Mailing List Archive

On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 12:57 PM, Alex Marshall <alexmnz@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hi Thanks for all your responses to my first ever post. Very helpful.
>
> I am looking at hardware configuration now. So for a combined front/back
> end running MythTV and potentially MythWeb in the future.
> TV recording and watching only and must do HD to my Panasonic Vierra
> through HDMI.
>
> Case: Antec New Solution NSK 4000-B II Mid Tower Case, Black/Silver
> Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Motherboard, Socket AM3+, AMD 760G,
> 2xDDR3, 1xPCIe-16, 1xPCIe-1, VGA, DVI, RAID, M-ATX
> CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6 GHz, Socket FM2, Trinity
>

More than sufficient I would say, you need next to no processing power
except if you are (a) transcoding (b) commflagging or (c) relying on your
CPU for playback. Personally I would go for a celeron or similar or the AMD
equivalent and buy a fanless GT610 nvidia graphics card. CPU choice will of
course affect motherboard too.



> Hard drive: Western Digital Green WD20EZRX Hard Disk Drive, 2000GB,
> 5400-7200rpm, 64MB Cache, SATA 6 Gb/s
>

You will never have enough disk capacity and although you could start with
1TB to save $, you'll regret it if (like me) you don't like deleting stuff.



> Memory: G.Skill RipjawsX F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL, 2x2GB, DDR3-1600,
> PC3-12800, CL9, DIMM
>


2GB is more than sufficient


> Keyboard: Logitech Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
>


I know keyboards are cheap but you don't need one, or a mouse, except with
initial setup. Beg or borrow from another PC then disconnect and forget.


> Power supply: Silverstone Strider Essential ST40F-ES, 400W ATX PSU, Active
> PFC, Black
> TV Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-2210
> TV Tuner Card 2: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1110
>
>
Ditch those and get a HDHR from Hadley.

you forgot a remote, spend US$15 for a sapphire
http://rtr.ca/sapphire_remote/



> My questions are as follows:
> 1. This seems quite expensive to watch and record TV how can I cut the
> cost
> 2. Was thinking of dropping storage to 1TB as only using PC for one
> purpose. Is this enough
> 3. Do I need a Video card for playback or will onboard graphics processor
> on CPU cope
> 4. Will this set-up be quiet enough for the living room.
> 5. Does anyone have a better configuration using parts I can still buy now.
>
>
> Alex Marshall
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtvnz mailing list
> mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
> http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
> Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/
>
>

On 8 November 2013 12:57, Alex Marshall <alexmnz@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Thanks for all your responses to my first ever post. Very helpful.
>
> I am looking at hardware configuration now. So for a combined front/back
end running MythTV and potentially MythWeb in the future.
> TV recording and watching only and must do HD to my Panasonic Vierra
through HDMI.
>
> Case: Antec New Solution NSK 4000-B II Mid Tower Case, Black/Silver
> Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Motherboard, Socket AM3+, AMD 760G,
2xDDR3, 1xPCIe-16, 1xPCIe-1, VGA, DVI, RAID, M-ATX
> CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6 GHz, Socket FM2, Trinity
> Hard drive: Western Digital Green WD20EZRX Hard Disk Drive, 2000GB,
5400-7200rpm, 64MB Cache, SATA 6 Gb/s
> Memory: G.Skill RipjawsX F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL, 2x2GB, DDR3-1600,
PC3-12800, CL9, DIMM
> Keyboard: Logitech Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
> Power supply: Silverstone Strider Essential ST40F-ES, 400W ATX PSU,
Active PFC, Black
> TV Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-2210
> TV Tuner Card 2: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1110
>
> My questions are as follows:
> 1. This seems quite expensive to watch and record TV how can I cut the
cost
> 2. Was thinking of dropping storage to 1TB as only using PC for one
purpose. Is this enough
> 3. Do I need a Video card for playback or will onboard graphics processor
on CPU cope
> 4. Will this set-up be quiet enough for the living room.
> 5. Does anyone have a better configuration using parts I can still buy
now.

Hi,
Can do a working setup for cheaper

HP XW4600 Workstation Intel Dual Core
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/desktops/no-monitor/auction-658948479.htm

Galaxy Geforce GT630 2GB DVI, HDMI, VGA
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/video-cards/pciexpress/auction-659472452.htm

Hauppauge DVB-T Card HVR 2200
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/other-pci-cards/auction-658948699.htm

+ a 1 to 2 TB drive of your choice.

This is just an example of a reasonably priced system. I would start with 1
dual tuner and get another later if you get conflicts. You will want a
NVIDIA card, probably not a bottom end 210 or 610. I hate excessive fan
noise, but I would think this system will be very quiet while idling or
just recording or watching TV.

Cheers
Bruce

On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 2:34 PM, Bruce Wilson <acaferacer@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> On 8 November 2013 12:57, Alex Marshall <alexmnz@yahoo.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Thanks for all your responses to my first ever post. Very helpful.
> >
> > I am looking at hardware configuration now. So for a combined front/back
> end running MythTV and potentially MythWeb in the future.
> > TV recording and watching only and must do HD to my Panasonic Vierra
> through HDMI.
> >
> > Case: Antec New Solution NSK 4000-B II Mid Tower Case, Black/Silver
> > Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Motherboard, Socket AM3+, AMD 760G,
> 2xDDR3, 1xPCIe-16, 1xPCIe-1, VGA, DVI, RAID, M-ATX
> > CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6 GHz, Socket FM2, Trinity
> > Hard drive: Western Digital Green WD20EZRX Hard Disk Drive, 2000GB,
> 5400-7200rpm, 64MB Cache, SATA 6 Gb/s
> > Memory: G.Skill RipjawsX F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL, 2x2GB, DDR3-1600,
> PC3-12800, CL9, DIMM
> > Keyboard: Logitech Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
> > Power supply: Silverstone Strider Essential ST40F-ES, 400W ATX PSU,
> Active PFC, Black
> > TV Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-2210
> > TV Tuner Card 2: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1110
> >
> > My questions are as follows:
> > 1. This seems quite expensive to watch and record TV how can I cut the
> cost
> > 2. Was thinking of dropping storage to 1TB as only using PC for one
> purpose. Is this enough
> > 3. Do I need a Video card for playback or will onboard graphics
> processor on CPU cope
> > 4. Will this set-up be quiet enough for the living room.
> > 5. Does anyone have a better configuration using parts I can still buy
> now.
>
> Hi,
> Can do a working setup for cheaper
>
> HP XW4600 Workstation Intel Dual Core
>
> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/desktops/no-monitor/auction-658948479.htm
>

Yes well you are going to do better with second hand! Also that machine has
a 73GB hard drive which you could install the OS on and have a separate
drive for recordings, which is a much better arrangement all round. Also
has 5 internal and one external sata connector. Hell I might buy it myself!!


>
> Galaxy Geforce GT630 2GB DVI, HDMI, VGA
>
> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/video-cards/pciexpress/auction-659472452.htm
>

Has a fan :(


>
> Hauppauge DVB-T Card HVR 2200
>
> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/other-pci-cards/auction-658948699.htm
>
> + a 1 to 2 TB drive of your choice.
>

I am pretty sure 3TB might be the sweet spot now.


>
> This is just an example of a reasonably priced system. I would start with
> 1 dual tuner and get another later if you get conflicts. You will want a
> NVIDIA card, probably not a bottom end 210 or 610. I hate excessive fan
> noise, but I would think this system will be very quiet while idling or
> just recording or watching TV.
>
> Cheers
> Bruce
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtvnz mailing list
> mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
> http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
> Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/
>
>

>
>

>> Galaxy Geforce GT630 2GB DVI, HDMI, VGA
>>
http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/video-cards/pciexpress/auction-659472452.htm
>
> Has a fan :(
Yep, I see you can get a fan-less one for $100 so I would go there. But I
got a 2 fan card that I can not hear when it is idling - and no I am not
deaf, but buying one blind would be taking a gamble, so a fan-less one is a
safe bet.

>> + a 1 to 2 TB drive of your choice.
>
> I am pretty sure 3TB might be the sweet spot now.
Probably is, I don't keep up with these things :-)

Nick Rout wrote, On 11/08/2013 02:23 PM:
>
> On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 12:57 PM, Alex Marshall <alexmnz@yahoo.com
> <mailto:alexmnz@yahoo.com>> wrote:
>
> Case: Antec New Solution NSK 4000-B II Mid Tower Case, Black/Silver
>
Does it have space for a crapton of disk drives? I'm talking 8+ because
you may end up there.

> Hard drive: Western Digital Green WD20EZRX Hard Disk Drive, 2000GB,
> 5400-7200rpm, 64MB Cache, SATA 6 Gb/s

Good luck with the smelly green drives. I hear they're "much better"
now which fills me with no confidence.
Many people on this list have suggested a small SSD for OS and SQL
data, and rotational drives for data storage. WD RED seem ideal for this.
>
> Keyboard:Logitech Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
>
> I know keyboards are cheap but you don't need one, or a mouse, except
> with initial setup. Beg or borrow from another PC then disconnect and
> forget.
Agreed. I manage my backend via remote-X from a normal desktop.


> you forgot a remote, spend US$15 for a sapphire
> http://rtr.ca/sapphire_remote/

I use an old wireless keyboard that works well enough.

> My questions are as follows:
> 1. This seems quite expensive to watch and record TV how can I cut
> the cost
>
Use whatever you already own, rather than buying stuff.
>
> 2. Was thinking of dropping storage to 1TB as only using PC for
> one purpose. Is this enough
>
For now, maybe. I started with 3x 30GB drives and it was okay "to start
with"
>
> 3. Do I need a Video card for playback or will onboard graphics
> processor on CPU cope
>
Just get the recommended nvidia card, with a heatsink ideally.
>
> 4. Will this set-up be quiet enough for the living room.
>
Depends how much you spend... quality cooling costs money :( Big slow
fans run quieter than small high-RPM fans.


--
Criggie

http://criggie.org.nz/

>>
>> Keyboard: Logitech Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
>
> I know keyboards are cheap but you don't need one, or a mouse, except with
> initial setup. Beg or borrow from another PC then disconnect and forget.
>
> Agreed. I manage my backend via remote-X from a normal desktop.
>

Depends on how you may plan to use your HTPC. Sure, watching TV is
your main use now, but I use mine for web browsing and music playing
(through Amarok). I also play the occasional game. A remote control
won't quite cut this, so if you're gonna do more than just control a
mythfrontend, you'll probably want a keyboard / mouse. Makes it easier
to do software updates, copy files around etc etc.

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

On 8 November 2013 19:10, Curtis Walker <sultanoswing@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Keyboard: Logitech Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
>>
>> I know keyboards are cheap but you don't need one, or a mouse, except with
>> initial setup. Beg or borrow from another PC then disconnect and forget.
>>
>> Agreed. I manage my backend via remote-X from a normal desktop.
>>
>
> Depends on how you may plan to use your HTPC. Sure, watching TV is
> your main use now, but I use mine for web browsing and music playing
> (through Amarok). I also play the occasional game. A remote control
> won't quite cut this, so if you're gonna do more than just control a
> mythfrontend, you'll probably want a keyboard / mouse. Makes it easier
> to do software updates, copy files around etc etc.

...and one more thing, while the HD homerun's are a nice, compact
solution, if you don't want an extra box as part of the setup, do
consider the internal PCI cards. I would suggest just one dual tuner
card for now - as others have said, if you find youself running into
conflicts (I never have), you could always add a second card in the
future.

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

On 08/11/13 19:10, Curtis Walker wrote:
> Depends on how you may plan to use your HTPC. Sure, watching TV is
> your main use now, but I use mine for web browsing and music playing
> (through Amarok). I also play the occasional game.

That's more a PC connected to a TV than a HTPC.

hads
--
http://nice.net.nz

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

On Thu, 7 Nov 2013 15:57:17 -0800 (PST), you wrote:

> Hi Thanks for all your responses to my first ever post. Very helpful.
>
>I am looking at hardware configuration now. So for a combined front/back end running MythTV and potentially MythWeb in the future.
>TV recording and watching only and must do HD to my Panasonic Vierra through HDMI.
>
>
>Case:  Antec New
>Solution NSK 4000-B II Mid Tower Case, Black/Silver
>Motherboard: Gigabyte
>GA-78LMT-S2P Motherboard, Socket AM3+, AMD 760G, 2xDDR3, 1xPCIe-16, 1xPCIe-1,
>VGA, DVI, RAID, M-ATX
>CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6 GHz, Socket FM2, Trinity
>Hard drive: Western Digital Green WD20EZRX Hard Disk Drive,
>2000GB, 5400-7200rpm, 64MB Cache, SATA 6 Gb/s
>Memory:  G.Skill
>RipjawsX F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL, 2x2GB, DDR3-1600, PC3-12800, CL9, DIMM 
>Keyboard:  Logitech
>Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
>Power supply: Silverstone Strider Essential ST40F-ES, 400W
>ATX PSU, Active PFC, Black
>TV Tuner:   Hauppauge
>WinTV HVR-2210
>TV Tuner Card 2: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1110
>
> My questions are as follows:
>1. This seems quite expensive to
>watch and record TV how can I cut the cost
>2. Was thinking of dropping storage
>to 1TB as only using PC for one purpose. Is this enough
>
>3. Do I need a Video card for playback or will onboard graphics processor on CPU cope
>
>4. Will this set-up be quiet enough
>for the living room.
>5. Does anyone have a better
>configuration using parts I can still buy now.
>
>
>Alex Marshall

There is a slight mismatch in your hardware selections. An FM2 socket
CPU will not work in an AM3+ socket motherboard. The FM2 processors
are the ones with builtin ATI GPU. If you are adding an Nvidia card,
you want an AM3+ CPU, where the silicon area that the FM2 CPUs have in
video is used for the CPU and cache instead. If you are going to rely
on the CPU to do the graphics processing, then just about any video
card will do, and the ATI video in an FM2 processor is fine. But you
will need to choose an FM2 socket motherboard to go with it.

I just ran a quick test using my 3.6 GHz AMD FX-4100 CPU to do the
video processing, and with it set to use 2 cores only in OpenGL High
Quality mode it worked fine. Since 2 cores of your my 4100 is similar
to the dual cores of your A6-5400K, that should work fine also.

A 2 Tbyte drive is fine for a start, but while green drives work well
as recording drives, the drive with the operating system on it really
should be a 7200 rpm "black" drive (or better). The MythTV database
is normally on the OS drive, and there are times (such as when the
MythTV scheduler runs) when the database accesses really work that
drive hard. So when you have two or three recordings in progress, the
normal OS accesses to the drive happening, and then the scheduler
runs, you might find that a 5400 rpm green drive is not going to work
well enough and there will be bits missing from your recordings. And
the programme you are playing back at the same time will freeze for a
few seconds until the heavy scheduler database activity stops.

Also note that the cheap motherboard you have selected, apart from not
matching the CPU, has only 3 Gbit/s SATA ports. New SATA drives are 6
Gbit/s. They will work on 3 Gbit/s ports, just not quite as well. But
where 6 Gbit/s really matters is if you later want to move your system
drive to an SSD - you would lose a lot of the speed of the SSD.

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

On 8 November 2013 19:13, Hadley Rich <hads@nice.net.nz> wrote:
> On 08/11/13 19:10, Curtis Walker wrote:
>>
>> Depends on how you may plan to use your HTPC. Sure, watching TV is
>> your main use now, but I use mine for web browsing and music playing
>> (through Amarok). I also play the occasional game.
>
>
> That's more a PC connected to a TV than a HTPC.
>

True dat - Hads!

I watch all those "this year's TV has a smarter set of features and
better apps" knowing that a PC connected to a TV can do all that and
much more, much more easily & you're not reliant on the manufacturer
to update the firmware - mythtv, games, apps, work, browsing, netflix
etc etc...love it! Anyway, to the OP - you really can't go too far
wrong - have fun & learn as ya go :)

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

On Fri, 08 Nov 2013 18:01:34 +1300, you wrote:

>Nick Rout wrote, On 11/08/2013 02:23 PM:
>>
>> On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 12:57 PM, Alex Marshall <alexmnz@yahoo.com
>> <mailto:alexmnz@yahoo.com>> wrote:

>> Hard drive: Western Digital Green WD20EZRX Hard Disk Drive, 2000GB,
>> 5400-7200rpm, 64MB Cache, SATA 6 Gb/s
>
>Good luck with the smelly green drives. I hear they're "much better"
>now which fills me with no confidence.

That sounds like you have had problems with green drives. I have
quite a few of them, so I wonder if you would care to expand a little.
I have one old 1.5 Tbyte WD15EADS drive that has just popped up 479
reallocated sectors, but it is quite old (bought 21-Apr-2009) and has
been running 24/7 for most of its life. For a fairly cheap drive,
that is not too bad a lifetime. The others are six more recent 3
Tbyte WD30EZRX drives of varying ages, and they are very good
recording and storage drives at a very reasonable price. But if they
are going to die early, I would prefer to know ahead of time.

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

My questions are as follows:
1. This seems quite expensive to watch and record TV how can I cut the cost
2. Was thinking of dropping storage to 1TB as only using PC for one
purpose. Is this enough
3. Do I need a Video card for playback or will onboard graphics processor
on CPU cope
4. Will this set-up be quiet enough for the living room.
5. Does anyone have a better configuration using parts I can still buy now.


> Alex Marshall

You might be able to get a cheaper CPU.I haven't looked up the price for
the one you specified but 2.6 GHz is perfectly adequate.
I used a salvaged case,sprayed it satin black and fitted a new PSU and
Arctic Cooling low noise fans.
I use a 1 TB drive for storage but my pattern is to delete after viewing.

-Paul

On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 2:34 PM, Bruce Wilson <acaferacer@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> On 8 November 2013 12:57, Alex Marshall <alexmnz@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Thanks for all your responses to my first ever post. Very helpful.
>>
>> I am looking at hardware configuration now. So for a combined front/back
>> end running MythTV and potentially MythWeb in the future.
>> TV recording and watching only and must do HD to my Panasonic Vierra
>> through HDMI.
>>
>> Case: Antec New Solution NSK 4000-B II Mid Tower Case, Black/Silver
>> Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-S2P Motherboard, Socket AM3+, AMD 760G,
>> 2xDDR3, 1xPCIe-16, 1xPCIe-1, VGA, DVI, RAID, M-ATX
>> CPU: AMD A6-5400K 3.6 GHz, Socket FM2, Trinity
>> Hard drive: Western Digital Green WD20EZRX Hard Disk Drive, 2000GB,
>> 5400-7200rpm, 64MB Cache, SATA 6 Gb/s
>> Memory: G.Skill RipjawsX F3-12800CL9D-4GBXL, 2x2GB, DDR3-1600, PC3-12800,
>> CL9, DIMM
>> Keyboard: Logitech Desktop MK120 Keyboard & Mouse, USB, Black
>> Power supply: Silverstone Strider Essential ST40F-ES, 400W ATX PSU, Active
>> PFC, Black
>> TV Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-2210
>> TV Tuner Card 2: Hauppauge WinTV HVR-1110
>>
>> My questions are as follows:
>> 1. This seems quite expensive to watch and record TV how can I cut the
>> cost
>> 2. Was thinking of dropping storage to 1TB as only using PC for one
>> purpose. Is this enough
>> 3. Do I need a Video card for playback or will onboard graphics processor
>> on CPU cope
>> 4. Will this set-up be quiet enough for the living room.
>> 5. Does anyone have a better configuration using parts I can still buy
>> now.
>
> Hi,
> Can do a working setup for cheaper
>
> HP XW4600 Workstation Intel Dual Core
> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/desktops/no-monitor/auction-658948479.htm

Just to comment on that machine:

I bought that machine as it looked quite good to replace my Sempron 1G
RAM 'slow as a wet week' backend machine.

Pros: 5 sata headers on the motherboard, plus an addin card with 4 more.
Nice HP case with tool less addition of drives and addin cards
Faster than my previous.and 4x the RAM
Quite quiet, although it will go in a cupboard when our house is
fixed, in the meantime it is acceptable in the lounge.
Came with a nvidia riva video card, which reportedly does VDPAU, but
has only two DVI ports on it. I won't be using it as a frontend and
DVI-HDMI cable worked fine for configuring it.

Cons: Only designed for two 3.5 inch drives plus a floppy slot plus
3x5.25in slots.

Solution: (1) I managed to put a hard drive in the floppy slot at the
expense of the bevel fitting back on the front properly. I think sugru
or blutack will sort that.

(2) I am hoping that one of these
http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=15402
will enable me to tidily put up to 4 hard drives where the three 5.25
slots are (I don't need a dvd drive).

Overall: It is working fine as a backend server, and with the addition
of an HDMI card would work well as a frontend at the same time. If you
are OK with analogue sound, it should work as a frontend as is. Be
aware though that not every similar second hand machine will have the
same video card (although it should have something of workstation
class).


>
> Galaxy Geforce GT630 2GB DVI, HDMI, VGA
> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/video-cards/pciexpress/auction-659472452.htm
>
> Hauppauge DVB-T Card HVR 2200
> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/components/other-pci-cards/auction-658948699.htm
>
> + a 1 to 2 TB drive of your choice.
>
> This is just an example of a reasonably priced system. I would start with 1
> dual tuner and get another later if you get conflicts. You will want a
> NVIDIA card, probably not a bottom end 210 or 610. I hate excessive fan
> noise, but I would think this system will be very quiet while idling or just
> recording or watching TV.
>
> Cheers
> Bruce
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtvnz mailing list
> mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
> http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
> Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/
>

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

Nick Rout wrote, On 11/18/2013 12:05 PM:
> On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 2:34 PM, Bruce Wilson <acaferacer@gmail.com> wrote:
>> HP XW4600 Workstation Intel Dual Core
>> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/desktops/no-monitor/auction-658948479.htm
> Pros: 5 sata headers on the motherboard, plus an addin card with 4 more.
Another con that might bite you in the backside... depending on how the
drives are detected they may be "raid devices" and impossible to read on
other hardware. I'm assuming that there's a raid controller involved.

> Cons: Only designed for two 3.5 inch drives plus a floppy slot plus 3x5.25in slots.
>
> Solution: (1) I managed to put a hard drive in the floppy slot at the expense of the bevel fitting back on the front properly. I think sugru or blutack will sort that.
You can remove the drive cage from the machine, and carefully drill four
new screw holes in the right places. The threads are in the drive, so
slightly oversized is okay.
> (2) I am hoping that one of these http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=15402 will enable me to tidily put up to 4 hard drives where the three 5.25 slots are (I don't need a dvd drive).

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=184
These are $38 inc GST - so the price is fair.

I have three of the original coolermaster ones, they work fine but the
grilles do choke up quickly. Also swapping a drive is a bit of a process.

Or if spindles is more important than cost/storage you could go for this
and have 12x 2.5" drives in your three 5.25" bays.
http://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=114
No idea on a NZ price for these.




--
Criggie

http://criggie.org.nz/


_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

On Mon, Nov 18, 2013 at 12:50 PM, Criggie <criggie@criggie.org.nz> wrote:
> Nick Rout wrote, On 11/18/2013 12:05 PM:
>>
>> On Fri, Nov 8, 2013 at 2:34 PM, Bruce Wilson <acaferacer@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> HP XW4600 Workstation Intel Dual Core
>>>
>>> http://www.trademe.co.nz/computers/desktops/no-monitor/auction-658948479.htm
>>
>> Pros: 5 sata headers on the motherboard, plus an addin card with 4 more.
>
> Another con that might bite you in the backside... depending on how the
> drives are detected they may be "raid devices" and impossible to read on
> other hardware. I'm assuming that there's a raid controller involved.

As far as the motherboard ones are concerned you can set them to
'raid', 'ahci' or 'ide'. I set them as ahci and the exisiting non
raided drives from the existing machine are read fine. The 3TB drives
are seen as 850G in the bios, but that is oly an issue if you boot off
them (and I am not).

The addin card - yes it has raid functionality too, and the 75G drive
that came with the machine is the only drive presently attached to it.
I am not sure what will happen when I plug another drive into it.


>
>
>> Cons: Only designed for two 3.5 inch drives plus a floppy slot plus
>> 3x5.25in slots.
>>
>> Solution: (1) I managed to put a hard drive in the floppy slot at the
>> expense of the bevel fitting back on the front properly. I think sugru or
>> blutack will sort that.
>
> You can remove the drive cage from the machine, and carefully drill four new
> screw holes in the right places. The threads are in the drive, so slightly
> oversized is okay.
>

I'll look into that.

>> (2) I am hoping that one of these
>> http://www.computerlounge.co.nz/components/componentview.asp?partid=15402
>> will enable me to tidily put up to 4 hard drives where the three 5.25 slots
>> are (I don't need a dvd drive).
>
>
> http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=184
> These are $38 inc GST - so the price is fair.
>
> I have three of the original coolermaster ones, they work fine but the
> grilles do choke up quickly. Also swapping a drive is a bit of a process.
>
> Or if spindles is more important than cost/storage you could go for this and
> have 12x 2.5" drives in your three 5.25" bays.
> http://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=114
> No idea on a NZ price for these.

Thanks.

>
>
>
>
> --
> Criggie
>
> http://criggie.org.nz/
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> mythtvnz mailing list
> mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
> http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
> Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/

_______________________________________________
mythtvnz mailing list
mythtvnz@lists.linuxnut.co.nz
http://lists.ourshack.com/mailman/listinfo/mythtvnz
Archives http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/mythtvnz/