Building a Media Center

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WarcryBB

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Well I'm partially building it. Here's the stats for the system as it stands now:

667MHZ P3
310MB PC100 SDRAM
30GB HD
NVidia Geforce4 MX4000 with S-Video cable running to 27-inch TV.
Onboard audio connected to 350W stereo system.
1 CD and 1 CDRW drive.

So I realize that this system is dated. Here are my ideas:

I need a

1) CPU/Mobo upgrade - I found a CPU/Mobo combo on NewEgg for $90. It featured a XP2400+. I'm thinking this would be fine for needs. It supports PC2700 RAM, so I'll start off with 512mb of RAM, and upgrade to a gig later.

2) Storage - Because 30 gigs wont cut it for a media center. I'm thinking that I'll keep the 30 gig for my OS/Programs and buy a 120-160 gig for media storage. If I ever outgrow that, I'll probably add an external.

3) DVD drive. This is as self-explanatory as it gets.

As far as I'm concerned, the MX4000 is fine. It's not fancy, but it gets the job done without trouble. I can watch all of my video without any bugs.

I might, just MIGHT, look into purchasing some kind of add-on soundcard. If I do, it'll most likely be a soundblaster live. Just to free up the CPU a bit. I can't really say that the audio quality is lack right now, though.

Another, more immediate, situation I'd like to resolve is OS. I'm running Windows 98 and playing my media though Windows Media Player 9. It gets the job done, but I also have to deal with the load times involved with loading Windows. I'd like to install something that has a lower overhead. It needs to a) play all of my media including .WMA files (b) include the necessary tools to manage my libraries (c) be "user-friendly" ( no confusing interface for this machine ), and (d) be able to network with this computer for file transfer.

If any of you guys have advice for how to get the best results for my system, I'd appreciate it a lot. If my plan of action is pretty good, please mention that as well. This system doesn't have to be blazing fast/ cutting edge, but I don't want to have to work with the "old burnt out computer" every time I go to load my media. I want it to be sufficient. Any advice, pointers, etc. is welcome, guys.
 
how much can you spend and what are you planning to do with this computer (specifically)
 
get you a hardware dvd decoder card. they retail for 300 but you can get one on ebay for 15.00. they show a way better picture than any video card can. they make the files look like hdtv

get a soundblaster live card. obvious reason and get that 2400 processer and new mobo and at least a gig of ram and you should be fine.
 
I'm not looking to make a huge investment into this project. Mainly because I don't have all that much money to spend. A couple hundred dollars at most. I want to store audio/video on this system, play said audio/video, and that's it. No gaming, wordprocessing, nothing. Just media.
 
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