mark.carline
Prominent Member
I have been looking for a new motherboard and CPU for my MCE 2005 PC.
My main needs are:
- Low power usage (as I have it on 24x7)
- Want to use ViiV Away Mode (as I have an XBOX 360) and dont want to use S3 standby
- Dont want very very high processing power (ie not for gaming)
- Need two normal PCI slots (for two Hauppauge NOVA-T-500 Dual cards)
- My current hard drive is a SATA-II so need a SATA-II slot
I have been thinking about three types of technology which are:
1) Traditional Intel ViiV
When I looked at this a while ago I saw a min spec ViiV was a D820 but they dont seem to be shipping now.
2) New Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel have some new CPUs out that look more towards the low power media centre market:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/26/intel_readies_conroe_launch/
the cheapest one scan sell is the E6300 for £135 inc VAT:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=439209
Not sure what motherboard to use but I have seen this one and i'm not sure if its ViiV compliant:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=437657
3) Intel Mobile technology on desktop
I have seen that ASUS do a range of motherboards that are designed to fit in desktop PCs but use mobile CPUs, have a look at this:
http://uk.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=3&l2=54
Scan do this motherboard for £91 inc vat:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=401837
and I could then use the following Core DUO CPU with it for £136 inc vat but not sure what kind of heatsink / fan it uses?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=397717
I have also noticed that GigaByte have a Media PC that uses the Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile CPU called "Merom" see:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/06/07/gigabyte_merom_mini_media_pc/
Can anyone comment on what is perhaps the best route ?. I dont know if its just me but there seems to be sooooooooo much to choose from at the moment and its not easy "seening the wood from the trees" when it comes to choosing the best CPU / motherboard for a MCE pc at the moment- agghhgghh
My main needs are:
- Low power usage (as I have it on 24x7)
- Want to use ViiV Away Mode (as I have an XBOX 360) and dont want to use S3 standby
- Dont want very very high processing power (ie not for gaming)
- Need two normal PCI slots (for two Hauppauge NOVA-T-500 Dual cards)
- My current hard drive is a SATA-II so need a SATA-II slot
I have been thinking about three types of technology which are:
1) Traditional Intel ViiV
When I looked at this a while ago I saw a min spec ViiV was a D820 but they dont seem to be shipping now.
2) New Intel Core 2 Duo
Intel have some new CPUs out that look more towards the low power media centre market:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/07/26/intel_readies_conroe_launch/
the cheapest one scan sell is the E6300 for £135 inc VAT:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=439209
Not sure what motherboard to use but I have seen this one and i'm not sure if its ViiV compliant:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=437657
3) Intel Mobile technology on desktop
I have seen that ASUS do a range of motherboards that are designed to fit in desktop PCs but use mobile CPUs, have a look at this:
http://uk.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=3&l2=54
Scan do this motherboard for £91 inc vat:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=401837
and I could then use the following Core DUO CPU with it for £136 inc vat but not sure what kind of heatsink / fan it uses?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=397717
I have also noticed that GigaByte have a Media PC that uses the Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile CPU called "Merom" see:
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/06/07/gigabyte_merom_mini_media_pc/
Can anyone comment on what is perhaps the best route ?. I dont know if its just me but there seems to be sooooooooo much to choose from at the moment and its not easy "seening the wood from the trees" when it comes to choosing the best CPU / motherboard for a MCE pc at the moment- agghhgghh