Home Theater PC question

BaggedLancer

Ok, so I have been working on my home theater PC for the last couple weeks now and I have come an issue that I can't find an answer anywhere.

Does anyone know is Windows XP MCE supports an SLI motherboard/video card configuration? Meaning can I run dual video cards with no issues in SLI enhanced mode.

I know it works with XP PRO since that is what I currently have in my other computer.

This was supposed to be a small project and a normal PC but it is ending up turning into another monster PC because newegg is so cheap. :cool:

They are offering today Geforce 7600GT BFG cards for 142.99 with a $50 rebate so I figure I might as well SLI them if I can find out if MCE supports SLI configurations.

On other notes, I settled with an AMD 4000+, 2 500gig hard drives, and some other goodies all going into the ugliest simple black atx case I could find.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

bobman1235

I can't answer your SLI question, but just a note on your "ugliest simple" case, beware of noise. If this is going to be near your television, noise is a HUGE consideration, and a decent case (I recommend something like the Antec P180) can make a big difference (although you still need to get a quiet PS and quiet CPU cooling).

Refefer

Why did you opt to go single core over a cheaper dual core? The 4000+ isn't a slacker, granted, but grabbing an X2 chip would have been fairly cheap with some huge performance benefits.

As for windows MCE, It supports SLI since it's really just windows home with an extra application on top. Just make sure you don't skimp on the ram in this case, I've found MCE keeps working better up to around 2 gbs of ram.

BaggedLancer

bobman1235 wrote:

I can't answer your SLI question, but just a note on your "ugliest simple" case, beware of noise. If this is going to be near your television, noise is a HUGE consideration, and a decent case (I recommend something like the Antec P180) can make a big difference (although you still need to get a quiet PS and quiet CPU cooling).

Computer will be buried in my closet so no biggy on the noise. Thanks though.

BaggedLancer

Refefer wrote:

Why did you opt to go single core over a cheaper dual core? The 4000+ isn't a slacker, granted, but grabbing an X2 chip would have been fairly cheap with some huge performance benefits.

As for windows MCE, It supports SLI since it's really just windows home with an extra application on top. Just make sure you don't skimp on the ram in this case, I've found MCE keeps working better up to around 2 gbs of ram.

The San Diego 4000+ AMD cost me $80 from newegg. Find me a dual core for the same price and I'll change. The 4000+ seems more than adequate enough for a HTPC since alot of the ones I see have far less of a processor.

Sami

BaggedLancer wrote:

They are offering today Geforce 7600GT BFG cards for 142.99 with a $50 rebate so I figure I might as well SLI them if I can find out if MCE supports SLI configurations.

Rebate most likely is only one per household so you'll end up spending around $250. You'll be better off by going with single card in that price range.

I would suggest you spend the money on this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071

DX10, HDCP so it will be ready for the next gen. games, HD discs and Windows Vista.

If too much, get the single 7600GT, for HTPC you're unlikely to use SLI and if you play games then a single 7900GT is cheaper option, almost as fast all the time and some/most times faster. Less hassle with getting SLI to work too.

BaggedLancer

Sami wrote:

Rebate most likely is only one per household so you'll end up spending around $250. You'll be better off by going with single card in that price range.

I would suggest you spend the money on this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130071

DX10, HDCP so it will be ready for the next gen. games, HD discs and Windows Vista.

Way out of my price range for this build since this is just a HTPC. My personal computer will eventually have 2 of those.

Sami wrote:

If too much, get the single 7600GT, for HTPC you're unlikely to use SLI and if you play games then a single 7900GT is cheaper option, almost as fast all the time and some/most times faster. Less hassle with getting SLI to work too.

I have built 3 SLI systems already so there really is no hassle getting them to work for me. From what I have been reading today it doesn't seem like DVD's are as demanding as games in terms of video requirements so I will probably just end up going with the single 7600GT for $92.99 which is a great price. The card has the same component video connections as the 8800GT you just showed above and therefore supports HDTV as well.

Seems like the single 7600GT will be the choice at this point.

Sami

BaggedLancer wrote:

The card has the same component video connections as the 8800GT you just showed above and therefore supports HDTV as well.

No HDCP though but for $93 dollars it's an excellent choice for HTPC. By the time HD really gets to PC's you'll buy that HDCP card for much less anyways. For DVD's a low end card will do, I had no problems with 9800XT or 6600GT, and even less would have been ok. 2.66GHz P4 or 3200+ XP would do the job processor wise as well.

Depending on what you run on your main PC right now, if it is getting long in the tooth, you might want to move that to HTPC duty and make the new build your main rig.

BaggedLancer

Current gaming rig is an AMD 3800+, 2 Geforce 6800GTX, 2 gigs ram, DFI lanparty mobo. So yea it's getting kinda old but it still handles everything perfectly. I have found myself completely phasing out of video games for the most part although eventually I will build another one just to stay on top(hence me saying eventually getting 2 of those 8800's)

This HTPC im building is going to act more as a server for all my movies and music than anything else. I'll probably browse the internet on my TV or whatever with it but that can be done on any PC.

Sami

I would definately consider putting that one as a HTPC if you're eventually going to build one for gaming as well. Or go as cheap as possible on the HTPC build, no point of spending all that money since it won't be playing any HD content. Just make sure it has a digital out for sound and compatible output for either VGA or DVI that can handle 480 and 720.

ben62670

MCE does use different drivers than XP for some reason. You can check with the motherboard, and video card manufacture. A single card would create less heat and draw less power than dual cards anyway. The more draw on a power supply the hotter it runs. Kinda like amps. What sound card are you using?

Ben

Edit I forgot XFX cards have been really good to me. They shipped me the adapter for the component video out for free. I just asked them where I could buy one. They asked me for my address and shipped me one.

BaggedLancer

ben62670 wrote:

MCE does use different drivers than XP for some reason. You can check with the motherboard, and video card manufacture. A single card would create less heat and draw less power than dual cards anyway. The more draw on a power supply the hotter it runs. Kinda like amps. What sound card are you using?

Ben

Yea, I'm gonna go with the single video card. No reason for the extra heat. For sound card I am going with the Turtle Beach Montego with Digital Fiber Optic output.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829118109

WilliamM2

MCE does use different drivers than XP for some reason.

It does? I've installed MCE on several computers, they all worked fine with standard XP drivers.

MCE is just XP pro with added applications. In fact, if you don't load the second disc, system properties will list it as XP pro version 2002.

BaggedLancer

I think he might be talking about the SLI drivers.....

WilliamM2

I assumed that he was talking about SLI drivers. Nvidia lists the drivers seperate for XP and MCE, but they both link to the same 93.71 version for the older cards, and 97.92 for the 8800 series.

BaggedLancer

No big deal at this point. I decided against SLI today because of heat reasons that I will run into.

I pretty much got everything else ordered tonight so I should be able to start assembly end of the week.

Sami

BaggedLancer wrote:

No big deal at this point. I decided against SLI today because of heat reasons that I will run into.

I pretty much got everything else ordered tonight so I should be able to start assembly end of the week.

Just FYI, that single 7600GT will most likely beat your main rigs 6800GTX SLI's in performance. Something to consider when ordering parts, do you want to upgrade the main rig and put the old parts into your HTPC.

BaggedLancer

Sami wrote:

Just FYI, that single 7600GT will most likely beat your main rigs 6800GTX SLI's in performance. Something to consider when ordering parts, do you want to upgrade the main rig and put the old parts into your HTPC.

I highly doubt it will beat it but you can rest assure I'm gonna benchmark it and see what happens

Tonight I ordered all of the finals parts. The final machine specs are:

AMD 4000+ San Diego 2.4ghz
BFG Geforce 7600GT 256 Video Card
2 gigs OCZ ram(2x1024)(free!)
Maxtor 500gb hard drives(1, 1 more eventually)
Coolmax 500watt PSU
Raidmax Black Steel ATX case
Foxconn Motherboard w/ Nforce4 chipset
51in1 3.5" Card Reader
1.44 Floppy
Sony IDE DVD_ROM
Sony IDE CD_ROM
Turtle Beach Riviera 5.1 Sound Card w/ Digi Opti out

Total Cost: $588.98

Eventually when I get some more money I'm gonna get this keyboard so I can sit on my sofa and be lazy:
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?PAGE=PROFRAME&PROD_ID=2119996

Pics to come of the build when everything arrives.

Deadof_knight

Hey Bagged you got pics of your setup Ive got my setup ready to be windows mce tweaked, I hard wired the house when we built it just havent wired in the PC we got them every where else in the house....... There is something else after 1.2's a pc media center !!!!

When Im in Boston again I will look you up .....

BaggedLancer

Deadof_knight wrote:

Hey Bagged you got pics of your setup Ive got my setup ready to be windows mce tweaked, I hard wired the house when we built it just havent wired in the PC we got them every where else in the house....... There is something else after 1.2's a pc media center !!!!

BaggedLancer wrote:

Tonight I ordered all of the finals parts.


Pics to come of the build when everything arrives.

Maybe you missed that part, everything is ordered. I'll have pics going once it all gets here and I assemble it/load MCE and crash it a few times.