Setting up the system

It was fairly straightforward setting up our Windows Media Center hardware. The core component of the new system was the Shuttle XPC SN85G4 V2 Small Form Factor PC. We reviewed the first generation version of this particular Shuttle box and found it outstanding. Version 2.0 adds some minor refinements and lowers the system noise output of the SFF box. We're going to skip the details of actually putting a SFF system together since it's been shown time and time again. Here are the key items:

1. We took the entire SFF box apart in preparation for the installation of the Athlon64 CPU. Taking apart the box is just a matter of removing several screws and getting clearance to the processor socket. We also removed the innovative Shuttle ICE cooler system.
2. The next step was to prepare the Athlon64 processor by applying a nice thin layer of thermal grease. We also applied thermal grease to the underside of the ICE cooler.
3. With the CPU all set, we inserted the Athlon64 processor into the socket and screwed the ICE cooler back into the XPC system.
4. The rest of the system installation was fairly straightforward. All I had to do was install the hard drive and the DVD burner and connect the respective IDE and power cables. We chose to install a nice new 250GB hard drive from Maxtor. You could certainly install a smaller hard drive but if you are planning to record TV shows, we recommend you go with a large drive.
5. For graphics, we're using an older ATI Radeon 9700 Pro video card which goes right into the AGP 8x slot.
6. The Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-250 card went right into the single PCI slot of the XPC system. You can download MCE drivers for the card at the Hauppauge website http://www.hauppauge.com/pages/support_mce.html or at the following website : http://www.shspvr.com/mce.html You can also get the WinTV-PVR-250MCE card. The 250MCE has an FM Tuner card while the 250 does not. We didn't feel like we needed an FM Tuner at this point since we already had an FM/AM receiver at home.
7. Now comes the accessories – if you purchased the Windows Media Center Edition OS from a distribution partner, then you probably got a remote control with the package. We connected the remote control's IR receiver to an available USB port and then placed batteries into the remote. The remoe control receiver has ports for two IR blasters.

From a hardware perspective, we're pretty much all set. Now comes the fun part – installing the Windows Media Center Edition OS.

Here is a look at the final system. One of the things we'd like to change in the near future is to get a black cover for the DVD burner to match the rest of the case.

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