HP Media Center + graphics card
 

Alright, the situation is I'm getting an HP Media Center with a Core 2 Duo E6600. This is inevitable.

However I also want a new graphics card. I've had my eye on the Radeon x1900 XT for a while, it's perfect for me. Since I'm not planning on going dual-card (also because I CAN'T), I wanted the best single-card solution. For the price, the 1900XT wins out over the XTX for me. However, I could also settle for an 1800XT. First question is basically: which one would you reccomend? Which do you think has the better price/performance ratio?

Anyway, that's pretty irrelevant because I don't think either of those will be able to survive in my media center. That's where my next few questions come in. I'm worried about three things: the size of the case, the ventilation, and the power supply.

Will the card even fit into the case? The 1900XT is a BEAST, there aren't too many card bigger than this thing. Secondly, if I do cram it in there, do you think it would overheat? I have no idea what the ventilation is like in a media center, and while the 1900XT has its own heat sink and fan, I'm afraid it won't be enough. And finally, with all the extra power the card is sucking up, will the media center power supply be able to handle it? I'm not too worried about this one, but it's something to consider.

If the 1900XT won't fit I think I'll be forced to by the 1800XT and use the extra money to buy a case, which doesn't make me happy :(

If absolutely necessary I could go with an nvidia card becasue they're smaller and run cooler, but I'm not the biggest nVidia fan. At the resolutions i'll be running at (1680x1050), ATI beats nvidia, and at a lower price to boot. I'll take any suggestions though, if you really think nvidia would be a better buy.

Sorry about the, erm, longness of this post, but I like to give the big picture when I ask a stupid question =p

I would recommend the X1900 XT. If you want to more future proof your machine, you need to go with the larger amount of memory. You can see this in Oblivion as 512MB cards are more necessary, and this is a trend that will continure. You can find at newegg an ATI X1800XT (256MB) for $249, an ASUS X1900XT (512MB) for $349, and an ASUS X1800XT (512MB) for $509. Basically, this shows that the bang for your buck is the 1900. Since you are buying a new PC, I trust that the $100 is not that large of a price difference. Therefore, it is pretty much a no brainer.

The size of the card is a whole nother matter. Is the media center PC you want to get a MicroATX mobo/case? If it is, start to worry. I have a microATX case (that is not a cube type) and this is a slight problem. I can't install a second 5.25" disc drive because the video card is just too dang long, and it nearly doesnt fit (I have a X800XTPE AGP card). So, it kind of depends on the model and ATX size of the case you are buying. FIND OUT.

Secondly, if it is a normal ATX or BTX case, I wouldnt worry about it much. It should fit fine, or you can call HP and cuss up a storm.

On the specs page it says:
HP Pavilion Media Center TV m-series chassis
System dimensions: 15.75 H x 7.5 W x 15.75" D

I don't know what that means lawl.

If I do need a new case, it needs to be as cheap as possible, since I'm running out of cash. The thing I worry about is if everything on the Media Center will fit in a new case. By that I mean the 15-in-1 media reader and things like that. I've never bought a case before, so i'm not sure if the Media Center is too unique or weird or whatever....

From the Specs page:

Three PCI expansion slots (one available)
One PCI Express slot

This means that it "is" a MicroATX or smaller-sized mobo/case. It seems you can upgrade the graphics card to a 7600GS which says to me that there is room for it. But you do have to consider this as well...

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggIma...102-690-02.JPG

It's double slot and will overlap one of your PCI slots. That gives you 2 PCI slots to use. Also, this thing will be HUGE in your case in a general sense.

Here's what I think. If you like that PC alot, then go for it. It seems to be a pretty good price for good hardware. The Media Center aspect is cool (remote and all). Make sure and get the E6600 CPU, and I would say 2GB of the 667Mhz RAM. I would order the computer and see how much room you have inside. When you do that you can measure and see what kinda length you have to work with. Another option here is to hit best buy, and get them to open a HP Media Center case for you and measure that (I'm sure the cases are fairly similar). This will let you know the dimensions you have to work with.

In any case, I would bet that you could make it fit. Trust me, I have a MicroATX case and mobo, and with a little effort and no fear, you can make stuff fit. Remember, cases are just hunks of metal, and you can do stuff to them with the right tools to get what you need. I *made* an extra spot to put a hard drive in my case, because once I started putting it together, there was only room for one HD! It was to cramped with little airflow, so I bought a couple little fans, borrowed someones dreml tool (sp?) and put a couple nice square holes on the side and put in a couple fans. I don't even like tools/tool shed stuff either. The point is, you can make it work.

The only other thing to fear is PSU issues because the X1900XT pulls ALOT of power. I would think you would be ok with the supplied HP PSU, however this may not be the case when it comes down to it. But again, the only way is to try and then fix it later.

I hope this rambling helps. Media Center (smaller PC's) enhance the challenge of PC building/buying. There is risk involved, and there probably will be some frustration and difficulty. But if that is what you want/like go for it. (I love the size of my PC, it was totally worth the hassle ;) )

And yes, you can more than most likely use the components in another case. The PSU might be the Micro ATX size, which might cause problems. You would probably be better off finding a case with a PSU then transferring the one that came with the HP. You can find these kinds of case for under $100. The 15-1 reader is a guess. I dont know if this is in a 5.25" slot. If it is, it would be easy to move to a new case. I would venture to say it is not.

But again, I think the best idea is to try and make it fit in the HP case.

I've seen the PSUs that come with HP computers. They are absolute suck. They are custom to the computer because they have JUST enough power to run the computer's hardware with no upgrade in mind. This guy will DEFINITELY be looking at an upgrade to the PSU.

Well, this isn't a good situation at all :tpg:

The reason I can't build a computer is basically because my parents don't trust me to, and they're funding a large portion of this project >_> But if I'm going to need a new case and power supply, it'd be much better to build my own PC, so I'll try to convince them. Sure, I wouldn't get the Conroe, but everything else will be much better. Besides, my last computer was 700 MHZ, ANYTHING is an upgrade =p

Try and take a look at some of these computer reviews. It'll get you a very good idea of what to expect from different manufacturers, how upgradeable they are, and what kind of servicing you will get. If you see one you like, let us know which one you're thinking of.

Thanks for your help. I got permission to build my own PC, and the parts are already ordered.

~THE END~

Good to hear. If you want to chat about your build, feel free to let us know how it goes, what parts you got, etc. I know I always love hearing about a new build.

That's it, pretty much. I also got a hawt 20" widescreen LCD from Samsung for $300. I don't know too much about it, but $300 seems like a very good price, plus it's from Sam's Club so I've got the best return policy around (I think it's no questions asked FOREVER or something like that.)

I was going to get a better PSU so I could someday go dual-gpu, but with DirectX 10 and DX10 cards coming out pretty soon, I figured it wouldn't be prudent to go dual-gpu with the current batch of cards. Plus, by the time I'm ready to upgrade I'm thinking PSUs will be better designed for dual-card setups, so whatev. The only downside is that I don't get the Conroe, but it's no big deal really.

I aquired a TV Tuner as well, so I didn't need to buy one. No sound card either, but that's cool with me, the integrated sound on the mobo should be fine. I'm not too much of a sound nerd.

Everything arrived today, (newegg's shipping roxxorz), although I won't be able build it until after the weekend. The case is fucking HAWT, so much better than any HP thing (even though it is huge - too big to fit in my computer desk in fact).

I just hope everything is compatible and I put everything together correctly lawl.

That gear looks beautiful and should work together quite flawlessly. Make sure that you have good Nvidia nForce drivers. The ethernet has to have certain Nvidia drivers installed to work. AM2 should be great, no need to fret much about lack of Conroe. AM2 socket will last you a long time.

Gosh that's a beautiful setup. Attach pics when its done.