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Date:      Mon, 4 Apr 2005 19:25:52 +0200
From:      Tobias Roth <roth@iam.unibe.ch>
To:        Randy Pratt <rpratt1950@earthlink.net>
Cc:        freebsd-multimedia@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Hardware recommendations for a multimedia box
Message-ID:  <20050404172552.GA4362@droopy.unibe.ch>
In-Reply-To: <20050404130359.42c2fba0.rpratt1950@earthlink.net>
References:  <20050404130359.42c2fba0.rpratt1950@earthlink.net>

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On Mon, Apr 04, 2005 at 01:03:59PM -0400, Randy Pratt wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I'm finally getting around to getting a new machine that will be
> primarily for multimedia.  Here's some of the components I'm
> considering:
> 
> 	Soyo K7VKPE M/B - KT600 Chipset w/ AMD Athlon XP 2800+
> 	1 GB DDR PC2700 333Mhz RAM (2 x 512MB)
> 	Matrox G550 Video Card w/ 32MB DDR/DVI & VGA
> 	Hauppauge PVR350 w/remote

if you're concerned about noise, get a pentium-m. they still are a bit
expensive, but can easily be cooled passively and offer plenty of
processing power.
for a hd, get one of the samsung spinpoint series.
the choice in power supplies is vast, go for a passive one or maybe
a nearly passive (where the fan kicks in only at high temperatures).
an aluminium case will help wiit heat reduction, although you may want
to consider a dampened case.

> I don't do video gaming of any sort.  Its main use will be for
> viewing DVD's and recording TV broadcasts (a la freevo).
> 
> It appears that the Matrox G550 is supported:
> 
>   http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-x11/2005-January/001511.html
> 
> I looked in the "xorgconfig" utility but didn't see it listed by
> the "G550" designation.  Is it the "Matrox Millenium" driver?
> 
> I searched the archives but didn't find anything indicating that the
> tv-out function was working under FreeBSD.  Is this still the case?
> 
> I'm also thinking that the Hauppauge PVR350 is fully working at
> this point.  Am I mistaken on this?

afaik, tv-out of the 350 does not work yet. can someone lease prove me
wrong? also, if you plan to use the tv-out of the matrox, buying a pvr
350 will be a waste of money. get one of the 250/150/500 instead. i
don't know if they are all supported though.

> Any suggestions, pointers or alternate hardware suggestions would
> be much appreciated.

silent components don't cost the world anymore. the noisiest component
will be the dvd drive, i didn't have much luck in silencing it yet.
then the hd, and finally the fans.



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