How To Build A Home-Theater PC

Building a home-theater PC (HTPC) to emulate the boffo of the big-screen experience doesn't have to be a daunting task. In fact, from unpacking to installing the drivers, all you need is two hours.

Since this particular HTPC is designed to connect to your client's already-existing home-theater system, you needn't spec out speakers, video displays, receivers/amplifiers or input devices. Connecting an HTPC to a TV, however, is much more complicated than hooking it up to a computer monitor. So, before you do so, be certain you've set up the video output properly.

Time to gather your components (see "Product Recommendations"). You're now ready to build.

Step 1: Keep the HTPC Cool And Quiet

For an HTPC, both are critical. I recommend using 120-mm fans in your case/power supply. The Seasonic S12-500 deploys a 120-mm fan, and it also has an exceptionally efficient power supply. This will allow the computer to move the same amount of air through the case more quietly.

Additionally, since a high-speed processor can emit heat like a small space heater, you want to make certain you've got an excellent heat sink/fan combination. For the HTPC, I recommend the Thermalright XP-90C.

Step 2: Max Out The Audio/Video

Since the desired output is the highest-quality audio and video, some of your decisions will depend on your client's equipment. If your client has component inputs on his TV, then you'll need a cable adapter to convert the output from the video card (DVI) to the three-cable component video signal on the TV.

For audio output, use the motherboard's digital output, thus bypassing any extraneous noise from the PC affecting the audio output. This will also let your client's receiver properly decode the multichannel Dolby Surround, Dolby Digital or Digital Theater System (DTS) tracks.

Step 3: Nail the Aesthetics

A minimalist design is often a good choice; you'll want something that will look elegant alongside your client's stereo equipment. A front-facing fluorescent or LCD display is good, such as the one included with my suggested case. This can let you get information from the HTPC if there is a connection problem to the TV; having a built-in LCD screen makes any troubleshooting easier.

Step 4: Allow For Plenty Of Storage

Depending on the source, figure about 1 GB per hour for high-quality, standard-resolution video, and up to 10 GB per hour for high-definition content.

For this project, I've chosen a total of 1.6 TB of storage. The Intel Matrix RAID technology will give you the capability of using both RAID0 and RAID1 across the same physical drives. It also offers high-speed striped storage for your client's recorded audio/video, as well as safer mirrored storage for the OS, software and configuration files.

Step 5: Choose the Right Remote Control

An excellent, full-featured remote control for the entire system is the Logitech Harmony series, which is configured via the Web. That's it. You've built a home-theater PC with a large, expandable storage capacity and the ability to upgrade the software.

Product Recommendations

• Case: Uneed X15e with LCD Touchscreen

• Power supply: Seasonic S12-500

• Heat sink/fan: Thermalright XP-90C

• Motherboard: Asus P5WD2 Premium

• Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.4-GHz (660 version)

• Video card: Nvidia GForce 7800 PCI Express

• SD capture card: Hauppague WinTV-600MCE Dual Tuner Capture Card

• HD capture card: ATI HDTV Wonder

• RAM: 4x Corsair TwinX1024-8000UL

• DVD/CDRW: Pioneer

• Hard drive: 4x Seagate 400-GB SATA

• Keyboard and mouse: Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 3100

• Remote control: Logitech Harmony

• Software: Windows XP Media Center Edition

• Sound card: SoundBlaster Audigy 4 Pro PCI