum specs for a decent HTPC are the ones I have. Any less processing power (which is why mine is slightly overclocked), RAM, video card power/outputs, or HD space and you might find yourself wanting. I've gotten about 18 months of use out of my HTPC/server and expect no more than an additional 18 months before I have to upgrade (mainly due to migrating to Vista).

Rattle

02-10-07, 12:01 PM

hyperasus

02-10-07, 09:54 PM

Yep. All of the wind and none of the moisture. 110 degree dustbowl in the summer.

Wicked Klown

02-16-07, 01:30 PM

bump

LandShark

02-17-07, 02:36 AM

@ my sig. :cool:

Fr3@k3r

02-17-07, 03:18 AM

the system, specs in rig under server, 6x400GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 for 2.6TB of Lucious space

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a54/spikedzombies/server/Server5.jpg

and the tv

$1000 Black Friday 42" Panasonic Special, $380 Xbox Premium, Buffalo Link Theater, Comcast DVR, Dlink DGL Gamer Lounge Router

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a54/spikedzombies/IMAGE_004.jpg

kaltag

02-20-07, 09:08 PM

the system, specs in rig under server, 6x400GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 for 2.6TB of Lucious space...
I have the EXACT same setup except mine are PATA drives :D. Also, 6x400=2400;). Do you have them setup in any sort of RAID array? I'm running a RAID 5 with mine so it's basically 2TB. That case looks suspiciously familiar, it wouldn't happen to be an antec nine hundred would it?

Fr3@k3r

02-20-07, 10:35 PM

its 6x400 sata and 1x400 pata and 1x20gb pata..

and no raid, just straight formatted storage space..

and the case is the Aerocool Mastige :)

fine more about my htcp here

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=498111

jiggamanjb

02-20-07, 10:52 PM

Sorry, I had to!

http://www.wiredathomeblog.com/blog/images/tivo_series2_DT.jpg

http://www.newsome.org/uploaded_images/tivo.logo.man%5B1%5D-702907.jpg

Bios24

02-20-07, 11:15 PM

Sorry, I had to!

But that's not an HTPC. :bday:

HTPC > *

jiggamanjb

02-20-07, 11:52 PM

I know, it was my late night humor :)

Breadfan

02-21-07, 09:32 AM

Guys, let's stay on topic. :) This has potential to be a great thread for those looking for setup's for HTPC's.

If we stay on topic this thread could be a great resource for seeing how others have approached the HTPC setup!

So let's keep it on track and give the info and show off the goods. :)

Thanks
~Breadfan

smokie mcpott

02-21-07, 11:01 AM

finally got my TV (42" Sony Wega LCD)...once i get my center channel speaker mounted on the wall i will have some pics up

Wicked Klown

02-22-07, 01:02 AM

Here is a new shot with my eVga 8800GTS OC 320mb. Pic 1 (http://img474.imageshack.us/img474/1048/0000127fg4.jpg) Will do a few screen shots when I get my DLP.

hyperasus

02-22-07, 01:07 AM

Wicked Klown, How do those white thermaltake fans do for noise? You happy with them?

Also, I can't tell what the 120mm fan is on the thermalright?

Wicked Klown

02-22-07, 01:20 AM

Wicked Klown, How do those white thermaltake fans do for noise? You happy with them?

Also, I can't tell what the 120mm fan is on the thermalright?

Well they are not as quiet as they say they are. I have them running at around 8volts and all is good. Also the 120mm fan is a limited edition Cooler master aluminum fan.

Mr. Roboto

02-26-07, 11:36 PM

Quickie pic of mine

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/997/img0903largeht3.jpg

JCLW

03-16-07, 12:35 AM

I just upgraded the processor on mine :)

http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/131/slott1200vb9.jpg

When I first set up my HTPC/file server/FTP server I thought I would play games on it as well (since it is hooked up to the TV). So I basically ended up with a big, loud, ugly box sitting in my living room. The other half never liked it to begin with, and I grew to dislike it more and more. I used it for two years and then decided to replace it.

And so I started by making a list of all the things I wanted to do which was basically:
- View pictures (Irfanview)
- Play music (WinAmp 2.9X)
- Play videos (Media Player Classic)
- Browse the interweb
- RAID array for data storage
- FTP server (Cerberus)

Then I looked at my first box and thought about where I went wrong. CPU was overkill (Celeron 330J - 2.66ghz). This was a waste of power for a 24/7 box, and needed fairly hefty cooling. Too many fans, which made too much noise - and also sucked in an incredible amount of dust (well, not as much as hyperasus). I had a 4x200GB RAID 5 array. This worked well, but over time I discovered that new drive capacity was increasing faster then I was filling my array and that it would be much simpler to just use a RAID 1 array with two larger disks. This helps on power/heat/noise as well.

So I ended up with:
- Asus P3B-F (i440BX, Slot 1)
- Celeron-400 (slow, but I had one in a box)
- Zalman 6000 cooler (will cool a 20W CPU passively)
- Silverstone LC03 case (Black, ATX, normal power supply, right number of drive bays)
- Silverstone ST-365 power supply (360W, Quiet)
- 640MB memory (256MB + 256MB + 128MB is all that fits with the Zalman 6000)
- Radeon 9250 (VGA, DVI, and TV out)
- Audigy 1
- Marvell based gigabit NIC
- Mitsumi 7-in-1 floppy/card reader
- Samsung 2.5" 40GB PATA 5400rpm
- 2x Seagate 3.5" 400GB SATA 7200.10 (RAID 1)
- NEC ND-3550 DVD+/-RW
- Promise TX2300 (2 port SATA RAID controller)
- NEC based 5 port USB 2.0 card

The USB 2.0 card was modded to make three internal connectors for the two front case ports, and the card reader:
http://img461.imageshack.us/img461/2765/img64671ax.jpg

And then today I grabbed an Upgradeware slocket so I can use a Celeron-1200 (100FSB) to replace the Celeron-400 (66FSB). I'm undervolting the Celeron-1200 so I can still passively cool it.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/6871/img0758qi4.jpg

Here it is in all its glory. Cards from left to right are: USB 2.0, Promise TX2300, Audigy 1, Gigabit NIC, Radeon 9250. The power supply fan is the only fan in the system. I made a little air dam so it sucks air from the CPU area. You can also see why the 3rd memory module can only be single sided (128MB) - otherwise the Zalman 6000 would hit it.
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/618/img0759hb2.jpg

Top left: DVD, bottom left: 1st 400GB 7200.10, top right: 40GB 2.5", middle right: 7-in-1 floppy/card reader, bottom right: 2nd 400GB 7200.10.
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/8641/img0760aq4.jpg

Floppy / card reader is in the lower bay because with the overhang on the case you can't see what slot you're plugging your stuff into when it is in the top one.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/1120/img0761nx8.jpg

I just have the power cord connected, a bluetooth dongle for the keyboard/mouse in one of the USB 1.1 ports, S-video for my crappy TV, ethernet, and a digtal coax cable from the Audigy digital out to my Yamaha receiver. DD and DTS are passed through directly - everything else is stereo PCM (receiver plays it in "6 channel stereo"). "USB 2.0" label covers the holes where the other external USB ports used to be.
http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/979/img0762mz7.jpg

And this is what it looks like in its home.
http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/7082/img0764ss5.jpg

Pinky

03-16-07, 06:10 AM

JCLW, I applaud your approach. Like you I don't waste a single mhz of cpu power, or draw a lot current to support my local electric company. You made it exactly the way you need it to be made. Looks good too! Best part IMO is how much you saved on money using spare parts/legacy hardware.

That BX chipset just won't die, will it? :D

Now you need a decent wireless setup for your mouse/keyboard/AV.

kovboi

03-16-07, 06:51 AM

now that's an impressively efficient use of space inside the box! :beer: i particularly like the modded usb card. i originally planned just to use spare parts to build my htpc, but somehow i still ended up upgrading.

JCLW

03-16-07, 09:35 PM

I have an MS bluetooth keyboard & mouse set, which seem to work well from anywhere in the house, never mind in the room.

BX forever!

I've actually done a few of those USB 2.0 card mods for older boards. Dumping 1GB of digital images from a USB 1.1 card reader is just painful. And thumbdrives too.

1.280v is as low as I can get the P3B-F / slocket to go for vcore. Not bad for a 130nm core that's supposed to run at 1.5V 'tho. Completely stable. Loaded temps are about 25C over ambient. Idle temps are about 20C over ambient.
http://img401.imageshack.us/img401/2022/12001280vvo1.jpg

imposter

03-16-07, 09:43 PM

golgotha

03-24-07, 11:26 PM

Here's my setup:
http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1698.JPG
You can see the computer on the right of the frame, the TV on the left, and all 5.1 speakers are present but not evident.

About a year ago I decided I needed a dedicated multimedia PC. The major function of this computer would be to serve video to the living room TV, a normal old-school CRT. Funds were a major issue, so I was trying to use cheap components while still having a usable and stable system.
After some trial and error, the system I ended up installing was this:

CASE: Antec MINUET II MicroATX Case
MB: BIOSTAR TForce6100 Socket 754
CPU: AMD Sempron 64 2800+
RAM: CORSAIR ValueSelect 1GB, 2x512MB, PC3200
DVD: LG DVD drive
DISK: 250gb IDE, 7500, 8mb
Sound: Creative Audigy2 ZS
VIDEO: Nvidia GEFORCE FX5200, PCI version
Peripherals:
MON: Rosewill R912E Black 19" 8ms DVI LCD
KB/M: Logitech Cordless Desktop EX110
SPEAKERS: Logitech 5.1 something-or-other

Here is a shot of the whole system just before installation:
http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/5202/img1115ej1.th.jpg (http://img264.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img1115ej1.jpg)

and few more inside the case:
http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1121.JPG
Case with the cover removed. You can see the color of the front bezel doesn't match the rest of the case. This is my biggest gripe with the minuet. The rest of the case is classy, but the front is ugly.

http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1122.JPG
Medium shot inside case. You can see all relevant components.

http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1125.JPG
Close-up of inside case. You can just barely make out the power switch I talk about below under the yellow cable feeding the DVD drive.

http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1126.JPG
The Minuet has a pretty cool design. The drives in the front fit into a removable cage that lifts up and out. Also, the rubber mounts visible here are useful in dampening vibrations.

http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1129.JPG
Extreme close-up of RAM. Looks like Corsair ValueSelect to me. You can see I'm using the stock cooler on the CPU.

http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1130.JPG
Back panel. Note the video card on the right. DVI and S-Video out are all I need for my current video requirements. Actually, I had a ******* of a time getting a video signal during installation. Apparently, you have to disable the onboard video BEFORE you install a graphics card. Of course, you have to connect to the onboard video in order to disable it, otherwise you will get no signal to your monitor. What a pain it was figuring that out. Luckily my monitor has both VGA and DVI inputs.

http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1131.JPG
I don't know. Random close-up of PCI cards.

Some notes:
1. What processor to buy? [Remember this was Spring '06] I chose AMD over Intel, and Socket 754 over 939 due to the difference in retail price. The down side of this decision is largely that socket 754 is obsolete, so upgrading the processor would be difficult in the future. We'll come back to that soon. However, Socket 754 does have a lot a power; plenty for the task at hand.

2. For the motherboard, I was limited to the microATX form factor which I talk about below. With this in mind, I had initially purchased an ASUS K8V-MX, but it was DOA so I switched to the Biostar. I have to say, I really like the layout of the TForce. It is well designed, cheap and the built-in overclocking utility is very decent. Also, there is a power switch and a reset switch built directly onto the motherboard which means you don't have to plug the MB into the case just to power up. I gave up some expansion options going with the smaller form factor, but I doubt I would need them in a system with such limited scope anyway.

3. I skimped on the memory because price and stability is more important than overclocking for this system.

4. The case I originally chose was a POWMAX 3304 SV. This purchase taught me that you get what you pay for in computer cases. The Powmax is built from plastic and aluminum and I have nothing good to say about it. It had sharp edges, the front buttons literally fell off, and the case flexed under slight pressure. I think it was about thirty bucks shipped, and it went straight to the dumpster.

5. While I'm talking about cases, I should talk about form factor. I wanted a slim case that would fit inside our wooden device cabinet with the DVD player, VCR, etc. I figured the best choice for this would be a half-height, microATX case. I learned the hard way, there are major downsides to going with a low-profile case. First, it is very difficult finding components to fit inside the case. Even if you do find a low profile expansion card, it still has to come with a replacement bracket, or you'll have to mod the metal of the full-height stock device. To illustrate this point see the following picture:
http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1128.JPG
Shown in that picture is the video card on the left, and the soundcard on the right. The video card came with both a full-height and a half-height bracket. All I had to do was swap them for the card to fit. The sound card, on the other hand, did not provide this luxury. I was forced to cut the stock bracket, bend it, and then cut a notch out of the head. I can't do that sort of mod at home because I don't have the tools or the place in my apartment. Instead I took it to work where we had a vise grip and a hacksaw. Unfortunately, I was so engrossed in conversation with a coworker while making the mod, that I didn't realize I was cutting the wrong side! As you can see in the picture, there are now two notches in the bracket, and crappy ones at that. Learned: A)Measure twice, cut once, and B)You need the right tool for the job.
A second downside has to do with placing a case inside a cabinet to begin with. I handle the cables in the rear of the case so often that it soon becomes annoying and impractical to place the computer in the media cabinet. As it is now, I have taken the computer out of the cabinet and moved it under an end table in the living room. The current arrangement is shown above, and it seems to be working pretty well. The previous setup can be seen here: http://www.arationalmind.com/minuet/2006_03_20/IMG_1139.JPG
A good option would probably be to move it out of sight within a closet accessing it via RealVNC or somesuch.

6. One major problem I had was serious stutter when starting a video. I knew it was either the CPU or the GPU as they were both budget items. The Sempron 2800+ is the bare minium you should consider for a machine of this type. However, after spending so much money on the machine, I decided I could live with the poor performance for a while. As it turned out, prices on all AMD chips went way down in the past year. A couple months ago I picked up an Athlon 64 3200+ for about $60 shipped which is an awesome price for a very decent process. I have seen a huge performance increase from this upgrade. I do still see some stutter, but it is rare compared to what I was seeing with the sempron. I paid about $80 for the Sempron and about $60 for the Athlon for a total of around $140. I should have just paid that much or a little more for a decent processor to begin with to save myself the hassle. AnAthlon 3400+ would have been a good upgrade too, but they are nowhere to be found. I think AMD made a 3700+ chip for socket 754 as the terminal class for the socket, but I don't recall ever seeing one on sale.

7. The video card in this system is using a PCI interface. I don't think I need to linger about the (de)merits of this particular solution. When I built the system, PCI Express was simply too expensive. Luckily, this Biostar board does have a PCI Express x16 slot, so I have an upgrade path provided I can get it in a low profile form factor. If it comes down to it though, I would move the whole system into a new, full-height case if it meant a good graphics boost. Right now, performance is acceptable, especially with the recent CPU upgrade.

8. A BlueTooth Keyboard/Mouse solution would be the best option if they weren't so expensive. I hear the range and reception of those devices are respectable. In terms of features having a mouse integrated into the KB would be the ideal situation, as it is very difficult to use a mouse when sitting in an armchair or on the couch. It's not impossible, but it is not comfortable either. You also need to maintain two RF connections one for the KB one for the mouse. It's really a moot point however, because you can't operate a computer using a CRT TV because you can't read the text. This means if you are going to be using a CRT, you also need a monitor connected to the computer in order to control it. And I can't read a monitor screen from ten feet away, so I the wireless KB/M is a moot point anyway. I would really like to hear how others have resolved this issue because as it is now I have two options for controlling this computer. 1) get up, walk over to the screen where I use the KB/M. 2) I use RealVNC to operate the computer remotely. This second method works fairly well in most situations, but there are times when I still need to be at the physical computer to get the job done.

9. When the budget allows, I have a few ideas for the future.
a) A digital TV. A widescreen HDTV LCD would eliminate the need for a secondary monitor in addition to the obvious improvement in video quality. Another good option would be a home theater projector. very cool. very expensive.
b) A decent receiver would be an excellent addition. I understand that I could output audio/video signals from a computer into a receiver, and the receiver could forward it to the appropriate device. I could then use one set of speakers for all of the home theater devices, and they would all be controlled by one device.
c) Obviously having a top-end computer would be choice.

Well, that's my setup. I hope I haven't bored you all to death with the details. Perhaps this will help someone else just getting into the HTPC realm to make some smart choices as well as broaden their understanding of what the HTPC is for and can do.

Peace.

Neuromancer

03-25-07, 12:00 AM

I guess I should upload my pics now that I changed from my stacker, on the first, its becoming a 1TB file server (to start) with a beta test of WHS.

Of course this case is getting modded soon....DVDRW is going external, HDDs are moving to 5.25" bay... and the hdd area is going to be incorporated into a mini WC design somehow...

EDIT: Oh yah DFI infinity ATI motherboard... x1950XT to power the 22" ws for now (card coming monday) and the onboard video powers the TV... YES, both PCI-E and onboard at the same time!!!

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/HTPC003small.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/HTPC004small.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/HTPC005small.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/HTPC006small.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/HTPC007small.jpg
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u153/cyber42punk/HTPC008small.jpg

scoobydoo

03-25-07, 07:29 PM

I use a modded xbox. If you dont need all that a pc offers and just want to watch movies and play a game now and then I highly recommend a modded xbox cause they are cheap to build:)

Not the greatest pics cause I just took them real fast to share. It is alot more clear in person than the pics show.

Home page:
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/8990/dscf0009ba1.jpg

Movie section(300+ movies at a touch of a button):
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/4631/dscf0008kk1.jpg

Movie details:
http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/959/dscf0007hj6.jpg

Weather section(gonna be 72 tommorrow!)
http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/8730/dscf0010jx7.jpg

kovboi

03-25-07, 08:37 PM

cool, loads of pics! :beer:

golgotha: :welcome: to the forums! very nice write up. but why not use the onboard video? you can pair that with the purevideo decoder which ought to be an improvement over the fx5200.

neur0mancer: this might be a silly question, but how exactly are you running both the x1959xt and onboard video? (simultaneously, i presume?)

scoobydoo: any pix of your modded xbox?

golgotha

03-26-07, 08:35 AM

thanks, kovboi. I don't know what purevideo is. I'll have to look into that. How would you convert the VGA output to s-video though? I need s-video to connect to the television.

kovboi

03-26-07, 10:33 AM

thanks, kovboi. I don't know what purevideo is. I'll have to look into that.
purevideo (http://www.nvidia.com/object/purevideo_overview.html) is nvidia's software decoder for mpeg-2 playback. it takes some of the load off of the cpu by using the video card's hardware acceleration.
How would you convert the VGA output to s-video though? I need s-video to connect to the television.
you could just get a vga to s-video adapter, which shouldn't be too hard to find on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/VGA-Card-to-S-Video-RCA-TV-Display-Cable-Adapter-j5_W0QQitemZ280095179536QQcategoryZ31531QQcmdZView Item) or froogle (http://froogle.google.com/froogle?q=vga+to+s-video+adapter&btnG=Search+Froogle). ;)

Mr. Roboto

03-26-07, 01:17 PM

You need an nvidia card, 6xxx or higher, to use purevideo.

kovboi

03-26-07, 01:49 PM

You need an nvidia card, 6xxx or higher, to use purevideo.
more specifically, the purevideo decoder will work with just about any card that supports hardware acceleration (http://www.nvidia.com/object/decoder_faq.html#graphics). but if you have an nvidia card, that means that you need a geforce 6 or higher (http://www.nvidia.com/page/purevideo_support.html) to take advantage of nvidia's hardware acceleration features. that includes the onboard 6100 graphics, but not the FX5200.

golgotha

03-26-07, 10:38 PM

Purevideo sounds interesting. My next upgrade for this box will be a pci express video card, so PV will have to wait until then. Hopefully, I can find a low profile card. I do think a video upgrade would bring a nice boost to video performance. However, I have to budget my expenses, and I need a few months to accrue enough in the tech category to afford a new video card.

kovboi

04-28-07, 08:32 AM

bump for more pics :D

wnnbgwrrr

04-29-07, 04:50 PM

I just got a new monitor (BenQ FP222WH) and just ordered a new video card (MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC), so I'll have some updated/new pics to post sometime very soon.:)

wnnbgwrrr

05-29-07, 10:02 PM

Okay so it took a little while, but I've been a wee bit busy. So one of these shots is of the inside of my "HTPC" with the new 8600GTS in it:
57419
The other of the very non-home theater room that it currently resides in:
57420
If it puts anyone's mind at ease there is a couch directly across from the widescreen monitor where people can watch TV and movies... It bears mentioning that out of the box the MSI NX8600GTS-T2D256E-OC is intolerably loud for HTPC applications but I am holding out hope that something can be done to control fan speeds, I just haven't had the time to look into it yet. I let you all know if I find that there is something that can be done about.

Mr. Roboto

05-30-07, 05:59 PM

Nice, thanks for sharing!

What are you running for htpc software?

hyperasus

05-30-07, 06:33 PM

wnnbgwrrr what case is that? Are the 120mm fans in the side custom?

Mr. Roboto

05-30-07, 07:06 PM

I think it's this case:"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129014

I regret not buying it, 120mm fans in my htpc would have just made it perfect.

hyperasus

05-30-07, 08:01 PM

Looks like a nice case but only room for 2 hard drives. Thats a deal breaker for me.

smokie mcpott

05-30-07, 08:25 PM

http://tpgclan.sytes.net/pics/ocforums/100_1310.jpg

http://tpgclan.sytes.net/pics/ocforums/100_1311.jpg

please pay no attention to the jumble of wires (its all in your head, there are no wires)

wnnbgwrrr

05-30-07, 09:31 PM

What are you running for htpc software?
Currently I'm running Windows MCE 2005 and it basically does everything I need it to... except for skipping from chapter to chapter in DVD playback - which is inexcusably annoying! My only other word of caution is for anyone with a multi-monitor setup who thinks that they are going to be able to watch TV on one monitor and be able to use the second monitor (with any ease anyway.)
wnnbgwrrr what case is that?
Mr. Roboto is correct in saying that the case is the Antec NSK2400. To me the biggest plus besides the 2x120mm exhaust fans was getting it packaged with a 380W Seasonic made PSU all for less than $80 (which required ACTUALLY getting the mail-in rebate.) Although someone in another thread (http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=511180) (which is a good read) here at the forums is of the impression the sometimes the NSK cases will come with Seasonic made PSUs and others come with something else which is of a more questionable quality.

Mr. Roboto

05-30-07, 09:46 PM

Nice, I'm running mce too, but I use power dvd for dvd playback. The dvd playback features in MCE are pretty awful.

kovboi

06-01-07, 10:45 AM

great pics, guys! i'll update with more pics of my own when i get back in town next week.

.:DuD3:.

06-02-07, 03:02 AM

http://tpgclan.sytes.net/pics/ocforums/100_1310.jpg

http://tpgclan.sytes.net/pics/ocforums/100_1311.jpg

please pay no attention to the jumble of wires (its all in your head, there are no wires)
that looks like a nice setup, very clean. i didn't even notice the wires until you said something :p.

smokie mcpott

06-02-07, 02:17 PM

thank you, its a blast to be able to sit down and watch nearly any image file i have stored on my server(somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.2TB of dvd images)...i couldnt live without my HTPC now that i have it

LandShark

06-02-07, 03:03 PM

...i couldnt live without my HTPC now that i have it
:attn:

nice system you've got there!! :thup:

JCLW

06-02-07, 03:31 PM

Slightly OT, but the new Conroe-L (Celeron 400 series) look like they'd be amazing for a simple HTPC build. Only 35W TDP, so passive cooling is not out of the question (esp if you undervolt). Once they make the transition to 45nm it should be even better.

Basically they are single core C2D chips, 512k L2, 800FSB.

I was just pricing out an internet/office build when I stumbled across them. Cheap too.

hyperasus

06-02-07, 05:28 PM

Are they for sale yet? Where can I look at one. 35W TDP is silly low for a desktop processor. I like the sound of it.

JCLW

06-02-07, 06:07 PM

Due out this month (June).

My local store is taking pre-orders for them - the 420 (1.6ghz) for CDN$60 - http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=6179

Which means Newegg should be selling them in the US$40~$50 range.

Xbitlabs has a preview: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/conroe-l-preview.html

Nothing stellar, but would make for a nice HTPC or file server or similar. I thought it would o/c better, but we'll have to wait for non-ES parts to see how they really do.

Mr. Roboto

06-02-07, 07:50 PM

huh, interesting. My dad has been bugging me for an upgrade. He has a 2.93 celly D now.

hyperasus

06-02-07, 07:52 PM

I think I"ll pick up the 2Ghz chip soon as the egg gets them in stock.

JamesXP

07-28-07, 04:38 PM

Can't you do just a tiny bit of cleaning wires :P

chrispycrunch

07-30-07, 08:22 AM

The celeron conroe was news to me.

.:DuD3:. - what OS are you running? Your menus looks completely..simple and...usable for HTPC.

smokie mcpott

07-31-07, 01:09 PM

.:DuD3:. - what OS are you running? Your menus looks completely..simple and...usable for HTPC.
i think you are referring to my setup?

its xp pro with media portal software as the frontend
http://team-mediaportal.com/
its a pain to get everything configured properly, but its my favorite software to date.

i might switch back to gbpvr after i convert all my .img, .bin, .nrg files over to .iso since gbpvr wont pick up on these formats like media portal will

the only thing im having trouble with getting to work now is x.264 h.264 encoded stuff.. .mkv is default registered as a playable extension in the software, but for some reason, when i scroll to a movie encoded as such, it wont play..it lists it, but wont play

Jon

07-31-07, 02:19 PM

the only thing im having trouble with getting to work now is x.264 h.264 encoded stuff.. .mkv is default registered as a playable extension in the software, but for some reason, when i scroll to a movie encoded as such, it wont play..it lists it, but wont play

Make sure you have ffdshow (x.264/h.264 playback enabled as well as AAC audio, if needed) and Haali Media Splitter installed (for mkv and mp4).

smokie mcpott

07-31-07, 04:07 PM

ahhh... it looks like i may be missing the haali media splitter.. thanks

chaos

08-01-07, 05:38 PM

HTPC Silverstone Lascala LC14M AMD Athlon X2 4600+(65w)2gig Buffalo Firestix ddr2 800 memory,MSI K9N sli Platinum mobo, 600w UltraX p/s, dvd rom drive and a dvd+/- r drive, 320gb hard drive gonna add a 500 gb soon, Hauppauge HVR-1600 tv tuner card and Avermedia PCI-e combo tv tuner card. Windows media center, Trying to decide on video card..had a 92mm intake fan built into case, but it was really loud, decided to unhook it and the temps never rose so I left it unhooked. Gotta be about a foot away to hear it running...

smokie mcpott

08-03-07, 01:21 AM

Make sure you have ffdshow (x.264/h.264 playback enabled as well as AAC audio, if needed) and Haali Media Splitter installed (for mkv and mp4).
i love you jon. i installed the splitter tonight... and i can finally enjoy all the 720p bliss
and i tried 1080 stuff... guess the processor isnt up to the challenge
time to go dual core on the HTPC

Jon

08-08-07, 10:31 AM

i love you jon. i installed the splitter tonight... and i can finally enjoy all the 720p bliss
and i tried 1080 stuff... guess the processor isnt up to the challenge
time to go dual core on the HTPC

If 1080p h/x264 content is giving you trouble using ffdshow, you might want to look into CoreAVC. It's vastly superior to ffdshow on slower systems and is arguably better in playback quality, although it has no post processing capabilities. I think the standard version is only about $8. Works with Haali too, so all you'd have to do is disable it in ffdshow. Couldn't hurt to try. I use it with my older P4 2.53GHz bedroom HTPC system. I have no 1080p AVC content, but it never stutters on anything else (even while processing audio during playback).

As far as the thread topic goes, I may get some pics of mine up soon. I'm moving (again) and will be upgrading my primary HTPC with parts from my retired X2 3800+/Ultra-D box. I just finished wiring the living room for in-wall 7.1 speakers as I just purchased an Onkyo system to replace my old Sony 6.1 (which is headed to the bedroom - along with more wiring). I've also finished wiring the necessary rooms for Gbit Ethernet for my HTPCs. I've just got to finish punching down the connections and getting the wire boxes/wall plates put in. I wish I had taken pictures during the project, but it didn't occur to me at the time. I even had my cell (w/cam) in my pocket the whole time (took 3 days, but should finish final wiring today). I probably won't get everything setup for at least another week with all the packing and moving that is still left to do. Our new living room set (to include entertainment center) doesn't arrive until Saturday either. I'll get a quick shot of the innards once I swap the parts out though. Maybe I can get the rest up after it's done.

EDIT:

I began my build last night and had taken pictures all along the way. It took a couple of hours as the wire management was a real pain. Plugged it in, powered it up, and it failed posting with a VGA error. I took the entire thing apart and out of the case and still no good. Apparently my old NF4 ULtra-D non-SLI will just not accept the 2600Pro as it worked fine in two other systems I plugged it into to make sure it wasn't the card. It posted just fine with the 6200LE that I had been using, but the new 2600Pro would not work in either PCI-E slot. I even tried the X800Pro out of my E6600 box in it and it wouldn't work. So I'm guessing this old AMD board has begun a boycott of ATi products...maybe it was the merger - who knows? :)

Anyway, I'm going to take my lunch to run up to Fry's and grab the last Abit IL9Pro that is on the shelf (I called). It's not the greatest of boards, but it is perfect for my HTPC needs - optical out w/HD audio (ALC888), 3 PCI, and will accept the E6300 I currently have in my server. I figure my media server can operate fine on 1GB of DDR2-533 and a D915, so the 2GB DDR2-667 can go to my media center. It was a secondary encoder, but I can offload that to the Ultra-D box since it's not destined to be an HTPC.

The board is only $80, so it's not a bad deal.

kovboi

08-19-07, 03:43 AM

I've just finished overhauling my htpc, though it's involved a lot of time and annoyance to get things working right (not worth it to go into the niggling details). In a nutshell, these were the changes:

motherboard: Asus A8V-E SE --> Abit KN8 SLI
vga: Gigabyte 6600LE --> Gigabyte silent 8600gt
tv tuners: Hauppauge pvr-150 --> Avermedia M780 (pci-e x1)
psu: Seasonic S12 330W --> Corsair VX480W
wlan: Netgear 311 --> Abit airpace Wifi (pci-e x1)
...I added an extra gig of RAM for grins.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1503/computerpics001bc5.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=computerpics001bc5.jpg)http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/9558/computerpics002vd2.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=computerpics002vd2.jpg)

I replaced the stock 60mm fans with quieter panaflos, then stuck a couple of zalman fanmates towards the back where they can be easily reached but won't be visible once it's recessed inside my entertainment center.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/605/computerpics003bk2.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=computerpics003bk2.jpg)

Lastly, I added a 2.5" hdd exclusively for music. Since I tend to manage all my music on my main rig, i got this rosewill enclosure that lets you pop it in and out as needed. So when I need more music, i just carry it to my other pc, copy everything over, then return the enclosure to the htpc:
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6217/computerpics004vy8.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=computerpics004vy8.jpg)http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/224/computerpics005gb6.th.jpg (http://img171.imageshack.us/my.php?image=computerpics005gb6.jpg)

underneath the hdd on the front panel is a standard front panel for a floppy disk. i removed the fdd panel and glued a filter behind it. there are thee silent scythe 40mm fans behind it, as well, in case i need some extra ventilation.

I just did a fresh install of Vista Home Premium and I'm pretty happy with the improvements in the media center interface and features. The new rig handles it quite well, just in time for football season. :beer:

smokie mcpott

08-19-07, 04:08 AM

If 1080p h/x264 content is giving you trouble using ffdshow, you might want to look into CoreAVC. It's vastly superior to ffdshow on slower systems and is arguably better in playback quality, although it has no post processing capabilities. I think the standard version is only about $8. Works with Haali too, so all you'd have to do is disable it in ffdshow. Couldn't hurt to try. I use it with my older P4 2.53GHz bedroom HTPC system. I have no 1080p AVC content, but it never stutters on anything else (even while processing audio during playback).

thanks again jon, i went ahead and got the coreavc...that saved me a hundred bucks. the 1080p now looks lovely with no stutter

LandShark

08-19-07, 10:46 AM

nice looking setup Kovboi!!! http://landshark-racing.com/icon/thumbsup.gif

benbaked

02-14-08, 09:33 PM

Here's the inside of my HTPC:

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/1985/p1010027wm1.jpg

http://img509.imageshack.us/img509/9923/p1010028jd1.jpg

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/1107/p1010026iq3.jpg

Specs:

E6600, Gigabyte GA-965GM-S2 motherboard, Patriot 4 GB RAM, EVGA 8800GT 512 MB, SB X-Fi Extremegamer, Avermedia M780 TV tuner, FSP Bluestorm 500W, Antec NSK2400 case.

LandShark

02-16-08, 11:09 AM

looks good ben!! I'm thinking to get one of those Antec for my dedicated home theater as another htpc client too.

Mr. Roboto

02-17-08, 10:13 PM

Nice setup there ben!

kovboi

02-18-08, 08:18 PM

very nice looking! i really like those antec cases.

Jon

02-20-08, 10:00 AM

I'll be starting a new thread soon to log my new media server. I've currently got a 2.5TB central storage that will, at current rate, be full by June-July. This morning I've pieced together an expandable 20TB (I figure the max will be around 17GiB usable in RAID 5, unless I go with more than one array) server that will only require about $1250 in startup if I go with two of the WD10EACS drives...starting in RAID 1. I'll just continue to use my current server until I get enough drives in it to offload from it.

I still need to decide on a PSU for the head unit and settle on the drives that I'll be using. The WD are just the cheapest available and I like the power specs. Speed is not as big a concern since this will still be much faster than my current server (5x500GB SATA I in RAID 3).

I won't be purchasing anything until next month, at the earliest, so stay tuned :)

Saihossoku

02-20-08, 10:14 AM

My specs are in my sig, I'll post images when I get home. :)

LandShark

02-20-08, 10:12 PM

Jon

02-21-08, 07:53 AM

I can't wait! I've been thinking to redo my media server too. currently has about 1.5TB total space. I really like the RAID5 idea, but cost of the drive and the amount of drive that will serve me are the reason I haven't rebuild mine.....yet.....

Well, I'm looking at the RocketRaid 2314 which has four ports which support port multipliers. A port multiplier supports 5 drives. The 2314 does RAID 5, but is not a true hardware card, so I'll be using my spare encoding box's E6600 to drive it. I don't really use that box anyway, so it will be of better use to me on the server (while saving me a lot of startup cash).

The 2314 also supports the Online Capacity Expansion and Online RAID Level Migration, so you can start with one drive, move to RAID 1 with two, then RAID 5 with three...etc. The card is relatively cheap, but it is the drives that are going to be the expense. I changed my mind and am no longer considering the WD drives since they apparently have issues when assigned to arrays. They have the RE versions that are fixed, but I'm still not convinced. I'd rather have the 32MB Seagates and their 5 year warranty anyway.

What I priced out yesterday brought me to $1160 and I'll be fully functional with two drives in RAID 1. That will be enough for me to split off my main movies, while leaving TV series and my son's movies on the old server.

I chose:

Intel BOXDG33FBC motherboard $99
2GB STT DDR2-800 $38
RocketRAID 2314 $159
Seagate ST31000340AS 2x$258
Corsair 450VX PSU $76 - $10 rebate for $66
Venus T5 5-bay hot-swappable SATA enclosure w/port multiplier $229 (I'll go with 4 of these over time)

I already have the E6600, 2003 Server license, a case, DVDR and system drive (36GB Raptor), so that saves me some. I'll probably order the system core next week and then wait a couple more weeks to see if the drives drop a little. After that, I'll probably add a new drive about every other month or so.

EDIT:

I'm also taking a hard look at UnRAID (http://www.lime-technology.com) via VMWare install. It actually looks very good and is much simpler to use than I had first thought. I also like the redundancy it provides a little better than traditional RAID5. Multiple drive failures do not result in a total loss with UnRAID.

It will also save me a little cash in that I wouldn't need the Highpoint controller any longer. The Venus T5 comes with a PCIe card with 4 port multiplier ports available. I just don't know if it's compatible or not.

Saihossoku

02-21-08, 11:35 AM

As promised...

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/9357/dsc01600ua2.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4007/dsc01604wf8.jpg

http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/3112/dsc01605gw9.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6281/dsc01606lr9.jpg

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/5345/dsc01607db8.jpg

kovboi

02-22-08, 01:56 PM

wow, very shiny! :thup:

JakeKlem

02-24-08, 09:48 PM

As promised...

Very nice setup! Those speakers look familiar ;)

I might as well join in on the fun...
I dont do much gaming anymore and I bought the cheapo toshiba laptop from worstbuy on BF. I use the laptop for email, typing papers, browsing forums so I decided to turn my desktop into the new HTPC and eGay the old one. I guess the new plasma might have had something to do with it too :clap:
New specs:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
Antec Truepower 430w
DFI Infinity NF UltraII-M2 nF4
Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 Dual Channel
Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 7200RPM SATA
XFX GeForce 8500GT 256MB DRR2
VGA Leadtek TV2000XP Expert Tuner PCI
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R SATA
Microsoft Wireless comfort curve
Logitech X-530 5.1
Panasonic TH-42PZ77U

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/jakeklem/Livingroom%20HTPC/DSCF0002_resized.jpg

Saihossoku

02-26-08, 01:19 AM

Very nice setup! Those speakers look familiar ;)

I might as well join in on the fun...
I dont do much gaming anymore and I bought the cheapo toshiba laptop from worstbuy on BF. I use the laptop for email, typing papers, browsing forums so I decided to turn my desktop into the new HTPC and eGay the old one. I guess the new plasma might have had something to do with it too :clap:
New specs:
COOLER MASTER Centurion 5
Antec Truepower 430w
DFI Infinity NF UltraII-M2 nF4
Athlon 64 X2 3800+ AM2
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800 Dual Channel
Western Digital Caviar SE 250GB 7200RPM SATA
XFX GeForce 8500GT 256MB DRR2
VGA Leadtek TV2000XP Expert Tuner PCI
SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R SATA
Microsoft Wireless comfort curve
Logitech X-530 5.1
Panasonic TH-42PZ77U

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y108/jakeklem/Livingroom%20HTPC/DSCF0002_resized.jpg

I have the same CD binder! lol 300 right? :D

nd4spdbh2

02-26-08, 01:50 AM

OK ima gonna have to take pics of the HT setup once we get the sub... got everything setup (5.1 elemental desgins audio speakers, yamaha rx-v661 receiver, and htpc) but the sub is being built right now... will post pics when its in!

=ACID RAIN=

02-26-08, 02:11 AM

Here's mine, in the temporary case until I can afford a new one haha. It's a low priority item right now. I'll take a pic of the whole deal tomorrow.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/htpc.jpg

hafa

02-26-08, 05:53 AM

This HTPC is used primarily for playing back DVDs and MP3s, internet browsing and Google Earth with a flight/driving sim every great once in a while. As such, it's more than adequate. Media storage is via a gigabit network with the rig in the sig acting as a file server.

I'm using the same Silverstone case as JCLW; very solid well-designed case, great cooling and room for standard components. The only downside is that there's not much vertical headroom for the HSF. I voltmodded the fans down to 7V and the system is essentially silent; the relatively quiet fan on the projector completely drowns out any noise the system makes.

Specs :

System (nothing special here):

Abit AN52 Motherboard
AMD X2 4400+
PSU: ENERMAX eg495p-ve noisetaker ii
2GB Samsung PC5300 RAM
XFX 7300GT Video Card w/passive HS
Stock cooling

Peripherals:

Logitech Z5300 5.1 surround sound speaker system
Viewsonic PJ402D DLP projector
Viewsonic VA1916W Monitor
Logitech mx 3200 laser multimedia keyboard & laser mouse

Pictures:

http://www.angildesign.com/images/comp/htpc/10.jpg
Monitor, keyboard, mouse with the htpc and projector in the background. Things were a bit dusty when I took these images due to our home expansion project.

http://www.angildesign.com/images/comp/htpc/11.jpg
HTPC and projector; note the remote for the sound system; the rear speakers are on the shelf above the HTPC.

http://www.angildesign.com/images/comp/htpc/12.jpg
The subwoofer is on the ground and the wheel and pedals for the driving simulator on top of it.

http://www.angildesign.com/images/comp/htpc/14.jpg
7' of BIG SCREEN magic with the smaller monitor in the foreground. Not having to fire up a 400W projector to do smaller tasks is a big energy saver. Front and center speakers are above the retractable screen.

JakeKlem

02-26-08, 10:24 AM

I have the same CD binder! lol 300 right? :D

hahaha I think its a 224 or something, I got it from staples for $14.
BTW, did you ever have any trouble with the speaker cords being too short? Looks like you have them pretty close to the sub. My left speaker wont reach to the left side of the tv stand... kinda sucks.

benbaked

02-26-08, 11:04 AM

Thanks for the comments guys, sweet looking HTPC setups you all have.

That's some nice cable management you've got there =ACID RAIN=, very clean. :thup:

=ACID RAIN=

02-26-08, 05:28 PM

Thanks :)

Here is the setup. I know the HTPC doesn't match, but I had white and green laying around and I was bored LOL. It looks better in person, especially the top since for the bezel I was working with less paint. I didn't do the sides, because Like I said, temp case haha. Sub is behind the tv. The system is samsung's HT-X50, perfect (to me) for a budget build.
http://texasoverclockers.com/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10002/ht_1.jpg

Jason Kitchens

02-28-08, 02:48 PM

A pic of what works as my main pc and the closest thing i have to a htpc at the moment.
Specs:
Opteron 1218
tf550 am2
4g ddr800 gskill and supertalent
320g sata
samsung sata dvd rw internal
Xbox 360 HDDVD drive external
MSI 7900gs hdcp
Avermedia m150d analog tuner
HdHomerun (still working on making it work)
Alpha cool wc setup for cpu only
st85zf psu
aerocool spiral galaxys case
22" and 24" acer lcd's

Shiggity

02-28-08, 03:11 PM

That is an awesome setup Jason Kitchens, I like it a lot :)

Jason Kitchens

02-28-08, 03:43 PM

Thanks alot. I've worked at this setup building it up for almost a year and I'm still not quite satisfied. But from what I started with its a great setup. I really enjoy these "show your X" threads, I've got several ideas from them even though I haven't always followed through on them.

kovboi

03-02-08, 08:32 PM

well my friggin cheap-o motherboard died. that's what i get for buying off of ebay. needless to say, got some new gear on the way and will post my updated pics soon.

AngryArtichoke

03-02-08, 09:26 PM

a70turbo

03-11-08, 03:53 AM

Here's my contribution:

My HTPC consists of my some older S939 parts:
DFI Lanparty UT Ultra-D
AMD 3800x2 @ 2.8ghz
2x1gb Muskin XP4000 Redline + 2x1gb Corsair TWINX2048-3200PRO @ DDR510
eVGA 7900gs
Coolermaster GeminII heatsink, Thermalright HR-05 chipset cooler
2x500GB WD Caviar16 + 2x500gb Hitachi Deskstar 7K500
OCZ 600w Gamestream PSU
Thermaltake Matrix case, 2x120mm Antec Tricool fans
Nec 3520A DVD drive
Logitech Dinovo Edge keyboard
Samsung LNT5265
Yamaha HTRN-5060
Logitech Harmony 880 remote

Sorry for the crappy pic. :)

chaos

03-15-08, 07:28 PM

Here ya go!!!

got a Rocketfish bluetooth keyboard and mouse-waiting on my LG blu-ray-hd dvd combo drive to arrive!!!! OH and its hooked to a Samsung 52" lcd.. Bioshock has never looked so good!!!!

james.miller

03-18-08, 08:32 AM

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.miller700/ABCD0005.JPG

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.miller700/ABCD0006.JPG

please excuse the wiring, its all over the place:p

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.miller700/lc17-b/IMG_1119_small.jpg

benbaked

03-18-08, 10:53 AM

Where did you get the blue stripe on your PS3? Is that from an aftermarket cooler?

james.miller

03-18-08, 01:34 PM

Hi:)

No, its actually a vertical stand for the ps3. I'd imagine you should be able to get the same stands over there:)

http://www.4gamers.net/images/spc3105_2.jpg
http://www.4gamers.net/sonyp3.htm

benbaked

03-18-08, 02:46 PM

Ah, cool thanks. Nice HTPC setup too, I like those Silverstone cases. :thup:

mrgreenjeans

03-18-08, 03:51 PM

http://www.grleaves.com/photogallery/small%20profile.jpg

Except replace the 30" Sharp with a 46" Sharp. :beer: The HTPC is on the right, the reserator far right.

PS. Built the cabinet too.which is on casters and all rolls out for service.:cool:

Avro

04-13-08, 12:40 PM

specs in sig

http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/th_IMGP0165.jpg (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/IMGP0165.jpg)
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/th_IMGP0160.jpg (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/IMGP0160.jpg)
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/th_IMGP0158.jpg (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/IMGP0158.jpg)
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/th_IMGP0156.jpg (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/IMGP0156.jpg)
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/th_IMGP0155.jpg (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/IMGP0155.jpg)
http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/th_IMGP0154.jpg (http://i225.photobucket.com/albums/dd128/Avro_foto/HTPC/IMGP0154.jpg)

WonderingSoul

04-13-08, 12:51 PM

Except replace the 30" Sharp with a 46" Sharp. :beer: The HTPC is on the right, the reserator far right.

PS. Built the cabinet too.which is on casters and all rolls out for service.:cool:

How is that reserator? I also see a G7 docking bay there :D

nd4spdbh2

04-19-08, 09:19 PM

OK finally decided to post some pics up of my hometheater setup...

(for info on the speakers check it out HERE (http://www.ocforums.com/showpost.php?p=5588763&postcount=74))

OK my htpc is in my sig but heres the details..

Lian Li PC-6070 Silent
E4300 ocd to 3ghz and undervolted to 1.25v (1.325v is stock)
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L w/ custom made Vreg heatsinks (not pictured)
2x1 GB Crucial DDR2 667 4-4-4-12
Evga 7600GT KO 256mb PCIE gfx card
80GB seagate PATA hd
ATI TV wonder elite
and an older Enermax 350w psu.

I custom made a socket 775 backplate and mounting hardware for my socket 478 thermalright SI-120 ... detailed HERE (http://www.ocforums.com/showpost.php?p=5497006&postcount=182)

I use Media portal as a front end (simply AMAZING front end i might add) and an Ati Remote Wonder plus to control it. I also use nvidia purevideo audio and video codecs as well as ffdshow with upscalling goodies, hence the reason i needed to overclock my e4300 to 3ghz. The connection to the tv is via an HDMI cable with a dvi to hdmi dongle, and i connect to the receiver via coaxial SPDIF from the onboard rear IO pannel

Pics of the comp
http://teamlosi.andrevas.net/pics/si120htpc/P2170049.JPG

hd mounting system... i hate hd noise!
http://teamlosi.andrevas.net/pics/comp/htpc/COMP%20005.JPG

Pics of the HT steup.
rears (just plain crappy pic)
http://teamlosi.andrevas.net/pics/comp/htpc/IMG_0333.JPG

EDIT... forgot the fronts! and htpc
http://teamlosi.andrevas.net/pics/comp/htpc/w_o_grills_front.jpg

benbaked

04-19-08, 11:51 PM

Nice, I saw these pics in your 52" of Crysis thread, excellent cabling job. I still can't see any wires, except one going to your sub.

Also the remote control looks really big in the last photo. :p

nd4spdbh2

04-20-08, 08:49 PM

Nice, I saw these pics in your 52" of Crysis thread, excellent cabling job. I still can't see any wires, except one going to your sub.

Also the remote control looks really big in the last photo. :p

Thanks!

The way i did the cableing is the area between the middle and bottom shelf is actually a piece of 3/4inch cabnit plywood thats 3 inches out from the wall.. and all the cables run through that area.

lol ya just noticed the remote... i took the pic with the camera sitting on the center of the lazy boy with the center table in its down position... the remote was sitting on the table only a few feet away from the camera.

e_1337

05-09-08, 03:20 AM

Mine has changed a lot in the last few months, here's the latest images;

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/8142/dsc02129oo5.jpg
My rig and projector are all close together now, makes it easier to do things.

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1981/dsc02131kw0.jpg
It's hard to see just how big the screen is but you can see my cat there for perspective, it's just over 155"

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/1836/dsc02135ew8.jpg
My living room is over 18ft long so you can see the effect it has.

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/1559/dsc02134zf6.jpg
I love HD sources on LCD's, they look so much better. :)

michaelkahl

05-09-08, 10:57 PM

Well I've been posting questions, so I thought I'd post my HTPC rig in this thread. Enjoy.
http://snappshotmemories.smugmug.com/photos/292572096_q48dF-M.jpg
http://snappshotmemories.smugmug.com/photos/292572036_mCoZA-M.jpg
http://snappshotmemories.smugmug.com/photos/292572196_QdKnM-M.jpg
http://snappshotmemories.smugmug.com/photos/292572326_WBwxB-M.jpg

e_1337

05-10-08, 05:29 PM

michaelkahl

05-10-08, 08:39 PM

na, 32" I'm cheap sometimes, got it in jan of this year for just over $600

scoobydoo

05-29-08, 12:29 AM

mine hasn't changed much, i use the pc in my sig instead of the xbox now

the audio portion consists of...
Denon 2802
Paradigm Atom, cc-200, adp-70
Kenwood Basic M1 125x2 sub amp, 2 10" subs
panamax 1000+ surge protector

all housed in a 21u rack. when i watch a movie i close the door on the rack and the system is completely silent

http://cryo-laboratory.com/uploader/files/10/DSCF0209.JPG

and the best movie ever in 720p and DTS:)
http://cryo-laboratory.com/uploader/files/10/DSCF0212.JPG

Goshawk

09-17-08, 01:32 PM

Awesome setups in this thread!

HTPC:

E6750 with Scythe Ninja
Asus P5B vanilla board
2gb DDR2-667 - Super Talent CL5 regular stuff
Standard Asus DVD-rom
Antec Three Hundred mid tower case ( Seriously the best case ever, $56.00 o.O )
MSI 8800GTX, stock
Creative X-Fi Xtreme Audio PCI-e
Antec True Power Trio 550w power supply
MS Vista Home Premium 32 bit
2x Avermedia AverTV Combo PCI-E tuner cards ( a.k.a. the M780 )

Storage:

Seagate 250gb for recorded TV
Seagate 80gb for Games only
WD 2x 640gb (mirrored) and 2x WD 500gb (mirrored also) in the media server for the movie & commercial free tv archives.

MS bluetooth desktop thing, keyboard kinda looks like a boomerang... standard MCE remote... I think it's the Entertainment Desktop 7000

The TV is a Sharp Aquos 46", LC-46D64U - w00t for 4ms panel! Portal is insane, gives us motion sickness sometimes if i'm moving too fast :P

speakers are the Logitech Z-5500's we got a swinging deal on :P we replaced our aging HT reciever with them.

Planned upgrades

- Possibly a P5Q or P5Q deluxe
- E8400 or E3110 when we get the Blue Ray for the PC
- Maybe a 9800GTX if HDCP gets funky & down converts us to lower than 1080p
- STILL searching for an awesome sound card, the Xtreme Audio PCIe is good, But learning
later that it's not a real XFi, and realizing that Creative is very creative with marketing really
ticked me off, been looking at the Asus Xonar DX I'm seriously thinking Creative is done in my house.

I'll pop up some pics later of the setup :)

~ Gos

BioTuned

10-02-08, 02:37 PM

Antec Three Hundred mid tower case ( Seriously the best case ever, $56.00 o.O )

I ordered this for a built for a POS system. I liked it so much i ordered another one just to have one. This case is a really awesome for the price. Add two 120mm fans in the front and another one side and you got a case that can refresh the air inside the case without a breeze.

Mu||et

10-14-08, 10:21 AM

http://img373.imageshack.us/img373/1489/sam61ak3.jpg

JamesXP

01-31-09, 09:38 PM

Bump My HTPC http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i133/Cluney-/HTPC.jpg Specs 2800+ 1GB Memory 250GB HD FX5600+ Hauppauge WinTV Nova-T 28" Phillips CRT

JamesXP

02-02-09, 11:15 AM

Bump, new TV

JVC 100Hz 32"

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i133/Cluney-/HTPCfixWB.jpg

scoobydoo

02-03-09, 01:45 PM

mine hasnt changed much, HTPC specs are in my sig. i dont use an xbox anymore, just meedio through the htpc.

the stand was built by yours truely. you can see in the picture(3rd shelf down) that the 2.3tb in hard drives and k45 take up less space than my receiver

audio portion:
Denon AVR-2802
Paradigm Atom, CC-200, ADP-70
Kenwood Basic M1 amp for sub(no sub right now though)
Panamax 1000+ surge protector/line conditioner

http://cryo-laboratory.com/uploader/files/10/DSCF0814_thumb.jpg

Wicked Klown

02-03-09, 03:24 PM

lol Scoob, love the options there
HD movies
SD movies
Porn lol

LandShark

02-03-09, 08:34 PM

lol Scoob, love the options there
HD movies
SD movies
Porn lol

LMAO...... :D nice idea!! :p

JamesXP

02-03-09, 09:21 PM

I saw that lol, i had to look twice.

What about HD porn, do they make that yet?

gangaskan

02-03-09, 09:27 PM

I saw that lol, i had to look twice.

What about HD porn, do they make that yet?

even better ....

THREE DIMENSIONS !!!!

nd4spdbh2

02-03-09, 09:27 PM

LOLOL someone shoulda looked before postin that up!

EDIT.... someone save that pic and host it before he takes it down!!! :-p

gangaskan

02-03-09, 09:40 PM

here is mine!

http://gangaskan.dyndns.ws/pics/computer%20pics/S6301187.JPG

no porn though ^_^

JLK03F150

02-03-09, 09:54 PM

Here's the specs for mine, no pics though.
Antec desktop mATX case with 380w PSU
E6600 @ 3.0GHz
Zalman 7500-CU HSF
evga 7150/610i mATX
2x1GB DDR800
HD4650
Hauppauge HVR-1800
120GB OS HDD, 500GB storage HDD
Blu-Ray HD-DVD combo drive

I'm using the onboard sound with the S/PDIF optical output to my old Yamaha 5.1 reciever & a DVI to HDMI cable to my 42" Philips TV. The 7150 onboard video isn't HDCP so I had to add the video card for Blu-Ray @ 1920x1080.

So Scooby, is porn filmed in surround? 5.1 or 7.1? :beer:

scoobydoo

02-03-09, 10:39 PM

lol, i knew the porn button was on there, i'm not ashamed. it only constitutes about .5% of my collection(about 50 movies)

a huge movie collection wouldnt be complete without some porn:)

Wicked Klown

02-03-09, 10:41 PM

lol, i knew the porn button was on there, i'm not ashamed. it only constitutes about .5% of my collection(about 50 movies)

a huge movie collection wouldnt be complete without some porn:)

So true but I don't think my wife would like the idea of it in my movie collection.

scoobydoo

02-03-09, 10:50 PM

So true but I don't think my wife would like the idea of it in my movie collection.

ah, i'm not married so no one to complain

it isnt like i watch them. i have them for the same reason i have country music and chick flicks...just in case thats the mood of my company;)

nd4spdbh2

02-03-09, 10:57 PM

ah, i'm not married so no one to complain

it isnt like i watch them. i have them for the same reason i have country music and chick flicks...just in case thats the mood of my company;)

BAHAHAHHAHA ... u know you go to hell for lying!

jason4207

02-04-09, 02:13 PM

Time to show off my goods!

Starting in the office...

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/7176/p2040301ig9.jpg

You can see my wrap-around desk config. My son is playing Spiderman on my old PC. It's a 3.0c P4 OC'd to 3.6 on stock voltage w/ an X800XT AIW. Still plays most of the games my son likes at 1680x1050 and has no problems acting as a HTPC if my son wants to watch movies by himself. It does heat up the room more than even my behemoth, though. Here's the inside:

http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/8448/p4060020en4.jpg

Moving around to the right we have the file server. 4 x 640GB WD HDDs, & an old IDE 250GB HDD for cache gives me almost 2TB of usable storage w/ lots of room for easy growth due to the unRAID software. I'm still in the process of moving all my DVDs to the server. Only ~200 have been moved across so far.

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8696/p9260172dw2.jpg

http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/7573/p9260170nm2.jpg

I actually have a better HS in there now, but it isn't needed. This thing really sips the juice:

http://img265.imageshack.us/img265/8414/pb180191xl1.jpg

It's a E5200 & a P43 MSI Neo3-F I have it underclocked to 2GHz (333x6) at 0.88v.

Coming around we come to my main rig (and company laptop). See sig for details.

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/7333/p2040304sg3.jpg

Continued...

jason4207

02-04-09, 02:15 PM

Moving into the adjacent room (living room/home theater) we get to my HTPC setup! Here is my Sanyo PLV-Z4 720P projector:

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8915/p2040305ch2.jpg

Notice the concealed wiring:

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/9604/p2040306qy4.jpg

Below you can see the surround speakers (all speakers are Paradigm). I had to go 6.1 b/c using 7.1 would have been difficult due to the open area toward the kitchen. All the wiring is hidden in the walls. 10AWG w/ hand soldered gold connectors to a triple-gang faceplate behind the entertainment center.

http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/479/p2040309yt7.jpg

Here is the front shot. Screen is 95" diagonal viewable custom-made 'Light-Fusion' which uses a Mississippi-mud painted acrylic mirror to ensure all available light is reflected back towards the viewer.

http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/55/p2040307wa4.jpg

Close-up of entertainment center. I built this thing as a temporary fix when we moved in. My brother-in-law promised to build us a custom cherry entertainment center. I bought the raw wood, and he did get started...but then he got my sister pregnant. It's been 2 years now. We are currently looking for something that will fit...

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8362/p2040311pr9.jpg

You can see the triple-gang faceplate on the wall behind the equipment. Also pictured is the PVR for the satellite dish, the IR receiver for the HTPC, my modded Wii, DVD player, modded PS2, component A/V switch, and 7.1 receiver. I recently retired my VCR, and tape deck.

http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/4443/p2040312xp0.jpg

Here are the guts of the HTPC. Its an E5200 & a P5Q-EM OC'd to 3.6GHz (300x12). No optical drives..don't need them. DVDs can be played on my DVD player, but most movies will come from the server. I just used an old IDE 40GB HDD for the OS...again the main storage is in the server. I think I'm going to put my extra gfx card in here eventually so that some games can be played out here. I used to have my main rig pull double-duty as my main rig and a HTPC w/ some creative wiring, but w/ a dedicated PC for HT it is much easier to control and I can still game or OC while my wife/son watches a movie.

One remote to rule them all! Well I guess it's really 2...I also have a IR keyboard to go on the web and what not.

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6088/p2040310bq2.jpg

This is what pulls it all together. Before I had a remote for the projector, stereo, PVR, etc. I programmed the PVR remote to control most other things, but it could never control the projector, and a lot of the more advanced controls were impossible to program. The Logitech 880 is easy to program, and the macros are easy to setup. 1 button, and the system automatically turns on the right gear and turns off unneeded gear...even the HTPC!

When the HTPC is turned on (actually it just wakes up from sleep) it goes right into Vista64-MediaCenter. Here is a shot of the movie selection screen:

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5536/p2040313cg3.jpg

And here is the money shot!

http://img8.imageshack.us/img8/1561/p2040314nv4.jpg

Edit: just noticed I need to re-align the projector...

LandShark

02-05-09, 04:29 PM

pretty nice set up there Jason!! (may be I should post my dedicated HT pic one day..... :rolleyes: :D )

Wicked Klown

02-05-09, 05:30 PM

pretty nice set up there Jason!! (may be I should post my dedicated HT pic one day..... :rolleyes: :D )

That would be great as you have a very nice set up.

LandShark

02-05-09, 10:18 PM

That would be great as you have a very nice set up.

will do, will do! especially after the past superbowl, I took my bedroom htpc down there so I can watch on the big screen, I really like the experience a lot! watching TV on triple digits screen differently is NOT overkilled!! :D

I might just build a barebone client for the HT for now instead of keep on waiting for bitstream HD audio solution.....

tks for the kind words btw, WK! :)

benbaked

02-05-09, 10:27 PM

Nice cable management in that Antec case Jason, very clean. What heatsink is that?

jason4207

02-05-09, 10:52 PM

pretty nice set up there Jason!! (may be I should post my dedicated HT pic one day..... :rolleyes: :D )

Thanks!

I just checked out the links in your sig. Absolutely beautiful work man!

I'm fortunate in that I have a 1-story new home. Running cables up in the walls and into the attic was relatively easy (for me anyways...I've always worked for some type of business that pulls cable. I used to be a tech, but I work in the office now). It took me about 3 weeks to run all the wiring and hand-solder all the speaker connections. I also have my receiver's B channel wired to a pair of transducers in the master bathroom ceiling. For those not familiar w/ transducers, basically it mounts to the other side of the sheet-rock, and turns the entire wall/ceiling into a speaker. It works well, but is a pain to control since I don't have any tuner or volume controls in the bathroom itself. That is on my list of improvements, though. Perhaps a marine head-unit? Not sure yet, but I need something that can take some high humidity. I like to close the bathroom door in the winter, and turn the bathroom into a sauna!

:beer:

LandShark

02-05-09, 11:59 PM

Thanks!

I just checked out the links in your sig. Absolutely beautiful work man!

tks. but those are pretty old pics/spec. I've redo my whole house media distribution and equipments lately (including a dedicated home theater that I built about a year ago).

jason4207

02-06-09, 10:45 AM

tks. but those are pretty old pics/spec. I've redo my whole house media distribution and equipments lately (including a dedicated home theater that I built about a year ago).

Well in that case I think this thread is the perfect incentive to get the camera out and show off the goods! I know it worked for me.

:beer:

JamesXP

02-06-09, 08:07 PM

Just reorganised, rebuilt, re-jigged everything...

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i133/Cluney-/HPTCMANAGEDANDCLEAN.jpg

Specs are now as my main rig in the sig, I have really struggled with wires, there is one power receptacle in my room, which sucks real bad.

I got some power usage figures too..

80W Desktop Idle
85W Mediaportal Idle
90W Playing TV or Movies
7.5W S3 Standby

LandShark

02-07-09, 12:21 PM

alright, here's an old pic of my dedicated HT that I built about a year ago (I have a build progress thread over @ avsforum). I'll post up some newer pics later on included the new living room setup (HTPC, speakers, AVR, etc.)

http://landshark-racing.com/pics/ht/68.jpg

Epson home cinema 1080UB projector
100" Elite CineWhite screen
Yamaha RX-V1800
Full Definitive Technology speakers: BP7006 x 2, CLR2300, BP1.2x x 2, and a SuperCubeI sub.
Panamax 5300 power conditioner
Harmony 1000 remote
Wii
PS3
etc.

LandShark

02-08-09, 07:09 PM

and here's the living room and bedroom

the living room HTPC is also working as my PVR server.

Antec Fusion Black (my personal fav htpc case!)
P5Q-EM, E8400, Mini Ninja, Seagate 1.5TB HDD, LG bluray/DVD burner, HVR-950 OTA HD tuner, HD-PVR tuner for DirecTV STB.

Connect to the Onkyo via single HDMI and Onkyo to TV also via HDMI.

http://landshark-racing.com/pics/livingroom/1.jpg

4yrs old 52" Samsung 720p HDTV (next on the upgrade list)
Onkyo 606
Mirage Omnisat OS3 5.0 speakers (2x FS, 1x CC, 2x SAT)
Velodyne SPL-800 sub
(the whole sound system was my last year's x'mas gift from....................me :D )
Harmony 880

http://landshark-racing.com/pics/livingroom/3.jpg

and the bedroom basic HTPC client.

Shuttle XPC, E6600, ATI 2600Pro w/ HIS Ice cooler, cheap 42" Sceptre HDTV and cheap LG 2.1 sound system, Harmony 520.

also connect from the HTPC to TV via a single HDMI cable.

http://landshark-racing.com/pics/bedroom/new/2.jpg

and my home main media server. running WHS and store all of my media files (music, movies, tv series, pics, etc.), and also backing up my whole house PCs.

Antec 300 case, used/old E2180, used/old P35-DS3, 2GB ram, 2x WD 1TB Green HDD, 1x WD 750GB AAKS, have another 750GB Seagate 7200.10 from my previous living room HTPC going in it soon.

http://landshark-racing.com/pics/homeserver/4.jpg

I'm going to do a detail write up thread and post more pics 'bout my home media setup. :cool:

markp1989

02-22-09, 03:03 PM

not as powerfull as any of yours, but does the job of playing SDTV Divx films.

no case, just screwed the motherboard to a plastic sheet

Intel P3 700Mhz
256mb
128mb Disk module
Ati remote wonder
Pico psu 120w
installed a larger heat sink, and replaced small fan with a 120mm fan running at 5v, so its practically silent, core stays around 30c most of the time
any other info you wana know just ask

all files are stored on my torrentslave/file server

i havnt got a pic yet, but will post some as soon as i do

kaltag

02-25-09, 12:20 AM

Well here goes...
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d46/exilesanhusky/media%20center/IMG_0030.jpg
Living room is in an older cooler master desktop case (ATC-620-BX1). Specs - 2.66 Core 2 duo@stock, 2GB corsair DDR2, MSI 9400M motherboard, Hauppauge PVR 150 for the satellite tuner and a Pinnacle PCTV HD for OTA HD, 1TB western digital SATA drive, external dual layer DVD burner, 50" samsung TV (connected via HDMI), Logitech Z680 speaker system, OS is Vista Ultimate and I use Vista Media Center with the My Movies plugin. It streams most it's media from the server in my room over a Gb connection. One of these days I'll get some real cable management going on :D

Speaking of the server...
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d46/exilesanhusky/media%20center/IMG_0032.jpg
Case is an Antec Nine Hundred, the power supply is some generic norwood micro that's been my workhorse PSU for years. Motherboard is a pretty basic foxconn (forgot the model) with an A64 3700+ and 512MB DDR 400. The system won't post/boot without a video card so it has an ancient voodoo2 to serve the purpose though the system has never had a monitor hooked up. I added a second NIC and use the system as my firewall/router as well. Storage is 4x1TB Western Digital SATA drives in a software RAID 5 using the onboard ports and is served to the LAN via the onboard Gb NIC and 5 port Gb switch. The OS runs on an old 80GB seagate PATA drive. The server runs Gentoo for the OS and serves up files via Samba (windows file sharing protocol) and Mediatomb for UPNP aware devices (PS3/360/etc.) It also runs Subsonic for a web based music server so I can listen to my music at work. The server also has a stripped out XP install that runs in a vmware virtual machine solely for running uTorrent. I have yet to find a linux torrent client that is as configurable as uTorrent and I hate leaving another machine on all day/night just for torrenting.

Now for the newest addition...
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d46/exilesanhusky/media%20center/IMG_0031.jpg
I know it's a bit overkill but I felt like a media center for the garage would be nice since I spend a LOT of time out there. A former client abandoned the computer because it only had a bad hard drive. I threw in an old drive and wireless card I had lying around an voila. It streams media from the server as well via the wireless. System is a 3.0Ghz P4, 1.25GB of RAM, 40GB hard drive, ATI x300 video, netgear wireless card and onboard everything else. The OS is Vista Ultimate. The sound is hooked up to the receiver with the speakers mounted near the ceiling. I actually really like this set up and its nice not having to go inside and getting my nice keyboard all greasy if I need to look stuff up online, Having all my music and movies available is nice as well. The screen is 19" LCD w/ wallmount I got for $20 when Compusa closed here.

IKIKUINTHENUTZ

05-10-09, 03:56 PM

The PITA of Media

Specs:
Specs
Intel E8200
Gskill 2gb ram
Lite-ON DVD+-RW
WD 640GB BLACK
Anyware MCE Remote
Galaxy 9800gt (non reference)
Happage 1250
Linksys Wifi G
X-FI xtrememusic
ARK Black Aluminum / Steel HTPC 400BA Case
Coolermaster Silent pro M 600w

Heatsinks:
HR-01 4u
HR-03 r600
HR-05
HR-05 IFX SLI
HR-07 duo Low
HR-09 Type 2 X 2 qty
HR-09 Type 3
HR-11

Fans
Exhaust Scythe KAZE JYU SLIM SY1012SL12L 100mm
Intake Panaflo 92x25mm 2100rpm FBA09A12L1BX modded to 5v @ 875rpm
Exhaust 135mm fan in PSU 800 - variable fan

Accessories:
Lamptron case damping foam
Lamptron PC silencing kit
Techflex non fray sleeving
Thermaltake sleeving
3m thermaltape
3m ceramic thermal pad
Krylon Black spray paint
Vespar Gold spray paint

Mods:
Months of planning before deciding on hardware to use for the build. Interior spray painted case. No Stock heat sinks anywhere. Passive build relies solely on negative pressure under airflow path cooling (similar to most dell systems). Custom spray painted gold I/o back side and pci parts. Black spray paint for some pci parts for black pcb.

Time to make this? Over a month.
How much I spent? Too embarrassing to say, you do the math.
Why it's called it PITA? It was PITA during installation, that's why.
More to come for images and updates. Subscribe people Smile

http://www.hostthenpost.org/uploads/37bd752e8f16198ae34a330d5acb627e.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://www.hostthenpost.org/uploads/a36eb5a98c9b123b2c4324b0e3ee3f1a.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://www.hostthenpost.org/uploads/19399907089804a68311958e3c2f1762.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://www.hostthenpost.org/uploads/939c158c05d065c0543f635c740ebe75.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://www.hostthenpost.org/uploads/abd8c56aa768e93846ef710e668d3033.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://www.hostthenpost.org/uploads/9485d7fd80e4cb5e3047c11bf2fd99c5.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/9d6f421cd0c89784af372f4ac3c9da77.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/95e1e5f27496e09296187887a7617d06.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)
http://hostthenpost.org/uploads/fcc4b33cfe8d9372fb459de3b3704693.jpg (http://hostthenpost.org)

Wicked Klown

05-10-09, 06:45 PM

I call it Mr. Overkill

Whats the specs?

IKIKUINTHENUTZ

05-10-09, 10:08 PM

Whats the specs?

updated

JLK03F150

05-10-09, 10:25 PM

updated

That is some seriously nice camera work, btw. :D

LandShark

05-11-09, 12:07 PM

do you work for Thermalright??? :p

I'm interested to see how's the temp with this setup??

p.s. nice work!

Mr. Roboto

05-11-09, 07:05 PM

That's awesome! Def need to see the temps though.

Maxvla

05-11-09, 10:29 PM

Newly assembled HTPC. Been using it for about a week as a desktop. Still waiting on TV money.

http://stashbox.org/513387/htpc3.jpg

http://stashbox.org/513388/htpc2.jpg

http://stashbox.org/513389/htpc1.jpg

AMD Athlon X2 5050e 2.5GHz 45W (Will be upgraded to Phenom II X4 when the 65W versions finally come out this fall)
Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P AM2/AM2+/AM3
G.Skill 4x1GB PC6400 DDR2-800
Sapphire Radeon 4670
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB (100 OS, 900 Storage) (have 20 drive server for actual storage, see below the htpc in first pic)
NEC 16x DVDRW (IDE lol)
Encore ENLWI-N Wireless N card (3 antennas) (not pictured, placed in last PCI slot next to PSU)
Nexus Value 430W PSU (silent)
Nexus Real Silent 80mm Fan x 2
Silverstone LC17 Black

chaos

05-23-09, 10:34 PM

I really like what IKIKUINTHENUTZ did with the ARK case. I'm thinking about buying this case and painting the interior black also(maybe w/silver accents) and putting my tri-core pc in it....

markp1989

06-07-09, 11:04 AM

MB: Asus P5KPL-AM iG31
CPU: E5200
RAM: 1gb ddr2 1066
HDD: Hitachi DeskStar 1TB 7200
HSF: OCZ vanguisher , pwm and fancontrol so its inaudible
GPU: GeForce 7300 GS
PSU: PicoPSU 150w
Remote:wiimote
Case: Just a standard case right now, maybe when i have more money
Display 32" LCD , brought about a year ago for 310 GBP

OS: ubuntu linux
media software: Moovida

Other uses: Torrentslave, fileserver, Driving a digital picture frame (just a monitor stuck in a picture frame, to display news and weather etc)

chaos

06-07-09, 12:23 PM

Everything in my Newest system in my sig and this case: http://www.directron.com/sstlc01.html and this vfd display: http://www.directron.com/rc281osb1gp.html Will probably have to do a little modifying for the vfd display..

Keitosha

06-08-09, 12:06 PM

No pics, but i made my HTPC with left over parts. All fit in a cheap Sweex Midi Tower case, but it does the job well + CnQ does its job. :thup:

AMD A64 X2 6000 (AM2) Windsor
ASRock AM2XLI-eSATA2 bios 1.40
Sapphire HD3870 512MB PCI-e
4GB A-Data PC6400 DDR2
Seagate 1TB SATAII
2x Optiarc AD-7203S DVD-burners
Creative X-Fi Titanium PCI-e
1Gbit NIC
Coolermaster 460W PSU

Currently i only have a CRT 32" Widescreen tv and connected via S-Video, but i'm planning to go 46" LCD later this year. :clap:

JCLW

10-22-09, 09:45 PM

New setup for me. With our new 42" LCD TV the Celeron-1200 / Radeon 9250 just wasn't cutting it anymore. Plus I was out of drive space.

New setup:
Asus P5QL-EPU (P43 based)
E5200 cooled passively by a Scythe Zipang 2
R4670 cooled passively by a Arctic Cooling Accelero Twin Turbo
2x 1GB OCZ Platinum rev.2 DDR2
2.5" 160GB WD Scorpio Blue (5400rpm, 8MB) OS/Apps
Promise SX4-M controller
2x 1.5TB WD Green (5400rpm, 32MB) RAID 1 Data
Blu-Ray ROM
MS Bluetooth Mouse & Keyboard
Vista Ultimate
Logitech Harmony 880 & USB IR receiver

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/252/img6422r.jpg
http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/3917/img6423u.jpg
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7760/img6424c.jpg
http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/282/img6425f.jpg
http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/1750/img6426k.jpg
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/3145/img6427p.jpg

kovboi

10-23-09, 09:06 AM

nice setup. if the psu has the only fan, do you get enough airflow for your passive cpu and gpu coolers?

DBZ

10-23-09, 09:41 AM

JCLW

10-23-09, 05:11 PM

nice setup. if the psu has the only fan, do you get enough airflow for your passive cpu and gpu coolers?Thanks.

The E5200 runs pretty cool - roughly 20~25C above ambient when stress testing (stock speeds).

The R4670 runs about 60~65C above ambient when stress testing (stock speeds).

When I'm just gaming the E5200 stays below 45C, and the 4670 below 80C. In the summer I'm expecting them both to run ~10C warmer.

JCLW

10-23-09, 10:56 PM

My HTPC built (well still building)

Antec Black M Fusion 350
Radeon 4350 (combo deal with case for $100)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16811129046
Intel Celeron E3200 Dual Core (Stock hs)
MSI G31M3-f V2 (Combo deal with cpu for $60 at Fry's)
4 Gig of Ram
500GB WD HDD

Still need a decent sound card to connect to my receiver and replacement for stock hsf, anyone got any reccomendation? Can just PM me if you don't want to clutter up the post.

Why not just use your onboard Realtek ALC888? You have a digital header on the motherboard (down by your floppy connector, labeled JSPD1). Just feed that into your receiver - you can connect directly with a 75ohm coax cable (shield to ground and pin to SPDIF) or buy a TOSLINK (optical) blacket thingy. Set your media software to use SPDIF pass-through and you are set.

Maybe a Scythe Ninja Mini HSF? http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/cpu/032/scmnj1000_detail.html

edit:
LandShark has a Scythe Ninja Mini - you can see it up in post #151: http://www.ocforums.com/showpost.php?p=5976189&postcount=151

You could probably run the E3200 passively cooled with it.

edit2:
One of these SPDIF brackets would do you: http://shophobbies.com/

tool_462

10-23-09, 11:27 PM

<snip>

Nice sexy setup.

How do you like the CM Silent Pro? CM just sent me a 500w for an HTPC build I'm doing with a mini-ITX 1156 board. It hasn't arrived yet though.

DBZ

10-27-09, 04:37 PM

Only problem with that SPDIF bracket is that its not low profile so its a no go. I just put in an order for an asus 4650 1GB ($40) to max out the vid card this case can handle and also I replaced the stock hs with a spare q6600 stock hs (heavier and with copper). I think my cpu have stuck sensor though cause the idle temp never go below 37c. On prime95 for 1hr, core 0 goes to 45 and core 1 hover around 40 so I think I'm good with the hs. Will post pic once new vid card is here and everything is in place.

Joeteck

10-27-09, 04:54 PM

Wicked Klown

10-27-09, 04:59 PM

First off I don't mean to be a wise guy, but I do have a few questions about a HTPC.

Why do you need it when there are DVR's provided by the cable company, and two, I can play music from an Ipod or sat radio and connect it to my receiver. Why do I need to buy computer hardware to do this and re-invent the wheel???

Well for some we don't like having to put a disc in everytime we want to watch a movie. I have all my DVDs, HD-DVDs and Blu-rays stored on my HTPC along with all my music. This way the disc is protected from scratches.

Joeteck

10-27-09, 05:22 PM

Well for some we don't like having to put a disc in everytime we want to watch a movie. I have all my DVDs, HD-DVDs and Blu-rays stored on my HTPC along with all my music. This way the disc is protected from scratches.

I do the same thing, however I don't have a HTPC to do it... I have all my movies converted to Divx, and my DVD player can read my external hard drive and play all my music and movies for $50. My DVD player is connected to my Home theater, so I can enjoy 7.1 audio.

DONE!

Philips DVP-5992 (http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/blu-ray-dvd/hdmi-1080p-divx-ultra-dvp5992_f7/prd/us/)

Wicked Klown

10-27-09, 06:06 PM

I do the same thing, however I don't have a HTPC to do it... I have all my movies converted to Divx, and my DVD player can read my external hard drive and play all my music and movies for $50. My DVD player is connected to my Home theater, so I can enjoy 7.1 audio.

DONE!

Philips DVP-5992 (http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/blu-ray-dvd/hdmi-1080p-divx-ultra-dvp5992_f7/prd/us/)

Alot of us tho use eac3to to convert to mkv, to keep the PQ and AQ for HD.

jaredavidporter

10-27-09, 07:10 PM

Well for some we don't like having to put a disc in everytime we want to watch a movie. I have all my DVDs, HD-DVDs and Blu-rays stored on my HTPC along with all my music. This way the disc is protected from scratches.

Do you rip them to you hard drive with windows media player/center or do you make an ISO of them? I'm curious because I am probably building an HTPC with whatever they are selling at fry's for black friday.

Wicked Klown

10-27-09, 11:12 PM

For DVDs I rip the video_ts folder then open the IFO with Megui and encode as SD HQ DXVA with AAC 5.1. For Blu-rays I use eac3to, have it scan the disc then pick the chapters, video and audio I want. For video I do mkv and for audio I use flac. You can do chapters, audio, video, subtitles, just the stuff you want minus the menu. Here is the guide for eac3to. (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1033822)

dragonhunter

10-27-09, 11:39 PM

Wicked Klown

10-28-09, 12:09 AM

Here is the guide that got me started. (http://www.digital-digest.com/articles/MeGUI_H.264_Conversion_Guide_page1.html) For Encoder settings I like use x264: DXVA-SD-HQ. Most the time I do anywhere from 1500 to 2000Kbps for video and 640Kbps for DD. If I want to keep the DTS audio I use MKVToolnix to merge the audio with the video.

dragonhunter

10-28-09, 12:10 AM

thank you very much

Wicked Klown

10-28-09, 12:11 AM

No prob, if ya ever get stuck shoot me a PM.

Dapman02

10-28-09, 12:17 AM

[QUOTE=IKIKUINTHENUTZ;6093048]The PITA of Media

Specs:
Specs
Intel E8200
Gskill 2gb ram
Lite-ON DVD+-RW
WD 640GB BLACK
Anyware MCE Remote
Galaxy 9800gt (non reference)
Happage 1250
Linksys Wifi G
X-FI xtrememusic
ARK Black Aluminum / Steel HTPC 400BA Case
Coolermaster Silent pro M 600w

Heatsinks:
HR-01 4u
HR-03 r600
HR-05
HR-05 IFX SLI
HR-07 duo Low
HR-09 Type 2 X 2 qty
HR-09 Type 3
HR-11

Fans
Exhaust Scythe KAZE JYU SLIM SY1012SL12L 100mm
Intake Panaflo 92x25mm 2100rpm FBA09A12L1BX modded to 5v @ 875rpm
Exhaust 135mm fan in PSU 800 - variable fan

Accessories:
Lamptron case damping foam
Lamptron PC silencing kit
Techflex non fray sleeving
Thermaltake sleeving
3m thermaltape
3m ceramic thermal pad
Krylon Black spray paint
Vespar Gold spray paint

Mods:
Months of planning before deciding on hardware to use for the build. Interior spray painted case. No Stock heat sinks anywhere. Passive build relies solely on negative pressure under airflow path cooling (similar to most dell systems). Custom spray painted gold I/o back side and pci parts. Black spray paint for some pci parts for black pcb.

Time to make this? Over a month.
How much I spent? Too embarrassing to say, you do the math.
Why it's called it PITA? It was PITA during installation, that's why.
More to come for images and updates. Subscribe people Smile

I hate you only because I jealous

ggledhil

11-19-09, 02:51 AM

My wife gave me "carte blanche" on my basement... to start off with, yes I need a new TV (stay tuned the "hole in the wall" fits a 58' screen, I'm thinking 6 series samsung 60')... I need better Audio, my HTPC is lacking. And my cable management sucks. There is also a sony receiver and a JVC powered Sub that you can't see for the Antec Skeleton system. 100W RMS for front stage (sony/polk), logitech 5w (per channel center and surround). Logitec MX Air mouse controlling the HTPC, works great. Wireless keyboard to come, on HTPC. I'd like suggestions, I'm board as hell with theis system.

Joeteck

11-19-09, 08:25 AM

FudgeNuggets

11-19-09, 09:30 AM

This is my HTPC

http://ps3maven.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/sony-playstation-3.jpg