Since my DVD player died, I'm thinking I might build a HTPC since I almost have enough parts to respawn a new system. I have an old micro-atx motherboard w/PCI express x16 slot, AMD 3700 processor with giant heatsink, and 2 gigs of ram. I just need a video card, and a PSU. The machine will sit under my TV and play DVD and maybe blu-ray rips from across the network. In the future I will get a TV card and make it a DVR.
The PSU needs to be small-form-factor and extremely quiet, and the videocard doesn't have to be gameable, but I would like it to be able to handle hi-def rips and maybe dual monitors. I will ONLY be using linux so I will probably be looking for NVIDIA. Passive cooling would be a big plus. Any ideas? There's just so many brands out there I'm not sure if I should just buy the cheapest dual-output videocard from Newegg or what.
The PSU needs to be small-form-factor and extremely quiet, and the videocard doesn't have to be gameable, but I would like it to be able to handle hi-def rips and maybe dual monitors. I will ONLY be using linux so I will probably be looking for NVIDIA. Passive cooling would be a big plus. Any ideas? There's just so many brands out there I'm not sure if I should just buy the cheapest dual-output videocard from Newegg or what.
