Disabling on board video

[omnihilo]

Okay, well after having ordered everything, I decided to open up my computer and see if I had room for it all. I know, great order to go about things in. Anyway, I was expecting a video card I could pop out and replace with the one I bought that has TV-OUT on it, but there is no card. Just something built into the motherboard that the monitor plugs into. If I install the other video-card, am I likely to run into any conflicts? Would disabling the drivers through the device manager be wise? I have to admit I don't have much of an idea what I'm doing and would like to get some feedback before starting the process of gutting the computer and replacing stuff.

In a similar vein, I don't have anywhere else to put the new harddrive I bought. Nowhere that I can mount it with a bracket or screws or anything. I have a little bit of space that I could just lay it on top of the other harddrive, but that's probably a pretty horrible idea, isn't it? Should I just go about trying to ghost the smaller drive onto the bigger one and toss the smaller one in another machine? Or are harddrives not to picky about just laying around not being secured?

[berg]

Two problems you should be able to handle rather easily;

To disable the on-board video, you generally have to access the BIOS and disable the on-board video chip from there. You should see a screen with an option to access the BIOS settings when your computer first boots up. You could also check you Mobo's or computer's manual.

As for adding the HD, you have a couple of options. You can generally add a HD in one of the open 5.25 bays using some brackets. You could also build some brackets to piggy back your additional drive on top of the existing HD if you have the room. (Just make sure to leave some room between the two so air can get between them to cool the drives.) I have used this with various computers.

If by chance you have a Dell Dimension 2400 (I just recently setup a new 2400 as a BTV machine) you can actually order a bracket from the web to add a second drive despite the fact that the 2400 only comeswith one HD slot. You should be able to Google to find it.

Another option, if you truly don't have the room is to use an external HD case that connects to your computer over USB 2.0 or FireWire. Both will work well, be fast enough to record to or watch from and have their own power supply. Don't use USB 1 as it is too slow.

One word of caution, make sure your power supply can actually power all your goodies. If you are adding several drive, anew video card, etc., you could be straining the power supply. HD usually draw themost power a spin up, just as you boot. If you run into hardware problems during boot up, it could be a over worked power supply. You can damage your power supplyif you over draw for too long.

Hope this helps.

[V_D_O]

Just so you know, it is not essential to disable onboard video before installing a video card. I've never done this and have never run into any problems. Yet. In fact, one of my upcoming plans is to use all three video outputs for various devices (2 on the AGP card, one on the motherboard). I have yet to see how (and if!) this works, though.

[omnihilo]

Wow, thanks a lot berg, that's quite helpful. I'll check the BIOS in a little bit and see if there's anything listed. Otherwise I'll probably have to hunt online for the info. (Although I think I'll just try and put the other video card in and take my chances, as V_D_O suggested. What's the worst that can happen?heh) As far as the HD goes, if I can find the brackets to convert a 5.25 bay, I'll just rip out the floppy drive and pop the HD in there. I have an USB floppy I can use should the need arise.

[MonsterHTPC]

The bios will have settings to turn off the onboard vid as mentioned, some will even let you keep both while giving priority to the AGP or PCI slot video cards.

Have to be careful you can quite easily change the vid settings in the bios and end up booting a system and get nothing to display on your monitor If this happens follow steps to reset your bios, usually a jumper on the MB, or just unplugging and removing the battery can work.

I would leave the onboard vid enabled, add the new sound card and use both till you get the settings adjusted with the new card as the primary. Alot of the dual monitor settings are under your display properties: right-click desktop -> properties -> settings. you will then see two screens one with a '1' in the center and one with a '2'. You can select them individually and then choose advanced to look at more of their options etc... You will want to get the new graphics card as your primary and actually displaying the desktop correctly before disabling the onboard vid. Some mobo combinations can get really strange with windows.

[omnihilo]

Well, guess I should have obeyed the old carpentry adage of "measure twice, cut once." I got the FX5200 and PVR250 and they are both too big. The PVR almost fit, but the FX5200 wasn't even close. So..I guess I'll have to end up returning everything, which really sucks. I've already sank more money into this than I had originally intended, and I seriously doubt I could find a new case/motherboard/processor/power supply that would work for cheap ($150?). Anyone have any ideas?

It doesn't really matter, but the current computer is a cheapass gateway, from about a year and a half ago (1.8 Ghz Pent4) Not very modifiable, short of taking a hacksaw to the back side of it. Which, come to think of it...

[Brett]

Why not move the computer into a new case? If Gateway uses standard size motherboards you could buy a nice looking htpc case or even a $20 cheap case that could hold everything. I know for a fact Dell DOES NOT use standard size motherboards, so I am not quiet sure whether Gateway does or does not.

As for V_D_O I do exactly what your planning with three outputs (dual monitors + tv) and it works like a charm.

-Brett

[omnihilo]

Well, I've never moved a motherboard or installed one. It's an option I guess, as long as it's relatively simple. I'll look and see what kind of motherboard the computer has..how do I then tell if it will fit in other cases?

[Brett]

Simplist way is going to be to ask someone who knows...I would call gateway tech support and ask them, THEY WILL KNOW, whether they will tell yah is another story.

Or if you have a digital camera take a picture of the back of the case with all the plugs unplugged and I can tell you with like 90% confidence.

Moving a motherboard is not a hard task, but its not the most favorite task in the world, actually if its a P4 and uses 478 (again you will have to ask gateway) then I would just buy a brand new better motherboard and case. You could then put the P4 1.8ghz in with that memory and upgrade it at a later time by adding upto a P4 3.2ghz.

-Brett

[omnihilo]

OKay, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to try and do it correctly (as much as it hurts the already grievously wounded pocketbook).

Can someone knowledgeable look at this and let me know if this would be a good choice? http://www.msicomputer.com/product/d...model=MEGA_651

I asked someone who is willing to sell it to me and they said that the GeForce card should fit fine (they asked if it was AGP, I said it requires an AGP 3.0 slot, waiting to hear back from them if it is), and the PVR250 is just a regular PCI slot (right?) so hopefully that won't be an issue either. I already have a hard drive and I could scrounge some memory or, if absolutely necessary, pick some more up. So that leaves me with having to pick up a processor, and that should be it? I'm hoping the onboard audio will work and that I won't have to buy a separate sound-card. So HOPEFULLY this will be it and I can start putting it all together and then enduring the headache of getting it all to work!

[MonsterHTPC]

I have been wanting to get my hands on one of those for some serious testing, although haven't so would love to hear how it works.

I find it hard to sell or find people interested in them as one of the main attractions to an HTPC is upgradeability and that is where shuttle style and setups like the one you linked to can sometimes lack in.

On to matters though.

That system has 2 available slots, one pic one agp. You will use both, that Vid card will work fine, just disable the onboard vid. The PVR250 is a PCI card so will take up the other slot. You will have to use onboard sound since you won't have any more pci slots to put in a sound card. Other options include using a USB tv-tuner/capture card, or some USB sound solution; however, the onboard sound should suffice as long as you don't need more than 5.1. If you have a reciever that has coaxial spdif in, then use that for sure, since that system has spdif out.

[omnihilo]

Cool. I'm looking at This processor.

Does anyone know what • SiS® 651 • SiS® 962 means for the chipset? The processor I'm looking at is a Socket 478, which is what the motherboard supports. Is that all I have to worry about? It says it comes with the fan and heatsink, but I imagine I'll have to install those? Never done that before, but it's not too difficult, is it? Just have to make sure not to crack the chip?

And I'll definitely let you know how it turns out, MonsterHTPC. Hopefully in another week or so everything else will have arrived and I'll be up and running.

[skateni]

Originally posted by omnihilo
Cool. I'm looking at This processor.

Does anyone know what • SiS® 651 • SiS® 962 means for the chipset? The processor I'm looking at is a Socket 478, which is what the motherboard supports. Is that all I have to worry about? It says it comes with the fan and heatsink, but I imagine I'll have to install those? Never done that before, but it's not too difficult, is it? Just have to make sure not to crack the chip?

And I'll definitely let you know how it turns out, MonsterHTPC. Hopefully in another week or so everything else will have arrived and I'll be up and running.

Nice ... I think you should make sure the video and PVR-250 can fit ( space are usually at a premium in those form factors and your video card might have over-sized fans ).

It supports up to 533 MHz FSB and the 1.8 MHz P4 is only running at 400 MHz FB, you should consider getting a CPU with the 533 MHz FSB ( the 2.4/2.6 or 2.8 GHz ones ).

[omnihilo]

Originally posted by skateni


Nice ... I think you should make sure the video and PVR-250 can fit ( space are usually at a premium in those form factors and your video card might have over-sized fans ).

It supports up to 533 MHz FSB and the 1.8 MHz P4 is only running at 400 MHz FB, you should consider getting a CPU with the 533 MHz FSB ( the 2.4/2.6 or 2.8 GHz ones ).

Well, I don't know how to tell if the videocard will fit in the case without having the case. I asked the guy selling it and he said he installed a similar (I think he said Radeon 9600, can't access that email behind work firewall) card and it fit fine. I'll be incredibly pissed if it doesn't. As far as the FSB...I've never completely understood the technical aspect of that. I can't understand how the FSB is going to benefit much if the RAM is only at 333 MHZ. I know the cache and stuff helps with that, but still..shouldn't be a huge difference. Since this is going to be dedicated to BTV, I'm not worried about getting the best, just getting something that will do well, as cheaply as I can. But by all means, if you know a place where I can get the 2.4 for the same price, let me know!

[skateni]

Anyone correct me if I am wrong ( I'm no expert in this either ) ... The FSB ( or system bus ) generally the bus to the L2 cache. Long time ago, they decoupled the system bus to RAM. For DDR 333, it's actually running at 166 MHz ( double datarate and it's rated as 333 MHz ).

So the faster FSB means faster/better performance ( to the L2 cache which in turn fetches it from the RAM ). 400 Mhz ( or even 533 MHz for that matter ) FSB's are being gradually replaced by the 800 MHz's bus speed for Intel ( AMD still stuck at 266, going on to 333 and quite recently at 400 MHz ) and the price premium between a 400 MHz and a 533 MHz is not much. That web site you show it is US113 for the 1.8GHz 400 MHz FSB as compared to USD 145 for a 2.4 GHz 533 MHz FSB.

No doubt it will suffice for your application .. it's just my thoughts ..