Build a Kitchen PC

When it comes to the proper planning and placement of equipment and ingredients in the kitchen, the French have a word for it (actually, three words): mise en place. The goal is to make the cooking process as efficient as possible. Unfortunately for many household chefs, mise en place includes a spattered, dog-eared cookbook or messy magazine and newspaper clippings that consume valuable counter space. In addition, many kitchens today also cram in a TV, CD player, and radio.

All this makes the kitchen an interesting opportunity for intrepid system builders. The ability to offer customers a life-altering, real-world use for a system can help differentiate a system builder's services, attract new customers, and turn a nice profit in the process.

For the ideal kitchen PC, the following functionality is paramount:

• Small form-factor: Lets the user position the PC in a cabinet or under a counter.
• Web browsing: To find recipes, news, etc.
• Multimedia: The ability to watch TV, play DVDs, and play music CDs and files.
• Touch screen: Eliminates the need for a counter-cluttering keyboard and mouse.
• A "flexible" screen: I'm not talking about one of those space-age, fruit roll-up types of flexible screens. Rather, I mean a mount for the display that can be positioned above a stove, cabinet, or counter so it does not consume valuable counter space. The display should be easily maneuverable so that the user can adjust for height, distance and location.

Also, the less power—both in terms of energy consumption and performance—the better. What do I mean by that? In contrast to many PC projects, a kitchen PC will be used for fairly simple computing tasks. Therefore, it needn't be a processing monster. Instead, I aimed to find a sweet spot on the low-end of the price-performance scale that would result in a cool, quiet, and affordable system. Unfortunately, it turned out that I aimed a little too low, so, as you'll see, my project can also serve as a cautionary tale.

The greatest attribute of this rig is that it is entirely scaleable. In other words, you can convert any system, including an older PC, into a kitchen system. Let's dig in!

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to build a kitchen PC:

• AMD Sempron 3400+: As I mentioned above, we're not looking for massive processing power. This low-power, yet solid-quality CPU can be found in the $110 to $130 range at online retailers. Here's a shot of the Sempron 3400+:

  
  

  AMD makes a number of Socket AM2 processors that will work with Shuttle SN27P2's motherboard. More on these motherboards follow directly below. For more on AMD's processors, go to the firm's Compare Desktop Processor Specifications page.

  Okay, time for full disclosure: At the end of this project, it was clear to me that I had undershot my performance goal. So in retrospect, I would now recommend you going with a slightly more powerful processor—either one of the higher-end Semprons, or a lower-end Athlon 64. Either way, the price will still be extremely affordable.

• Shuttle SN27P2 case enclosure: The Taiwan-based Shuttle Computer Group has been building small form-factor (SFF) PC case enclosures with integrated micro-ATX motherboards for over a decade now, and it has real credibility. The firm's new SN27P2 is a forward-thinking gem that uses nVidia's new Nforce4 570 core logic chipset and supports AMD's recent Socket AM2 and DDR2 memory. This should make for a long life and an easy upgrade path. It also lays the foundation for a system that will perform at optimum levels, even with a mid- to low-range processor. The system is only 8.7 inches high, 8.3 inches wide, and 12.8 inches deep. For pricing information, see this Pricegrabber.com information page. Here's a photo of the Shuttle case enclosure:

  
  

  If you don't want to build out a PC yourself, Shuttle sells fully-configured retail boxes at affordable prices. An SN27P2 configured with an Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4600+ and a 200-GB drive can be purchased for a little over $1,700. At the lower end of the scale, the Shuttle X100, equipped with a 1.6-GHz Celeron M, offers excellent price-performance at just under $700.

• DiamondMax 10 160-GB SATA drive: This is a standard SATA drive that can be found online at prices of $60 to $80. For more detailed pricing information, visit this Pricegrabber.com page.

• Two 512-MB sticks of Corsair ValueSelect PC2-4200 RAM: Given the increasing memory appetite of Windows XP and the possibility of dealing with large files in Media Center edition (see the next entry), using 1 GB of system memory is only prudent. At $70 each, a pair of memory sticks cost $140.

• Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005: The newest version of Microsoft's Media Center variant of Windows XP is an excellent choice for general media and TV tuner functionality. This OS supports multiple tuners and integrates very easily into existing Windows home networks. The OS can be found at online retailers such as New Egg for as little as $110. For more information, check out this Microsoft Windows XP Media Center PC page.

• nVidia's DualTV MCE: This is a dual-tuner TV card, meaning you can plug two separate cable boxes into it. Also, it's compatible with Windows XP Media Center Edition. More information on nVIDIA's DualTV MCE page.

• 3M M170 Touch Screen Display: This marvelous display was the pice de rsistance of my own project. The 3M Touch System offers a brilliant display and is the crown jewel of our kitchen PC. The touch screen functionality allows you to eliminate a mouse and keyboard entirely. You use only your fingers or a makeshift stylus to browse the Web, enter text, and access the Media Center functionality. Here's a photo of the M170 touch screen display:

  
  

  Another nice touch: The M170 display has built-in speakers. While they're not the highest quality, this means you won't have to worry about installing or mounting separate speakers in the kitchen.

  At a little over $700, the M170 display is pricey, but consider this: Not only are you getting a touch screen, but you're also getting a high-quality, high-resolution screen. For more pricing information, go to this 3M Touch Systems page. Also, check out this Pricegrabber.com page for pricing on various models.

• Ergotron LX Wall Mount LCD Arm: I literally stumbled across this sharp-looking wall mount from Minnesota-based Ergotron, and I'm glad we did. One of my big concerns regarding this kitchen PC was where I would place the display. Using this device's swing-arm mounting system, I was able to mount the M170 touch screen in an unoccupied area of the kitchen, a space directly above and to the left of the stove.

  For pricing information, visit this Pricegrabber.com page. And here's a photo of the Ergotron wall mount:

  
  

• 16x DVD +/- RW drive: Any standard optical storage drive will do.

• USB keyboard and mouse: You'll need them for the installation process only!

• Coaxial male-to-male cable extender: This will be deployed to make the run from the cable line/box to the kitchen.

• Tools: The only tool you'll need for this project is a standard Philips-head screwdriver. An Allen wrench needed to mount the display is included in the box.