Using Old PC As HTPC Advice

[Robin]

I've got a 2001-02 ish old PC which has been lying around and I want to use it as a HTPC / media box. Here are the specs,

AMD Athlon 1333 x86 - 1.3 GHz
Asus A7A266 Mobo
512MB Crucial RAM -DDR PC2700
Nvidia GeForce 2 MX 64MB
160GB Seagate HDD
Pioneer DVD Drive
TV/DVR Tuner Card

Basically I need some advice about the following...

Case - Need a smaller HTPC case or something which will at least fit a full ATX mobo.

Power Supply - The original one is very heavy and way too bulky (full size) so what is a good small PSU to buy?

Graphics Card - Whats a decent card that I can get from that era or will the GeForca 2 be OK? I don't know what the slot type is.

RAM - I don't know if 512MB will be enough but getting DDR1 ram is kinda hard and very pricey.

OS - It will run XP SP3 fine but will it be OK for Win 7?

It doesn't need to play 1080 but will it be OK for 720? Is this processor and mobo going to be decent enough for the task? I'l just be using it for old games, watching some video files and maybe some surfing that's about it.

Thanks for the help,

Robin.

 

[BobK]

I'm afraid that system would need so much updating it isn't worth bothering with (consider installing linux on it instead?).

Win 7 needs half a gigabyte of memory just to boot up, which is a problem right there.

If you store video on the machine at 4 gigabytes a pop, that 160GB drive is gonna run out of space pretty quick.

I have a 2.8 GHz machine with a GE Force 8400 video that's just barely acceptable pushing 1080p. I realize you're looking at 720, but based on what I have I suspect your hardware won't be up to the task.

 

[GilesGuthrie]

Yes, I agree with BobK. Once you replace the case, PSU and hard drive, and find additional compatible memory, you will have spent enough money to buy a media box such as a WD Live or Apple TV.

Unless intellectual curiosity is driving you to do it, I wouldn't bother.

 

[Robin]

Thanks for replies, I might just go for a new HTPC build then but I'l have tinker with this PC for now because its sitting there anyway.

Any recommendations for a reasonably cheap microATX and CPU bundle?

 

[Casio]

You can get pre-built ones that aren't half bad.

Really depends on what you want to do, if you can live with streaming you can get an Apple TV and install XBMC on it. I have one in my bedroom and it's pretty good for that.

If you want just basic video playing and usage, probably the best thing is to get a nettop with ION. Obviously you don't get expandability, but it will do 1080P.

If you want to use the HTPC for ripping/encoding videos then that means a better CPU and higher price. Do you have a specific price in mind?

 

[Terronium-12]

Thanks for replies, I might just go for a new HTPC build then but I'l have tinker with this PC for now because its sitting there anyway.

Any recommendations for a reasonably cheap microATX and CPU bundle?

If it's just for HTPC use and nothing else, I'd recommend going with Atom.

EDIT: Or what Casio said. Which I never even considered.

 

[Robin]

Do you have a specific price in mind?

I'm looking for a budget system for basic media stuff, maybe around £200 or less.

 

[DQuaN]

I use Novatech for all of my parts.

Get one of these stick one of these in it depending on your budget. Then find a half decent cheap GPU with HDMI out and bung that in (it'll have to be a low profile one if you get the smaller case). Then HDD, dvd/bluray drive and your done. Might struggle to get it under £200 though.