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- My rating: 0 stars
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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"Good System with Some Bugs"
Pros: All in 1 system sits nicely with other living room components, high-end configurations available, company was initially responsive to my calls and kept my informed with the status of my order
Cons: Loud CPU fan, Buggy video driver (Vista's or nVidia's fault?), Not enough USB motherboard connections to accomodate all selected components, long delay in shipping, slightly expensive
Summary: I was looking for an all-in-one system to put in my living room for all entertainment purposes (music, movies, TV), so I found the HTPC to be the best option. Although building the system from ground up would've been cheaper, I wanted a PC which was pre-built for this purpose so I wouldn't have to build it and worry about the hassles of conflicting components. Currently there are only a few options for this, Velocity Micro has one of them.
I originally purchased the AMD version, and since there was a large delay in shipping (over 2 months) due to the delay in the cablecard reader. Velocity Micro (VM) allowed me to convert to the Intel version (which was selling for around $200-$300 more) for free. Long story short, I finally got my system, and I connected it to a Westinghouse 47" LCD in my living room along with an Onkyo HT-S790 7.1 speaker setup.
Overall I am happy with the system. However there are a couple of small problems I've had. When I connected it up, the front side USB ports weren't working. I found out that there wasn't an internal cable connecting it to the motherboard! I called tech support, and they said they would send me cables or have a technician come out (on site). Anyway that was a few days ago, and I haven't had any success getting ahold of tech support (I keep gettting an answering machine). It turns out there aren't enough extra USB motherboard ports (4) to connect the cablecard reader (1, which is simultaneously a PCI card?), media card drive (1), front IR sensor (1), and two front USB ports (2) for a total of 5 req'd. So I skipped connecting one of the front USB ports. Small issue since a USB hub can be used.
A larger "bug" is a constant video driver issue I've been having with the nVidia 7800 GS graphics card I had installed. Vista keeps giving an error 'nvlddmkm stopped responding.' Disabling the user account control (UAC) seems to decrease it a lot.
Sometimes my monitor displays random pixels, but when I switch out and back into the DVI port, the display shows everything correctly (in 1080p). It could be my Westinghouse.
Finally, the IR keyboard and remote control aren't useful from far away since they require line-of-site (which can be tough if the keyboard is on your lap). The mouse pointer control was not very good (even when I was up close). I should've upgraded to the microsoft bluetooth entertainment keyboard which I ended up buying later.
I haven't tried the cablecard reader yet, but hopefully this won't be an issue.
The CPU fan is pretty loud. In fact at the point where it is annoying (especially if you're trying to watch a quiet movie). Aparently there aren't any upgrade options for this according to VM.
Overally the system is good, I think CNET gave a slightly high review. There are no major issues except the minor ones above, therefore I would still rate this as a good system. I found a 10% off coupon online, and got to switchover from the AMD to Intel system for free. Without this I think it would've been slightly expensive.
My overall rating is more like a 6.5 (than a 7).
