We think a well-equipped media PC should have a single or dual tuner SDTV capture/playback card, as well as an HDTV capture/playback card, even if only for over-the-air (OTA) broadcast high-definition TV. For those working with cramped cases or who have no additional room for expansion cards, plenty of USB options are available as well both for SDTV and HDTV. We used a Hauppauge WinTV-PVR-500MCE dual-tuner SDTV card and an Avermedia AVerTVHD card (now replaced by the AVerTVHD MCE A180) in our builds.

A wireless keyboard, mouse and remote control are all essential for a workable media PC configuration where you want to recline on the sofa or your favourite easy chair while managing your media. We prefer compact keyboards like the XGene 2.4GHz wireless model with integrated trackball, but the Microsoft Remote Keyboard for MCE is also a good option, as are comparable products from Logitech or Gyration. When it comes to MCE, no other low-end remote beats the Microsoft MCE Remote, but there are plenty of good options available from vendors such as SoundGraph, Logitech and others as well. Check these out if you're interested in more expensive universal remotes you can use to drive your PC, your receiver, and other A/V equipment.

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Great sound is essential in any media PC, but it's becoming more or less standard to support both S/PDIF and various multi-channel surround sound schemes on modern motherboards. We were able to use sound circuitry built into all of the motherboards we tested in this story without difficulty, though we did have to cable S/PDIF output from the mobo into the graphics cards to provide HDMI with both sound and picture to take advantage of its full capabilities. We ran the HDMI output into an HDMI-equipped Sony STR-DA5200ES receiver, from whence it was piped into a 5.1 surround sound system with 2 15" Phase Technology subwoofers from an LFE output, plus large left and right front and center channel speakers, with modest left and right rear channel speakers to match.