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Media-Stor ~ My Media PC & Center of My Entertainment System

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Well here it is, the current center of my attention.
This project started out as a means for an All-In-One device. I wanted something that would …

1- Play DVD’s
2- Play Live TV
3- Record TV
4- Have the ability to Pause / Rewind / Fast Forward Live TV
5- Have an integrated Guide
6- Play Blu-ray
7- Play Divx / MP3 and other formats
8- Have the ability to watch and record TV simultaneously
9- Support 5.1 & or 7.1 surround sound
10- Have the ability to play games
11- Have the ability to function as a lite internet device

Yes thats a pretty big list I know. I started my build with modest parts but have since upgraded several times and continue to upgrade almost monthly. I will start this post with the original build and post the current and future upgrades as well.

On with the Specs

OS
Make: Microsoft
Model: Windows Vista Ultimate 32bit
Upgraded
Make: Microsoft
Model: Windows7 Ultimate 64bit

Case
Make: ARC
Model: 400BA

Motherboard
Make: ECS
Model: RS780M-A / A780GM-A
Socket: AM2+, AM2
Chipset: AMD / ATI 780G
Video: AMD / ATI HD3200
Audio: IDT 92HD206
NIC: Athros L1 10/100/1000
Cool Features: The name is “Black Edition”, 32GB Max memory, 5 SATA + ESATA, HDMI onboard
Upgraded
Make: Asus
Model: M4A78 Plus
Socket: AM3, AM2+, AM2
Chipset: AMD / ATI 770
Audio: Realtek ALC887
NIC: ? 10/100/1000
Cool Features: Crossfire X support, Socket AM3 Support, 10 USB Ports on the rear, Optical Audio out

Processor
Make: AMD
Model: Athlon 64 x2
Rating: 4600+
Upgraded
Make: AMD
Model: Phenom x4
Rating: 9850

Heatsink and Fan
Make: Arctic Cooling
Model: Freezer 64 Pro
Fan: Default 92mm

Memory
Make: PQI
Model: Turbo Black
Speed: DDR2 800 PC2 6400
Size: 1GB x4
Upgraded
Make: Corsair
Model: XMS2
Speed: DDR2 1066 PC2 8500
Size: 2GB x2

Video Card
Make: AMD / ATI
Model: HD3200
Memory: 512mb / Shared
Interface: Onboard
Upgraded
Make: Asus / AMD / ATI
Model: EAH4350 Silent
Memory: 512mb
Interface: PCI Express 2.0 x16

TV Tuner
Make: MSI
Model: Theater 650 Pro
Chipset: AMD / ATI
Type: Dual Tuner (1 Analog Tuner / 1Digital Tuner)
Interface: PCI-E x1
Upgraded
Make: Hauppauge
Model: WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual Tuner
Chipset: Hauppauge
Type: Dual Analog Tuner + Dual Digital Tuner
Interface: PCI-E x1

Network Card
Make: Athros
Model: L1
Speed: 10/100/1000
Interface: Onboard
Upgraded
Make: ?
Model: ?
Speed: 10/100/1000
Interface: Onboard

Hard Drive
Make: WD
Model: Green
Size: 500GB
Interface: SATA 3.0GB
Configuration: Single Drive
Upgraded
Make: WD
Model: Black
Size: 1TB
Interface: SATA 3.0GB
Configuration: Single Drive

Powersupply
Make: Rosewill
Model: Green Series RG530-S12
Watts: 530 Watt
Upgraded
Make: Enermax
Model: Liberty 550
Watts: 550 Watt

MISC
Make: Samsung
Model: Super-WriteMaster
Spec: Dual Layer 22x +/- DVD RW
Upgraded
Make: Lite-On
Model: iHOS104-08 – Retail
Spec: Blu-ray + DVD + CD

Near Future Upgrades
-AMD Phenom  x4 -X
-Discreet Graphics -X
-Better Power Supply -X
-Additional TV Tuner
-More memory
-Windows 7 64bit -X

:note – To enlarge the pictures you have to click them, this will go to a new page. Now click the picture again to open full size.

Related posts:

  1. Media-Stor Update 09/28/09 I decided after I found out the hard drive was causing some issues I would update it with a new WD Black Edition 1TB drive but why stop there? I also purchased a new AMD Athlon X4 Phemon, unfortunatly since this is only an AM2 / AM2+ board AM3 Athlons...
  2. Media-stor Update 09/30/09 With the current random shutdown issues I was able to rule out just about everything by swapping out parts with my gaming PC except the power supply. I started thinking maybe because of the new quad core processor and hard drive my power supply might not be up to snuff...
  3. Media-Stor Update 10/20/09 Since I reinstalled Windows 7 I have been experiencing heat issues which is no surprise to me since I have noticed them on everything I have installed Windows 7 on. I honestly think at this point the reason Windows 7 runs faster is because somehow they rewrote the code to...
  4. Media-Stor Update 11/01/09 After my last update you know I have been having issues with my TV tuner card and after putting up with it for a while I couldn’t take it any longer. I decided enough was enough and it was time to purchase a new TV tuner. Newegg also had some Corsair...
  5. Media-Stor Update 09/12/10 I finally decided to hop on the Phenom II bandwagon after seeing them drop in price again. I can tell you I didn’t know what to expect with the upgrade from a Phenom 9550 to a Phenom II 965 BE but I can tell you I am very happy with...

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