Kodi Community Forum
Turning an old PC to an HTPC - Printable Version

+- Kodi Community Forum (https://forum.kodi.tv)
+-- Forum: Discussions (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=222)
+--- Forum: Hardware (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=112)
+--- Thread: Turning an old PC to an HTPC (/showthread.php?tid=76583)

Pages: 1 2

Turning an old PC to an HTPC - Tilted - 2010-07-03

Hello again,

I've spent the last month unsuccessfully trying to build an HTPC for my mother's birthday gift. Her birthday has since passed, but I haven't given up. I don't have a choice really. I sent back two defective ZOTAC IONITX-A-U Atom motherboards, and even though both boards were defective, I can't get a refund, only store credit.

I was going to get a Revo with my store credit, but now they're out of stock. Big Grin


So my next plan is build an HTPC with a new case, and a mix of old parts from a 2005 PC. It needs to play 1080p mkv files, so I could really use the forum's advice here. This old PC plays all types of avi files, but struggles with HD video. Here are the specs:


Obviously I need to replace the graphic card with something modern. Since the mobo RAM is 4×184pin, I can't add any of my modern 240pin ram.

So my questions are:
1) will this old processor play HD video with the right graphic card?
2) if so, can you recommend one that will work with this ancient motherboard?
3) is 1GB ram enough to play HD smoothly, or should I buy more 184pin ram?

Thanks.


And if you have any other suggestions on how I can better spend the store credit to create an HTPC, I'm all ears. Maybe there is something better than a Revo I'm unaware of, that's actually in stock.

- jmarshall - 2010-07-03

I'd recommend an nVidia card over any ATI card. ATI means windows only, and means vista or windows7 to get decent playback. Even then I hear way more problems regarding them. Stick with nVidia if you can 8000 series and up - ensure that it supports full hardware accelerated playback.

RAM isn't really an issue - 1GB will be plenty.

- Tilted - 2010-07-03

Thanks for the quick response. I will probably install Windows 7 on it regardless. My mother is not going to learn Linux, and she may want to use more than XBMC.

So with a modern GPU, this older processor and RAM will handle HD mkv's just fine?

- poofyhairguy - 2010-07-03

Hmmm, Windows 7 eh? That means ATI options open up, which is good for you.

I think that as long as you limit your selection of "modern GPUs" to one particular GPU line- 4xxx series ATI GPUs - then you should be ok with svn versions of XBMC.

Here is a start:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%20600007850%20600007317&IsNodeId=1&name=Radeon%20HD%204000%20series

- razerkrait - 2010-07-05

Last week i turned my old pc into XBMC HTPC

My old PC：

AMD Athlon 3000+ (939)
DFI NF4-D
GSKILL 512Mx2
Galaxy 6600GT 128M

I only changed graphics card，I bought a new GT210 instead of 6600GT

NOW my HTPC works fine~Big Grin

- Tilted - 2010-07-05

which GT210, if you don't mind me asking? All the ones I see are PCI Express 2.0

I'm thinking about getting this Radeon HD 4650, since it's the best AGP interface. I hope it plays 1080p.

- razerkrait - 2010-07-05

Oh，I forget 865PE has AGP interface，as far as I know GT210 only has PCIE interface，I think HD4650（AGP） is a good choice for you！

PS:My GT210 brand is ASL（Chinese brand）Laugh

- buzz_kill - 2010-07-05

Tilted Wrote:which GT210, if you don't mind me asking? All the ones I see are PCI Express 2.0

I'm thinking about getting this Radeon HD 4650, since it's the best AGP interface. I hope it plays 1080p.

I am using the HD 4550, albeit from pcie x16 slot, and it works wonderfully

- poofyhairguy - 2010-07-05

Please post back if it works. I would love to have some evidence on the forum of success in making such a ancient HTPC work with a single modern part.

- gabbott - 2010-07-05

poofyhairguy Wrote:Please post back if it works. I would love to have some evidence on the forum of success in making such a ancient HTPC work with a single modern part.

Should work, people have used lower spec'd machines:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=61218

- poofyhairguy - 2010-07-05

gabbott Wrote:Should work, people have used lower spec'd machines:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=61218

Oh, I know that:

Linux+XBMC+PCI 8400 GS 512mb

Works on even Pentium 3 level machines. That is what I always recommend for people wanting to make HTPCs out of ancient hardware on here.

As far as I know though, no one has tried to make a Pentium 4 a Windows 7 based HTPC with a ATI AGP card.

That is why I want feedback, just so we know if this path works.

- Mallet21 - 2010-07-05

Probably will need another gig of RAM if you plan to run Win7.

- gabbott - 2010-07-05

poofyhairguy Wrote:Oh, I know that:

Linux+XBMC+PCI 8400 GS 512mb

Works on even Pentium 3 level machines. That is what I always recommend for people wanting to make HTPCs out of ancient hardware on here.

As far as I know though, no one has tried to make a Pentium 4 a Windows 7 based HTPC with a ATI AGP card.

That is why I want feedback, just so we know if this path works.

Oops, yeah I hastily put that in there without regard to this being with an ATI card.

- poofyhairguy - 2010-07-05

gabbott Wrote:Oops, yeah I hastily put that in there without regard to this being with an ATI card.

I mean, I will be honest: I don't envy the OP.

It is obvious that he wants to take an ancient Pentium 4 and put Windows 7 on it, pop in a new video card, and give his mom a modern computer. I mean, maybe if you DID give one a SSD, two gigs of RAM and a video card it would feel modern, but who wants to dump all that money into ancient tech?

It is obvious why we haven't seen this on the forum before- for the extra price of an AGP card and DDR ram you could almost get a AMD combo with a CPU that is three times as fast. Pentium 4 stuff really isn't worth any investment IMHO beyond maybe adding a cheap PCI card to make it a Linux HTPC. The resources required to make one a modern machine make a project like this a wash.

With that said, OP obviously doesn't want to waste hardware (which is admirable) and maybe understands that his/her mom is different from what we expect.

I always try to help people based off my experiences. And my experiences drove me to one question: Where is momma getting the HD videos? Is she chomping at the bit to torrent mkvs and rip Blu Rays?

What OP is wanting to build is a nerds HTPC- one that can play HD video and can do many other things (like a nerd would want). Basically in my opinion the OP's expectations are too high. Either momma needs a dedicated HTPC that is controlled by a remote and she swears to friends is an appliance like a TiVo, or momma needs a desktop computer. Mixing the two is a recipe for disaster IMHO.

But then I think: "Why do I think it will be a disaster?" And the answer is because I have tried something like it before (like any of us) and failed the first time mom wanted the PC's task to switch from being a HTPC to a desktop. I learned any HTPC that is not controlled by a remote (and is not dedicated to the task) is useless to non-techie people.

And that shows me that I am filled with assumptions. Maybe OP's mom is a super geek. Maybe OP's mom IS going to be the one acquiring the content, and maybe she IS tech savvy enough to be able to bridge the HTPC/Desktop divide.

So that is why instead of saying my usual "Sounds like a bad idea," I have been helping the OP. Unique situations (like a tech savvy mom) require unique solutions.

That is why I want OP to post back about how successful it was so next thread when I run up against someone wanting to make a Pentium 4 HTPC for a tech savvy person I can maybe recommend a Windows 7 route that none of us have previously explored.

- TweakMonkey - 2010-07-06

Speaking from experience, I had an old Abit IC7 w/ a 3.2Ghz p4. I borrowed an AGP Radeon 4670 to see if it would be worth while to use as an xbmc box. It worked ok, but was completely incapable of running 1080P. 720P worked most of the time but would sometimes have minor glitching/stuttering.

I am now building an nvidia ion box.

System specs
3.2Ghz P4
Abit IC7
2Gb Corsair XMS
ATI Radeon 4670
Windows xp