Upgraded my Server - Specs

[Addict]

Finally upgraded my server as I've been having repeated problems with my HD-PVR (dropping out regularly, restarting, etc). Quite frustrating to lose 5 minute gaps in your favorite shows!

Anyway, a while back Hauppauge support told me to pound sand because I wasn't installed on appropriate hardware. That, as well as the need (desire) to gain more drive space, finally coaxed me into upgrading.

The upgrade is substantial, some highlights:
1) Single core to dual core
2) IDE to SATA
3) 3TB to 7.5TB
4) Win XP to Win 7

Found some swingin' combo deals and such on Newegg the other day, so bit the bullet. I've sold my other system to help offset the costs of this one.

Just thought I'd share!


OLD SETUP:
Clients:
Two STX-HD100 High-Def Extenders
Media Server / NAS:
Case: Thermaltake Armor CPU: AMD Athlon 3200+ (2.0GHz) Motherboard: Gigabyte Memory: 1.5GB Gfx Card: Headless Tuner: Hauppauge HD-PVR, Hauppauge PVR-350 (not in use) O/S: XP SP3 Sage: Latest RAID: 3Ware 7506-8 Drives: 8 x 500GB IDE RAID-5, 1 x 80GB SATA (O/S) Storage: 3TB Total (2TB, 1TB Partitions)


NEW SETUP:
Clients:
Two STX-HD100 High-Def Extenders
Media Server / NAS:
Case: Thermaltake Armor CPU: AMD Opteron 1218 (2.6GHz Dual Core) Motherboard: ASUS MN2-LR Memory: 2GB Gfx Card: Headless Tuner: Hauppauge HD-PVR, Hauppauge PVR-350 (not in use) O/S: Windows 7 Sage: Latest RAID: On-Board Drives: 6 x 1.5TB SATA RAID-5, 2 x 80GB IDE RAID-1 (O/S) Storage: 7.5TB Total

Cheers,
AL

[davephan]

Did the new system fix the HD-PVR problems? If not, you might try using a USB-UIRT instead of the built in IR blaster. There also links that suggest covering up the IR window on the HD-PVR and installing a fan to cool down the HD-PVR to increase the stability.

I found my HD-PVR was really unstable with the built-in IR blaster, so I switched to using a USB-UIRT, which really helped.

I used to have an Athlon XP-2800 and it was really marginal several years ago. A XP-3200 is a bit faster than that but not much.

Dave

[Addict]

Hey Dave,

So far (4 days) it's stabilized the HD-PVR. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed though!

As well, I've always used a USB-UIRT...already had it when I bought the HD-PVR, so just kept using it.

I've considered a fan installation, but want to see how it functions today without. I have one of the first versions of the HD-PVR (that was plagued with overheating issues)...so it might come to that.

Cheers, and thanks for the tips!
AL

[Addict]

Just an update, Dave...still going strong on the new hardware. No blips or skips in HD-PVR recording like before.

<-- Happy.