Jason Campbell builds a Media Centre
Jason Campbell wanted to make a home theatre media centre that was both compact and stylish, while also being functional and affordable. And he thinks he's done it. He says: "Hours went into the planning and exectution of putting this system together and the final build has done the job better than I had initially hoped."
Jason is a computer and electronics technician who entered the industry in 1995 as an apprentice in digital electronics. "I dabble in programming in C++ and assembly code in my spare time. I started a successful programming tutorial site at
www.win32developer.com which deals with Win32 and Winsock programming in C++ and assembly."
CORE SYSTEM
CPU: Intel Atom 330 - $0 The Atom 330 CPU is a dual core CPU that runs at 1.6Ghz. It performs well for the extremely low power requirements that it needs to run. Having a low power consumption, no cooling fan is required. Best of all the CPU is effectively free as it comes mounted on the Intel D945GCLF2 motherboard.
MOTHERBOARD: Intel D945GCLF2 - $104This motherboard was an ideal choice due to its mini ITX form factor (measuring 17cm X 17cm) and, like its Atom CPU counterpart, has a very low power consumption.
GRAPHICS: On-board Intel GMA 950 - $0By carefully selecting the right motherboard for the job, the on-board Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 is exactly what was needed. It has a standard VGA socket and an S-Video socket, which can be used to drive analog television sets.
RAM: 2Gb DDR2 Hyinx RAM - $39Being after a cost-effective solution, I found the cheapest 2GB DDR module I could find. This is not a high perfomance gaming system so spending more on high performance RAM would be a waste. 2 GB is the limit that the Intel D945GCLF2 supports. So, consider this system maxed out memory-wise.
AUDIO: Onboard - $0 The on-board Realtek ALC662 chipset is capable of High Definition 5.1 channel audio, also making it ideal for a system of this type. Going for a compact sized system, the less peripheral cards, the better.
HARD DRIVE 1: Western Digital 1.5TB Green Power - $148High performance is not really the issue in designing this system. This 1.5TB drive consumes less power than standard SATA drives but still packs plenty of space to store music, photos, and videos.
OPTICAL DRIVE Toshiba Laptop DVD burner - $82The decision to go with a laptop drive comes down to pysical size an power requirements. With the type of system case I had in mind, a laptop drive was a must.
PSU: Thermaltake 120W - $0I did not so much choose this power supply, but it chose me as it came with the system case. It is ideal though, because it is very quiet and has very low power consumption by todays standards.
CASE: Thermaltake SD100 - $124I was looking for a stylish compact case that would not look out of place as part of an entertainment system and this one just stood out! The SD100 measures 26cm Wide x 7cm High x 32cm Deep. The idea was to fit in additional plugs and sockets at the rear for TV aerial inputs/outputs and RCA outputs for video and sound to support older TV's. Not to mention cramming in a USB HD tuner card mounted inside the case, to make the whole system self contained. Fitting all of these components inside the case wasn't easy but was done quite well without introducing any cooling issues.
Core system cost: AUD $497
EXTRAS
MONITOR: Not required - $0No monitor is required as this system is designed to run from a digital or analog television.
KEYBOARD: Microsoft Media Center Remote Keyboard - $89Why you chose this keyboard/mouse For those who want to access the internet or just generally have more control, while infront of the TV - this would be the economical choice.
TV TUNER: Asus U3100 HD Receiver - $59Why you chose this TV tuner Having seen the U3100 in action, this was my first choice as a reciever. This is traditionally designed to sit external to the case but I have customised things a little so it sits inside.
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Home Premium - $The 32 bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium was selected as the mainly to get the advantage of Windows Media Center, whilst still having access to a full operating system.
REMOTE CONTROL: AIM Media Center Remote Control - $?This is a solidly built remote control which can drive all aspects of WIndows Media Center and it doesn't look out of place on the coffee table."