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Cheapest PC for PVR?

I'd like to assemble a dedicated PVR out of a PC, and have already purchased Beyond TV and a Hauppage 250 card for this. Unlike many people who want to do this kind of project though, I do not already have an old PC that I can use as my base system. I also don't have deep pockets, so I would like to purchase the cheapest new PC I can get that will do the job.

(Provisos and parameters: 1) I know I could get a dirt cheap system used, but I want to be covered by a warrantee. 2) I don't want to fuss around with buying a bunch of cheap parts individually that may not work well together. I'm aiming for high reliability and don't want to waste a lot of time. 3) I don't need to fit the thing in my stereo cabinet, so I don't need a HTPC-style case.)

I've been surfing around awhile and this seems like a pretty hard challenge. Most current PCs are made with gaming in mind. They have much faster processors than you really need for a PVR that uses hardware encoding, so they may run hot and require a noisy fan (bad). They often come bundled with stuff you don't need for a PVR (speakers, printers), but lack what would be desirable in a PVR system (e.g. a really HUGE hard disk, lots of PCI slots to add additional tuner cards, etc).

Can PVRBloggers recommend manufacturers/retailers that fill the bill?

Oh -- one last wrinkle. I have to be able to buy it in Canada.
-- Kevin O'Neill

by Matt Haughey November 7, 2004 in Home Theater PC, media servers

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