Building my own media centre PC - advice sought!

[ciphergoth]

Now we have a jolly huge TV and a GBP 25 DVD player, I find myself very tempted to build myself a Linux-based Media Centre PC. I'd love some advice on what I'm thinking of buying.

I want:

• Linux-based media centre PC running MythTV.
• Fits on TV stand (thus desktop case)
• Fast enough for software decoding while doing other stuff
• Not too noisy
• Ideally one that doesn't use too much power (environmental impact)
• Cheap
• Slight preference for AMD 64 for coolness value. (given up on this one)

I don't want

• Games machine (will never run Windows so no point)
• Very quiet indeed (no-one in the house seems to mind PC roar)
• Lots of compatibility hassles making it work

I already have

• DVD +-RW rewriter (ATA)
• AGP graphics card with TV out (NVidia MX400 MS-8826)
• Cheap sound card if I can't make the onboard one work with Linux

I'm thinking of buying: (prices include VAT) Updated with cheaper, quieter, slower choices.

56.09	Processor and fan	2.66GHz Intel Celeron 330D, 256K L2, socket 478, 533MHz FSB
97.98	Motherboard, case, PSU	Black ASUS Pundit barebones system
45.88	Memory	Ebuyer 512mb DDR PC3200 400MHz Tesco Value Ram
76.73	Hard drive	200 Gb Seagate Barracuda
62.64	TV card	Hauppage DVB-T PCI Nova 909
6.68	Video cable	Belkin PC-DVD to TV Cable Kit
5.86	Postage and packing
352.76	Total cost

So, what have I forgotten? What am I buying wrong? What won't work with what? What do I need to check about my existing bits of hardware? Where should I be saving money/spending more?

Comments

Re: Linux Entertainment

[ciphergoth.livejournal.com]

Found you in the power grid post-mortum ;).

..eh?

I bought the components and put them together, installed Linux and brought it home before Christmas. I am currently stuck on one very frustrating problem:

it is *deafeningly* loud!

I bought what was supposed to be a "quiet" case, but I can't bear to work with it for very long at a time before the noise brings me down.

It starts off quiet, then gets louder ... and louder.

I don't know whether this is because:

a) my case is defective
b) this brand of case is shit
c) this brand of case is good, but the TV capture card being slightly too tall is screwing everything up
d) it's all good except that I haven't configured the fans on "not sounding like a hurricane" mode properly.

Bah!

Re: Linux Entertainment

[ablueskyboy.livejournal.com]

The Power Loss Post-Mortum (sorry for the confusion)
I found your journal in a pass-by-commentary-read of this:
http://www.livejournal.com/community/lj_dev/670215.html

Since I have no physical feel of your system, I have to guess for C and D, if D is possible for your system. An interesting alternative would be to encase the system in a box of acoustic absorption panels, such as those used to cancel echo and airconditioning noise inside brick buildings, such as VT's campus:

http://www.unirel.vt.edu/buildings/bldg.php?name=Torgersen+Hall

Inside this building, acoustic panels all embedded all along the hallway walls. If you walk close to the wall, you can hear the "white noise" of the building's air system against the brick, but absolutely nothing when you pass by these panels!

Or, you replace the case :p