HTPC Questions

I am looking to put together a HTPC and have a few questions about what i want to do. First this is the set up I am looking at buying.
Mac Mini connected DVI to HDMI to a 46" Samsung TV. Mac Mini ethernet connection to TC. 2TB external HD connected to TC.
I have all of my media files on the external now along with other documents I want access to among my other computers in the house. Now my questions....
Would it be better to connect the external to the TC via the USB port or via an ethernet cable?
Would it even matter?
Is USB fast enough to stream large media files to the Mini to view on the TV?
Do I even need a TC or can I get the Airport Extreme and have Time Machine wirelessly back up my MBP to the External that is connected to the Airport Extreme?
Would I be able to stream media files wirelessly to my MBP for viewing movies?
Would it be choppy if I had it set to 5GHz "n" enabled?
If you have any other suggestions on how to set up a HTPC like the one I tried to explain or had any suggestions of particular hard ware I should get I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks for you time.

Similar Messages

K8N Neo4 Platinum as HTPC mobo questions

I've been looking at building a Home Theater PC (HTPC) for a little while now and have been investigating various parts, including possible motherboards. The MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum is a key canidate and I was wondering if I could get some advice from people who actually use the board as to whether it would be suitable. Here is the basic run down of what I need:
1) I have read that there are potential issues with the AMD 90nm cores. It seems a lot of people in the forum are running them though. Has the problem been cleared up with the latest BIOS? (I am looking at using at least a 3500+ Venice core, but might try to go a little higher).
2) The board has a cooling fan on it, How loud is it? (The goal is to try and make the system as silent as possible without going over budget)
3) Front side Firewire connector - it seems like its located between two PCI slots. Has this posed a problem?
4) The PCI slot "reserved" as a comm slot - is it usable for other PCI devices? (One reason this board is on the short list is that it has 4 PCI slots. I plan on putting in at least 3 tuner cards, possibly 4 or using the 4th for a sound card or some other device. Thus, having this slot available as a general purpose PCI is important. Some retailers claim it is 'reserved' others don't.)
Any other recommendations would also be appreciated. Especially as concerns silencing and processor choice.
-Watson

Quote from: watson on 08-March-06, 00:54:50
1) I have read that there are potential issues with the AMD 90nm cores. It seems a lot of people in the forum are running them though. Has the problem been cleared up with the latest BIOS? (I am looking at using at least a 3500+ Venice core, but might try to go a little higher).
There were, make sure u get a E4 revision or higher. 99,9% of CPU's shipped today will have that.
Quote from: watson on 08-March-06, 00:54:50
2) The board has a cooling fan on it, How loud is it? (The goal is to try and make the system as silent as possible without going over budget)
Very, I have the same fan. I run it at 5v, than it's OK, u can get an adapter in most PC shops. Getting a passive haetsink is also a possibility, but that will void your warrenty.
Quote from: watson on 08-March-06, 00:54:50
3) Front side Firewire connector - it seems like its located between two PCI slots. Has this posed a problem?
Dunno, Don't see why, make sure u get a HTPC with a front bracket with a FW port.
Quote from: watson on 08-March-06, 00:54:50
4) The PCI slot "reserved" as a comm slot - is it usable for other PCI devices? (One reason this board is on the short list is that it has 4 PCI slots. I plan on putting in at least 3 tuner cards, possibly 4 or using the 4th for a sound card or some other device. Thus, having this slot available as a general purpose PCI is important. Some retailers claim it is 'reserved' others don't.)
Hmm, my gues is that that would be a problem.
Quote from: watson on 08-March-06, 00:54:50
Any other recommendations would also be appreciated. Especially as concerns silencing and processor choice.
See if this will fit in ur HTPC (the 80mil one)
http://www.coolermaster-europe.com/index.php?LT=english&Language_s=2&url_place=product&p_serial=RL-MUA-E8U1%20/%20EBU1&other_title=+RL-MUA-E8U1%20%2F%20EBU1+AQUAGATE%20Mini%20R80%20%2F%20R120
Underclocking and undervolting will also help keeping the CPU cool = less need for noisy fans.
Be weary of components causing heat. Samsung HDD's are the coolest, use as many as the onboard stuff as possible, etc..
Stick to 1 casefan and put it on the NB-FAN, so Corecenter or Speedfan can manage the fan speed. Recomended brands are Papst, Panaflo and Vantec Stealth.
4GB limit is due to having a 32bit OS. With 32bits u can only adress a max of 3GB. It might work using XP 64-bit, but I don't see why a anyone would need it.

Question about Photoshop scratch disk and specific setup

Hi Folks
Thanks for the help in advance.
I'm a novice and need help finding a solution to a new PC Build. (Windows 7 Pro 64bit with Photoshop CS6)
I only recently found out about having a scratch disk dedicated for photoshop (very novice i know ), and was wondering if a 120-128GB SSD would be enough? (Please bear in mind I can't fit large SSD raid configs to my budget, plus I live in New Zealand, so prices are higher for SSD at the moment).
I only edit single camera RAW files at a time around 25mb per file, with no large amount of layers and very rarely do large images i.e. Panorama etc. I have searched the forums but could not find a concrete answer.
My setup was originally meant for a HTPC (I don't intend to overclock), but I will also be using it for light photography projects. Specs below:
CPU: Intel i7 3770
Mobo: Asrock B75 Pro3-M (or Asus P8H77m Pro, depending on budget)
16gb Ram (maybe bump up to 32gb later)
120-128gb SSD for OS and apps
120-128gb SSD scratch disk
2 TB HDD for storage
If anyone knows, the motherboards I've listed have 3x Sata3 ports, Asrock has one Intel chip and two Asmedia controlled Sata3 ports, while Asus has 2x Intel controlled and 1x Marvell controlled Sata3 port. If I went with the Asrock, would it be okay to connect the OS/Apps SSD to the intel controlled sata3 port and have the scratch disk and storage HDD to the Asmedia sata3 ports?
And one more novice question, when I begin to edit my images, is it best to transfer my photos from memory card to storage HDD then work from there? Or would it be quicker opening images direct from a USB 3.0 card reader / USB 3.0 external hard drive?
Thanks again everyone, really appreciate it

priddye wrote:
Just to clarify, if/when I get one 256gb SSD for my main C: drive, I can load the OS/Apps and store some data for the time being (until I get another SSD) and use the 2TB HDD for scratch disk only?
Yes, that's what I meant. You could try putting Photoshop scratch on C: at least temporarily, and watch your free space carefully. If you don't work on big documents or set your history states to be very large, it might be workable. But be careful. The safe "set it and forget it" configuration is to make your HDD the one and only Photoshop scratch drive.
When I do get around to getting the second 256gb, I will look at installing the two SSD's in RAID configuration. If i were to do this, can I load the OS/Apps to the RAID SSD's as well as using them for scratch disks and have the 2TB HDD for storage? I hope that makes sense.
Sounds about right; with 512GB on tap you should be able to run just about everything from C:, as long as you don't keep your entire photo library on there. Realistically, on a big system that's got a lot of apps installed and has been used for some time, Windows and your apps may end up consuming 100 to 150 GB, so that would still leave you a lot of breathing room.
Keep in mind that what you describe may require 3rd party re-partitioning software and/or backup and restoral, or a complete reinstallation of Windows and everything (usually the latter is what is recommended when moving up to a RAID system volume).
By the way, SSDs stay in best working order if you overprovision - i.e., maintain a fair amount of free space. The internal controllers need the free space to keep the data organized well and maintain top performance.
-Noel

Mac Mini as a basic HTPC?

I have always like the idea of being able to sit on my couch and browse the Internet on my 65" display.
I have toyed around with the idea of buying an HTPC. However, I own a very expensive Tivo (that I love), and an Oppo Blu-ray player that excels
in loading and playback.
There is no need for me to buy a full HTPC that will record TV shows or play back Blu-rays. Just don't need it.
However, I could certainly use a device that would allow me to surf the Internet, check my email and download/use applications (including office products) and share/play videos across my network.
Since I am a Mac user, I figured that perhaps, a Mac Mini would be the perfect product.
From my understanding, it has an HDMI output for audio and video.
With a wireless keyboard and magic trackpad, I could surf the Internet, work on Office applications and play videos.
Just wondering what you guys think of going this route.
One last question...
On a plasma display, where Image Retention is always a concern, do you think this is a bad idea since the operating system would have static images on screen for long periods of time.

I believe what I have might be similar to what you want to set up. I use an Led 1080p projector and a home theater receiver which connect via HDMI switcher, an AppleTV, an Android Smart TV, a Digital TV Box, and my HTPC - Mac Mini. One problem I am having and which you might consider is when I switch to the Mac Mini, then back the other devices, the Mac Mini won't connect to screen sharing on my MacBook Pro.
So it seems deploying something such as a terminal command to stop the Mac Mini from auto-detect monitor in order to have the hDMI cable stay plugged in the Mac Mini, creating an on-demand monitor.

Retail Question - Win 8 Pro - Obtaining and Licenses

The responses I've read through appear to be as late as 8/2013. It is now 2/2014.
I am performing a new system build (New SSD, pre-existing CPU/MOBO). I want a complete/full retail version of Win 8 Pro. I believe my current installation is corrupt and do not wish to migrate the corruption to the new platform. I also want a full
box set for Win 8 Pro with current drivers, pre-installed features/functions, etc. available. Q: Is there a full retail version NOW available for purchase of Windows 8 Professional?
I am performing a new system build (brand new and designated as HTPC for my home). I want a complete/full retail version of Win 8 Home for the build of the new platform. Q: Is there a full retail version of NOW available for purchase of Windows 8 Home?
In both cases, the installations shall be used to permit access by the new HTPC, current Win 7 Home Laptop, tablet and other devices including BluRay Players. The Win 8 Pro is needed as a fresh install in order to provide support for the multiple devices,
as a learning platform, as a platform to access two 4TB drives along with extensive personal content and data (BitLocker Encrypted).
Please advise if the versions of the product are for sale and if so where.
Thank you.
Jim - Mastiffs are the greatest!

Thank you for the response and link. Unfortunately, the following statement is blaringly obvious once you follow it.
Important: Windows 8.1 Pro full version is for Windows 7 users only.
Please provide a location where there are no stipulations for the full version, or the use of a system builder version (OEM).
I would prefer to acquire the product as a complete set, without having to use it on a new build with no prior OS installed; rather than have to first have a license for XP, Visa or Windows 7. In both questions above, I indicated it was a
new system build.
Does MS not provide a version of the OS for new home-build units? Is it completely restricted to only prior license holders of the product?
Jim - Mastiffs are the greatest!

Powerbook G4 as HTPC to 4:3 CRT TV / app and box recommendation?

Hi--
My first post here. I've done quite a bit of research here and elsewhere, and I still can't figure out the best solution for my particular setup.
I'm getting a new MacBook Pro very soon, and my 1.5 Ghz Powerbook G4 is still alive and (sort of) kicking. I intend to use the PB for a HTPC/media server, with the media coming from a LaCie 7200 RPM FW drive.
The monitor is a late 90s, 4:3 Sony CRT TV that I like (I'm not ready for HDTV upgrade).
For sound I plan to use an old MBox 1 as my D/A converter out of the PB into my 70s Pioneer stereo amp/receiver; I'm not terribly interested in 5.1 etc at this point.
My questions are:
What app/software do you recommend for organizing/navigating the media? XBMC, Plex, etc?
How should I go about connecting my PB to my 4:3 TV so that wider-than-1.33 aspect ratios show up properly letterboxed on my TV? I should note that my TV only has composite and S-video inputs. I tried just hooking it straight up from the S-video output on the PB using the S-video- to - composite adapter (I didn't have an S-video cable handy to try that direct connection), and it looked awful no matter how I set the resolution.
If there's no way to connect the PB to the CRT directly with decent picture quality and correct fomatting, what box would you recommend to help make the conversion? Or is a box just a good idea in general? I do have a first-generation Roku, which does not have the USB jack. I'd also prefer a wired connection of some sort.
Is there anything else I should be looking at within the confines of my setup?
Sorry if this is a bit long-winded, just trying to give all pertinent info...
Thanks for any guidance, and I'm sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.

Have you tried a PRAM reset?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1379
Shut down your Mac.
Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command (⌘), Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
Turn on the computer.
Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys before the gray screen appears.
Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
Release the keys.
After resetting NVRAM or PRAM, you may need to reconfigure your settings for speaker volume, screen resolution, startup disk selection, and time zone information.

HTPC Coaxial Help / Quest

Hi everyone,
I just joined this forum and am fairly new to the HTPC world. I am confused about how coaxial works when connecting to a receiver, and more importantly, what X-Fi product (or other product) I should purchase for my needs.
I want to be able to connect my HTPC (which has both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray playback) to an Onkyo HT-SR800 home theater system (http://www.us.onkyo.com/model.cfm?m=HT-SR800&class=Systems&p=i). The system is 7. surround, and I want a sound card that can support / handle that.
I am somewhat familiar with pass-through vs. on-board decoding after reading the stickies, but am unclear as to what I need to specifically connect to the Onkyo system to get the best sound / full 7. capability.
. Is it best to let the receiver do the decoding since it does it on board? If so, do I need much of a sound card on my computer?
2. This is essentially an extension to the first question: Does the quality of the sound card make much difference if I'm just connecting to a receiver via optical? In other words, if the receiver would do decoding, does the quality of the sound card come into play much?
3. I saw some features don't work when connecting via digital. Would the Crystallizer still work?
I apologize if these topics are covered in other messages, but I searched and was unable to find a clear answer (largely due to my lack of understanding of most of these concepts). Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!Message Edited by varunm on -24-20070:08 AM

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Web/Email experience on your HTPC Mini

I can understand why people have enjoyed the Mac Mini as a pure HTPC, once it is setup in the entertainment room. Here's a question for those of you who currently have your Mac Mini connected to your HDTV and use it dual purpose: HTPC and basic computer tasks such as email, web, etc. Are there many of you out there, or are these HTPC's relegated to just that, HTPC's?
How would you rate your experience using your HTPC Mini also as a computer? What accommodations have you had to make to improve that experience?
Some unthikables for me are running USB wires across the coffee table or having a separate mouse or trackball next to me on the couch. I can envision a bluetooth keyboard and integrated trackpad, but have yet to find the right one. (Logitech diNovo Edge looks most promising?).
How about the size of onscreen fonts? Do your eyes hurt from squinting at small fonts 10+ feet away? Even if my 40" LCD was capable of 1080p (which it's not), I would probably have to run the Mini's desktop at 720p, just to make the OS's text legible. Assuming your HDTV doesn't cover your entire wall, do you find yourself constantly straining or using "Apple''" to make fonts bigger in your browser?
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
PowerBook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.9) Sony KDL-40S2010 HDTV

From, 1 to 10 I would rate my experience with the macmini as HTPC with an 8. Here is why:
1) No noise at all comparing with a standard PC.
2) Low cost if you compare with a custom made PC as HTPC.
3) All software works: internet, email, youtube, music player, DVD player, MIDI player.
4) Good communication with the wireless keyboard and mouse (Bluetooth)
5) FrontRow and the moni-remote make a good couple.
6) Can do Unix, Linux, VNC from my other machines.
7) Everybody at home understands it. Cam start working with it with zero training.
8) Unbelievable small footprint for such computing power.
9) Burning CDs is a breeze.
Now, responding to your inquiries:
USB: Try to install the macmini as close as possible to the display to save on cabl and reduce noise and cable losses. I bought a mount bracket for the wall (behind the 26" TV flat panel), which comes with four USB in the front. Right now I am using one USB port only for the MIDI keyboard.
Location: I installed the 26" LCD display on the wall in the kitchen dining room. So, I have the table to put the keyboard and mouse.
Font: even with the 26" screen fonts are kind of small when you try to watch an inmternet page or the menus from 8' away. Then it comes handy the Ctrl+Scroll where you can zoom-in and out. Also, what I did is set the resolution to 1024x768 instead of the maximum resolution (1380x1024). That enhance the menu fonts to something more legible. And yes, the eyes hurt for the first two weeks. Then, you get used to it.
What do I dislike of the macmini as HTPC:
i) The mini-remote is too directional; it is optic not RF.
ii) The DVD player software does not show subtitles for all the movies.
iii) Macmini is slow to play divX or mpg movies via network. I even tried with VLC, but you can see the delay. Not fast enough.
iv) DVD recorder only works reliably from Parallels Windows. Could not record yet a workable data DVD from the pure Mac OSX.
I think, so far, the Macmini has been a remarkable experience.
Good luck.

MEGA180 Important Questions

I have my MEGA180 on order but I already have some important questions:
1) This unit provides dual vga outputs. If I install my own AGP 8x card, will the VGA2 output still work? I read in the manual that installing an AGP card will disable VGA1 (default) but it doesn't say anything about the 2nd VGA output connector. I require 2 outputs since I will be connecting to an LCD and my HDTV monitor (using a VGA to Component Video Transcoder)
2) Will there be performance hits by using the two vga outputs at the same time?
3) The on-board video card doesn't have any video memory. It will use your existing DDR memory. I will have 512Meg Dual Channel Memory. What kind of performance I can expect from the built-in video card (NVidia NForce Crush18) compared to other AGP cards on the market?
Thanks for your help!
Sly

Though I can not provide you with answers specific to the Mega 180, I can give you some more info.
1) No. As soon as you install an AGP card, the onboard video will be fully disabled from within the BIOS. This is an nForce2 chipset setting. So make sure to get an AGP card with 2xVGA (as most cards have nowadays).
2) No or not much. Using an nForce2 MoBo myself I haven't encountered performance loss using both VGA outputs.
3) There's no way to compare the onboard video to an AGP card. AGP cards will have a far out better perfomance then the onboard video. But compared to other onboard video solutions around, like Xtreme Graphics, the nForce solution is far better and has far better performance.
It all depends on what you will be doing with the MegaPC. If you're a gamer, get an AGP card. If you want to use it as an HTPC, keep with the onboard nForce2 solution. There's no need for extra here since the nForce2 chipset is great. Onboard sound from this chipset is also great. Try it out before spending $ on an AGP card you don't need.
Hope this helped a bit.
roma

Brand new 865 Pro questions!

Hi all,
I just bought myself a Mega 865 Pro Supreme
I read in the software manual that if I want to install InstantON (I presume InstantON is the feature that allows me to use radio and CD without booting windows?) then I cannot install any AGP graphics card?!?!
Surely this can't be true! If so, I've been royally ripped off spending the extra to get the radio tuner
1) Has anyone successfully got this feature to work with an AGP graphics card installed?
2) I am looking at getting either a 9600XT or a 6600, this PC will not be for games, only for HTPC, any recommendations?
3) I need to buy a CPU and my options appear to be Prescott 5xx or 6xx (for more money). Does it make a difference which one I get? If the 6xx runs cooler I would probably consider getting it.
Thanks in advance
BJ.

Cripes!
Well I did, and it didn't!
In further news, I installed WinXP last night and all the stuff on the drivers/Utilities CD to see what comes with it. (I will reinstall once I work out what's important).
Which leads to my next question...what is important!
1) Something that I installed stopped the 'Eject' button from rebooting the machine, what was that?
2) Does anyone use LiveUpdate? It worked fine for the software, but when I tried the BIOS it just said your BIOS has been updated and didn't do anything?? I have 1.00 and it looks like 1.03 is available, any idea how to get this going?
3) PC Alert is nice because it makes use of the 'Fancy LED' but when installing it says it slows down your machine, is this true? How severely?
4) InterVideo Home Theatre is awful, so slow to respond to anything...I notice some people leave this installed and then use a different program of their choice for HTPC needs, why leave it installed at all? Does it offer some advantages?
5) The SCM program offered me a tray icon to check my mail....surely that's not what's it for?
Thanks again for all your help so far!
BJ.

Software requirements for HTPC

Hello.
I'm planning to build my own HTPC based on Linux and I'd like to know, what software is required to get htpc functionality. I'm not sure, what os I am going to use - probably it's Arch
What I expect from my htpc:
- play and/or record TV shows on HDD (from DVB-T or Satelite or Internet)
- play and/or record DVDs on HDD
- can be controlled via an infrared remote control. (I need a keyboard and a mouse anyway to configure the system, but a remote is very comfortable.)
- share photos, music and videos over the LAN (probably via SAMBA ?)
I think this is the most essential stuff. What DE should I use? It should start up fast and not consume too much from the resources.
Greetz,
haunted

Thanks. XBMC seems suited for playing vids and music. Meanwhile I found MythTV as a hdd-recorder.
techprophet wrote:That isn't DE stuff. Individual apps do those.
My worst dreams come true ... No, not really, I know that the placing of my question concerning DEs is misleading. A HTPC should - in most cases - replace the common dozen devices used formerly. Therefor a htpc should start up fast and I've read in a few threads that the users use openbox in this case. But I wouldn't like to miss the fancy DE-features like auto-mounting and the like. That's why I asked for a recommendation for a (lightweight) DE. I'll see if I need those features and will also take a WM (fluxbox, openbox) if it will make the job.
techprophet wrote:... , complete with HTPC frontend.
What do you mean with "HTPC frontend"?
Last edited by hauntergeist (2009-09-10 18:18:44)

Cascading two Linksys routers questions

wanted to clear up some things before I purchase my 2nd router.
So currently, i have a wrt54g2 connected to my cable modem.
What I want to do is add a wireless n router with gigabit to my LAN.
So I would just follow the instructions on cascading the routers here: http://linksys.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/linksys.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=3733&p_created=11520...
This makes the router a repeater pretty much and uses the same IP for the new computers, 192.168.1.x
So my question is, if I connected to the 2nd router via LAN will I be also in the same IP range and can see the other computers on the first router?
Reason why I'm doing this, old router hosts just normal everyday computers via wifi and lan ports.
New router will handle htpc and media storage server via lan ports and netflix streaming via wifi.
Thats why I want the gigabit ports, b/c there will be alot of media transferred between the htpc and media storage server.
I'm using the wireless n for a samsung blu-ray player that can do netflix, pandora and also read shared drives. It can read divx and h.264, so I thought the wireless n throughput will be fine on N and not bogged on g.
any opinions and help would be appreciated.

Yes, the second router will be in the same network range and the device which will be connected to the second router wil get the IP from the first router. To do so you need to the disable the DHCP on your second router.

NX7600GT Diamond Plus Questions

Hey Everyone,
My questions today are about the NX7600GT Diamond Plus video card. I am thinking about building a Home Theater PC and I was looking at the MSI 7600GT Diamond Plus card, because of the HDMI port. Does this port besides carrying video carry sound as well? if so what kind is it, 2 CH, Digital, etc.? If it doesn't any recommends on cards that will carry very good sound quality out? Also, are there any benefits to having two of these cards instead of one, other then having two 7600 GTs for playing games? Finally, if I play a DVD on my computer(which is encrypted) and run the HDMI cable from the card to a DVD player/recorder, will I be able to record the movie or will copyright bs problems occur? Sry for all the noob questions, but I am new to the HTPC arena.
Thanks

Hello
I currently own this card and might be able to answer your questions.
This card will send digital S/PDIF sound through the hdmi port if your motherboard or sound card has spdif cababilities. This can be done one of two ways. Option A: If you have an internal header off of your mobo/soundcard you can use the supplied internal spdif cable. Option B: If you don't have an internal header (I don't and use this method) you can use the supplied RCA pass-through cable conecting the RCA end to your spdif out and the other end to the VGA. Aside from being able to SLI them and increase the performance of some programs there is no advantage to having two as you will only be able to use the ports on one.
I'm not entirely sure about being able to copy a movie. I wasn't aware that there were any DVD recorders with HDMI inputs on the market. If you have a standard definition DVD (not Blue-ray or HD-DVD) you probably shouldn't run into any copyright problems. However I've found that many DVDs will refuse to play on my computer if a TV out port is activated, you may or may not run into this with the HDMI port. This isn't card specific, from talking with tech support this is apparently present on all nvidia 7-series cards.
Overall I was really impressed with how this card handled the digital sound, but was not impressed with the quality of the HDMI video signal. The signal was being overscanned, and looked horrible in comparison to the analogue signal from my card. This is really no surprise considering this is the first ever HDMI card. Theres always going to be bugs at first. If you're planning on building an HTPC I would suggest using the plain old RGB (15 pin analogue) if your HDTV has the input (most do). You won't run into any DRM restrictions using this method and the quality difference (versus DVI) is hardly, if at all, noticable on today's HDTVs and projectors.

Question... I'm an idiot. :)

Quick question, guys. Idiot me bought before checking, and now am hoping I don't have to immediately return it..
I just bought an MSI N9600GT-512 to play nicely with my P7N Platinum machine. Unfortunately, looking at the reported length of the card, it won't fit in my PCIe1 slot, but will in slot 2 or 3, due to the case.
Until I chicken out and get a new case, will it run fine if I put it in slot 2 or 3 for the time being? (I'm guessing I'd also get slower optimum data transfer rate, but how much? Would it be noticeable?)
Thanks all.
Mike.

Quote from: boon25 on 18-April-08, 09:41:49
You can also use the second or third PCI-E slots (both light blue slots) but because they are rated at x8 only you are going to lose a few fps (read this article: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/pci-express-scaling-analysis,1572.htm ).
I supposed the reason why you can't fit your VGA card into the 1st PCI-E slot is because of your harddisk right? If it is possible move your harddisk to a different slot in your casing (if available) to make way for the VGA card. There is really no necessity to invest in a new casing unless it is absolutely necessary.
A little FPS don't really bother me, and I actually doubt it will matter for my purposes. (Heck - at the moment I'm using a 7700-something card, and it can play 1080i fine. The next step up is 1080p, and I believe that going to a 9600GT will be able to handle that, without nearly getting maxed out.
My case is a Silverstone 10 - The P6N that I had in there originally would have fit - the PCI x1 slot was the one blocked by the HDs. In the P7N, the PCIe1 x16 is where the PCIx1 was, and therefore is blocked. The HD's can't be moved, due to the case layout. (It's the only area available for 3.5" drives.) I'm ALMOST tempted to move back to the P6N, and use the P7N for desktop stuff, but since most of my time is spent on the HTPC, I can stand a possible little loss of speed on that.
I'll be getting a new case eventually anyways - due that the current one is rather old and starting to show its age. This would have just determined its order in getting upgraded.
Cheers,
Mike.

Presale question

Hi all
I am looking for a NAS solution for my home and have found the NSS326.
I has everything I need and is compatable with the drives I want to use but I do have a question about its preformance,
I will be using Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FAL drives, my network is all Gigbit.
I will be using it as a media server to store videos and ISO images that I will then stream to the HTPC in my home.
Each HTPC will mount the windows shares from the NAS system and play the files in Windows Media Player Classic
I am wondering if the NSS326 will have the preformance I need to be able to do this using HD videos
Thanks all

Peter,
Thanks for your interest in Cisco Smart Storage. You can find 3rd party test benchmarks on the web. A good starting point is SmallNetBuilder.com It lists our product as well as our competitors. You can select different benchmarks based on your gigabit network as well as RAID types/media streams/etc.
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/component/option,com_nas/Itemid,190/chart,14/
Reply back after you see the benchmarks with your comments.

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