http://www.silentpcreview.com/article781-page1.html

I like the Antec and of course being able to use the Nexus 120mm fans. I have two in my current case and they are nice and quiet. I am sure that case will cost a penny or two and need to be acoustically treated, but I am willing to do that myself if I have to. The pc will be networked, so I don't need a lot of drive storage as it can be on the "server" which will be in the basement. A small laptop drive will be fine.

I was confused, you already have a server for all of the media? This will just be a satalite to take the spot of DVD and CD and grab media from the big server?

Thats is a sweet looking box though.

My old pc is plenty fast for streaming music. My plan was to keep it in the basement next to the stereo gear and just use other pc's to remotely change what it is playing.

MUCH easier. My machine is a raid server for the home and my personal game machine. The only issue I could see as not having it all in one, is for video. If the PC downstairs will just send data to one source you will be fine with any decent machine.

Video may not work so hot, but who knows.

Here is my display. I do not thin it has channel changer

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16824254026

I don't plan on streaming video from downstairs. Hell I don't really even watch TV and I don't watch movies so that sort of eliminates the need for that. I will be putting our cable box in the basement though and running a repeater to every room in the house so that one switch changes the channels for all of the TV's.

HTD is supposedly coming out with a video switcher that will do 1080p over a CAT5 as well. When available that may make it's way into the basement so that I can do multiple sources, but at the moment I have some boxes that R2 brought me to do the video switching.

I am concerned over sending video across 3 RG6 (rca terminated) component cables throughout the house and video quality as some runs will be in the 100' range, but have been told it should be fine. If anyone feels differently, I'd love to hear it.

My plan was to pull an extra Cat6 as well as 5 RG6 leads to every spot with a TV. I figure that gives me digital and analog video/sound.

I have a fundamental concern of using a soundcard/windows to control the volume. Going to WOT because of a pc glitch and blowing every driver in the house would frustrate me to no end.

My thought was to put the PC in the basement and use a home automation network to transmit the music to different rooms.

This system for instance:

http://www.htd.com/whole-house-audio/midle...34Pa38Ta38LbN50

Allows for off-board amps, which I need since the Maggies of course won't be happy with 50w. Has the capability of controlling the volume in every room via a computer, and is actually rather cheap. The advanced system will also control the security system and allow you to connect an Ipod in any room for local input. Of course the room with the TV this won't be an Ipod, but the input flexibility and locality is nice. It is also a piece of hardware then and not software.

The media pc in the living room will really be an internet surfing device as well as a blueray/dvd player. I don't really need it to be anything else. The basement pc/music server is in the basement, but the monitor and keyboard are in the kitchen.

Have you heard of there being an issue with windows/soundcards sending out a bad signal? I've never ever experienced it. That makes me pretty dang concerned. That freaks me out! Currently I put music through through the PC to the receiver, then speakers.

That is a pretty nice unit. I will have to think on my plan some more, and I'm allowing myself to make changes at will. I can only imagine the nightmare if one of the satalite PC's goes down, and the frustration I would have there. I just see so many plus sides to the versatility and "cool" factor of having a touch screen pc in ever room.

I plan to network the machine so anywhere there is a laptop you can control it. On the same note, I had thought about adding a touch screen in the bedroom upstairs, but on sort of a dummy machine again reaching down to the one in the basement.

I have seen windows burp different shit through cards. Mostly using acoustic recording software and it could be a driver flaw or else, but the one thing that all serious measurement equipment does is get the nasty windows volume control out of the loop. The better acoustic software locks it into outputting only one level.

Personally I'd prefer a higher quality pre-amplifier than the one that comes with the HTD stuff but for the sake of convenience I am willing to give that up. If I really hate it, I am running enough RG6 to locations that I can just put a pre-amp locally for critical listening.

Of course if I really want to critically do anything it will be in the upcoming home theater room, although planning/paying for that has to come much, much later.

class was cancelled

I don't plan on streaming video from downstairs. Hell I don't really even watch TV and I don't watch movies so that sort of eliminates the need for that. I will be putting our cable box in the basement though and running a repeater to every room in the house so that one switch changes the channels for all of the TV's.

HTD is supposedly coming out with a video switcher that will do 1080p over a CAT5 as well. When available that may make it's way into the basement so that I can do multiple sources, but at the moment I have some boxes that R2 brought me to do the video switching.

I am concerned over sending video across 3 RG6 (rca terminated) component cables throughout the house and video quality as some runs will be in the 100' range, but have been told it should be fine. If anyone feels differently, I'd love to hear it.

I have never seen a problem with running it that far. If it was next to power cable the whole way or something... maybe... but you can usualy sheild spots like that.

Sounds like you have a super plan already! I have so many projects I want to work on I'm loosing it. I really want to do a hot tub ATM, but the W is resistant.

My "super plan" needs a cheap pc for the living room that is ultra quiet though.

gotta do it

ToP

Owning a high-end car? Fun. Paying the hefty vehicle tax on it? Not so much -- that is, unless you live in the state of Massachusetts. From the late 1990s to 2007, the state's Registry of Motor Vehicles missed collecting $32 million a year in annual taxes because it used the NADA database to calculate them for some 131,000 exotics or otherwise premium vehicles. Unfortunately for the RMV, NADA's database excludes high-end luxury vehicles, so there was no proper way to tax those cars in the state. If, for instance, you purchased a Bugatti Veyron, instead of paying many thousands of dollars, you could have wound up paying no more than the owner of a Ford Focus.

This is going to suck for owners of affected cars, as the taxman comes to collect what he missed the first time around, right? Wrong. Folks who purchased an affected vehicle through 2007 are completely off the hook. The commonwealth has decided that trying to collect the over $300 million it missed over all those years would be an administrative and legal nightmare. That's a win-win situation for premium car owners in Mass. that's sure to torque off the regular guy, whom the government had no trouble finding and collecting from, as usual. What's scandalous is that no one at the RMV figured this out until now. Bay Staters, that's you're local government (and those tax dollars it collects) at work.

My "super plan" needs a cheap pc for the living room that is ultra quiet though.

If you want it can be done. What's the budget?

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estate/artic...es-to-Live-2008

Plymouth #1, pretty much where my bro, sis, and parents live. I used to be barely out of it and am now 10 miles away in a much nicer spot.

Saw that too.

Roundrock, TX is #7 its a very nice place. My uncle lived right outside of it for a while

I am dragging today sooo damn bad.....I feel like I could sleep for a year

You and me both . Think I'm gonna go home and go back to bed lol

Yay for Pecan Pralines from Charleston. Professor brought me back some from his trip.

My "super plan" needs a cheap pc for the living room that is ultra quiet though.

If you want it can be done. What's the budget?

Undetermined, in things like a pc I feel that riding the wave of just barely not new anymore is the spot where being cost conscious and still getting the most bang for the buck long term works out the best. In my case the biggest expense will probably be the case, although I'd like the video card to be able to process 1080p for both the internet as well as if I use it to play movies.

I think first I need to pick out the case, and cosmetics will play a role there but the focus is to be silent and hopefully fit in the spot on my a/v table where a receiver would normally go.

Realistically I'd like to do it in about two months. I don't have the TV/monitor or the stereo in yet and those things need to come first.

Sean: You fired up those Maggies yet?

Nope, I am short a pre-amp atm, but of course as I am typing realized that my Pio Elite has pre-amp outs that is in the living room. Perhaps I can "gain match" the Pio with my Crown amp and give them a shout.

My "super plan" needs a cheap pc for the living room that is ultra quiet though.

If you want it can be done. What's the budget?

Undetermined, in things like a pc I feel that riding the wave of just barely not new anymore is the spot where being cost conscious and still getting the most bang for the buck long term works out the best. In my case the biggest expense will probably be the case, although I'd like the video card to be able to process 1080p for both the internet as well as if I use it to play movies.

I think first I need to pick out the case, and cosmetics will play a role there but the focus is to be silent and hopefully fit in the spot on my a/v table where a receiver would normally go.

I love just barely not new. Exactly the way I described my rig. I think for what you want the case will have to be the #1 also. Again, I can't even hear mine in a room.

For the case, go as big as you can, is my recomendation. Internals are getting so big now that anything less than regular ATX size is no good unless you want to pay for premium laptop size peices. My GFX card is 10.5 inches long and even in a my case it's going to limit the size of aditional drives, if I ever increade my raid disk #

Realistically I'd like to do it in about two months. I don't have the TV/monitor or the stereo in yet and those things need to come first.

LMK if you need help, or want a need a guy to assemble. Sounds like you have it all covered.

Look into EVGA for GFX cards. I swear by them for performance and they are pretty well priced usual..

I really want to jump on the hybrid sale, and have the cash just waiting but is it possible to use the 8" without going IB?

I simply cannot put it in the door.

Looks like Budweiser sold themselves out....