Comments on: How best to spend my £250? http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/ Blogging in the real world Sun, 21 Mar 2010 07:15:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gareth Evans http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-31571 Gareth Evans Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:11:05 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-31571 Take a look at the Intel Atom mini-ITX boards. The D945GCLF2 can be found for about £60. The review at Mini-Itx.com (http://www.mini-itx.com/reviews/atoms/default.asp?page=6) found it could handle 720p video without any problems, using the on board graphics. 1080i was asking a bit much though. Take a look at the Intel Atom mini-ITX boards. The D945GCLF2 can be found for about £60. The review at Mini-Itx.com (http://www.mini-itx.com/reviews/atoms/default.asp?page=6) found it could handle 720p video without any problems, using the on board graphics. 1080i was asking a bit much though.

]]> By: technogeist http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28601 technogeist Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:14:24 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28601 Mike, my only criticism of overclocking is that you increase the power consumption, and possibly cpu fan noise, which isn't what you want from a system that will be used for watching movies. I'd rather have a chip that isn't max'd pegged out at 100% for upto 2 hours continously. Anyhow, I'm intrigued as to how it -will- perform just out of pure curiosity. :) Mike,
my only criticism of overclocking is that you increase the power consumption, and possibly cpu fan noise, which isn’t what you want from a system that will be used for watching movies.

I’d rather have a chip that isn’t max’d pegged out at 100% for upto 2 hours continously.

Anyhow, I’m intrigued as to how it -will- perform just out of pure curiosity. :)

]]> By: sipart http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28302 sipart Thu, 22 Jan 2009 23:45:50 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28302 Check www.xbmc.org if your after a great media centre experience on Linux (and windows, mac, XBOX1 and AppleTV). I use it on softmodded XBOX1 so not sure how well it integrates with TV cards etc. But everyone on the forums is happy to help. Even a USB XBMC Live version. Good luck http://xbmc.org/download/ "XBMC Media Center is currently available for Ubuntu Linux, Mac OS X (Intel-based Leopard, Tiger, and Apple TV), Microsoft Windows, and the original (first-generation) Xbox. The current stable release is 8.10, codenamed Atlantis. Below you can download ready to install packages of XBMC for your platform. (Note: XBMC requires OpenGL support.*)" Check http://www.xbmc.org if your after a great media centre experience on Linux (and windows, mac, XBOX1 and AppleTV). I use it on softmodded XBOX1 so not sure how well it integrates with TV cards etc. But everyone on the forums is happy to help. Even a USB XBMC Live version.

Good luck

http://xbmc.org/download/

“XBMC Media Center is currently available for Ubuntu Linux, Mac OS X (Intel-based Leopard, Tiger, and Apple TV), Microsoft Windows, and the original (first-generation) Xbox. The current stable release is 8.10, codenamed Atlantis. Below you can download ready to install packages of XBMC for your platform. (Note: XBMC requires OpenGL support.*)”

]]> By: Mike Jennings http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28257 Mike Jennings Thu, 22 Jan 2009 09:32:10 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28257 Technogeist - do you not think that a Celeron could manage Blu-ray if it's overclocked a little and partnered with a 4000-series GPU? PCErnie - the cheapest sticks of 1GB RAM I've seen are eight or nine quid, and I can get 2GB for £16 on Play.com. Any cheaper sources are very much welcomed, though! Darien - good point, the hard disk was one of the problem areas when I put together a spec for my media centre. I'd factored in 500GB and I'm certain that going any lower is a mistake, but not sure that any higher is feasible within my budget. Technogeist – do you not think that a Celeron could manage Blu-ray if it’s overclocked a little and partnered with a 4000-series GPU?

PCErnie – the cheapest sticks of 1GB RAM I’ve seen are eight or nine quid, and I can get 2GB for £16 on Play.com. Any cheaper sources are very much welcomed, though!

Darien – good point, the hard disk was one of the problem areas when I put together a spec for my media centre. I’d factored in 500GB and I’m certain that going any lower is a mistake, but not sure that any higher is feasible within my budget.

]]> By: Darien Graham-Smith http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28256 Darien Graham-Smith Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:37:57 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28256 If you do go for a media centre, I would urge you not to skimp on the hard disk! Video fills up a drive shockingly quickly - especially recorded TV, which comes in at something like 3GB per hour. My personal media library grew by nearly 1.5TB over the course of 2008. Unless you're willing to be brutal about deleting recordings once you've watched them, this is an area where bigger is definitely better. If you do go for a media centre, I would urge you not to skimp on the hard disk! Video fills up a drive shockingly quickly – especially recorded TV, which comes in at something like 3GB per hour. My personal media library grew by nearly 1.5TB over the course of 2008. Unless you’re willing to be brutal about deleting recordings once you’ve watched them, this is an area where bigger is definitely better.

]]> By: technogeist http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28254 technogeist Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:19:38 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28254 It's doubtful you will get much fun from BluRay content, if partnered with a Celeron cpu. It’s doubtful you will get much fun from BluRay content, if partnered with a Celeron cpu.

]]> By: pcernie http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28244 pcernie Thu, 22 Jan 2009 00:19:09 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28244 What about separate sticks of RAM - I've seen them for around £6-7 inc. VAT on sites like Ebuyer IIRC. Would that be feasible with the board? It's not much, but the Tesco slogan springs to mind! What about separate sticks of RAM – I’ve seen them for around £6-7 inc. VAT on sites like Ebuyer IIRC. Would that be feasible with the board?

It’s not much, but the Tesco slogan springs to mind!

]]> By: Allan Simpson http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28235 Allan Simpson Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:24:54 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28235 If you go down the media centre route, why not try LinuxMCE. It runs on kubuntu and uses MythTV but comes set up for media center's If you go down the media centre route, why not try LinuxMCE. It runs on kubuntu and uses MythTV but comes set up for media center’s

]]> By: Mike Jennings http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28234 Mike Jennings Wed, 21 Jan 2009 18:01:41 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28234 Ian - thanks for the suggestion regarding the motherboard. I really don't want to rely on integrated graphics if I can help it, though - I don't think that my machine will be a particularly well-rounded machine if I do that! Ian – thanks for the suggestion regarding the motherboard. I really don’t want to rely on integrated graphics if I can help it, though – I don’t think that my machine will be a particularly well-rounded machine if I do that!

]]> By: London, a shop, a £250 computer and me. | PC Pro blog http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2009/01/21/how-best-to-spend-my-250/comment-page-1/#comment-28229 London, a shop, a £250 computer and me. | PC Pro blog Wed, 21 Jan 2009 16:57:49 +0000 http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/?p=5049#comment-28229 [...] I’m in a battle with my colleagues Mike Jennings and David Bayon. I’ve somehow to come up with a PC that beats both of their efforts for no [...] [...] I’m in a battle with my colleagues Mike Jennings and David Bayon. I’ve somehow to come up with a PC that beats both of their efforts for no [...]

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