HTPC/PVR/MCE: What makes up one? HTPC (Home Theater PC) computers, again, are basically a computer that can be used in living room as an entertainment replacement. MCE (Media Center Ed) computers are the same as a HTPC/PVR machine except that it runs Windows XP Media Center Edition as its Operating System (OS). WinXP MCE PC's are the same as HTPC that most of us can build, except that the MCE OS is compatible with only a few types of tv tuner cards (see the list here via ms) Ok, so you know kind of what a HTPC is, now what do you need to build one? Basically a MCE/HTPC is a normal pc, and when you think about it, it has lower performance requirements than most desktop pc's since most of the things we will be using the HTPC to do will be DVD Playback, TV Recording/Watching, Listening to Music/Radio, Internet Browsing, Photo Viewing; and we most likely won't be doing too much multitasking since its in the living room on a TV (unless your like me and have your personal PC setup like this...) . So some recommended specs on a system to use for HTPC: Processor: 1.4Ghz - 2.0Ghz processor should be plenty of power, since most of the things (dvd watching, tv recording) will be using our video card and/or tv tuner card's hardware encoder/decoders so it shouldn't require the newest or fastest cpu out there. Motherboard: make sure your processor and motherboard are compatible. Depending on your budget and case, choose a motherboard with features that meet your needs (ie onboard 5.1 soundcard saves you buying a seperate soundcard, or onboard video, etc) I would recommend a motherboard with onboard sound, lan, video (most micro-atx boards have these, some even have onboard TV-Out connections too!) Memory: 512mb to 1Gb upto 2Gb of memory. (memory will help for those who do a lot of video encoding, ie ripping shows to divx/wmv/etc) Harddrive space: This is a hard one to say since it will vary depending on what your doing with your HTPC. If you plan on using it as a PVR too, you would want a rather large harddrive (i have a 200GB for my tv shows and videos). If you just using it to watch dvds, listen to music, or view pictures; then a 40-60gb would do. Video Card: Again, most modern $50 + video cards should suffice if your not a gamer. If your a gamer, you already know then. ;-) TV Tuner: Again, this varies. Usually you have to pay atleast $50 for a decent tv tuner. I know this from experience, i had originally gottena $40 KVR TV tuner card but didn't like the quality at all and then got an Avermedia M150MCE (this is MCE certified) tv tuner card and wow, what a difference, but i also paid $80 for my M150MCE. Also if your going to use WinXP MCE vs SageTV/BeyondTV you will need to get a MCE Certified TV Tuner. | 
