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New HTPC Build

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  • Deciding between two power supplies.

    Coolermaster
    Antec

    The Coolermaster is supposedly extremely silent, and also modular. Since I won't need the vast majority of the power connections. that's a big plus.
    Coin flip. Modular is awesome, and I would love to see how it goes. However, the other one is cheaper and will work just as well. You won't notice any difference between the two after you finish building it.
  • I'm partial to Antec myself. I've tried other PSUs and they would always fail at some point. All my Antecs are still working.
  • It posted on the first go, despite being the first non-ASUS or non-ABIT motherboard I have ever installed.
  • It posted on the first go, despite being the first non-ASUS or non-ABIT motherboard I have ever installed.
    Modern computers, they don't suck.
  • Couldn't connect to the Internet until I installed an ASRock LAN driver, though. Windows certainly didn't have drivers for this motherboard. ;^)
  • Couldn't connect to the Internet until I installed an ASRock LAN driver, though. Windows certainly didn't have drivers for this motherboard. ;^)
    The only way to avoid that kind of thing is to get a motherboard that is 100% Intel parts.
  • The only way to avoid that kind of thing is to get a motherboard that is 100% Intel parts.
    image
  • What is that picture supposed to mean?
  • edited July 2011
    What is that picture supposed to mean?
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • What is that picture supposed to mean?
    That the poster is a huge nerd.
  • What is that picture supposed to mean?
    That the poster is a huge nerd.
    aaaaayuuup
  • What is that picture supposed to mean?
    That the poster is a huge nerd.
    I thought that having an account on this forum proved that?
  • Couldn't connect to the Internet until I installed an ASRock LAN driver, though. Windows certainly didn't have drivers for this motherboard. ;^)
    I thought Windows 7 was supposed to be a lot better with drivers. I found it strange that Linux would often have drivers at-the-ready for stuff that was much harder to find for Windows XP/Vista. Then again, many of those drivers are only partial support or are missing functionality.
  • Couldn't connect to the Internet until I installed an ASRock LAN driver, though. Windows certainly didn't have drivers for this motherboard. ;^)
    I thought Windows 7 was supposed to be a lot better with drivers. I found it strange that Linux would often have drivers at-the-ready for stuff that was much harder to find for Windows XP/Vista. Then again, many of those drivers are only partial support or are missing functionality.
    Windows does have drivers for anything, and Microsoft has done a good job of including drivers in the system itself, or automatically through Windows Update. The thing is that Windows drivers are written and distributed by hardware manufacturers. There are a shitton of drivers out there. If they don't submit every driver to Microsoft and get them up on Windows Update, then you'll have to download them from the manufacturer's website. With Linux just about every driver is in the kernel itself. If there is a driver in there that works, you won't need to do any extra steps to go get it like you may have to do in Windows.
  • >Windows does have drivers for anything, and Microsoft has done a good job of including drivers in the system itself, or automatically through Windows Update. The thing is that Windows drivers are written and distributed by hardware manufacturers. There are a shitton of drivers out there. If they don't submit every driver to Microsoft and get them up on Windows Update, then you'll have to download them from the manufacturer's website. With Linux just about every driver is in the kernel itself. If there is a driver in there that works, you won't need to do any extra steps to go get it like you may have to do in Windows.
    When the driver isn't installed in the kernel or pre-installed on Linux, it usually takes an "apt-cache search" followed by an "apt-get install" to grab a working driver. This is much faster than navigating web sites, digging, downloading, and installing by hand. However, I was under the impression that all the drivers had to go through the Windows Update repository or something. In effect, Windows Update would be the answer to Aptitude.

    As much as I like to bash on Microsoft, I am genuinely surprised that Aptitude appears (in this context at any rate) more responsive than Windows Update.
  • edited July 2011
    As much as I like to bash on Microsoft, I am genuinely surprised that Aptitude appears (in this context at any rate) more responsive than Windows Update.
    It's a matter of logistics. There are a bajillion pieces of hardware in the world and thousands of different people making that hardware. Microsoft can not feasibly go and collect all those drivers, test them, certify them, and include them in Windows as quickly as they come out. Even when they include things like NVidia drivers, they come out on Windows update days after they come out on nvidia.com because it takes time. It's also not feasible to expect even a majority of these companies to submit their drivers to Microsoft when it's easier to just include a CD-Rom or put the file on your web site.

    Linux is a totally different model. If Microsoft did it the Linux way it would be as if Microsoft wrote every driver all by itself. If you write it yourself, you don't need to test it. It goes in as soon as its done.

    Of course, this has other problems. With Windows, the driver is always out there somewhere, even if it's a pain to get. With Linux, the driver might not exist if your hardware is obscure.

    The other major difference is that a lot of drivers in Linux are generic. Maybe you have a driver on Linux that handles a zillion different webcams. That gets you a ton of hardware that technically works out of the box with no extra configuring or anything. However, because the driver is generic, there are features missing. Maybe you have a webcam that is motorized and can rotate itself, the generic kernel driver probably doesn't support that. There's no way to get that motor working in Linux without coding it yourself or waiting for someone else to do it.

    In Windows, there are many such generic drivers. Even the fanciest video cards will run at very low resolution out of the box when there is no driver present. However, it is in your best interest to go and get the driver from the manufacturer because it will support all of those weird features that a generic driver doesn't care about. In Linux my webcam only does standard resolution and that's it. In Windows it goes HD, zooms in and out, does face tracking, and tons of other shit because it has a specific driver for that specific device.

    I personally don't count the basic functionality Linux has for many devices as "working". That's a major reason I run Linux only on servers and VMs for development and serving.
    Post edited by Apreche on
  • I personally don't count the basic functionality Linux has for many devices as "working". That's a major reason I run Linux only on servers and VMs for development and serving.
    Do you use a lot of semi-obscure hardware or hardware that is otherwise not well supported by Linux drivers? I find my custom computers tend to work fine on Linux without much prior research.

    Then again, I always buy hardware that is one or two generations old because I'm cheeeeaaaaap.
  • Do you use a lot of semi-obscure hardware or hardware that is otherwise not well supported by Linux drivers? I find my custom computers tend to work fine on Linux without much prior research.
    No sound card I have ever owned has ever fully worked in any Linux. It seems like the only features they ever get working are stereo audio out and microphone in. If the optical output works, you've won the lottery. If it outputs AC3, you've won ten lotteries.

    I have a Logitech Webcam Pro 9000. It's not obscure at all. In Windows it has all sorts of crazy features like face tracking and such. I can even manually turn the LED recording indicator light in the camera on and off. In Linux it works as a webcam with no HD, and that's it.

    Same goes for my Logitech G500 mouse.

    Also, even with official drivers Linux has less functionality. Compare the NVidia control panel in Windows to the NVidia settings panel in Linux when using the official NVidia drivers. The Windows one has way way more settings and features.

    Linux has a ton of drivers that are all minimally functional. For a server or development, I need Linux, it is the best. For a desktop doing any sort of media or gaming or anything, I'm done with it.
  • edited September 2012
    So currently, I have my own PC hooked up to the living room television because I couldn't wait for a HTPC and didn't want to play Bastion on a small monitor.

    So, I'm in need of assistance from you guys on what I need for a decent media center.

    Here are my specifications:

    1. Be able to play Steam Games
    2. Be able to play downloaded things.
    3. Stream Netflix, Hulu, etc.

    This is the local place I plan on going to: http://www.infotechnow.com/compbuild.php

    I will let you know that the drop down list of choices doesn't show in Chrome, but will show in Firefox.

    George is currently assisting me on this, but I'm more than happy to get other's input.

    Thanks!

    Edit: Some questions.

    1. Should I go for Quad Core or Dual Core?
    2. How much RAM should I need?
    3. AMD or Intel?
    4. This is the dongle thingy for wireless gaming for my 360 controller, correct?
    Post edited by Rochelle on
  • My only HTPC recommendation is to avoid this case. I used it for my HTPC build almost 3 years ago. Everything still works great but the stock power supply was garbage and had to be replaced, but the stock is a custom form factor so it was tricky. Also, tiny case let it fit in my entertainment center, but meant I was limited to half-height graphics cards. Don't know if the market has improved over 3 years with rising popularity of HTPCs, but half-height graphics card options were quire limited back then.
  • The only media center case the store has to offer is this one. It looks to have good reviews.
  • Actually, wait. That's the wrong article, it's old AF. Here we go: How I Built the Media Center of My Dreams for Under $500
  • Yeah those Lian Li aluminum cases will do a great job for you. I was trying to pinch some pennies with my build.
  • See pinching pennies is great, but with something like this I don't mind spending the few extra dollars.

    This is an investment to my entertainment consumption. Once I get this HTPC, other than needing my PS3 for my Blu Ray playing, I won't need consoles or XBox Live Gold.
  • You could pop a $50 BD Drive in the HTPC and then flip the PS3 to offset the cost.
  • Over Jeremy's dead body.

    Which is doable.
  • Build it yourself. Save $60.
  • Over Jeremy's dead body.

    Which is doable.
    image
  • $60 + 1 year parts warranty + 5 year warranty on labor on parts > time, effort, and stress of fucking shit up.
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