Ok i think i have finally got a decent set up, have a few questions.

[boorishid]

Heres my problem at the moment i dont have a blu-ray drive. So i cant really just experiment with what parts will do HD best.. here is what i have finally pieced togather, finally gave up on the all the p4 dells, ive decided to use them as a file server.

Ok here is what ive got

Socket 939 mobo ASRock does agp/pci-e
Athlon XP 3700
3gig of ddr1
geforce 7800 gtx 256mb

Ok so im not sure what my best bet is here. All the socket 939 dual core cpu's seem wayyy over priced like 100 bucks for a 939 x2 4400. But i know alot of video cards will decode blu rays flawlessly on decent single core setups. I have these choices

7800gtx 256mb
7900gt
8800 gts 640mb (the orignal gts not the core 92)
ati x800 pro

Im not sure if any of these will fit the blu ray ticket... maybe the 8800 gts? It seems to me at this moment my best bet price wise is is to buy a raedon 3450 or 3650. The other option would be to replace the cpu with a dual core, but like i said 939s are way over priced! Id like to put more money twords things like a blu ray writer, a good hd tuner setup, and an ssd. Im hoping maybe one of those videos cards ive already got will work but i may not use them anyways and go with the ati based on my next question.

Ok im running a 32 inch 720p lcd. Now what is my best bet, to get the raedeon and HDMI for sound and video or to use the VGA and stereo jack input (this is how i plug my netbook in). Will HDMI make any difference especially if im only running a 2.1 sound system? Also when playing games and watching mkv files will HDMI audio even work or does it only work when playing a blu ray?

Last question i have an ATI 5500pro tv tuner laying around. Does anyone have any experience with one? Will it do non HD recording just fine? Even when i get a good hd tuner id like to use this one as my second tuner card if it will do a decent job. Are there win7 drivers for it cuz a quick google indicates no but im not sure.

 

[Bobnova]

Just FYI, there's no such thing as an Athlon XP 3700, and Athlon XPs are socket A (462) cpus.
I'd look for a dual core Athlon 64, a 3400+ or 3600+ something like that.

I don't know if the X800 has modern decoding abilities, but the 8800 should have them.

 

[boorishid]

sorry its an athlon 64 3700.. anyways like i said the dual cores for socket 939 are super exspensive

 

[silkshadow]

That is fine for SD playback. For HD playback you really need more muscle. I used to use a ton of X2's in HTPCs and they do the job well even for demanding 1080p playback. If you are anywhere near the Philippines, I still have a bunch of X2 CPUs with no motherboards (all used but working, socket 939) that I can sell you for cheap. You could buy a few so that if one dies you can just stick in another. PM me if you are anywhere near me and we can work something out.

 

[rickoles]

8800 should be fine.