Need a new computer - Suggestions?

[chumps98]

I am looking for a new WMC computer, I am not much of a computer "builder" so I am looking at the major manufacturers, such as Dell, HP, etc... Can anyone suggest a model number that has worked well for them? In reviewing the manufacturer websites, they do not seem to promote which would be best, like Dell did before with their XPS 420 (which is what I need to replace). I am not sure if only certain computers need to be Digital Cable Ready, like the XPS 420 was. Thanks in advance.

[STC]

HTPCs for cable card use are no longer required to be certified. Microsoft removed that restriction some time ago.
As far as selection of a system, go to a few electronics stores and see what deals are on. You can't really go wrong with any modern PC nowadays, they will all have the grunt. It really depends on what you ultimately want to do with it as to how large to go with hard drive capacity and space for adding more in the future.

[barnabas1969]

I agree with STC. The only thing I would add is to look out for the following:

1) Number of CPU cores: Microsoft recommends 1 CPU core for each Media Center extender that you plan to run simultaneously.

2) Amount of RAM: Microsoft recommends 1GB of RAM per extender that you plan to run simultaneously. This is in addition to the recommended amount of RAM for Windows7, which is 2GB. This means that if you plan to run four extenders simultaneously, you need 6GB (2+4). Also keep in mind that if you plan to use more than 4GB of RAM, you'll need a 64-bit version of Windows.

3) Hard disk space for recorded TV and other media files. You'll need approximately 6GB of disk space per each hour of recorded HD TV. I personally wouldn't buy less than a 1TB hard drive, preferably more.

4) If you find a pre-built PC that has an SSD as the boot disk (and a large enough HDD as mentioned in #3 above) for a reasonable price, the SSD will give you lots of bang for the buck. You can always add an SSD later if this option bumps the price of the pre-built PC too high for your budget.

[chumps98]

Thanks to both of you. This helps, I've been out of the loop since 4 years ago when only certain computers were capable. I am looking at the Dell XPS 8500, which exceeds those minimum requirements barnabas listed. Thanks!

[bmblank]

The xps's look awesome for something like this. Probably overkill for most, but if you got the funds... I've Been thinking of getting one also. I've Been seeing them on dealnews.com fairly often in the $800-1000 range. Sometimes cheaper. I must say, I'm partial to Dell over HP or others.

[barnabas1969]

Thanks to both of you. This helps, I've been out of the loop since 4 years ago when only certain computers were capable. I am looking at the Dell XPS 8500, which exceeds those minimum requirements barnabas listed. Thanks!

You could probably do it for quite a bit less money, but I'm sure the Dell is a quality product. I would choose Dell over HP any day of the week.