OT: Inexpense Media Center PC

[Thomas Rogers]

I know we have a number of technophiles on here, so I thought I would let you all know about a recent purchase of mine.



After wanting one for years, I finally bought a Shuttle XPC based PC. Shuttle is the leader in Small Form Factor (SFF), quiet PCs.



I purchased the SHUTTLE ST62KS from MWAVE.COM (see link below). You can't beat MWAVE's assembly/test service which only costs an additional $29. In that service they will place the processor and memory, and in my case the dual layer DVD burner, into the system and do a smoke test...anyone who has had to send back a processor or memory knows it can happen and you are typically out the shipping costs, not to mention the hassle factor. And, even with the assemble and test, the package still shipped the same day of the order.



Anyway, my PC has:



2.66Ghz P4 (stayed a little lower to reduce cost, and the mobo is only 533Mhz FSB)

1GB SDRAM

200GB Maxtor HDD (sized for media)

16x Dual Layer DVD+/-RW (for ripping and burning)

ATI Radeon 91000 (on the mobo)



All that for around $600 (plus the $29 for assembly/test)



You do have to put in the HDD when the system arrives, and I had a copy of WinXP Prog SP2 so that wasn't a cost to me. A low-level NTFS format of a 200GB HDD takes a while (about an hour, but do that instead of the quick format to find any bad blocks).



Oh, and NewEgg is offering FREE Logitech speakers (entry-level) with the purchase of a Logitech wireless keyboard/optical mouse. I have to say, I am impressed with the wireless keyboard (cost around $25).



Add in a Hauppauge TV capture card in the available PCI slot of the Shuttle and you have yourself a very nice Media Center PC. Add in BeyondTV software from Snapstream.com and you have an IPG and great interface for recording programs.



I am not going the Media Center route with this box yet, as I already have a HD DVR, but I plan on using this PC on the desk in our kitchen for the kids to do their homework. That area is small, and with the wireless keyboard and mouse that can be tugged in a desk drawer when not in use, it is great. A Samsung 17" LCD monitor for $230 fits in great in that space. I am using the PCI slot of the Shuttle for a WirelessG adapter (as that area in my house is very tough to run Cat-5 to).



Anyway, for $600, you end up with a box that can serve many purposes. Oh, and it is SUPER QUIET!



Sure, with new monitor and keyboard, and shipping I ended up spending over $900, but I do have the PC I want now (oh, and I can resell it on eBay in the next few weeks and pocket $100 or so) as the Shuttle computers sell well there.



TJR

 

[John Mastrocco]

A very good PC for the price...



but not a particularly great deal.



I'm not saying it's a bad deal - just an average price for a PC equipped like that. (And most come with the HDD installed.)



I've been pricing PC's over the past three weeks and they are all so competitively priced you need to decide based on the manufacturer/retailer. Which one you buy almost depends exclusively on how much you like a specific PC manufacturer and/or the retailer.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Yeah, Rocco, I meant to make the point that you pay a premium for the design of the Shuttle. That small form factor and quiet nature comes at a hefty price...easily a $150 premium.



This day and age the assemble-yourself guys have a tough time beating a Dell, Gateway or EMachines price with processor speed, storage and memory all sized the same. Where the DIY guys have an advantage is on the high-end and niche, things like gaming machines and SFF. Those markets are still rather high priced, high margin for the big guys.



Same is true on LCD monitors...the pack-in 17" from Dell is a great monitor, I even think (though I am not sure) that it's the same as the Samsung just branded differently. Dell isn't making a ton on the base PCs and monitors when sold for less than $600. What they make their money on is the upgrades...and they force upgrades by keeping just a little under the technology curve (80Gb HDD, 256MB ram, single layer DVD burner). They charge a bit to bump up, and that's where they get you.



Its rarely apples and oranges, but a similar spec'ed DELL (not SFF) is around $1060, with monitor. I beat that price, and the form-factor can't be beat.



TJR

 

[John Mastrocco]

I totally understand. For the average person the way you went isn't a good idea - they wouldn't have a clue how to format a HDD, nevermind a low level format.



But for anyone with any computer savvy at all, and the desire to mess with the hardware a little, it's a good way to go.



And the pricing you gave is about right on the Dell, although occasionally you can blow even that away I got a new Dell PC for my daughter very similar to yours about a year ago (half the memory, but the rest was almost spot-on) for $750. It was a limited time special offer and even included a 15" flat panel display. The deal still can't be matched. Of course, it wasn't small form factor and not real quiet, though not bad at all (unless it starts to get too hot.)



Anyway, you got a good deal on a great piece of equipment. That's what's really important.

 

[Mark S 3]

I'm still waiting for Dell or HP to come up with something the like Mac Mini. A buddy of mine just bought one and I couldn't believe how small & quiet it is. The only gripes I have with it are the fact that it uses a 2.5" hard drive instead of the less expensive 3.5" ones and that currently you can only stick a gig of ram into it.



In fact, to give you an idea of just how small the thing is, a standard internal DVD burner is almost twice as big as his entire computer!



Now, of course you give up expandability and the super fast gaming graphics, but that's ok. I'm not into those anyways.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Yeah, you are right about the expertise Rocco.



What I find ironic about people who are a capable but still a little phobic when it comes to assembling their own computer is that they are under some delusion that the PC they get from Dell or Gateway is somehow so much easier to setup and support. I find that the two hours or so that I spend assembling my own computer and installing the software is LESS time than I spend on a Dell or a Gateway UNINSTALLING all the CRAP they they install that I don't want, and that if left on, actually decreases performance and reliability.



One thing about DIY is you get it the way YOU WANT IT!



TJR

 

[John Mastrocco]

You have THAT right TJ.



But in my case - I'm just f'ing too lazy to do it any more. I can uninstall over a long period of time, or not at all if the bug strikes me. When you get one you have to configure you can't use it until you do all the work.



Am I a little guilty of wanting instant gratification?



:lol:

 

[Gavin Allan]

Tiger Direct had a great price on a SONY media PC last week. They said they had a limited number of them, so I don't know if any are left, but it was a screamer for very little $.



Sony VAIO VGC-RB42G Intel Pentium 4 3GHz (HT) / 1GB DDR / 250GB SATA HDD / DVD±RW Dual-Layer / CD-ROM / Flash Media Reader / Intel GMA 900 / Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 / Media Center PC

Price: $749.99



Here it is:

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Nice find, gavin...but:



- Too big a form factor.

- Too leary of TigerDirect rebates from being biten several times.

- Too SONY ;-)



Nice other than that, though.



TJR

 

[TomT]

Building a computer is the easiest thing in the world. I've been doing it for years. Dell, HP, Gateway, etc. scimp on a lot of things. A quality motherboard is the most essential thing. Lot's of my friends have trouble with those machines but I have never had any problems with my home built ones. I just built a multimedia PC for my office (boss wanted to buy me a Dell and I said no way). Used an MSI Neo4 MB, AMD 3500 and an ATI All-in-Wonder x600 video card. IT kicks ass and I spent way less then the inferior Dell they wanted to get.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Nice setup TomT. I am a huge fan of AMD processors for the price. Built a kicking XP 3200 based PC for my son last X-mas. All his friends are jealous, and it beat the price and performance of any gaming machine out there at the time. Like I said, for gaming or multi-media, you can't beat home built.