HTPC - hard drive and OS suggestions needed

[rajaijah]

after much reading I have decided on the following for my HTPC.
E5200
GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L
corsair 2*2GB pc2 6400 DDR2 800 ram
Antec earthwatts EA430 430W PSU
ASUS EAH3450 Radeon HD 3450 256MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express with HDMI

Hauppuage HVR-1600 PCI hybrind tuner card
NEC DVD-ROM (just lying around so why buy new)
Thermaltake Wing RS 100 midtower case ( i know its not for HTPC but bought it long time ago for $20 AR. And its shiny black color matches my 32" toshiba LCD)

what about this build. I am planning to OC the cpu to just 3.2GHz although it can handle more but for a non gaming PC thats plenty enouigh I guess.

The only thing so far I have not mentioned is the HD

I just bought the WD 750 GB external HD from staples for $50. I am planning to open it up and use it as internal for my HTPC. I hear it is the green drive.

Here is where I need you guys help.

my options:
1.Partition this HD and install the OS on the smaller partition? If i choose this what is the best way to partition and how to split them (GB wise)

2. Install in a 40GB 7200 RPM seagate IDE HD that I have sitting around and use this 750GB as secondary for media storage.

Can you guys throw me you suggestions.

also. I have windows xp and vista ultimate discs. I am planning to use mediaportal. which OS should I go with? Both are free for me.

thanks much.

 

[LandShark]

I would opt for option #1. partition it something like 60-100GB for the OS/app, and use the rest for storage.

I'm using MediaPortal in both XP Pro SP3 and Vista SP1 in my HTPCs, both runs fine.

 

[SuperMiguel]

I hate windows i love linux... I will love to recommend mythbuntu... But for HTPC i really recommend Windows Vista, for some reason it just looked better, interfaces were better made (windows media center), drivers and tv tuners work better... I hate to say it... but go with Vista as OS

 

[MongGrel]

I like Vista, but hate media center on it. I avoid using it myself, hehe Prefer VLC.

My bad I guess a bit on a tuner I suppose, I just use a cable box for TV and switch things on the receiver now and then, my wife likes her HD recorder that's built into it

 

[SuperMiguel]

I like Vista, but hate media center on it. I avoid using it myself, hehe Prefer VLC.

buu

 

[rajaijah]

I would opt for option #1. partition it something like 60-100GB for the OS/app, and use the rest for storage.

I'm using MediaPortal in both XP Pro SP3 and Vista SP1 in my HTPCs, both runs fine.

thats what I thought. But some people say it is better to have the OS in a dedicated HD. But I dont want to buy a 160GB SATA (seems to be the cheapest HD) load OS and waste all the extra space. May be when a good deal comes.

I hate windows i love linux... I will love to recommend mythbuntu... But for HTPC i really recommend Windows Vista, for some reason it just looked better, interfaces were better made (windows media center), drivers and tv tuners work better... I hate to say it... but go with Vista as OS

Does vista media center help media portal in anyway? how does vista handle TV tuners. does it set up the recording and all editing by itself like media portal?

 

[SuperMiguel]

well u can install media portal in vista.. how does vista handle TV tuners? very good i my opinion

 

[Wicked Klown]

I like option #2 myself, I did that with my HTPC. I ahve my OS on a 74gig Raptor and my movies and such on x2 1TB and a 500gig HDD. Media center doesn't help MEdia Portal in anyway, and Vista handles TV tuners with no problems.

 

[SuperMiguel]

Like option 2 as well.. because i case the HD crashes and you need to reload windows u dont loose any of your IMPORTANT data

 

[rajaijah]

Like option 2 as well.. because i case the HD crashes and you need to reload windows u dont loose any of your IMPORTANT data

thats what I thought.

Does having a IDE HD (although 7200 RPM) hinder the performance of the system?

 

[SuperMiguel]

ummm kind off.. just get a raptor!!

 

[Old Thrashbarg]

But some people say it is better to have the OS in a dedicated HD.

It depends... that 40GB is so old that it's going to be considerably slower than even a WD Greenpower. Not to mention it's going to be a lot noisier.

Like option 2 as well.. because i case the HD crashes and you need to reload windows u dont loose any of your IMPORTANT data

Only if the little drive crashes. If the big one goes out, you still lose all your data.

I'd just run the one big drive with two partitions. You'd still have a separate partition for Windows, so you can reinstall all you want without messing with the storage partition, same as if you had two drives, but you'd get lower noise, heat and power consumption by running fewer drives.

 

[rajaijah]

I'd just run the one big drive with two partitions. You'd still have a separate partition for Windows, so you can reinstall all you want without messing with the storage partition, same as if you had two drives, but you'd get lower noise, heat and power consumption by running fewer drives.

if I had to partition the HD , whats the best way to do it. does vista does it for you when you first install or do i need a partition software like partition magic ?

 

[nd4spdbh2]

I would opt for option #1. partition it something like 60-100GB for the OS/app, and use the rest for storage.

I'm using MediaPortal in both XP Pro SP3 and Vista SP1 in my HTPCs, both runs fine.

windows xp sp3 + mediaportal is THE ticket... paired with nvidia purevideo codecs and ffdshow for dvd upscaling and playback along with COREAVC + hali media splitter for bluray rips .. its the bees knees!


As per my setup i have an 80gb hd on the htpc and have all my movies including bluray rips on my servers 500gb hd linked via a gigabit ethernet connection.

 

[LandShark]

if I had to partition the HD , whats the best way to do it. does vista does it for you when you first install or do i need a partition software like partition magic ?

yes. no 3rd party software needed.