Home Theater PC HTPC with DFI motherboard mATX

 This is a Home Theater PC [HTPC] that was built in-house for client presentations; it was used once or twice a week.

To be realistic, it got more use by the degenerate inter-galactic desperado designers I employed who goofed off watching videos and listening to music in the presentation room.

NOTE: THE MONITOR IN THE PHOTOGRAPH IS NOT INCLUDED; ONLY THE CPU.

The case measures 12.5- by 16.75- by 4-inches.  The CD on the case gives an idea of how small this case is; about the size of a DVD player.  The images seen on top of the case in the photograph with the monitor [not included] in the background are the case top vents.

The processor is an AMD 1.8 MHZ [Socket 939].  There is a 200 GB hard disk and a DVD-ROM, and 512 MB of system memory.  The operating system is Windows 2000.  Installed software includes: OpenOffice 3.0; Alibre 3D CAD; Google SketchUp; and all the various other accessory software applications for a HTPC.   A cable to feed audio into an amplifier is included [RCA plugs on one end].  There is no keyboard or mouse.

DETAILS, DETAILS, DETAILS

The motherboard is a DFI Infinity RS 482 [mATX size]with an AMD 1.8 MHZ processor [Socket 939] and 512 MB of memory [The mother board can handle up to 4MB of memory].  The instruction manual and installation CD for the motherboard are included, as is the floppy disk with the RAID drivers .

Here is a link to NewEgg with info about the motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16813136007

There is a nauseating amount of information about the motherboard at the very end of this narrative.

The AMD 1.8 MHZ processor handled everything we ask of it, including rotating 3-D images with no ghosting.

The hard disk is a MAXTOR STM3200820A.  This is a 200 GB disk and there is 196GB free.  The DVD-ROM reader is a Memorex 16x that was chosen because it is quiet when running.  The DVD-ROM instructions are included.

There are no after-market cards installed.  There is room for a PCIe x16, a PCIe x1 and two PCI slots.

The on-board video is quite good.  For client presentations we easily rotated 3-D drawings in Alibre and Google SketchUp.   Both these pieces of software are included.  The drawings were relatively complex, but not overly so as there was no use confusing the clients.  There are VGA, DVI-D and HD TV-out connectors.

The on-board audio is very good [8-channel, and S/PDIF in/out interface].  The audio output was clear and distinct at all sound levels; at least those below the threshold of pain.

There is a 90mm fan on the processor and a 75mm case fan.  Both fans are controlled by a temperature sensor on the processor which means that the fans run at a speed commiserate with the load on the processor.  The fans were never noticeable during presentations, even during those long moments of silence when the clients were presented with a bill.

There is no keyboard or mouse.  We used cordless ones, and those we kept; well, somebody kept them.


OPERATING SYSTEM
The operating system is Windows 2000.  Yes its old, but it is so reliable and stable that there was never a reason to upgrade.
 

OTHER INSTALLED SOFTWARE

Alibre Design.  A clean install.  This CAD program is a 3-D parametric solid modeler much like SOLIDWORKS but easier to use.  The video tutorials included with the software coupled with the more advanced on-line video tutorials are better than attending a class; they are well thought out: detailed and specific.  Within a few days after viewing both sources of videos I was designing simple parts.  In a bit over a week I was designing complex parts and assemblies.

GOOGLE SketchUp 6.  A 3-D edges and surfaces modeler.  This is a very easy to use 3D modeling program that is very versatile and widely used.  Quick and easy to use for conceptualization. This is a brilliantly designed CAD program that even your grandmother can figure out and enjoy.  The online tutorials will lead you to competency in hours, though practice makes perfect.  I do suggest buying the Google for Dummies book.

OPEN OFFICE 3.0: OpenOffice.org 3  is the leading open-source office software suite  for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more.  It is available in many languages  and works on all common computers. It stores all your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.

This is a great office suite; straight forward and easy to use.

Here is the Web site: OpenOffice.org

SHIPPING

I will design and fabricate a box for shipping so that Godzilla and King Kong won't be able to damage this computer.

Shipping will be by US Postal Service Parcel Post.  There will be Postal Service Insurance and there will be Delivery Confirmation; that is the $4.00 handling charge.

The ebay shipping cost estimator is about as accurate as a blind man in a snow storm;  if you want exact: email me your ZIP code and I will get an accurate estimate.

Please wait until you receive an invoice before you pay so I can get an exact shipping cost.   If you pay before receiving an invoice, I will return that payment, and then send an invoice.  Payment is expected within 24-hours unless there has been prior arrangements.  You can pick this item up at no charge.

THERE ARE NO RETURNS, so please ask questions before you bid.


Here are the stats on the motherboard:

Motherboard: DFI RS482 Infinity

Processor: Socket 939 Athlon 64, Athlon X2, Athlon FX, Opteron

Chipset: ATI Radeon Xpress 200 (RS482) + SB450

Memory: 4 x 184 pin DDR SDRAM slots at DDR266/333/400 MHz; Dual channel DDR, up to 4GB

Audio:8-Channel Realtek ALC850 AC-97 Audio Codec

LAN: 1 x Realtek RTL8110SB Gigabit PCI LAN

Parallel ATA: 2

Serial ATA: 4 channels SATA with RAID 0, 1, 0+1, JBOD

Firewire: VIA VT6307

On-Board Video: ATI Radeon Xpress 200

Expansion: 1 x PCI Express x16, 1 x PCI Express x1, 2 x PCI

Rear panel I/O:    2 x PS/2 keyboard/mouse
                1 x RJ45 (LAN)
                4 x USB 2.0
                1 x line-in/line-out/mic (audio)
                1 x parallel (SPP/ECP/EPP)
                1 x Optical S/PDIF output
                Additional line-outs for 7.1 channel audio
                1 x VGA monitor
                1 x DVI-D
                1 x TV-out  (Composite/SVIDEO/Component)
                1 x IEEE1394a

Internal I/O:        4 x Serial ATA connectors
                2 x UDMA ATA 133/100/66/33 Bus Master IDE connector
                1 x FDD connector
                2 x USB 2.0/1.1 connectors
                 (supports 4 ports)
                1 x IEEE 1394b connectors
                 (supports 2 ports)
                2 x cooling fan pin headers
                1 x CD in connector
                1 x Front Panel audio connector
                1 x COM connector