How to Build a Living Room Media Center PC

The Internet offers entertainment options, such as live video and downloadable movies. With the correct components and some basic knowledge, one can build a living room media center PC that can combine many entertainment technologies into one convenient piece of hardware. Not only does this reduce clutter in the typical home entertainment center, but it also opens up new possibilities as to how the media can be displayed, stored and shared.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Multimedia center case Motherboard Processor RAM modules Hard drive Sound card Video card TV card DVD drive Mouse Keyboard Media center operating system/software

1. Determine the type of case you're going to use for the PC. Many manufacturers offer custom cases that are specifically designed for media center applications. They include features such as wireless remote controls, status displays and noise-reducing options. This is the most important part of the media center PC, as it will determine what other components will be compatible with the system.

2. Obtain the rest of the parts that will be required. Often, the motherboard of the computer will be included with the custom case, and it may have some components built in, such as an Ethernet card. Select the fastest processor, largest hard drive and the most amount of RAM that can be obtained within the build budget. These items will determine the overall performance of the system.
   Add a quality sound card with surround sound that can interface with the home stereo system. Choose a video card that can route its output to a TV set. Many video cards are now available with HDMI outputs, making the connection to a high-definition TV very simple. You can add a TV tuner card for watching and recording TV. These are available in both standard and high-definition versions.
   Add a DVD recorder to play and archive videos, a wireless keyboard and mouse to control the system, and any other accessories you desire.

3. Arrange all of the parts in a clean, well-lit work area. Mount the motherboard into the case, if necessary. Insert the processor into the motherboard. Apply thermal grease between it and the heat-sink/fan assembly. Insert RAM chips into the appropriate slots, as recommended by the documentation that came with the motherboard. Mount the hard drive and the DVD drive into the proper drive bays and connect power and data cables between the motherboard and the drives. Insert the video card, sound card and TV card into compatible slots, and secure them with screws. Close the case and connect all of the external cables that should go to the mouse, keyboard, sound system and TV.

4. Install an operating system and media center software, if necessary, on the new PC. There are specialized versions of both Windows and Linux that are designed to make accessing all of the computer's multimedia functions nearly as easy as using a cable box or a DVD player's menu system. In addition, there are many custom programs that can be run on top of a standard operating system installation, and many offer the same features a full media center installation.

5. Install the drivers for the system's hardware, if necessary, and configure the software to operate as desired.

Tips & Warnings

• Research all of the components to be included in the system to ensure compatibility between them.
• Touch a grounded metal surface before working inside the computer case. Electrostatic discharges can damage sensitive computer components.