MSI's Home Theatre PC Reviewed

VL writes "MSI, long time motherboard and video card manufacturer, has upped the ante somewhat with their MSI Entertainment and Gaming (MEGA 651) PC. Like other popular SFFs, the MEGA 651 is still "cube" in appearance, and offers support for fast CPUs and an AGP slot, but it has some unique ideas that target those specifically looking into building a Home Theater PC (HTPC). "

Comments

What's the fuzz about?

[jabbadabbadoo]

My PC already has all those things. Rebranding, anyone?

Cheeze.

Re:What's the fuzz about?

[RMH101]

did it cost you 200UKP for the barebones, and is it tiny and neat? if this was a post about a new linux distro, would you be saying "but mine does that already"? it's just a cool gadget, ok - a nice SFF box that you can buy to out-geek the guy with the shuttle cube

Re:What's the fuzz about?

[benjiboo]

On the contrary, I think there's a real niche for something like this if executed correctly. The current generation have grown up around file sharing and electronic media, and for some being able to set up a system out of the box with no fiddling is an attractive and more natural proposition against a CD player seperate (which is it's likeley competitor, rather than a PC.)

I guess the important thing is the price point. These devices can mainly add value in their convenience, something which we're only likely to pay a certain amount for....

Old news

[gvdkamp]

M.S.I. already announced this Product during the CeBit in March...

See their Press Release

Re:Old news

[lordfoul]

Did you notice the word "Reviewed" in the headline ??

Shame they don't use one

[Anonymous Coward]

... to run their webserver, that could use a fast CPU right now. /.ed with one comment. That's embarrassing.

Cube?

[diospadre]

You gotta love how companies like Shuttle, MSI, and Nintendo are slowly changing the definition of the word cube into "randomly sized box."

Then again, the movie changed it to "crap", so maybe this is a good thing.

Re:Cube?

[Ominous Coward]

I'd say that the GameCube is about as close to a cube as any console's ever come. GameSlightlyOffACubePlusHandle is a bit too long of a machine name.

Do Shuttle and MSI call their SFF boxes cubes, or was that the article's author calling them cubes?

Re:Cube?

[gid]

No where on Shuttle's site do they refer to any of their XPCs as "cubes". That's the slashdot story submiter's label.

I do wonder why they make HTPC's cubiod in shape. I'd much rather have one the size of an amplifier or dvd player and black that's designed to fit in my stereo rack, not grey and stick out like a sore thumb, screaming "HEY, I'M AN UGLY, NOISY, GREY COMPUTER, LOOK AT ME".

Re:Cube?

[mydigitalself]

you may want to look at someline along the lines of this. although its a bit pricey for my liking...

Re:What OS does it run?

[generic-man]

They tested it with Windows XP, but I don't think it comes bundled with the unit. At only $281, I don't think it includes any OS. As for a "traditional monitor interface," you can hook it up to a monitor (VGA out) or a television (TV out).

The custom LCD, they say, only works when the system is powered off.

But does it run MythTV?

[laird]

This looks like pretty hardware (aside from the pathetic lack of TV in/out in a "home theater" PC) ... but the million dollar question is whether it will run MythTV (www.mythtv.org), the open source TiVo-like system? MythTV is a fantastic project, but it's pretty picky about the hardware it will run on.

I only made it two pages into the review before the site was slashdotted, so apologies if they documented the software later in the review...

Huhhhh?

[GeneralEmergency]

"The speakers are each rated for 3W RMS"

Has Richard Stallman become so noisy that they've named a unit of measure after him? 8^)

.

Re:Huhhhh?

[Slack3r78]

You may already have known this and just used this as an opportunity to crack an RMS joke, but for those that don't - RMS is one of several ways that the maximum output of a piece of stereo equipment is rated. In general RMS is the rating you want to look for - basically think of it as how loud you can crank them before the signal starts to distort.

It's especially important to watch for this with computer speakers as manufacturers have a tendency to rate these units with PMPO which makes the units sound far more impressive than they actually are. "1000W" desktop speakers for $6.99 anyone? :)

Re:Huhhhh?

[dillkvast]

basically think of it as how loud you can crank them before the signal starts to distort

Actually RMS = Root Mean Square. Usually one would see time variant voltages and currents given in RMS values or amplitude value. The RMS value is the DC value that would yeild the same powerdissipation in an ohmic load as the time variant signal does. For pure harmonic signals the RMS value is A/sqrt(2) where A is the amplitude value. RMS has noting to do with distortion, but simply denotes the power that would be dissipated in a pure ohmic load.

The speaker and amp manufacturers are very creative when it comes to power values, and you should be more critical that just looking for the three letters RMS.

Re:Huhhhh?

[dillkvast]

Ah, I'm just a dumb guitarist. With guitar amps, I've always heard it refered to as the maximum load before signal distortion begins to occur. The two might be related, or I might just have been mislead. =)

There will always be some distortion. The value to look for is THD which states the total harmonic distortion i percent (at some power value). When a system isn't perfectly linear (which no physical system is) in responce it will add unwantet harmonic components. THD is the power of the unwantetd components to the power of the signal.

If the RMS power value is combined with some value for THD at that power which is below say 1-2% you are right, because distortion below 2% is hard to hear.

There might be some standard way to specify RMS values which implies some THD value, but i wouldt trust that blindly.

want one?

[Anonymous Coward]

Get it barebones for $279 at Zeus PC...

Re:What OS does it run?

[shird]

Take a look at a site with some better specs. As you can see, its got the "designed for MS Windows" logo. Plus all the standard interfaces. The LCD screen is probably linked directly to the hardware CD player, so most likely isn't even exposed to software.

Our local PC shop has had these in stock for a while. Pretty cool for a entertainment box, though probably not worth the cost.

I wonder...

[i8urtaco]

When and if these things will replace the more traditional "home theater in a box" sets, and if so, does that mean that companies like RCA or Panasonic will move away from making propietary components in favor of making "small pc's in a box that can be used for a home theater"? Will this force these companies to make a switch to small pc manufacturers?

The noise...

[Basje]

What I'm interested is not so much how it looks, but how much noise it makes. Do how does it hold up??

It's really spoiling the fun when you're watching a DVD and are distracted by the fans trying to cool an overheating proc in a cool looking but hot running too small enclosure.

The fact that a fan deaf overclocker tells me it's quiet isn't really informative.

So that's a "cube" is it?

[Dj]

In other news, world found to be flat, balls no longer spheres, /. duplicate postings declared square.

Been around a while...

[tbase]

I've seen this at Computer Geeks for some time now. Even better, they also have it at newegg.

Pretty cool how you can use the radio, CD and mp3 playing capabilities without booting up the PC. But they say due to the proprietary nature (I assume they're talking about these features) that only MSI optical drives a guaranteed to work.

Propreitary CD-Rx/DVD-Rx only? No thanks.

[Ride-My-Rocket]

Due to proprietary mechanical design, MSI only guarantees the compatibility of the MEGA PC with MSI's own Optical Storage Devices:
DVD-ROM: MSI 16x DVD-ROM (MS-8216)
CD-RW: MSI 52x24x52 CD-RW (MS-CR52-A2)

Sorry, but the word 'proprietary' gives me a not-so-fresh feeling. Yes, it's good that there's competition to Shuttle's XPC, but I consider this to be a huge strike against the MEGA 651. Especially considering how similar the feature sets and prices for each SFF box are.

Re:Suprised that Verizon is good

[lordDallan]

I think you meant to reply to the previous article friend.

Can you click on the right link now? How about now? Good.

Well with any hardware...

[AntiPasto]

... you can make an HTPC. There are lots of projects out there... (isn't there a linux distro for a media jukebox?)

For Windows, check out myHTPC... I've been playing with that for some time. Its got a good community, getting ready for a second generation, and works well with my older ATI all-in wonder! Quite a fun thing to do, and my wife appreciates the outcome!

What about component video?

[ShadeARG]

It amazes me how every time a HTPC is mentioned, it always lacks compenent video output. This is the year of HD after all, let's make use of it.

Re:What about component video?

[slaker]

ATI's upper-end All-in-Wonder cards have a component/HDTV add-on you can purchase for like $30. AFAIK, there is no other video card that supports component output. Maybe one of the high-end cards from Hauppauge?

Re:What about component video?

[Cyno]

It amazes me how every time a HTPC is mentioned, it always lacks compenent video output.

Now would be a good time to thank the MPAA and RIAA for all they have done for us.

Color

[slaker]

All my stereo components have a matte black or champagne finish. Not only that but they all mount in a 19" rack, especially the HTPC.

I like the shoebox formfactor but if MSI is serious about it as a home theater component, they could at least go with a similar color scheme. Or maybe just less orange.

Re:Propreitary CD-Rx/DVD-Rx only? No thanks.

[RMH101]

I'd presume this is because the opto drive has to be able to spin up and be controlled without the PC being on - this probably either uses some new features on the drive, or more likely depends on some ones in the standard that other manufacturer's have since dropped.
It'll only affect the cool "play CDs with the PC off" bit, nothing else. It's not imposing DRM on your MP3's*

ric

obSlashdotAntiMS: "We'll leave the OS to do that"

Take off those blinkers...

[Zemran]

It's just a box

You chose the OS that you put on the system when you have chosen your CPU, hard disk, CD/DVD drive, memory etc.

Argh!

[Dark Lord Seth]

Without a subwoofer, there simply isn't enough bass to make music listening, let alone gaming, sound convincing.

Let's face it, floppy drives are useless

Yes, it sounds unbelievable, but there are a lot of people without broadband

Something useful, like displaying music info or system temperatures would have been nice

Did anyone else laugh so hard they had to cry? The worthless comparative graphs were amusing too. Seriously though... Some people should be removed from the internet and never, EVER, be allowed to touch a computer again. The internet is a wonderful thing in the way it grants everyone the oppurtunity to make oneself heard. Sadly, this also applies to politicians, overclockers, script kiddies and other subhumans :(

ugly ugly ugly

[BobTheLawyer]

it looks like the worst of 80s hi-fi designs, complete with garish colour scheme (orange!) and pointlessly large LCD display.

The standard black hi-fi units are boring, but this is actively offensive.

Great idea, though.

Good Review

[danielems]

see Tom's Hardware Guide for a really good review of this HTPC and three others.

Bad shape for a HTPC

[Genjurosan]

First, the shape of the unit is terrible for a HTPC.. it would barely fit in most HT racks. A HTPC should conform to the fat and wide standard that every other home entertainment device has for ages. Yes Virginia, there is a reason they all look generally the same!

Second, it only has a 200W power supply!!!!! Umm.. my AIW 9700 Pro just about eats up all of that. That is VERY lacking when it comes to power supplies these days.

Third, What the hell is this statement about?

"Due to proprietary mechanical design, MSI only guarantees the compatibility of the MEGA PC with MSI's own Optical Storage Devices:
DVD-ROM: MSI 16x DVD-ROM (MS-8216)
CD-RW: MSI 52x24x52 CD-RW (MS-CR52-A2)"

Some how CD drives and DVD-ROM(not an optical storage device, it's an optical read device) can't be trusted to work since the shape of the system is different? Uhhh... that's a load of crap.

Fourth, It's a bit unclear if the annoyingly bright screen will be on when playing a DVD. The author of the article seems to think that HTPC users want an obnoxious screen dancing and doing other crap? Uhhhh... no.

In summary, this guy and MSI both seem to be missing the point. I quote, "If you're gaming...." Also, he doesn't ever actually integrate the unit into a HT setup, nor does he actually playback a DVD (according to article).

This box seems better suited to be a fancy media player and not a HTPC. Anyone can take a look over at avsforum and realize that the HTPC should be silent and inconspicous.

FYI, my HTPC is also my working PC(which isn't my desire); however, it's in a different room. My HT has zero exposed units... all you see is the TV and the speakers. Now if I had all my units near my TV, I wouldn't pick this unit as an HTPC.

Re:Bad shape for a HTPC

[dat00ket]

"Some how CD drives and DVD-ROM(not an optical storage device, it's an optical read device) can't be trusted to work since the shape of the system is different? Uhhh... that's a load of crap."

Not crap. MSI drives have the added feature of being able to play CDs/DVDs without the computer being turned on. A very useful feature for a living room style computer used as a DVD player and stereo. A feature not all drives have, so this isn't just a pathetic attempt to make you buy their products.

From an owner...

[CerealFan]

(I can't get to this article, it's been /.ed, so I don't know how much of this is a repeat.) My friend and I ordered one just before it came out about 2.5 months ago and we got it after a few weeks of delays. The orange version is the Intel, and an AMD version is slated to come out (I'm pretty sure it will be green). The fan goes out the side, not the back like an XPC, but other than that it's a normal computer and can use any CD/DVD drive. The cords are cut to exactly the right lengths which makes assembling less than fun, for example, you need to mount the hard drive upside down.

The proprietary drives that they mention is so that you can play radio/audio CD/MP3 CD when the power to the computer part is off - the small amount of power that is drawn while the computer is plugged in is kept in a small area and used for the optical drives at low speeds, the LCD display in the front, and the audio. Those MSI drives that they recommend just use very little power (and give them more $$$).

We had it set up to act like a Windows Tivo (ATI AiW)/jukebox/internet console with a wireless network and monitor output (display 1) and directly to a tv (display 2) which worked really well (especially with ZoomPlayer), and we're going to try to put Linux on it next week or so along with MythTV. (The manual says that future versions will come with MSI's own media player/tv recorder software.)

It's pretty quiet and sitting in an air conditioned room - and thus hasn't overheated yet, but a review we saw before mentioned that cooling was definitely an issue. The PCI cards go directly in front of the cpu fan (brilliant) but if you get half-height cards it probably wouldn't be an issue at all.

The best part is that it looks much more like a home theater component than the XPC, but I think it was about US$50 more than a top Shuttle.

Interesting but Disappointing

[truffle]

Like many geeks I'm interested in getting some kind of component PC to handle my audio and video. This product is interesting, but it doesn't quite provide what's needed (which doesn't detract from the product, just means it doesn't meet my needs).

I'm looking for a component PC that:
- runs linux (not some customized version, just regular debian)
- has audio and svideo in/out
- has cute little component system type nobs and a remote
- plays my mp3 collection and can be controlled by the remote
- plays my video collection and can be controlled by the remote
- can record video to the hard disk like a PVR or ideally a TiVo (ideally with an mpeg4 encoder built in)

I think we're close but I haven't seen something that quite does this. In particular I think the missing component is runs debian and integrates with remote. This may seem a bit weird but, besides all the audio and video stuff, I expect to do a lot more with my linux PC and I don't want to be stuck with non-debian linux.

Not a home theater box

[Anonymous Coward]

Lets face it, without tv out, dvi and/or component out this is simply another un-cube pc.

My extensive experiences with these are that they're loud, hot, and hard to work in. My last experiment with a shuttle based unit was horrible. It ran way too hot and the noise overwhelmed the low sound passages on movies. I removed the cover from the power supply for circulation and pulled the power supply fan that was screaming. No dice, the power supply died a month later. Proprietary replacement supply was over $50.

What I ended up going with was a nice slim but standard height tower, filled it with goodies, and hid it behind the couch. Wish I could have found a decent black desktop case but while there are a few around, they come with loud power supplies and tend towards expensive. I could net a nice tower case with a quality quiet power supply for small bucks by comparison.

I was able to use nice quiet 80mm fans, have plenty of air space inside the box, and its easy to work on. An external firewire DVD drive made accessibility easy, and a wireless keyboard/mouse that I can put in the closet when i'm not using them rounded out the package. An ATI remote wonder allows me full control of the machine without the keyboard when watching movies.

On the topic of intel vs amd for this application, a 2.0GHz celeron based on the northwood core is the choice. Its plenty cheap and more than speedy enough. I'm running blur/sharpen filters, resize doubling and extensive postprocessing with bsplayer and ffdshow-alpha. No CPU overload problems with mpeg 1/2/4. If needed for a specific app I can OC it to a 2.4GHz unit with no problems. Been using an Albatron motherboard for this. MB and cpu for under $140 and rock solid. Runs a hell of a lot cooler than the AMD parts I played with in the same price range and the cpu cooler options for quiet cooling are more extensive.

The little box is no good.