The Myth Components

Ok, I placed my order last week (Wednesday night), but I'll get to that in a moment.

Components

The essential needs that I had for this project are as follows:

• Computer case
• Motherboard
• Hard Disk space
• RAM
• CPU
• Graphics support (TV capture, and video output)
• Sound
• Cooling

Research

I spent a lot of time researching each item, based on several criteria (aesthetics, price, functionality, performance) where performance was a measure of the decibels of sound generated, speed of the component, heat generated (which can drive up sound in terms of cooling), and reliability. Also, a major factor is the support of devices both from a Linux OS perspective, as well as support from MythTV.

The following sites provided me the bulk of my research:

• MythTV
• Silent PC Review
• Linux forums
• Vendor documentation
• My previously mentioned friend who has an extensive MythTV setup in his home

What I selected

All of the parts listed below were purchased from NewEgg. I did comparative price shopping, and found NewEgg to be the best, with Tiger Direct placing second. I put links to some of the components below (the ones I think that matter, as for RAM, processor and HDD, I think those are pretty easy to search for).

• Case: Silverstone LC16B HTPC case. This case was aesthetically pleasing, as well as having good reviews for noise levels (comes with two 80mm maglev case fans, each rated at 21dBA for noise). The case also has a VFD panel in front that can display what you are watching/listening to, etc.
• Mother Board: GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3. This motherboard met my needs for a number of reasons. It is a full size ATX motherboard, with 7 expansion slots (4 PCI, 2 PCI Express x1, 1 PCI Express x16), support for AM2 socket AMD processor, support up to 16GB RAM, built in GeForce 6100 video, and Realtek audio.
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Brisbane Socket AM2: I selected this processor due to the low power consumption, and low(er) heat that it generates, as well as the fact that it is a 64 bit, dual core processor. It will have the horsepower needed to run my Myth setup both now, and in the future when I add HDTV support. An added bonus: this was on sale for $59.
• HDD: 2 x Seagate Barracuda 500GB SATA 3.0Gb/s: These hard drives are quiet, don't generate too much heat, and have the size and speed to process video streams. This will give me 1 Terabyte of storage. I may actually put an older 40GB EIDE drive in the system for the OS, but haven't decided yet.
• RAM: 2 x 1GB 240 pin DDR2 800 with heat spreader: I chose RAM that matched the Motherboard slot specifications, going with only 2GB for now, leaving 2 open slots for future expansion. I wanted to make sure that I got RAM that had the heat spreaders for better heat dissipation.
• Power Supply: Corsair CMPSU-520HX 520 Watt: The power supply is a very important consideration, since the majority of the noise will be generated from the cooling fan from this component (if you get a cheap one). Also, you want to ensure that you have enough horse power to supply juice to everything in your box, but not max out the limits of what the supply can achieve. I will have sufficient room for expansion with this power supply, and it is rated the absolute quietest power supply by Silent PC Review. NOTE The link above will take you to the generic Corsair HX Power Supply web site, showing the 620 watt unit.
• CPU Cooling: Zalman CNPS9500 AM2: I wanted a quiet, and efficient cooling mechanism for my CPU (by the way, I ordered the CPU as an OEM so I didn't pay extra for a fan that I wasn't going to use). This fan is highly rated for efficiency, and low noise.
• TV Capture Card: Hauppauge PVR150: This card comes with an IR remote control, and is extensively supported by the MythTV project. It is only a single receiver, but my plan is to add a separate HD capture card later. I already have an external KWorld ATSC (Over The AIR HD) device that I will play around with for now, but will probably add the pcHDTV 3000 card when we upgrade our incoming signal to HD (currently unavailable in our area).
• PCI Wireless B/G adapter card: I threw this in so I can have my MythTV box connect to my home wireless network, as well as having a wired network card.

Other Hardware

We have DirecTV satellite service, without the DVR and only with SDTV reception. The satellite receiver has a port on the back (USB) that I will connect into for channel control. This will require a special adapter from ShowMeCables in order to connect the USB to my computer. The adapter is the USB-AM-BF.

This may not work, but for the price, it is worth a try. The alternative is a USB to serial connection (which is commonly used for MythTV setup). My friend tells me that getting the communication to the receiver is likely one of the most difficult parts of building the myth set.

Software/OS

I was debating for some time what OS to use (Linux based). Should I use Ubuntu - reputed for ease of use, or should I use CentOS - an open source RHEL alternative? I landed on the recently bundled MythDora 4 package... which is Fedora Core 6 bundled with MythTV already. Another choice would have been the Knoppix bundle that comes with Myth called KnoppMyth.

The Order

Okay, so back to the order. As I stated, I placed the order with NewEgg last Wednesday night. They shipped in two parts, the case will arrive on Monday, and the rest on Tuesday - all coming via UPS.

What's next?

Starting next week, I will be adding pictures of the components as they arrive, and pictures of the build in progress, as well as chronicle the entire building/installation of the system.