Dell Dimension 4300S as client?

[farmboy03]

I was just wondering if anyone is using the Dell Dimension 4300S as a client PC? I am thinking of using it with a PVR-350. It runs very quiet and has a slim case design which makes it perfect for the entertainment center next to the TV. I suspect I might need to put an additional fan directly on the PVR-350, but I'm OK with that.

[dagar]

Avoid the 350 if at all possible. Chances are you'll have problems like the majority do with the 350.

Go with either a 150 (or 2) or a 500. And yes you could record multiple feeds with that system. Just don't expect a lot for post processing or HDTV

You'd want more than a Rage 128 though :P They have 4x AGP slots (yes 8x cards are downward compatible). And they have P4s starting at 1.5Ghz but they are 400mhz-based (and with SDR DRAM.)

It's kind of a sucky box unless you already own it and it has the max 512mb DRAM, and that's SD DRAM btw

[farmboy03]

I'm actually using a 350, 250 and USB-2 right now with no problems at all (other than the noisy computer that they are in). I just want to move that computer away from the living room and use this nice quiet computer as a client. I guess I won't really know how well it will work without trying it out. As you mentioned, the PVR-350 is very dependent on the right combination of motherboard and drivers and the proper alignment of the planets. My setup right now works perfectly, I just want to cut down on the noise.

[dagar]

Wow. That's good to know. I hear too many EOF death stories regarding the 350 :P I had enough problems trying to get multipl-Rosyln cards to work together (tha'd be with audio )! Yep, I couldn't achieve sufficient astral sychronization in my case.