G
geroffme
Guest
I've just refurbished my main PC to include Media Center as the OS, bought me a HH PVR-500 TV card, got some nice new DVD drives etc. The idea was to use this as the sole Media Center PC and to hook it up to my TV via an Extender.
I've changed my mind
I want a second PC which will fit in the lounge next to the plasma (networked to my existing PC). I'll need case, PSU, mobo, chip, RAM, a HDD (or four), and a graphics card. I thought of getting a pre-built system, but the cheapest suitable was £700 and I figure that, given that I have some of the components I need (DVD drive, OS, TV card etc), I could build a far superior machine for less than that £700.
My question is really on the vid card I should buy, but any general opinions would be recvd with interest.
MS lists compatible (ATI - my choice at the mo...) cards as:
ATI Mobility RADEON 9800
ATI Mobility RADEON X800
ATI Mobility RADEON X700
ATI RADEON 9800 Series
ATI RADEON X600 XT
ATI RADEON X700 Series
ATI RADEON X800 Series
ATI RADEON X850 Series
Interestingly (or not), many of the box shifters are using X300s in their MC systems...
My q is therefore what is suffcient for a media center PC from the list (ignoring the mobility cards)? I don't need a games capable card (have that on my main PC), so what is best for the telly? My TV is HD ready and is capable of (apparently) 1280x1024p. I've always used ATi (at least since Matrox lost the plot years ago) - are they a better choice for MC?
Any thoughts appreciated.
I've changed my mind
I want a second PC which will fit in the lounge next to the plasma (networked to my existing PC). I'll need case, PSU, mobo, chip, RAM, a HDD (or four), and a graphics card. I thought of getting a pre-built system, but the cheapest suitable was £700 and I figure that, given that I have some of the components I need (DVD drive, OS, TV card etc), I could build a far superior machine for less than that £700.
My question is really on the vid card I should buy, but any general opinions would be recvd with interest.
MS lists compatible (ATI - my choice at the mo...) cards as:
ATI Mobility RADEON 9800
ATI Mobility RADEON X800
ATI Mobility RADEON X700
ATI RADEON 9800 Series
ATI RADEON X600 XT
ATI RADEON X700 Series
ATI RADEON X800 Series
ATI RADEON X850 Series
Interestingly (or not), many of the box shifters are using X300s in their MC systems...
My q is therefore what is suffcient for a media center PC from the list (ignoring the mobility cards)? I don't need a games capable card (have that on my main PC), so what is best for the telly? My TV is HD ready and is capable of (apparently) 1280x1024p. I've always used ATi (at least since Matrox lost the plot years ago) - are they a better choice for MC?
Any thoughts appreciated.