GPPVR newbie

[Kristan]

Hi all,

Very new to this PVR thing, but seeing a friends has got me convinced I need one But before I go and order stuff, can some of you experienced blokes take a look at the following and make sure I've not missed anything?

Basically all from dabs (edited to reflect advice!)

Antec Aria MATX Cube Case - 300W - £68
Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB S300 16MB cache - £72
2 x Crucial 512MB 240Pin DIMM PC2-3200 DDR2 - £66 for both
AMD Athlon 64 3500+ Socket 939 512KB Inc Fan - £61
Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 - £65
MSI S939 nForce 430 ATX Audio Lan - £53
Hauppauge MVP - £50

Total is about £450 (it's gone up!)

Is that everything I need to get going? Basically what I'm after is a box to sit under the TV and record stuff off Sky, and enable me to watch stuff I've recorded or live TV in the bedroom upstairs (hence the MVP is for).

Couple of questions - With the the MVP + GBPVR - can I be recording something on the PVR while watching something previously recorded on the MVP?

Also, would anyone recommend upping the spec? Better processor/more memory/disk space? I won't be a heavy user, but an extra £50 spent now may save more in the long run. Whats the difference between the MCE version of the 150 and the normal one (aside from £5)?

Finally, what's the best underlying OS? Is MCE2005 worth installing or just plain XPSP2 (or a vista beta? )

Thanks all!

[reven]

Whats the difference between the MCE version of the 150 and the normal one (aside from £5)?

you get a 45 button remote and a IR blaster to switch channels on your digital box (i would recommend spending the extra £5)

Finally, what's the best underlying OS?

stick with win xp pro sp2, will cause the less headaches than mce

With the the MVP + GBPVR - can I be recording something on the PVR while watching something previously recorded on the MVP?

yes

specs look fine, should be fast enough to transcode on the fly (if you want to watch divx/xvid etc on mvp)

[HtV]

I'm probably missing something, but don't you need a videocard? If you do, check the posts by CSY first he has some good things to tell about that.

[Freakitchen]

PC3200 RAM is the correct match for a s939 Athlon, anything slower will act as a bottleneck. Since that's the standard speed for DDR now, it shouldn't be any more expensive.

FK

[elite]

Basically all from dabs,

Lets hope you don't have to return anything - their customer service sucks (IMHO), and it is impossible to get off their mailing list (after I vowed never to use them again) - which I'm sure I never opted in to anyway...[/rant][/offtopic]

[rowle1jt]

I run my GB-PVR in the Antec Aria case... and I love it! I use a Zalman HSF in it with a fan mate and it stays cool and its quite. I don't ever use the "blower" that comes with it for a PCI slot. There is just enough room between the HSF and power supply, but it will clear.

Zalman HSF that I use.

[Kristan]

Excellent, that's really helpful! I'll stick with the MCE version then and get some 3200DDR ram (edit: 2x512 crucial 3200's for £2 more!). Does it matter if it's a single stick or 2x512's (last PC I built was an old thunderbird athlon )?

Video and sound are onboard:
Geforce 6150 with DVI,VGA,Svideo + component
8 channel HD audio codec RealTek ALC880 with SPDIF in+out

Good review of the mobo here:
http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/vie...=6&id=1869

Actually think I'll just get a single 320gb sata disk looking at one of these:
Western Digital Caviar SE 320GB S300 8MB
Is 26 dba quiet for a drive?

Sorry about all the questions, thanks again!

[Freakitchen]

Excellent, that's really helpful! I'll stick with the MCE version then and get some 3200DDR ram (edit: 2x512 crucial 3200's for £2 more!). Does it matter if it's a single stick or 2x512's (last PC I built was an old thunderbird athlon )?

It's actually preferable to get 2x512s, since it allows the memory to run in dual channel mode, thus increasing performance a small amount.

See if you can find that WD drive in its 16MB cache varient, again for a small performance boost.

FK

[murphotronic]

Just to be sure it's clear, the PVR-150 comes with the remote and IR blaster, the MCE version does not. I have the same mobo and processor, with 1 PVR-150 and 1 PVR-150MCE. Very happy. I guess you may just use the MVP's remote instead, I'm not too familiar with it.

With recent price drops it may be worth getting an X2 3800 for a little more. Sould help with multitasking (watching while converting in background, etc.).

[Kristan]

Thanks guys!

I've updated the spec, 16mb cache drive, 2x512mb sticks and a 3500+.

Just to be totally clear though:
PVR-150-MCE - comes with the MCE remote, but no IR blaster?
PVR-150 - comes with some other remote, AND an IR blaser?

Don't want to end up blaster-less!

Thanks