New system

[bakechad]

I am currently planning on switching from MythTV to Sage and am specing out a new system. Can anyone critique it for me and tell me if I am heading for any pitfalls with this setup? (All Item#s are Newegg numbers.)

Thanks

Chad



Antec Solution Series NSK2400 Black/Silver Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 380W ATX12V v2.0 Power Supply - Retail
Model #: NSK2400
Item #: N82E16811129014


GIGABYTE GA-945GZM-S2 LGA 775 Intel 945GZ Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Model #: GA-945GZM-S2
Item #: N82E16813128033


SAPPHIRE 100119L Radeon X550 256MB DDR PCI Express x16 Video Card - Retail
Model #: 100119L
Item #: N82E16814102565

Hauppauge 1062 PCI Interface WinTV-PVR-150 MCE Kit Tuner Card - Retail
Model #: 1062
Item #: N82E16815116631

Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E4300 - Retail
Model #: BX80557E4300
Item #: N82E16819115013

CORSAIR XMS2 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X1024A-6400 - Retail
Model #: TWIN2X1024A-6400
Item #: N82E16820145566

HITACHI Deskstar T7K500 HDT725040VLA360 (0A33439) 400GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
Model #: HDT725040VLA360
Item #: N82E16822145134

SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner with LightScribe and Software Black IDE Model SH-S182M/BEBM - OEM
Model #: SH-S182M/BEBM
Item #: N82E16827151145


Microsoft Windows XP Home With SP2B 1 Pack - OEM
Model #: N09-01991
Item #: N82E16832116056


160 GB Seagate SATA (that I already have) for the operating system

[rickgillyon]

I'd sub the PVR-150 for a 500. Gives you that spare tuner in case you need it...

[paulbeers]

IF you should ever want to do HD, that x550 won't be powerful enough, but that's my only critique (although I also recommend the PVR500).

[mayamaniac]

I would go with a PVR-500 instead also. And also go with nVidia 7 series or at least 6600GT instead of the ATI card. And lastly, stay away from the Hitachi "DeathStar". Stick with Seagates. Everything else looks good.

[davephan]

I recommend switching out XP Home for XP Pro.

Here's a link that shows the differences:
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase...p_home_pro.asp

I also highly recommend adding imaging software to your new system right away. You can take images during the building process, periodically, and before major system changes. I use Ghost, but if I was starting over I might use Acronis.

Dave

[rickgillyon]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

And lastly, stay away from the Hitachi "DeathStar". Stick with Seagates.

I've only ever had one IBM/Hitachi go bad, far more Maxtors and a couple of Seagates - and a few WDs. I'm not sure that the Hitachis are bad, everyone has different experiences. I use them a lot and only avoid Maxtors, which for me go down more than any other brand. I would say that whatever HDDs you have in your system, set it up with a fan blowing directly on the drivecage.

[doc]

If my memory serves me well the hitachi deathstar's got their bad name from about 5 years ago when lots of them were failing, or whining like hell after a few months. I believe they quickly dropped those models and I haven't heard of any problems from their newer drives.

I tend to use maxtors at the moment and switch on the accoustic management to make them as quiet as possible, but have had these fail too.

I think its all pot luck really. Whichever you get, it will probably get noisy after a couple of years.

[mayamaniac]

Actually, Hitachi's were good. The Deskstar models are from IBM, which was infamous for failing, hence the DeathStar parody. But a few years ago, IBM acquired Hitachi's harddrives division. So I'm not sure who's technology is in the current Deskstar models, but I assume they no longer fail like they used to. But either way, in my experience of buying 15-20 harddrives a year, I like to stick with Seagates. Too many maxtors and WDs have failed, not that Seagates don't fail, it just less often and they have a 5 year warranty.

[rickgillyon]

If you need 15-20 per year, they must be failing a lot!

[bcjenkins]

My 2 centablos..

Find a DualTV somewhere.. Much better than PVR-500.

Since this looks like you'll be putting it in the living room (at least by the case spec) get a quieter cpu fan.

You may find MCE a better choice than pro or home. Supports pro features but saves a little green.

Get a SATA DVD drive if you won't be using all the ports for HDs. When you go to upgrade this, it might be tough to find a board with IDE.

B

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by rickgillyon

If you need 15-20 per year, they must be failing a lot!

Being the computer guy, I buy harddrives for my servers and workstations at work. I buy for my home computers and SageTV server. I buy for some of my friends and family members. I say 15-20 sounds about right.