Windows Home SP2 or Media Center?

[poundcake]

What one is better: Windows Home SP2 or Windows Media Center? If I did try to install Media Center on a home built computer, is there required hardware you have to install? Is Windows Media Center good for playing games?

 

[~NeonFire372~]

Windows Media Center is better than Home... but it all depends on what you use your computer for.

 

[dude_se]

media center is just like home exept mainly with more multimedia support and an extra crappy theme. i would rather have it tbh. no specific hardware is needed, just make sure you have a decent enough system which by the looks of it, it isnt too bad. media center is just like home when playing games.

 

[drumthrasher]

mce...its great! they all actually seem the same...

 

[Half Evil]

Just get home. Media center has this crap high tech (resource hog) media thing, that is just your documents, but in more of a 3d virual enviroment.

I dont like it at all. Its just needless junk. Go with home

 

[-Paul-]

What one is better: Windows Home SP2 or Windows Media Center? If I did try to install Media Center on a home built computer, is there required hardware you have to install? Is Windows Media Center good for playing games?

Media.

 

[dude_se]

what they are trying to say is that media center is better but only use it if you will use all the tv and media functions.... or its not worth it.

 

[drumthrasher]

mce is supposed to have some pro features...saw it at a store. it was a little comparison chart between server, home, pro, mce, and something else.

 

[Erik1]

I personally do not like media center at all, lol, but i would reccomend it over windows home, because MCE is based off of professional. If you can dont use home or media center, just get professional, and (if you must) download something like nero 7 or sage tv inorder to get the media center feel.

 

[compguy91]

ArrizX is right, home is better. I had MCE before I got Home Edition SP2 and a new hard drive and Home is much faster. I liked media center because it had the stuff built into it, but I didn't like the fact that it hogged resources. The music part is just windows media center with a new 3D look, and ArrizX is right about it being just your documents in a new 3D look. It looks nice but it hogs too much memory and in my experience wasn't always stable. If you want it go for it but if you're not going to be doing a lot of media such as watching/recording TV, storing pictures and music then I say it's not the best investment. I don't even have a TV tuner and was stuck with MCE because Dell didn't offer Home Edition on their PC's at the time I got mine, it was either MCE or Professional. Again it all depends on what you want or are using it for, i'm just sharing my experience: some have had great and some have had bad with MCE so it's just up to you.