Re: Spec for Building a $1000 complete MCE 2005 PC (inc O/S + Remote)?
From: Pete Delgado (PeteDelgado_at_noads.com)
Date: 03/02/05
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Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2005 14:19:04 -0500
Answers inline:
"mustgrumble158" <mustgrumble158@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2428A45B-5C45-4D4A-833D-2254BEBDB385@microsoft.com...
>I just ordered this setup yesterday - I am by no means an expert so I would
> like everyones comments - especially about the graphics card - that was
> the
> area I was most unsure of with a $100 budget for it.
>
> Ordered from zipzoomfly.com:
> Corsair VS1GBKIT400 1GB Kit DDR400 PC3200 CAS2.5 Value Select Memory
> Retail
> *** Free 2nd Day *** $126.00
I haven't heard anything bad about this memory, but with Kingston and PNY at
the same price at newegg, I likely would have chosen them.
>
> IBM Hitachi Deskstar 7K250 160GB Serial ATA 7200RPM Hard Drive w/8MB
> Buffer
> *** Free 2nd Day *** $93.50
Newegg has a Seagate 200GB SATA drive for $123. The 40GB extra space would
come in handy...
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=22-148-033&depa=0
Best buy also has 300GB Hitachi IDE drives for $167 which is another good
choice.
>
> Asus P5GDC Deluxe Intel 915P P4 800FSB LGA775 DDR2/DDR ATX Motherboard
> w/Audio, Gigabit LAN, RAID/Serial ATA Retail ***Free 2nd Day*** $145.99
I don't know much about this brand of MB, but the price seems high. I got a
Intel865PERL for about $100 from MicroCenter. While Intel boards aren't
known for their blazing performance, they are known for stability. I took a
quick peek at NewEgg and found several Intel boards that would meet your
needs at a price closer to $100.
>
> Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 Single Full Version
> w/Remote
> Control and Receiver ***Free 2nd Day*** $155.99
That's not too bad.
>
> NEC ND-3520A 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Bare Drive (Silver) ***Free 2nd
> Day***
> $57.99
This appears to be an OEM package. If it is OEM, you will still need to buy
software to burn DVDs. I recently purchased several Sony sual layer DVD
drives from Staples (of all places!) for $40 -no rebates.
>
> Intel Pentium® 4 530J Processor Prescott 3.0GHz, 800MHz FSB, Socket 775,
> 1MB
> Cache Retail ***Free 2nd Day*** $181.00
Pretty good price for a good processor, however, others here have
recommended a Northwood core as it runs cooler than the Prescott. With a
good case, it won't matter too much as long as the fan noise doesn't disturb
you.
>
> MSI RX600XT-TD128EII Radeon X600 XT PCI Express 128MB DDR Video Card
> w/TV-Out & DVI Retail ***Free 2nd Day*** $104.99
>
> Then I ordered the case from Directron.com:
> Cavalier 2 CAV-T02 - $90.10 including shipping from Directron - check out
> this case especially - one of the coolest looking cases I have seen for a
> media center without going high dollar.
That is a great looking case, but it looks like you paid $20 too much!
Newegg has it for $78.99. The power supply is a little weak, but with the
limited expandability of the case I suppose that really isn't much of a
negative.
>
> Then finally the Tuner card from Buy.com:
> Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-150 MCE Low Profile OEM - $72.65 (free shipping no
> tax)
> from Buy.com
I prefer the NVIDIA dual tuner card. I picked mine up for $149 from
MicroCenter. The only negative to the NVIDIA card is that you can only use
it with MCE.
In addition, MicroCenter has the ATI HDTV Wonder card for $149 which would
be a nice addition to your system if you have a spare PCI slot.
>
> The Total price for everything including taxes and shipping- $1028.21
>
> Lets try and get the best spec for a complete MCE 2005 setup which will
> blend into an A/V rack for a $1000 budget, please post any comments or
> improvements.
In general you have built a decent system IMHO. I would have likely gotten
a slightly cheaper video card and less memory and gone with a larger hard
drive. I would probably have also gone with a cheaper motherboard/processor
since the system appears to only be meant for use as a MediaCenter. I like
the use of SATA drives but without the inclusion of an HDTV tuner, I don't
really see much of a need for the faster drives unless you plan on using
media extenders. I also prefer dual tuner packages because you aren't forced
to watch the same program that you are recording. Lastly, without the HDTV
tuner, the "thrill is gone"! ;)
-Pete
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