Mini-ITX Thread :D

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: AtomicDude512

Originally posted by: PhoenixOfWater
yup...the only thing that mobo is missing is a AGP...

How much FPS do you think a processor that performs twice as bad as a 1.3Celeron can get?

Should FPS even be a concern? I can't imagine why you would use mITX or other similar form factors for any type of gaming or high-intensity graphics. If you were building a PC for LAN parties, you would probably want mATX and have real components, just in a smaller package.

 

[LeadMagnet]

@ Jzero - No Problem I can see where the confusion would come in expecialy with me useing a new name since I forgot my old login (rarely used).

 

[Athlex]

At work I've been using VIA's ITX hardware to build routers using linux. Very flexible, very managable using SSH/telnet, and way cheaper than Cisco, et. al. Probably have 20 or 30 of them deployed now. Silent is nice too. Using a solid state flash disk and an eden motherboard rocks.

 

[TEEZLE]

Out of curiosity is the text from the tv-out readable on a tv screen? (Like the text on windows desktop) I was hoping the tv-out technology is getting better. Wishful thinking?

 

[PhoenixOfWater]

Not really sure.... but if i had to guess.. i woulds say no..
but if you use S-video and have a good TV i know it would be much better the using RCA to the TV

 

[aircooled]

Seems like a good setup for "Mom" or anyone that just surfs the web and plays with word/excel here and there.

ITX/VIA mobo, cheap case, memory and drives, and you've got a dirt cheap computer that does everything except High-end 3D games.

 

[nightowl]

Does anyone know how well the VIA C3 play DiVX and DVDs. The form factor is great but the lack of performance from the CPU kind of worries me for these applications.

 

[Athlex]

Teezle,

Yes, it is legible. It's not as sharp as a VGA CRT, but it's not bad. Regular text is also very good like at boot time or at a DOS/bash prompt. I'm currently working on getting a linux-based ITX box working like a TiVO using "Freevo" So far it looks like the EPIA 5000 isn't quite up to the task of full-speed video capture, so I'm looking at either a faster mobo (M 10000 possibly) or a capture card that does hardware compression.

Another feature that seems rather poorly documented is that the EPIA motherboards also do composite output quite nicely. There is a very small jumper on the board between the parallel port connector and the USB connectors which toggles the coax jack in the back between digital audio and composite video. Hooked up to my 20" sony TV, it was pretty sharp. I didn't see much difference using the S-video jack either, so I'm sticking with the composite jack for now.

 

[Athlex]

Nightowl,

If you want to do video playback, you'll want an ITX system based on the EPIA-M motherboard. The regular EPIA doesn't have MPEG2 decompression in hardware, so it gags on some video playback. The M boards also use DDR memory which can only help.
I just tried a DivX file on my EPIA 5000 and it ran okay. Not a very high bitrate file, though, so quality movie rips might want more horsepower...

 

[PhoenixOfWater]

Originally posted by: nightowl
Does anyone know how well the VIA C3 play DiVX and DVDs. The form factor is great but the lack of performance from the CPU kind of worries me for these applications.

All the EPIA-M (6000 and up) have a mpeg decoder chip that lets you play DVD just fine as for as DIVX files... thats a diff story.. yes you can play them..
Read a review and you see... (I'll post some later today)
keep in mind that you can allways add a PCI Video card

 

[PhoenixOfWater]

Just update with losts of links

 

[snoopdoug1]

I'm planning to build one of these bad boys in a xbox case. Gonna use it for emulation/dvd playing/divx playing(I hope). Anyways, I'm hoping to make a tutorial... Want me to post a link?

I bought the 200w shuttle power supply from newegg for 43 bucks... I didn't want a brick sitting outside my pc

 

[snoopdoug1]

I kinda wish I woulda got the pentium... looks better(although would be hotter). I guess sound might be a problem too... who knows I have a need for speed... Why don't they sell it in the US?

 

[Athlex]

Sounds like a cool project, yeah, post your link. When it's done you should also send info to mini-itx.com. They have lots of interesting articles from people who have unusual ITX rigs.

 

[snoopdoug1]

Will do Might be a month or so... Finishing up school this semester, finals are getting closer every day !

 

[PhoenixOfWater]

Originally posted by: Doug3737
I'm planning to build one of these bad boys in a xbox case. Gonna use it for emulation/dvd playing/divx playing(I hope). Anyways, I'm hoping to make a tutorial... Want me to post a link?

I bought the 200w shuttle power supply from newegg for 43 bucks... I didn't want a brick sitting outside my pc

Here something to look at if you havn't see it
http://www.mini-itx.com/projects/i64xbox/

 

[snoopdoug1]

Thanks, but I've seen it Actually talked to the creator quite a bit too

 

[PhoenixOfWater]

Originally posted by: Doug3737
Thanks, but I've seen it Actually talked to the creator quite a bit too

Nice so your is going to be better right

 

[LordJezo]

What is the best setup for a system that will be playing DVDs and divx movies out to a tv?

What kind of processor power do I need? Will that EPIA-1000m thing be what I am looking for?

Also.. where is the best place to get slimline DVD drives?

 

[PhoenixOfWater]

Originally posted by: LordJezo
What is the best setup for a system that will be playing DVDs and divx movies out to a tv?

What kind of processor power do I need? Will that EPIA-1000m thing be what I am looking for?

Also.. where is the best place to get slimline DVD drives?

Any of the EPIA-M will play DVD just fine(as long as you use software that works with the mpg2decoder chip i think "PowerDVD" will do that
For divx i would get the EPIA-M1000 or M9000

 

[Athlex]

Slimline DVDs (as well as CD / CDRW / CDRW+DVD) are available at www.caseoutlet.com along with an adapter which allows you to use a standard 40-pin connector with a floppy power cable. They're often used in 1U rackmount servers as well, so you can also spot them from time to time on pricewatch/ebay.

 

[snoopdoug1]

Originally posted by: PhoenixOfWater

Originally posted by: Doug3737
Thanks, but I've seen it Actually talked to the creator quite a bit too

Nice so your is going to be better right

Well, it'll have a dvd drive at least! Dunno about better. I plan to make it "look" like the xbox, and not cut anything out so it has a fan in the top and whatnot...

 

[snoopdoug1]

Originally posted by: LordJezo
What is the best setup for a system that will be playing DVDs and divx movies out to a tv?

What kind of processor power do I need? Will that EPIA-1000m thing be what I am looking for?

Also.. where is the best place to get slimline DVD drives?

I got the m9000, and I got the dvd drive of ebay, adapter at idotpc.com(cheapest shipping I could find, and same price as everywhere else).

There's lots of reviews on the dvd playback... so check em out... Seems like the consensus is that you need to use powerdvd though as the software, because they were the only ones that via gave the mpeg2 hardware decoder info to... again, this is all just what I've read. I just got my wireless keyboard/mouse! So I'm hoping to start my project soon... hardest part for me will be mounting the full 120gb hard drive in the xbox case... we'll just have to wait and see how it goes!

 

[PhoenixOfWater]

Originally posted by: Doug3737

Originally posted by: LordJezo
What is the best setup for a system that will be playing DVDs and divx movies out to a tv?

What kind of processor power do I need? Will that EPIA-1000m thing be what I am looking for?

Also.. where is the best place to get slimline DVD drives?

I got the m9000, and I got the dvd drive of ebay, adapter at idotpc.com(cheapest shipping I could find, and same price as everywhere else).

There's lots of reviews on the dvd playback... so check em out... Seems like the consensus is that you need to use powerdvd though as the software, because they were the only ones that via gave the mpeg2 hardware decoder info to... again, this is all just what I've read. I just got my wireless keyboard/mouse! So I'm hoping to start my project soon... hardest part for me will be mounting the full 120gb hard drive in the xbox case... we'll just have to wait and see how it goes!

I think there there are other players that will use the mpeg2 hardware decoder
I think "BS Player" and "Win code" will.... I think but not sure... but "BS Player" is free to download

 

[snoopdoug1]

I thought I read somewhere that via only gave it's hardware decoding info to power dvd? So the others may use it, but I didn't think via gave them access to the schematics... dunno if that makes any sense, and I don't even know if it's true