PAP stands for Protected Audio Path without which audio from every AACS-encrypted content will be downsampled to 16bit/48kHz.

A couple of problems of G35:

- G35 suffers from the so-called HDCP repeater issue (actually it's not a problem of G35, but of software players). If you use a receiver between G35 and the display, you have to use AnyDVD HD to bypass the issue (+$110).
- Denon owners can't get multichannel LPCM over HDMI. Again it's Denon's issue.
- HA does not work. So you need a faster processor such as E8400 (+$100).

I hope G45 does not suffer from these problems.


FYI - Denon fixed this issue, at least on the 3808 several weeks back. I can verify that I get LPCM with a G35/3808 setup.

Could you just confirm that the G35/G45 should play HD video without a problem (given all the other system components are good enough).

Thanks again for your help:)!

G35 has no problem playing HD video, but for 1080p H.264 at Blu-ray bitrates, I recommend either an dual core clocked to 3GHz or higher or a quad core of any speed. As renethx points out, there is no HW accel for H.264, so you need CPU power to cope.

G45 has full HW accel for all three codecs and so shouldn't need such a powerful CPU to get the same performance.

Will the 4850 accelerate all video, like AVCHD MP4 (MTS and M2TS files, from HD camcorders)?

And when is it coming out again? I really want to try it.

my recent pc spec:

p35 motherboard (abit ip35-e)
video card (sapphire ati 3450 128mb)


since my video card have HA for all 3 codecs . ( I think ) so do i need to buy G45 mboard or not?

i want to know if it is the same thing as (P35 mboard + 3450 video card ) = G45 board alone

Will the 4850 accelerate all video, like AVCHD MP4 (MTS and M2TS files, from HD camcorders)?

And when is it coming out again? I really want to try it.
AVCHD is basically BD with video and audio being limited to H.264 and AC3/LPCM. So HA is no problem. June 25th. It's still unclear if HD 4850 supports PAP.

my recent pc spec:

p35 motherboard (abit ip35-e)
video card (sapphire ati 3450 128mb)


since my video card have HA for all 3 codecs . ( I think ) so do i need to buy G45 mboard or not?

i want to know if it is the same thing as (P35 mboard + 3450 video card ) = G45 board alone
Basically

- P35+HD 3450 = G45 in video playback performance

However

- P35+HD 3450 < G45 in audio

because

- P35+HD 3450: stereo LPCM/AC3/DTS over HDMI and S/PDIF
- G45: multichannel LPCM/AC3/DTS over HDMI + PAP

what is PAP? if i have a 5.1 computer speakers system, do i need multichannel for it? i think multichannel LPCM/AC3/DTS over HDMI + PAP is only for receiver? is that correct? and not for regular computer speakers system (5.1).

also i am connect 5.1 channel speakers to the back of the motherboard, i want to know if i can get extra speakers from the tv. if i buy the hdmi - dvi adapter.

what is PAP? if i have a 5.1 computer speakers system, do i need multichannel for it? i think multichannel LPCM/AC3/DTS over HDMI + PAP is only for receiver? is that correct? and not for regular computer speakers system (5.1).

also i am connect 5.1 channel speakers to the back of the motherboard, i want to know if i can get extra speakers from the tv. if i buy the hdmi - dvi adapter.
To get multichannel LPCM HDMI audio, you need a HDMI receiver. PAP = protected audio path, which is essential for full-resolution audio.

If you don't use a receiver, then you can ignore the difference in audio between P35+HD 3450 and G45.

The basic ATX system is perhaps too basic for your system in video/audio. S/PDIF and a motherboard supporting DTS Connect is a good choice for your system (every audio from your PC is encoded into DTS and your receiver decodes it). You surely need a HDMI receiver to enjoy the latest sound formats, but this is not your option right now. So a possible system is:

- Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 (or Pentium Dual-Core E2220 or Core 2 Duo E8400 depending on your budget)
- GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 (supporting DTS Connect)
- DDR2-800 2 x 2GB
- ASUS EAH3650 SILENT/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 3650

By the time you upgrade your receiver, you will be able to buy a much better video/audio solution like a graphics card supporting HDMI 1.3 audio bitstream. So you don't have to worry about the upgrade path in future (that's why expansion slots are there).


I have a question on the MOBO suggested here. I've been looking at teh specs, comparing to this one:GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128337)

As reminder, n particular, my interests are good sound to my system that does support DTS Connect, and being able to play BluRay w/o skipping, etc.

The suggested board has a RealTek ALC889A, and the other one has an ALC888. I can't find anythign on the specs (interestingly) on Realteck's site. But the 888 does support DTS Connect.

The DS3L is about half the price. I see some other differences, on things I think I may not need (and some things I don't know what the implication is, i.e. Southbridge).

I'm just wondering if there is any reason to spring for the more expensive board.

I just picked up the AMD X2 5000 Black edition with the 2 gb G skill memory deal from newegg ($82 shipped). I plan on getting the gigabyte 780g MOBO and the Antec 2480 case. I know that the Black edition cpu does not come with a heat sink. Can anyone recommend a decent HSF for this config? I am looking for value. I can see some decent deals for the arctic cooling freezer low profile HSF but not sure how noisy it is going to be with the 2 fans. Can I remove the fans and run this passive and have the antec case move the air?
BTW, I do not plan to overclock yet. Just want to watch hd mkv and x264 files and ts streams from my HDDV camcorder.

Basically

- P35+HD 3450 = G45 in video playback performance

However

- P35+HD 3450 < G45 in audio

because

- P35+HD 3450: stereo LPCM/AC3/DTS over HDMI and S/PDIF
- G45: multichannel LPCM/AC3/DTS over HDMI + PAP

this is a nice, concise little summary. thanks! as a follow up, how do the equations change if we're talking about the HD4xxx series graphics cards? if that's a valid question??

i am wondering does e5xxx cpu is good for htpc or not?

I have a question on the MOBO suggested here. I've been looking at teh specs, comparing to this one:GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3L (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128337)

As reminder, n particular, my interests are good sound to my system that does support DTS Connect, and being able to play BluRay w/o skipping, etc.

The suggested board has a RealTek ALC889A, and the other one has an ALC888. I can't find anythign on the specs (interestingly) on Realteck's site. But the 888 does support DTS Connect.

The DS3L is about half the price. I see some other differences, on things I think I may not need (and some things I don't know what the implication is, i.e. Southbridge).

I'm just wondering if there is any reason to spring for the more expensive board.
http://www.realtek.com.tw/products/productsView.aspx?Langid=1&PFid=28&Level=5&Conn=4&ProdID=135

ALC888DD-GR features Dolby Digital Live and DTS CONNECT software (Optional)

The vanilla ALC888 does not support DTS Connect. BTW PowerDVD8 includes AC3 & DTS encoders. So as long as you use PowerDVD 8, you don't need DTS Connect or DDL.

this is a nice, concise little summary. thanks! as a follow up, how do the equations change if we're talking about the HD4xxx series graphics cards? if that's a valid question??
- HD 3450 = G45 = HD 4850 in PQ
- HD 3450 = G45 = HD 4850 in HA
- HD 3450 =(<?) G45 < HD 4850 in deinterlacing
- HD 3450 < G45 = HD 4850 in audio if HD 4850 supports PAP
- HD 3450 < HD 4850 < G45 in audio if HD 4850 does not support PAP

i am wondering does e5xxx cpu is good for htpc or not?
Good enough if it is >= 2.4GHz.

Thanks. I read that very same site/link too quick, and didn't notice the words "optional software".

But it sounds like if I want to use the lower end MB, I could get away with it if I use PowerDVD.

I haven't investigated which software that supports BlueRay/HD integrates the best with VMC, so I haven't decided on that yet.

I'll do some reading up on that.

Looks like the Antec that was meaning to buy will not fit my console. The shelf width is just over 16". Does anyone know of a decent case that is about 16" wide? I think i have ample flexibility for depth and height.
Thanks.

What is a good video card to hook up the computer to my sony kdl-52w4100?

No real gaming needed. I don't need the ability to show the clearest HD from computer to tv.

Just something that will let me use the entire tv screen as a monitor and the occasional regular dvd movie.

I'd like to connect to the tv via hdmi. I'm currently connected to the tv with the serial port. The quality is ok, but it won't let me use wide screen.

Budget: under $200

It look like the GIGABYTE P45 mb available in US are:

- GA-EP45-DS3L, $120
- GA-EP45-DS3R, $150
- GA-EP45-DS4P, $190
- GA-EP45-DQ6, $260

Four models are missing:

- GA-EP45-DS3
- GA-EP45-DS3P
- GA-EP45-DS4
- GA-EP45-DS5

DS3 is identical with DS3R sans RAID capability. DS3P and DS4 are close relatives to DS4P with very minor cosmetic/functional differences. So missing them is not a big deal. DS5 is close to DQ6, but well-balanced in functions (DQ6 is a kind of monster) and should be much cheaper (~$220?). I am really missing it!

So it became a bit hard to choose a mb for the high-end system.

renethx, what are the key differences between the GA-EP45-DS4P (or DS4) and the corresponding EP35 model? Where can you even find the EP45?

Are the Asus P45 boards worth considering?

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the EP35-DS4 mated with an E8400 and Asus EAH3650. I'm looking mostly to just build a quiet, flexible platform for BD initially. I will be using SPDIF for audio until I upgrade my AVR, at least. Do you recommend 8600 GT(S) over the 3650?

Thank you very much for your ongoing guidance. This thread is a tremendous service to other enthusiasts.

renethx, what are the key differences between the GA-EP45-DS4P (or DS4) and the corresponding EP35 model? Where can you even find the EP45?

Are the Asus P45 boards worth considering?

I'm about ready to pull the trigger on the EP35-DS4 mated with an E8400 and Asus EAH3650. I'm looking mostly to just build a quiet, flexible platform for BD initially. I will be using SPDIF for audio until I upgrade my AVR, at least. Do you recommend 8600 GT(S) over the 3650?
- GA-EP35-DS4: PCIe 1.1 x16, single Gb LAN, 8 SATA ports, DTS Connect, $175 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128087)
- GA-EP45-DS4P: PCIe 2.0 x16 or dual x8, dual PCIe Gb LAN, 6 SATA ports, Dolby Home Theater, TPM, $187 (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/DeepSearch.hmx?scriteria=GA%2DEP45%2DDS4P&ALL=y&TP=1)
- ASUS P5Q Deluxe: PCIe 2.0 x16 or dual x8, dual PCIe+PCI Gb LAN, 8 SATA+1 eSATA, TPM, $200 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131297)

- GA-EP45-DS5: PCIe 2.0 x16 or dual x8, dual PCIe Gb LAN, 10 SATA ports, Dolby Home Theater, TPM (perhaps not available in US)

The only drawback of DS4P is that it supports only 6 SATA drives (and a useless PCIe 1.1 x16 slot @x4 which would disable all the other 3 PCIe 1.1 x1 slots if in use). Any of the above three are good. Choose the one that is best suited for your purpose. Any of the above supports the following combination:

- 2-slot graphics card (@x16)
- Xonar HDAV1.3 PCIe sound card
- TV tuner PCIe card

abit IP45 Pro and MSI P45 Platinum are excluded in this respect.

I prefer 8600 GT to HD 3650 just because somehow GeForce cards are less troublesome in my system. Others choose ATI exactly for the same reason. Your mileage may vary.

BTW PowerDVD8 includes AC3 & DTS encoders. So as long as you use PowerDVD 8, you don't need DTS Connect or DDL.

Well, PDVD8 appears out for me. It only works with ISOs. I have mine ripped to directories.

With multiple releases pending, but the need to start building now now, what's a reasonable upgrade path? System is for gaming/HPTC + some amount of video/audio editing.

Following renethx's comprehensive recommendations, seems I'd go with ASUS P5Q Deluxe or GA-EP45-DS4P and wait for the Xonar HDAV1.3 PCIe sound card. I may want to go w/ next gen video cards, too, when they ship. Meanwhile should I go with GeForce 8800GT, or 9600GT or something less in anticipation of an upgrade?

I installed ati hd2600 pro agp videocard in my htpc
now, the cpu usage during Planet Earth blu ray playback fell down to 5-25%, but for some reason I still see some mild but continous, stuttering. On the other hand, media player classic home cinema, can play Planet Earth blu ray with no stuttering whatsoever, perfectly smooth. But the cpu usage shows close to 99% and the audio is breaking up really bad, all the time.
1. What is causing video stutter in power dvd 8 ultra with 2600 pro and 25% cpu usage? Audio is perfect.
2. What is causing mpc-hc to constantly break up the sound? Video is perfect, but cpu usage is up to 99%.
3. If the answer to the above is cpu overload, how can I make MPC-HC utilize the hardware acceleration of the hd2600 pro?

Any answers, any ideas?

Hi guys, Need some expert opinion on my configuration. Have the following setup:

Motherboard: ASUS Rampage Formula
RAM: Corsair 2x2GB (Dominator) 1066MHz DDR2
GPU: Powercolor HD 3870 X2 (3xDVI + 1xHDMI)
TV: Toshiba 37WL58P (1366x768)

Problem #1: I do not get any screen when using the HDMI port of the Graphics card. Tried many settings but did not work. When I used the DVI to HDMI adapter to connect the TV, it worked. So I wonder if the HDMI port is defective? What can I check?

Problem #2: My receiver does not have an HDMI input. Can digital surround still be passed to the receiver when using the coaxial (SPDIF) output? I am using powerdvd bundled with the optical drive, it did not seem to have an option to enable spdif. Are there other settings to be made as well? By the way I meant while playing HD-DVD / Blu-ray... As I understand HD soundtracks are extensions to normal soundtracks, so even if an HD-DVD may have, say, DTS-MA, is it possible to get DTS out of the SPDIF?

Any tips regarding good software players to handle BR & HD-DVD playback?

Thanks A lot in advance!

-tsurreal

With multiple releases pending, but the need to start building now now, what's a reasonable upgrade path? System is for gaming/HPTC + some amount of video/audio editing.

Following renethx's comprehensive recommendations, seems I'd go with ASUS P5Q Deluxe or GA-EP45-DS4P and wait for the Xonar HDAV1.3 PCIe sound card. I may want to go w/ next gen video cards, too, when they ship. Meanwhile should I go with GeForce 8800GT, or 9600GT or something less in anticipation of an upgrade?
If you like NVIDIA, either 8800 GT or 9600 GT is a good choice. ATI HD 4850 ($199, June 25th) is another choice; its gaming performance is better than 8800 GT and support multichannel LPCM HDMI audio (but if you use Xonar, this is unnecessary).

GTX 280 ($499, June 18th), GTX 260 ($399, June 26th) may be overkill.

Problem #2: My receiver does not have an HDMI input. Can digital surround still be passed to the receiver when using the coaxial (SPDIF) output? I am using powerdvd bundled with the optical drive, it did not seem to have an option to enable spdif. Are there other settings to be made as well? By the way I meant while playing HD-DVD / Blu-ray... As I understand HD soundtracks are extensions to normal soundtracks, so even if an HD-DVD may have, say, DTS-MA, is it possible to get DTS out of the SPDIF?


I'd like to second this question. I don't think there would be any problem outputting a Blu Ray disc's core DD5.1 or DTS 5.1 through SPDIF to an old receiver, right? But I'd love to get an authoritative answer on this. :)

Your receiver will produce 5.1 sound using spdif if your receiver can decode AC3 & DTS. My 12 year old Denon does not decode DTS, so with movies with a DTS soundtrack, I have to live with 2.1 sound.

right now i have e4300, i am try to decide which cpu i need to buy? e8xxx or q6600 ?

i am basically using this htpc for watching HD movies, watch tv and some encoding?

GTX 280 ($499, June 18th), GTX 260 ($399, June 26th) may be overkill.

Thx. Much of this may be overkill for me; It's hard not to get caught up in the feature enthusiasm here. : ) This is the first PC I've build in years, however, and I don't plan on building another for years - so a system that lasts would be nice. Are there any major benefits to HD HTPCs coming in the next gen video cards?

Getting ready to build an HTPC. Purpose:
1. Playback lossless wma with J River Media Center.
2. Bluray
Will be HDMI to Tv (Panny 1080p plasma) and S/PDIF to Denon 4802.
Since the Denon doesn’t have HDMI can I get 5.1 from bluray disks through the S/PDIF?

Here’s what I’m thinking from the “Recommended Systems” and reading here:

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
ENERMAX MODU82+ EMD525AWT 525W
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
SAPPHIRE 100233L Radeon HD 3450 256MB
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DH-4O1S-11 - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium
ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail

I’m sure there’s some overkill but, I’d rather have too much then not enough.

As I was typing this a co-worker came over and said I should go AMD with the 780g chipset

Suggestions please.
Thanks

right now i have e4300, i am try to decide which cpu i need to buy? e8xxx or q6600 ?

i am basically using this htpc for watching HD movies, watch tv and some encoding?
Which GPU are you going to use?

Are there any major benefits to HD HTPCs coming in the next gen video cards?
Besides 3D performance, HD 4850 supports multichannel LPCM HDMI audio. But there is no word about protected audio path.

Getting ready to build an HTPC. Purpose:
1. Playback lossless wma with J River Media Center.
2. Bluray
Will be HDMI to Tv (Panny 1080p plasma) and S/PDIF to Denon 4802.
Since the Denon doesn’t have HDMI can I get 5.1 from bluray disks through the S/PDIF?

Here’s what I’m thinking from the “Recommended Systems” and reading here:

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
ENERMAX MODU82+ EMD525AWT 525W
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
SAPPHIRE 100233L Radeon HD 3450 256MB
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DH-4O1S-11 - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium
ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail

I’m sure there’s some overkill but, I’d rather have too much then not enough.

As I was typing this a co-worker came over and said I should go AMD with the 780g chipset.
You will get 5.1 from S/PDIF. Basically

- HD 3450 = 780G (HD 3200) in video playback performance
- GA-EP35-DS4 is identical to GA-MA78GM-S2H in audio codec (ALC889A)

So you could save $100 (CPU) + $85 (mb) + $35 (graphics) = $220 by choosing Athlon X2 4850e and GA-MA78GM-S2H. If you want a system that is overkill, you may choose:

- GA-EP45-DS4P, ASUS P5Q Deluxe, or GA-EP45-DQ6
- DDR2-800 2GB x 2
- ATI Radeon HD 4850

I installed ati hd2600 pro agp videocard in my htpc
now, the cpu usage during Planet Earth blu ray playback fell down to 5-25%, but for some reason I still see some mild but continous, stuttering. On the other hand, media player classic home cinema, can play Planet Earth blu ray with no stuttering whatsoever, perfectly smooth. But the cpu usage shows close to 99% and the audio is breaking up really bad, all the time.
1. What is causing video stutter in power dvd 8 ultra with 2600 pro and 25% cpu usage? Audio is perfect.
2. What is causing mpc-hc to constantly break up the sound? Video is perfect, but cpu usage is up to 99%.
3. If the answer to the above is cpu overload, how can I make MPC-HC utilize the hardware acceleration of the hd2600 pro?

bump

Which GPU are you going to use?


ati 3450 video card

G45 news? Radeon 4850 news? Xonar news?

ati 3450 video card
Basically any CPU is fine for video playback. For encoding a quad-core is the best. Q6600 is the cheapest quad-core.

G45 news? Radeon 4850 news? Xonar news?
VisionTek Radeon HD 4850 is already available; here (http://www.buy.com/prod/radeon-4850-512mb-gddr3-pcie/q/loc/101/208177814.html). Perhaps you have already heard about Auzentech Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 (http://www.auzentech.com/site/company/press.php) (September).

Antec NSK1480 (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=91480#)

http://www.antec.com/images/400/NSK1480_q.jpg http://www.antec.com/images/400/NSK1480_f_q.jpg

Specs: W390 x D410 x H120 mm, 1 x DVD, 2 x HDD, 2 x USB, 1 x eSATA, 1 x headphone, 1 x microphone, 2 x 80mm side fan, 1 x 80mm front fan (optional?), 350W PSU

VisionTek Radeon HD 4850 is already available; here (http://www.buy.com/prod/radeon-4850-512mb-gddr3-pcie/q/loc/101/208177814.html). Perhaps you have already heard about Auzentech Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 (http://www.auzentech.com/site/company/press.php) (September).

Does it have any other advantage over Prelude besides HDMI ?

Does it have any other advantage over Prelude besides HDMI ?
Perhaps none.

i am wondering does all three recommendation heatsink fits on my case or not?

i am wondering does all three recommendation heatsink fits on my case or not?
Ninja Mini, BTF90, CNPS9500 should fit the case (but I can't guarantee it).

Hello gentlemen,

I'm about to pull the trigger on the CPU + MOBO + Ram combo renethx has listed under Low-End I

This would be the
Athlon X2 4850e
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H
Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit


Will I be able to throw pretty much any movie/file at this bad boy? I have some old MKV files that are not encoded to use hardware acceleration at all. Will the CPU be beefy enough that it doesn't matter if the file cant use the built in HW acceleration?

I know it will take Bluray and HDdvd like a champ but I want to make sure I'm good to go on all the other files I might try to get it to play as well.

I appreciate all the help!

Since my 5+ year old computer died on me, I put together a new build, I'd love to get some opinions on it:

Optical
Keep the old one
Case
Antec Sonata III Midi-Tower 500W ATX 2.2 92,26 €
Hard drive
2x Samsung SpinPoint F1 750GB 32MB SATA II 158,78 €
Monitor
Hannspree XM verona, 22", 1680x1050, VGA, HDMI, Audio 199,00 €
Video Card
Sapphire Radeon HD 3450 512MB DDR2 34,43 €
Memory
Corsair XMS2 DIMM Kit 2048MB PC2-6400U (DDR2-800) 39,36 €
Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L 66,38 €
CPU
Intel CORE 2 DUO E7200 2.53GHZ 106,90 €
Aftermarket cooling
Arctic Cooling Lüfter Arctic Freezer 7 Pro,alle LGA775 13,25 €


Total + shipping - 719,96 €


I'll be using this pc mainly for surfing and to watch hd movies. I don't plan to do any gaming and I know that I would have to get a new graphics card if that changed.

Some part-specific questions:

I'll be using XP 32bit, is it worth it to get 4gb of ram instead of 2? I realize I'd only be able to use something like 3.5 due to limitations.

Will the e7200 be enough to play back 1080p mkvs? I opted for it over the e8400 because it's almost 50 € cheaper.

Should I get the EP35 instead of the P35? What's the difference between the two, I believe I've read something about the EP35 being more power efficient.

I won't overclock the system (the CPU cooler is for noise reduction), will the one 120mm fan that the Antec Sonata III comes with be enough?

I know it's not necessarly a HTPC, but video playback is very important to me, I just wanted to make sure this pc will handle that well without being too loud. Thanks!

I'm about to pull the trigger on the CPU + MOBO + Ram combo renethx has listed under Low-End I

This would be the
Athlon X2 4850e
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H
Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit

Will I be able to throw pretty much any movie/file at this bad boy? I have some old MKV files that are not encoded to use hardware acceleration at all. Will the CPU be beefy enough that it doesn't matter if the file cant use the built in HW acceleration?
The system should be able to play back most mkv files smoothly. The following is the CPU utilization during the first 100 sec of the chapter 44, Spider-Man 3 (H.264, max bitrate is about 36Mbps).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113200

- Athlon X2 4850e
- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
- Vista 32-bit
- CoreAVC (so HA does not work)

Some part-specific questions:

I'll be using XP 32bit, is it worth it to get 4gb of ram instead of 2? I realize I'd only be able to use something like 3.5 due to limitations.

Will the e7200 be enough to play back 1080p mkvs? I opted for it over the e8400 because it's almost 50 € cheaper.

Should I get the EP35 instead of the P35? What's the difference between the two, I believe I've read something about the EP35 being more power efficient.

I won't overclock the system (the CPU cooler is for noise reduction), will the one 120mm fan that the Antec Sonata III comes with be enough?

I know it's not necessarly a HTPC, but video playback is very important to me, I just wanted to make sure this pc will handle that well without being too loud. Thanks!
- For XP 32-bit, 1GB is just enough. But memory is cheap, buy 2 x 1GB kit

- E7200 is good for most mkv files. E7200 runs surprisingly cool. The stock cooler may be enough.

- The difference is DES (Dynamic Energy Saving), which could reduce power consumption by up to ~$20W.

- One 120mm fan should be enough.

Thanks for your answers, just what I hoped to hear.

The system should be able to play back most mkv files smoothly. The following is the CPU utilization during the first 100 sec of the chapter 44, Spider-Man 3 (H.264, max bitrate is about 36Mbps).

- Athlon X2 4850e
- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
- CoreAVC (so HA does not work)

Awesome, thanks for posting that. The CPU utilization looks close to 100%. is there a processor you'd reccomend that would be guaranteed to play any 1080p content without hiccups at all? (obviously the best chip on the market would but I dont want it to cripple my wallet. :( )

Thanks!

Can anyone help me in trying to eliminate the stutter in Planet Earth with hardware acceleration and low cpu usage in power dvd? Or help me enable the hardware acceleration and audio breakups in media player classica home cinema?

Just a quick question about case considerations in general ...

I've been thinking about building the Low-End I MicroATX system. The only thing I imagine I'll be adding to it is the new Hauppage HD PVR, but it's USB, so that won't really affect things too much. Down the road I may consider adding another HDD as well.

Is it better to have a large case in a confined space or to have a small case in a large space?

I only have about 14.5cm of vertical space available and the NSK2480 is 13.97cm high, whereas the NSK1480 is about 2cm shorter (i.e. 12cm). I have lots of space available on either side (up to 30cm if reqd) and the back of the unit is open, with about 15-20cm to the these two units.

Basically, I can't figure out which unit will provide the best airflow. I'm also open to any other low to moderate cost quiet options.

Thanks

-Mark

The system should be able to play back most mkv files smoothly. The following is the CPU utilization during the first 100 sec of the chapter 44, Spider-Man 3 (H.264, max bitrate is about 36Mbps).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113200

- Athlon X2 4850e
- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
- CoreAVC (so HA does not work)

This is Vista x86 or x64???

Awesome, thanks for posting that. The CPU utilization looks close to 100%. is there a processor you'd reccomend that would be guaranteed to play any 1080p content without hiccups at all? (obviously the best chip on the market would but I dont want it to cripple my wallet. :( )

Thanks!

Perhaps an AMD Phenom X3 like 8450 model (2100mhz) ??

For a G45 motherboard what is the most economical processor that will do.


I have 4 gigs of ballistic ram and the lg hd-dvd/blu-ray reader already bought


Reason I ask is for the amd route you need to buy a phenom to be able to enable video processing. I am hoping the Intel Celeron DUAL-CORE E1200 Dual Core Processor or the Intl Pentium Dual Core E2180 Dual Core Processor will work as well as the q6600 or e8400 for bluray and hd-dvd playback.

Just a quick question about case considerations in general ...

I've been thinking about building the Low-End I MicroATX system. The only thing I imagine I'll be adding to it is the new Hauppage HD PVR, but it's USB, so that won't really affect things too much. Down the road I may consider adding another HDD as well.

Is it better to have a large case in a confined space or to have a small case in a large space?

I only have about 14.5cm of vertical space available and the NSK2480 is 13.97cm high, whereas the NSK1480 is about 2cm shorter (i.e. 12cm). I have lots of space available on either side (up to 30cm if reqd) and the back of the unit is open, with about 15-20cm to the these two units.

Basically, I can't figure out which unit will provide the best airflow. I'm also open to any other low to moderate cost quiet options.

Thanks

-Mark

One thing to consider is if your cabinet has solid shelves, just leave the top off either NSK model. Then jerry-rig a totally quiet fan over the northbridge and set the two side fans on low.

Hi, another config question:

One of our local etailers is running a special on the following -

- Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz 6MB FSB1333
- Asus P5Q LGA775 Intel P45 DDR2 ATX Motherboard
- Corsair TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX 2 X 1GB DDR2 800 XMS2

to which I would add a Gfx 8500GT for hardware acceleration.

My requirements are:

a) - All in one HTPC
DVB-T
- H.264 Video
- AAC/AC3 Audio
Tuners
- x 4 PCIe or PCI, DVB-T

b) - When HD Extenders are a bit further along this box would then become a Server supporting 2 or 3 Extender 'clients'.

Pretty sure the P5Q would do the job in everything, but I do wonder about the audio (Realtek ALC1200)?

Or would a P5Q Deluxe/Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 be better suited (for audio)?

Many thanks.

Awesome, thanks for posting that. The CPU utilization looks close to 100%. is there a processor you'd reccomend that would be guaranteed to play any 1080p content without hiccups at all? (obviously the best chip on the market would but I dont want it to cripple my wallet. :( )

Thanks!
Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz is recommended over Athlon X2 3.0GHz. X2 3.0GHz is still taxed to the max ~92% usage, while the CPU usage of X3 is:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113258 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113259

System:

- Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz
- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
- Vista 32-bit
- CoreAVC (so HA does not work) + AnyDVD HD
- Spider-Man 3 (BD H.264), the first 100 seconds of Chapter 44 (the max bitrate is ~36Mbps)

MPC Video Decoder/CyberLink H.264/AVC Decoder also uses three cores evenly. The only drawback is its relatively higher power consumption (the below is the power consumption of the total system):

- X2 4850e with PowerDVD: ~80W
- X2 4850e with CoreAVC: ~100W
- X3 8450 with PowerDVD: ~100W
- X3 8450 with CoreAVC: ~130W

This is Vista x86 or x64???
x86.

I only have about 14.5cm of vertical space available and the NSK2480 is 13.97cm high, whereas the NSK1480 is about 2cm shorter (i.e. 12cm). I have lots of space available on either side (up to 30cm if reqd) and the back of the unit is open, with about 15-20cm to the these two units.

Basically, I can't figure out which unit will provide the best airflow. I'm also open to any other low to moderate cost quiet options.
The height of NSK2480 is 146mm including feet. So this option is eliminated. NSK1480 would be a good choice. Another choice is nMEDIAPC.

For a G45 motherboard what is the most economical processor that will do.


I have 4 gigs of ballistic ram and the lg hd-dvd/blu-ray reader already bought


Reason I ask is for the amd route you need to buy a phenom to be able to enable video processing. I am hoping the Intel Celeron DUAL-CORE E1200 Dual Core Processor or the Intl Pentium Dual Core E2180 Dual Core Processor will work as well as the q6600 or e8400 for bluray and hd-dvd playback.
As long as HA works, Pentium Dual-Core is just enough.

Deinterlacing is another subject. AMD 780G + Phenom gives near-perfect deinterlacing. But deinterlacing performance of G45 is totally unknown (G35 gives near-zero HD HQV score). Processor does not affect deinterlacing in the Intel platform.

Pretty sure the P5Q would do the job in everything, but I do wonder about the audio (Realtek ALC1200)?

Or would a P5Q Deluxe/Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4 be better suited (for audio)?

Many thanks.
Do you use S/PDIF or analog?

i have abit ip35-e and ninja mini hsf w/ fan. i am wondering does the motherboard fits the hsf or not?

i have abit ip35-e and ninja mini hsf w/ fan. i am wondering does the motherboard fits the hsf or not?
Yes, it fits IP35-E.

Yes, it fits IP35-E.


thank you, Renethx

Do you use S/PDIF or analog?

S/PDIF or S/PDIF passed into HDMI (via video card).

Not worried about bit-perfect audio in scenario a).

S/PDIF or S/PDIF passed into HDMI (via video card).

Not worried about bit-perfect audio in scenario a).
Then either of P5Q, P5Q Deluxe, GA-EP35-DS4 or GA-EP45-DS4P is fine. However I see an advantage of GA-EP35-DS4/GA-EP45-DS4P over P5Q/P5Q Deluxe: GA-EP35-DS4 supports DTS Connect and GA-EP45-DS4P supports Dolby Digital Live which encodes audio from any source into DTS or AC3 and sends it over S/PDIF (or HDMI S/PDIF pass-through). Please read my post:

- BD Movies that result in 2-Channel S/PDIF without DTS Connect or DDL (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13368419#post13368419)

PowerDVD 8 now includes DTS/AC3 encoder so that you won't need DTS Connect or DDL as long as you use PowerDVD 8, however.

Then either of P5Q, P5Q Deluxe, GA-EP35-DS4 or GA-EP45-DS4P is fine. However I see an advantage of GA-EP35-DS4/GA-EP45-DS4P over P5Q/P5Q Deluxe: GA-EP35-DS4 supports DTS Connect and GA-EP45-DS4P supports Dolby Digital Live which encodes audio from any source into DTS or AC3 and sends it over S/PDIF (or HDMI S/PDIF pass-through). Please read my post:

- BD Movies that result in 2-Channel S/PDIF without DTS Connect or DDL (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13368419#post13368419)

PowerDVD 8 now includes DTS/AC3 encoder so that you won't need DTS Connect or DDL as long as you use PowerDVD 8, however.

Many thanks, greatly appreciated. It's a shame Asus didn't include DTS Connect on the P5Q series.

Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz is recommended over Athlon X2 3.0GHz. X2 3.0GHz is still taxed to the max ~92% usage, while the CPU usage of X3 is:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113258 http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=113259

System:

- Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz
- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
- Vista 32-bit
- CoreAVC (so HA does not work) + AnyDVD HD
- Spider-Man 3 (BD H.264), the first 100 seconds of Chapter 44 (the max bitrate is ~36Mbps)

MPC Video Decoder/CyberLink H.264/AVC Decoder also uses three cores evenly. The only drawback is its relatively higher power consumption (the below is the power consumption of the total system):

- X2 4850e with PowerDVD: ~80W
- X2 4850e with CoreAVC: ~100W
- X3 8450 with PowerDVD: ~100W
- X3 8450 with CoreAVC: ~130W

Hmmm...very interesting!

I think it is better to buy a phenom cpu (like 8450) before the 4850 due to little difference in prices.

Than you very much renethx.

PD: sorry for my english

I was going to post a separate listing, but this seems like the right group. Looking for the quietest 2U server array. That is the criteria. JUST an array. Have found a asus server head that operates at 30 dBa, so something that quiet would be good. Alternatively, a 2U server array with an ATX power supply and swappable fans would also work, as i could upgrade the PSU with a quiet one.

Why you ask, I live in NYC, so there is no basement or entirely isolated place at $1,000 a sq ft...

Thanks
C

Renethx,

I see you like P35 motherboards for htpc, does that mean that a P45 board is even better? I'm wanting to buy a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 to pair with a Q9450 cpu.

Is there any drawback to using Vista 64 instead of 32 bit for htpc purposes? I want 8gigs of ram if it is alright to use 64 bit.

Thanks

The height of NSK2480 is 146mm including feet. So this option is eliminated. NSK1480 would be a good choice. Another choice is nMEDIAPC.

Interesting. I just assumed that the height in the specs included the feet. Thanks for bringing that to my attenton.

How come even when hardware acceleration works in PowerDVD and the cpu shows around 10% load, theres still some kind of choppiness in the video? What is that caused by, the AGP port throttling the data? What about the agp aperture size, does that matter? Is there any way to have perfectly smooth blu-ray decoding with HD 2600 agp?

I am waiting for the GA-MA79GP-DS4H so I am sure a Phenom won't burn this board. Any idea when it's released?

How come even when hardware acceleration works in PowerDVD and the cpu shows around 10% load, theres still some kind of choppiness in the video? What is that caused by, the AGP port throttling the data? What about the agp aperture size, does that matter? Is there any way to have perfectly smooth blu-ray decoding with HD 2600 agp?

Good question. PDVD seems to do this sometimes with certain combinations. I've always attributed it to PDVD saying it's doing HA, but not implementing it properly for the video card/IGP. And usually PDVD won't let you turn it off in these circumstances (even the new build, which claims you can, still doesn't let you turn it off).

The ATI 4850 was officially released today.

www.guru3d.com/news.html

Thanks again for all the help.
One more question before I pull the triffer.
I've read a lot on this case that says the PS needs LONG cords. Anybody have any info on this PS and case?
Thanks

Getting ready to build an HTPC. Purpose:
1. Playback lossless wma with J River Media Center.
2. Bluray
Will be HDMI to Tv (Panny 1080p plasma) and S/PDIF to Denon 4802.
Since the Denon doesn’t have HDMI can I get 5.1 from bluray disks through the S/PDIF?

Here’s what I’m thinking from the “Recommended Systems” and reading here:

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
ENERMAX MODU82+ EMD525AWT 525W
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
SAPPHIRE 100233L Radeon HD 3450 256MB
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DH-4O1S-11 - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium
ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail

I’m sure there’s some overkill but, I’d rather have too much then not enough.

As I was typing this a co-worker came over and said I should go AMD with the 780g chipset

Suggestions please.
Thanks

Good question. PDVD seems to do this sometimes with certain combinations. I've always attributed it to PDVD saying it's doing HA, but not implementing it properly for the video card/IGP. And usually PDVD won't let you turn it off in these circumstances (even the new build, which claims you can, still doesn't let you turn it off).

I'm only having problems with Planet Earth blu-ray movies so far. I've watched 3 other movies on blu-ray and they play perfectly smooth. I can see that Planet Earth disks carry almost 3 hours of footage each, while being only around 20 gigs just like the others. I guess they use some kind of heavy codec that takes extra cpu/gpu power to decode.

Renethx,

I see you like P35 motherboards for htpc, does that mean that a P45 board is even better? I'm wanting to buy a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 to pair with a Q9450 cpu.

Is there any drawback to using Vista 64 instead of 32 bit for htpc purposes? I want 8gigs of ram if it is alright to use 64 bit.

Thanks
P45 is definitely better in several points. If you can afford, DQ6 is a good choice (perhaps overkill though). 64bit (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12932858#post12932858)

Thanks again for all the help.
One more question before I pull the triffer.
I've read a lot on this case that says the PS needs LONG cords. Anybody have any info on this PS and case?
Thanks
I am using EMD525AWT and GD01MX (the same as LC17 in size and close to LC17 in internal structure) with no problem.

Hi. Another newbie here. I've read about all I can absorb on this site (thanks to all, seriously), and I think I'm ready to jump in. So I'd like a little advice.

I'm interested in building a box for the following purposes: PVR, Clear QAM reception, downloading media (netflix and the like), streaming media (xm, mlb.tv, etc.). It'll be hooked up to a Panasonic 42" 720p plasma. No gaming.

Here's what I've got so far:
MB: GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L
CPU: Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53 GHz
Memory: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit
Case: SilverStone Lascala LC17 SST-LC17B
GPU: ASUS EAH3450/HTP/256M Radeon HD 3450 (w/DVI > HDMI converter)
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA 430
Cooling: ZEROtherm BTF90
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint T166 320GB HD321KJ
Tuner: TBD (probably HD Homerun)
Optical Drive: Pioneer Black CD & DVD Burner (upgrade to BluRay at some point)
OS: Vista Home Premium (if linux could do mlb.tv, and learn how to hibernate regularly, I'd be there)
Sound, remote: TBD

Its primarily renethx's low end ATX system with the main difference being a slightly heftier CPU. Aside from the basic "How does it look to the pros?" question, I've got one more:

1. Do I even need the GPU? But if not, what ATX board have hdmi out? I may have not been looking in the right places but I didn't see ATX boards integrated graphics, and I'd rather stick with a more spacious board at my skill level!

2. Ideally, I'd like to sit it in an enclosed entertainment cabinet. One of those glass-doored jobs, with pressboard backing. The obvious concern is heat. The other option is to build a tower and sit it behind the TV. The TV actually sits about six inches from the back edge of the cabinet, and then there's three more inches to the wall, giving it nine inches clearance. I could build a little shelf back there and you'd never see it. The TV doesn't generate much heat at all. But, I don't want to build it into the HTPC case, have it fail, and then have to buy a new tower case. So I'd be interested in what the experts (that's you guys) think. If none of that works, I might just put it in another room and get an extender, although I lose mlb.tv at that point.

Thanks a whole lot. Even if nobody responds, I've already learned a ton from y'all!

BTW, there is a thread on this -- "Heat Dissapation in Entertainment Center...How do YOU do it?" -- but I'm wondering whether with better parts I can make this work.

marc

Hello all -

I built my first HTPC in 1999 and I built had my current one since 2001. So I am obviously way overdue for an upgrade.

That 2001 machine is Pentium II 600MHz. overclocked way up to to 733MHz! :eek: XP Pro with Theatertek DVD software player. That's about it.

Things have certainly changed inside from 2001 to today.

I'll be mostly playing HD material via Bluray on the new HTPC with some light gaming and 3D design software.

I am leaning towards:

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium SP1 32-bit English 1pk for System Builders DSP OEI DVD - OEM

ASUS P5K EPU LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

ASUS EN8600GTS SILENT/HTDP/256M GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

Antec NeoPower 550 550W ATX12V Power Supply 100

Crucial Ballistix Tracer 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail

1. - Any problems/issues with the above configuration?

2. - Can I use my current Airboard wireless keyboard with its on-board mouse? I don't want a seperate mouse for theater use. The Airboard keyboard/mouse uses a PS2 and a COM1 connection.

Can I use this adapter to get my above Airboard keyboard/mouse working?
CABLES UNLIMITED USB-2920 USB 2.0 to Serial DB9 Adapter - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812339013

3. - Lastly, are there IDE connections on this motherboard, or are legacy IDE devices ancient history?

Thanks in advance,

Renethx, awesome guide. Can’t thank you enough for putting this together. I’ve learned a ton and this has really steered me in the right direction, I think.

I’m looking at upgrading my 4yr old computer (P4 2GHz, AGP Graphics… yuck!) but have a few questions about my specific situation/plan.

I’m an average gaming enthusiast (Play often and want a better experience, but wouldn’t really consider myself a hardcore gamer). I work programs like Adobe Photoshop a decent amount and do some video encoding/editing. I use some modeling/graphics programs at times. I would like to have the capability to run them efficiently. And I will do a reasonable amount of movie watching on it and would like to start using it as a PVR. In the near future, I plan to purchase a 24”-30” monitor as well (in maybe 6-8 months when I can afford another splurge). Oh, and I’m running XP Home.

Currently, I’m thinking about this type of set up:


Motherboard: Asus P5N-D LGA 775 nVidia nForce 750i SLI ATX
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz LGA 775
RAM: Corsair Dominator 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 1066 Duel Channel Kit
Video Card: BFG Tech GeForce 8800 GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI-E 2.0 x16

Totaling $567 shipped from newegg after rebates.

The key to this setup is that I’m trying to plan ahead and provide the capability for these components to be transferred to an HTPC in maybe 1.5-2 years. When it is transferred to HTPC, I will want higher quality audio (i.e. no appreciable difference from HTPC vs standalone blue-ray player through Denon AVR and mid-level speakers).

So, while some of the components might be considered a bit overkill for a pure HTPC, it also has to function as a solid Gaming/Multi-media PC for a while. I think I’m pretty pleased with the PC performance this setup will grant me, but I wasn’t sure if they will do all that I am hoping for when converted to an HTPC. First thing that comes to mind is the mobo’s audio capability, even with a good sound card. I’ve read some of this thread and seen where multichannel HD Audio is not always is not always supported by some mobo’s. (I’m not real well versed on in this area so forgive my ignorance and any help would be appricated). But is there any way to get a digital multichannel HD Audio out?

Also, I guess I don’t “really” need to SLI capability, but I just wanted to leave that option available in case I decide to spring for a 30” monitor and the graphics performance is less than desired. So, if you feel will get a lot more of what I want from the future HTPC by giving up the SLI capability, then I’m opened to those idea.

So, I guess my question is in regards to this setup’s future HTPC performance, while not compromising current PC performance too much:


Will I be able to play multichannel HD Audio with these components? If not, what additional equipment/changes are required/recommend.
Do you recommend any changes to these components that will be more effective/efficient (I don’t mind a “slight” monetary increase; set a $600 budget in mind for these components).
Any other video cards, or yet to be released video cards that will support multichannel LPCM and/or pass the digital audio through HDMI? (Or something like that, forgive me if I'm a little off on this).
Any Soundcard solutions on the market yet?


Thanks for the help. Any additional thoughts that I didn’t even mention or think of in this post would be greatly appreciated. (Sorry for the long post)

PS The trigger will be pulled on this purchase around the end of July. So any upcoming releases that would be a better choice and remain with in my budget would be great suggestions. Thanks again!

Posted this on the 8200 thread but no response, so I am trying here:

Quick question, does the AMD 9750 work with the abit A-n78hd? It's 125W and I know this is an issue with some other boards. Checked the abit site and I can't find anything... also sent support an email and no response. Not interested in other CPUs that are cheaper or whatever... my question is specific to the 9750

Thanks!!

So it's time to rebuild my HTPC, and probably split it into a Client and Server setup. That way the HTPC at the TV will be quieter/cooler, and the Server will have more expansion and cooling capabilities. I'll be using components from my existing HTPC (a AM2 machine) and office machine (socket 939 - 2005ish build). Both will run Win XP and SageTV.

Proposed rebuild plan:

Client:

OrigenAE X11 case w/ VFD/IR module & Rev. 2 hdd cage (existing)
Seasonic S12 380w power supply (existing)
Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H or ABIT A-N78HD motherboard
Athlon X2 4850e 2.5 GHz or Athlon X2 3800+ 2.0GHz (existing) or Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz cpu
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro cpu heatsink/fan (existing)
Seagate 160GB PATA hdd (existing)
Corsair 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 memory (existing)
NEC ND-3500A
IDE DVD burner flashed region-free (existing)

The client will be hooked to my Pioneer receiver via S/PDIF (5.1 speaker system) and my LCD TV via DVI connection. The receiver and TV do not have HDMI inputs. Just need to figure out which CPU and which motherboard (or would a ATI solution be better?)

Server:
Antec
SLK-3700BQE case (existing)
Seasonic S12 430w power supply (existing)
Need motherboard suggestion here - maybe a P35?
Intel Quad-core Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz cpu (which heatsink/fan?)
2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 memory
Seagate 160GB PATA hdd – OS (existing)
Seagate 300GB PATA hdd – Games/Data (existing)
Seagate 320GB SATA hdd – SageTV recordings (existing – may replace)
WD GP 750GB SATA hdd – SageTV recordings (existing)
Acer IDE DVD-ROM flashed region free(existing)
NEC ND-3540A IDE DVD burner flashed region free(existing)
MSI GeForce 7600GT 256MB PCIe HDCP ready w/ Arctic Cooling AVC-NV6 Rev. 2 VGA cooler (existing)
Mitsumi 1.44MB Floppy Drive / USB 2.0 card reader combo (existing)
Hauppauge PVR-500 MCE dual NTSC PCI tuner (existing)
DVICO FusionHDTV 5 Lite QAM/ATSC PCI tuner (existing)
VBOX Cat’s Eye 150 ATSC PCI tuner (existing)
AverMedia M780 NTSC & ATSC PCIe tuner (existing)


Issues:
Most of the P35 motherboards I’ve looked at can only support 2 IDE devices, and I’ve got 4 (2x optical and 2x hdd). So I either get new hard drives, new optical drives, or use PATA to SATA converters on the hdd’s. I'm leaning towards either a Gigabyte or ASUS, but not sure which one. I'm looking for both the client and server to be very stable machines (current HTPC has random reboots that I've not been able to stop/fix).

Also worried that the power supply for the server might not be enough.

I want to keep the client a real computer as I do play dvd's there - though I will start ripping them to the hard drive as I increase storage space. I also have some DVD's from other regions that we watch.

Fianlly, I my upgrade to Blu-ray in the future, but I think that would require a different receiver to get the full effect (current one doesn't have any hdmi inputs), so I'd be nice if the motherboard in the client could handle the sound.

Suggestions, improvements, parts you would change?
Mike

Ordered the parts today.
One more question. What software to use for blu Ray playback.
PowerDVD *?????

Getting ready to build an HTPC. Purpose:
1. Playback lossless wma with J River Media Center.
2. Bluray
Will be HDMI to Tv (Panny 1080p plasma) and S/PDIF to Denon 4802.
Since the Denon doesn’t have HDMI can I get 5.1 from bluray disks through the S/PDIF?

Here’s what I’m thinking from the “Recommended Systems” and reading here:

SILVERSTONE SST-LC17-B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
ENERMAX MODU82+ EMD525AWT 525W
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
Arctic Silver Ceramique Thermal Compound
Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
SAPPHIRE 100233L Radeon HD 3450 256MB
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DH-4O1S-11 - OEM
Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium
ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail


Thanks

So it's time to rebuild my HTPC, and probably split it into a Client and Server setup. That way the HTPC at the TV will be quieter/cooler, and the Server will have more expansion and cooling capabilities. I'll be using components from my existing HTPC (a AM2 machine) and office machine (socket 939 - 2005ish build). Both will run Win XP and SageTV.

Proposed rebuild plan:

Client:

OrigenAE X11 case w/ VFD/IR module & Rev. 2 hdd cage (existing)
Seasonic S12 380w power supply (existing)
Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H or ABIT A-N78HD motherboard
Athlon X2 4850e 2.5 GHz or Athlon X2 3800+ 2.0GHz (existing) or Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz cpu
Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro cpu heatsink/fan (existing)
Seagate 160GB PATA hdd (existing)
Corsair 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 memory (existing)
NEC ND-3500A
IDE DVD burner flashed region-free (existing)

The client will be hooked to my Pioneer receiver via S/PDIF (5.1 speaker system) and my LCD TV via DVI connection. The receiver and TV do not have HDMI inputs. Just need to figure out which CPU and which motherboard (or would a ATI solution be better?)

Server:
Antec
SLK-3700BQE case (existing)
Seasonic S12 430w power supply (existing)
Need motherboard suggestion here - maybe a P35?
Intel Quad-core Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz cpu (which heatsink/fan?)
2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 memory
Seagate 160GB PATA hdd – OS (existing)
Seagate 300GB PATA hdd – Games/Data (existing)
Seagate 320GB SATA hdd – SageTV recordings (existing – may replace)
WD GP 750GB SATA hdd – SageTV recordings (existing)
Acer IDE DVD-ROM flashed region free(existing)
NEC ND-3540A IDE DVD burner flashed region free(existing)
MSI GeForce 7600GT 256MB PCIe HDCP ready w/ Arctic Cooling AVC-NV6 Rev. 2 VGA cooler (existing)
Mitsumi 1.44MB Floppy Drive / USB 2.0 card reader combo (existing)
Hauppauge PVR-500 MCE dual NTSC PCI tuner (existing)
DVICO FusionHDTV 5 Lite QAM/ATSC PCI tuner (existing)
VBOX Cat’s Eye 150 ATSC PCI tuner (existing)
AverMedia M780 NTSC & ATSC PCIe tuner (existing)


Issues:
Most of the P35 motherboards I’ve looked at can only support 2 IDE devices, and I’ve got 4 (2x optical and 2x hdd). So I either get new hard drives, new optical drives, or use PATA to SATA converters on the hdd’s. I'm leaning towards either a Gigabyte or ASUS, but not sure which one. I'm looking for both the client and server to be very stable machines (current HTPC has random reboots that I've not been able to stop/fix).

Also worried that the power supply for the server might not be enough.

I want to keep the client a real computer as I do play dvd's there - though I will start ripping them to the hard drive as I increase storage space. I also have some DVD's from other regions that we watch.

Fianlly, I my upgrade to Blu-ray in the future, but I think that would require a different receiver to get the full effect (current one doesn't have any hdmi inputs), so I'd be nice if the motherboard in the client could handle the sound.

Suggestions, improvements, parts you would change?
Mike

Why a quad-core for the server? I mean, yay on my stock price and stuff if everyone overbuys, but really: one of the oddnesses of the HTPC client/server world is that the CPU needs for the server are way lower than for the client. Unless... are you going to be doing re-encoding on the server? If not, I'd swap the dual core into the server and have the quad in the "HTPC-but-will-use-for-other-stuff-too" machine. Or just two dual cores.

Why a quad-core for the server? I mean, yay on my stock price and stuff if everyone overbuys, but really: one of the oddnesses of the HTPC client/server world is that the CPU needs for the server are way lower than for the client. Unless... are you going to be doing re-encoding on the server? If not, I'd swap the dual core into the server and have the quad in the "HTPC-but-will-use-for-other-stuff-too" machine. Or just two dual cores.

I plan on doing re-encoding on the server, both to compress SageTV recordings and to rip DVD's to the hard drive. I'll also get use as the office machine for word documents, email, web surfing, and quicken. The HTPC will probably only see web surfing and email.

If any gaming happens, it's of the Doom3, dungen siege type stuff (have kids so no time really).

1. Do I even need the GPU? But if not, what ATX board have hdmi out? I may have not been looking in the right places but I didn't see ATX boards integrated graphics, and I'd rather stick with a more spacious board at my skill level!

2. Ideally, I'd like to sit it in an enclosed entertainment cabinet. One of those glass-doored jobs, with pressboard backing. The obvious concern is heat. The other option is to build a tower and sit it behind the TV. The TV actually sits about six inches from the back edge of the cabinet, and then there's three more inches to the wall, giving it nine inches clearance. I could build a little shelf back there and you'd never see it. The TV doesn't generate much heat at all. But, I don't want to build it into the HTPC case, have it fail, and then have to buy a new tower case. So I'd be interested in what the experts (that's you guys) think. If none of that works, I might just put it in another room and get an extender, although I lose mlb.tv at that point.
1. Forget about ATX+IGP in the Intel platform right now. ASUS P5E-V HDMI is the only reasonable choice, but not available in US. There could be G45/GeForce 9300/9400 ATX boards in a few months, however. One of the main features of these new boards is multichannel LPCM HDMI audio. If it's not your concern, buy a discrete graphics card now.

2. Your HTPC constantly emits 80W-100W heat. So some kind of ventilation is a must. If the cabinet has holes in the back where LC17's rear fans can exhaust air, then it should be fine. Otherwise it's not good.

2. - Can I use my current Airboard wireless keyboard with its on-board mouse? I don't want a seperate mouse for theater use. The Airboard keyboard/mouse uses a PS2 and a COM1 connection.

Can I use this adapter to get my above Airboard keyboard/mouse working?
CABLES UNLIMITED USB-2920 USB 2.0 to Serial DB9 Adapter - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812339013

3. - Lastly, are there IDE connections on this motherboard, or are legacy IDE devices ancient history?
2. Or you can use DB9M Serial Add-A-Port Adapter with Bracket for Intel Motherboards (http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=908&sku=28300).

3. You can connect two PATA (IDE) drives to the mb.

The key to this setup is that I’m trying to plan ahead and provide the capability for these components to be transferred to an HTPC in maybe 1.5-2 years. When it is transferred to HTPC, I will want higher quality audio (i.e. no appreciable difference from HTPC vs standalone blue-ray player through Denon AVR and mid-level speakers).

So, while some of the components might be considered a bit overkill for a pure HTPC, it also has to function as a solid Gaming/Multi-media PC for a while. I think I’m pretty pleased with the PC performance this setup will grant me, but I wasn’t sure if they will do all that I am hoping for when converted to an HTPC. First thing that comes to mind is the mobo’s audio capability, even with a good sound card. I’ve read some of this thread and seen where multichannel HD Audio is not always is not always supported by some mobo’s. (I’m not real well versed on in this area so forgive my ignorance and any help would be appricated). But is there any way to get a digital multichannel HD Audio out?

Also, I guess I don’t “really” need to SLI capability, but I just wanted to leave that option available in case I decide to spring for a 30” monitor and the graphics performance is less than desired. So, if you feel will get a lot more of what I want from the future HTPC by giving up the SLI capability, then I’m opened to those idea.

So, I guess my question is in regards to this setup’s future HTPC performance, while not compromising current PC performance too much:


Will I be able to play multichannel HD Audio with these components? If not, what additional equipment/changes are required/recommend.
Do you recommend any changes to these components that will be more effective/efficient (I don’t mind a “slight” monetary increase; set a $600 budget in mind for these components).
Any other video cards, or yet to be released video cards that will support multichannel LPCM and/or pass the digital audio through HDMI? (Or something like that, forgive me if I'm a little off on this).
Any Soundcard solutions on the market yet?


Thanks for the help. Any additional thoughts that I didn’t even mention or think of in this post would be greatly appreciated. (Sorry for the long post)

PS The trigger will be pulled on this purchase around the end of July. So any upcoming releases that would be a better choice and remain with in my budget would be great suggestions. Thanks again!
Forget about multichannel HD audio right now. Your system is capable of DD5.1/DTS through S/PDIF or HDMI. In 1.5 -2 years later you will be able to buy a cheap (< $100) but perfect solution for it (mb with IGP, discrete graphics card with buit-in audio controller or a HDMI sound card). If you want to know the current status, read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13872683#post13872683).

Posted this on the 8200 thread but no response, so I am trying here:

Quick question, does the AMD 9750 work with the abit A-n78hd? It's 125W and I know this is an issue with some other boards. Checked the abit site and I can't find anything... also sent support an email and no response. Not interested in other CPUs that are cheaper or whatever... my question is specific to the 9750
Perhaps nobody knows the answer (except abit engineers). A solution is buy the mb and 9750 at mwave (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=BA24990) and let them test the system.

Most of the P35 motherboards I’ve looked at can only support 2 IDE devices, and I’ve got 4 (2x optical and 2x hdd). So I either get new hard drives, new optical drives, or use PATA to SATA converters on the hdd’s. I'm leaning towards either a Gigabyte or ASUS, but not sure which one. I'm looking for both the client and server to be very stable machines (current HTPC has random reboots that I've not been able to stop/fix).

Also worried that the power supply for the server might not be enough.
GA-EP35-DS3R is a good choice for the server. You may use two SATA-IDE adapters (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822998001) or sell PAPA HDDs/buy SATA HDDs. The latter may be a smarter solution.

Your PSU is good enough.

2. Or you can use DB9M Serial Add-A-Port Adapter with Bracket for Intel Motherboards (http://www.cablestogo.com/product.asp?cat%5Fid=908&sku=28300).

3. You can connect two PATA (IDE) drives to the mb.

Great news. Thanks renethx.

You da man.

Forget about multichannel HD audio right now. Your system is capable of DD5.1/DTS through S/PDIF or HDMI. In 1.5 -2 years later you will be able to buy a cheap (< $100) but perfect solution for it (mb with IGP, discrete graphics card with buit-in audio controller or a HDMI sound card). If you want to know the current status, read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13872683#post13872683).


Ok. Living with DVD quality audio while it is a gaming PC isn't such a bad thing. I was just trying to avoid having to RE-BUY too much and the whole "looking for a new mobo, but new mobo's don't work with my current cpu, etc" game.

The Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 and ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 look promising, and could quite possibly be dirt cheap buy the time I'm ready to use this as a HTPC. Will those cards work with the mobo I picked (if not, what changes would you recommend)?

Thanks again for your contributions. I'm sure they are appreciated by much more than just me!

GA-EP35-DS3R is a good choice for the server. You may use two SATA-IDE adapters (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822998001) or sell PAPA HDDs/buy SATA HDDs. The latter may be a smarter solution.

Your PSU is good enough.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Also, on the client side, considering I'll be playing back HDTV and would like to add Blu-ray at some point., should I go with the GA-M78SM-S2H or A-N78HD motherboard, and which cpu: Athlon X2 4850e 2.5 GHz or Athlon X2 3800+ 2.0GHz (existing) or Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz cpu?

Thanks again,
Mike

1. Forget about ATX+IGP in the Intel platform right now. ASUS P5E-V HDMI is the only reasonable choice, but not available in US. There could be G45/GeForce 9300/9400 ATX boards in a few months, however. One of the main features of these new boards is multichannel LPCM HDMI audio. If it's not your concern, buy a discrete graphics card now.

2. Your HTPC constantly emits 80W-100W heat. So some kind of ventilation is a must. If the cabinet has holes in the back where LC17's rear fans can exhaust air, then it should be fine. Otherwise it's not good.

Thanks much ... I'll give it a whirl. If anyone has any ideas to lower the heat output, I'm all ears.

Perhaps nobody knows the answer (except abit engineers). A solution is buy the mb and 9750 at mwave (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=BA24990) and let them test the system.


Yep, you're correct, no one knows. I called abit support earlier today and they didn't know. Their sheets only go up to the 9600. Their suggestion was buy the 9750 and see if it works. Fry's has a great deal for $179 plus some cheap mbo I could throw away or sell on eBay. If it doesn't work I can always return it.

Thanks for the repy!

The Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 and ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 look promising, and could quite possibly be dirt cheap buy the time I'm ready to use this as a HTPC. Will those cards work with the mobo I picked (if not, what changes would you recommend)?
Surely they will work fine with your system, and perhaps there will be cheaper HDMI sound cards by then.

Also, on the client side, considering I'll be playing back HDTV and would like to add Blu-ray at some point., should I go with the GA-M78SM-S2H or A-N78HD motherboard, and which cpu: Athlon X2 4850e 2.5 GHz or Athlon X2 3800+ 2.0GHz (existing) or Phenom X3 8450 2.1GHz cpu?
If you have X2 3800+, then you don't need to buy another CPU. 2.0GHz is good enough for BD playback (as long as HA works). A-N78HD is good in my experience. GA-M78SM-S2H looks fine too according to actual users.

Thanks much ... I'll give it a whirl. If anyone has any ideas to lower the heat output, I'm all ears.
Use GA-EP35-DS3L instead of GA-P35-DS3L that consumes 5W-20W lower power.

Thanks to renethx for his work.

Hi, I've been doing some 'research' into a good set-up for my new HTPC and have a question regarding the choice of the motherboard.

I'm probably going for a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 so I'll be needing a socket 775 mobo. I will also be doing some gaming on the HTPC so a discrete graphics card (probably HD4850) will be needed. Furthermore the case will probably be a Antec Fusion V2 Black, which only supports mATX motherboards.

With the release of the new P45/G45 Intel chipsets it would probably be a good choice for my set-up, but I'm wondering if there are any specific models released on in the making that would fit in my system? Seeing as I'm using a discrete graphics card, it would probably make more sense to go for a P45 instead of a G45 with IGP. But when I look at its predecessor the P35 I only see motherboards with ATX form factor, none with mATX. So does this mean the P45 will not get a mATX release? And if so, am i better of with a G45 or maybe something else entirely?

Any advice is appreciated :)

Oh and while I'm still here, as I said I will probably go with the E8400 CPU, but the boy in me still has some doubt whether or not I should go for something even strong, such as a quad core Q6600 or Q9XXX, also considering I will be using the HTPC for gaming. Any recommendations on this one?

Hi, I've been doing some 'research' into a good set-up for my new HTPC and have a question regarding the choice of the motherboard.

I'm probably going for a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 so I'll be needing a socket 775 mobo. I will also be doing some gaming on the HTPC so a discrete graphics card (probably HD4850) will be needed. Furthermore the case will probably be a Antec Fusion V2 Black, which only supports mATX motherboards.

With the release of the new P45/G45 Intel chipsets it would probably be a good choice for my set-up, but I'm wondering if there are any specific models released on in the making that would fit in my system? Seeing as I'm using a discrete graphics card, it would probably make more sense to go for a P45 instead of a G45 with IGP. But when I look at its predecessor the P35 I only see motherboards with ATX form factor, none with mATX. So does this mean the P45 will not get a mATX release? And if so, am i better of with a G45 or maybe something else entirely?

Any advice is appreciated :)

Oh and while I'm still here, as I said I will probably go with the E8400 CPU, but the boy in me still has some doubt whether or not I should go for something even strong, such as a quad core Q6600 or Q9XXX, also considering I will be using the HTPC for gaming. Any recommendations on this one?
There will be no P45 mATX, and the production cost of G45 is the same as P45. Go with G45 mATX even if you use a discrete graphics card (or G33/G31 if you want to save money).

For gaming, E8400 is perhaps the best choice.

I did manage to find that DFI apparently made a P45 mATX board (google 'p45 matx', first hit) but would that have any advantages over a G45 one?

Oh, and what are the thoughts on a single slot HD4850 vs a dual slot HD4850 (with more cooling, seeing as you might want that for a silent, cool HTPC). Will that even fit on a mATX board? Not even sure if there even will be dual slot HD4850's btw...

I did manage to find that DFI apparently made a P45 mATX board (google 'p45 matx', first hit) but would that have any advantages over a G45 one?

Oh, and what are the thoughts on a single slot HD4850 vs a dual slot HD4850 (with more cooling, seeing as you might want that for a silent, cool HTPC). Will that even fit on a mATX board? Not even sure if there even will be dual slot HD4850's btw...
I see, DFI is planning a couple of SLI/CrossFire mATX mbs as well as P45 mATX. Basically P45 = G45 with IGP disabled (afaik), so they are identical if you don't use IGP except for TDP:

- P45: 22W
- G45: 24W

But actual power consumption may be the same if you disable IGP.

A single slot HD 4850 is just the reference design card. It should be quiet enough for most users. A dual slot HD 4850 card has a different cooler (usually quieter than the reference cooler, and maybe has a different card design). You just lose the slot below the PCI Express x16 slot.

Ok, I think I'll just go for the G45 then, and decide later on whether or not I will get a dual slot HD4850..

thx renethx ;)

If you have X2 3800+, then you don't need to buy another CPU. 2.0GHz is good enough for BD playback (as long as HA works). A-N78HD is good in my experience. GA-M78SM-S2H looks fine too according to actual users.

Great! HA=Hardware Acceleration? Does IGP on both the GA-M78SM-S2H and A-N78HD have working HA with Win XP?

One last question - a cooler for the Q6600?

Great! HA=Hardware Acceleration? Does IGP on both the GA-M78SM-S2H and A-N78HD have working HA with Win XP?

One last question - a cooler for the Q6600?
Yes to the first and second questions.

Try the stock cooler or Scythe Ninja (not mini).

I've read this thread with great interest and learning a lot !
Thanks to renethx for continuing to fill this thread with
more and more valuable info.

I'm getting ready to build my next PC and have a couple
of question now. My PC will need to be best equipped for
lot of video encoding jobs and smooth HD playback.
It'll not be used for gaming.
Given these requirements I'm wondering what'd be a
solid system for me that'd last for few years.


1) Intel q6600 vs Core2 Due E8400
Which one is better suited for my purposes and why ?

2) MB: I'm thinking one of GA-EP45-DS3R, GA-EP45-DS4P
or GA-EP45-DS3L.
Which one is the best value for me ?

3) Video Card: 8600GTS or HD3650
Does 8600GTS provide HA like HD3650 ?


4) Memory...what type and how much ?

Thanks for your input.

I've read this thread with great interest and learning a lot !
Thanks to renethx for continuing to fill this thread with
more and more valuable info.

I'm getting ready to build my next PC and have a couple
of question now. My PC will need to be best equipped for
lot of video encoding jobs and smooth HD playback.
It'll not be used for gaming.
Given these requirements I'm wondering what'd be a
solid system for me that'd last for few years.


1) Intel q6600 vs Core2 Due E8400
Which one is better suited for my purposes and why ?

2) MB: I'm thinking one of GA-EP45-DS3R, GA-EP45-DS4P
or GA-EP45-DS3L.
Which one is the best value for me ?

3) Video Card: 8600GTS or HD3650
Does 8600GTS provide HA like HD3650?

4) Memory...what type and how much?
1. Q6600

2. It depends on what features you need (dual PCIe x8, onboard RAID, Dolby Home Theater etc.).

3. It depends on your system. GeForce works better than ATI in some systems and ATI works better in other systems. Basically either one should be fine. Check this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150258).

4. DDR2-800 2 x 1GB or 2 x 2GB.

1. Q6600

2. It depends on what features you need (dual PCIe x8, onboard RAID, Dolby Home Theater etc.).

3. It depends on your system. GeForce works better than ATI in some systems and ATI works better in other systems. Basically either one should be fine. Check this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150258).

4. DDR2-800 2 x 1GB or 2 x 2GB.


Thanks renethx !

Even with the MBs supporting 45nm, and E8400 being 45nm
you still recommended Q6600 for me. Is this because of the
encoding jobs I will be doing ? Is there a performance comparison
done between these two types somewhere ?

Even with the MBs supporting 45nm, and E8400 being 45nm you still recommended Q6600 for me. Is this because of the encoding jobs I will be doing? Is there a performance comparison done between these two types somewhere?
In general Q6600 is faster than E8400 in encoding. CPU Chart 2007 (http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2007/mainconcept-h-264-encoder,380.html?p=1217%2C1273%2C1272%2C1271%2C1270%2C1269%2 C1275%2C1308%2C1307%2C1306%2C1268%2C1267%2C1265%2C1266%2C127 4%2C1264%2C1263%2C1253%2C1262%2C1252%2C1261%2C1228%2C1251%2C 1250%2C1259%2C1260%2C1248%2C1249%2C1245%2C1246%2C1247%2C1244 %2C1242%2C1241%2C1243%2C1240%2C1257%2C1258%2C1302%2C1239%2C1 256%2C1237%2C1238%2C1235%2C1236%2C1305%2C1255%2C1234%2C1232% 2C1233%2C1300%2C1231%2C1230%2C1301%2C1304%2C1303%2C1229%2C12 54%2C1299%2C1295%2C1298%2C1294%2C1297%2C1293%2C1296%2C1292%2 C1227%2C1225%2C1224%2C1226%2C1281%2C1291%2C1223%2C1220%2C122 2%2C1221%2C1280%2C1290%2C1289%2C1279%2C1287%2C1288%2C1318%2C 1317%2C1316%2C1219%2C1278%2C1285%2C1286%2C1313%2C1312%2C1277 %2C1315%2C1314%2C1218%2C1284%2C1283%2C1276%2C1282%2C1311%2C1 310%2C1309). Which encoder do you use?

In general Q6600 is faster than E8400 in encoding. CPU Chart 2007 (http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2007/mainconcept-h-264-encoder,380.html?p=1217%2C1273%2C1272%2C1271%2C1270%2C1269%2 C1275%2C1308%2C1307%2C1306%2C1268%2C1267%2C1265%2C1266%2C127 4%2C1264%2C1263%2C1253%2C1262%2C1252%2C1261%2C1228%2C1251%2C 1250%2C1259%2C1260%2C1248%2C1249%2C1245%2C1246%2C1247%2C1244 %2C1242%2C1241%2C1243%2C1240%2C1257%2C1258%2C1302%2C1239%2C1 256%2C1237%2C1238%2C1235%2C1236%2C1305%2C1255%2C1234%2C1232% 2C1233%2C1300%2C1231%2C1230%2C1301%2C1304%2C1303%2C1229%2C12 54%2C1299%2C1295%2C1298%2C1294%2C1297%2C1293%2C1296%2C1292%2 C1227%2C1225%2C1224%2C1226%2C1281%2C1291%2C1223%2C1220%2C122 2%2C1221%2C1280%2C1290%2C1289%2C1279%2C1287%2C1288%2C1318%2C 1317%2C1316%2C1219%2C1278%2C1285%2C1286%2C1313%2C1312%2C1277 %2C1315%2C1314%2C1218%2C1284%2C1283%2C1276%2C1282%2C1311%2C1 310%2C1309). Which encoder do you use?

Great.. that chart is very useful. I plan to do H264 encoding among
other types. I do a lot of video editing and my current system is not
helping with the arrival of advanced video codecs and HD video etc.
(Pentium 4 2.8Ghz, with Radion 9600).
I want a solid video card with HA, HDCP & great quality video.
The card you pointed to looks good (I'll read more to see what's the
differences are between GT & GTS). I was also excited to hear HD4850 on
this board.. but maybe it's an overkill for my purposes.

Hi I need and opinion on cpu choice for a new build.

I plan to watch bluray and hd-dvd ansd also play ms flight sim. This is the only game I will be playing. So will the on board video from a Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H GF8200 be fine for flight sim?

The cpu choices I have narrowed done to

1)AMD Phenom X4 9550 Quad Core Processor Socket AM2 2.2GHZ 4MB Cache 95W Retail Box
2)AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core Processor Socket AM2 2.4GHZ 4MB Cache 125W Retail Box
3)AMD Phenom 8750 Triple Core Processor Socket AM2 2.4GHZ 3.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box
4)AMD Phenom 8650 Triple Core Processor Socket AM2 2.3GHZ 3.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box
5)AMD Phenom X3 8450 Triple Core Processor Socket AM2+ 2.1GHZ 3.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box

I need to order from ncix.com because in Canada there are not a lot of choice in 8200 boards.
They have the ecs , the gigabyte and the asus I am going with the gigabyte because it supports 125watt cpus. Please recommend the cpu I should buy for the above.

I plan on using 1080p @24 and 60hz will the onbaord video work fine for this?

Okay, I've never been concerned about wattage, but I'm anticipating the new G45. Since it will be mITX, I might as well take advantage of that and get a slim case, like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163081

But it's got a 120W PSU in it, that's it. So what CPU should I go with? Normally I'd just get a Q9300 or something, but is that too much power? Do I need a 65W one?

Between the CPU, fans, and a HDD, can 120W even do this, or should I look for something that I can put a regular PSU into, like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133029

?

Any advice is appreciated!

Okay, so I just ordered a nice 1080p capable tv, and I'm obviously trying to build a HTPC for it. I would like something that will not stutter ever, I've been doing a lot of research and googling and it's a bit confusing, but it seems I can cheap out on the processor as long as I get an ATi 2400/2600 series?

Here's what I'm about to pull the trigger on:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9937868

Basically I'm trying to get it cheap with low power consumption. I've never built any AMD machines but I'd be willing to if it meant it would be cheaper. If anyone with more experience with HTPCs could please comment on this build I'd really appreciate the input.

Hi I need and opinion on cpu choice for a new build.

I plan to watch bluray and hd-dvd ansd also play ms flight sim. This is the only game I will be playing. So will the on board video from a Gigabyte GA-M78SM-S2H GF8200 be fine for flight sim?

The cpu choices I have narrowed done to

1)AMD Phenom X4 9550 Quad Core Processor Socket AM2 2.2GHZ 4MB Cache 95W Retail Box
2)AMD Phenom X4 9750 Quad Core Processor Socket AM2 2.4GHZ 4MB Cache 125W Retail Box
3)AMD Phenom 8750 Triple Core Processor Socket AM2 2.4GHZ 3.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box
4)AMD Phenom 8650 Triple Core Processor Socket AM2 2.3GHZ 3.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box
5)AMD Phenom X3 8450 Triple Core Processor Socket AM2+ 2.1GHZ 3.5MB Cache 95W Retail Box

I need to order from ncix.com because in Canada there are not a lot of choice in 8200 boards.
They have the ecs , the gigabyte and the asus I am going with the gigabyte because it supports 125watt cpus. Please recommend the cpu I should buy for the above.

I plan on using 1080p @24 and 60hz will the onbaord video work fine for this?
I don't know about MS FS, but from this test (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/graphics-cards-luxury-trimmings,1722-13.html), FS is playable with GeForce 8200, but not that great (basically 8200 = 8400 in 3D performance). Perhaps you'd better buy a discrete card (like Geforce 9600 GT) if you want better FPS.

Phenom is overkill. Athlon X2 4850e is good enough for your purpose. Among the processors you cited, I would choose X3 8450 (simply because it's the cheapest).

8200 works fine with 1080p/24.

If you have X2 3800+, then you don't need to buy another CPU. 2.0GHz is good enough for BD playback (as long as HA works). A-N78HD is good in my experience. GA-M78SM-S2H looks fine too according to actual users.

Thanks for the response about the cooler and IGP.

Hopefully last question: I currently use an optical S/PDIF to my receiver. It doesn't look like either the A-N78HD or GA-M78SM-S2H have optical S/PDIF, and GA-M78SM-S2H looks like it has coaxial S/PDIF but newegg list it as optical. If I were to go with A-N78HD, what would be the best way to get the sound to my receiver (which does accept 5.1 analog sound input, I believe).

Okay, I've never been concerned about wattage, but I'm anticipating the new G45. Since it will be mITX, I might as well take advantage of that and get a slim case, like this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163081

But it's got a 120W PSU in it, that's it. So what CPU should I go with? Normally I'd just get a Q9300 or something, but is that too much power? Do I need a 65W one?

Between the CPU, fans, and a HDD, can 120W even do this, or should I look for something that I can put a regular PSU into, like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133029
Perhaps 120W PSU is barely OK for Q9300. But Q9300 is definitely overkill (you'd better use it in a workstation). As HA works, Pentium Dual-Core E2220 (2.4GHz, 65nm), Pentium DC E5200 (2.5GHz, 45nm, Q3) or Core 2 Duo E7200 (2.53GHz) will be good enough and run much cooler.

Recently I measured power consumption of various systems. The system closer to G45 is

- abit I-N73HD (GeForce 7100)
- Core 2 Duo E8400
- LG BD drive
- 1 x HDD
- Antec NSK2480 (2 x 120mm fan + 380W 80 PLUS PSU)

The total system power consumption:

- Idle: 48W
- BD playback (from LG drive): 75W
- Prime95: 78W

If you play movies from HDD, power consumption will be about -20W. PSU is 80 PLUS. LC19's PSU will consume about +5W.

Edited

I found that TDP of GeForce 7100 is only 17.6W (NB and SB combined).

- G45: 24W, 65nm
- ICH10: 4.5W

So G45 is closer to G35 in power consumption.

- G35: 28W, 90nm
- ICH9R: 4.3W

G45 consumes about -4W (hopefully < -4W). G35 system:

- ASUS P5E-VM HDMI (G35)
- Core 2 Duo E8400
- LG BD drive
- 1 x HDD
- Antec NSK2480 (2 x 120mm fan + 380W 80 PLUS PSU)

The total system power consumption:

- Idle: 71W
- BD playback (from LG drive): 98W
- Prime95: 102W

Conclusion

So the conclusion is that 120W PSU is enough if you use a dual-core processor (in particular 45 nm).

Thanks for the response about the cooler and IGP.

Hopefully last question: I currently use an optical S/PDIF to my receiver. It doesn't look like either the A-N78HD or GA-M78SM-S2H have optical S/PDIF, and GA-M78SM-S2H looks like it has coaxial S/PDIF but newegg list it as optical. If I were to go with A-N78HD, what would be the best way to get the sound to my receiver (which does accept 5.1 analog sound input, I believe).
GA-M78SM-S2H has only a coaxial S/PDIF out in the rear panel. Doesn't your receiver have coaxial in? S/PDIF is a preferable way to onboard analog. To get S/PDIF (coaxial) from A-N78HD, read Build a Coaxial S/PDIF Bracket Yourself (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13331753#post13331753).

If you are lucky, you may be able to find Gigabyte Motherboard Coax SPDIF In & out Audio Cable at eBay.

http://i4.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/bb/db/6aed_1.JPG

Or you may use a Coaxial to Optical Digital Audio Converter (http://www.google.com/products?q=%22Coaxial+to+Optical+Digital+Audio+Converter%22&scoring=p).

Okay, so I just ordered a nice 1080p capable tv, and I'm obviously trying to build a HTPC for it. I would like something that will not stutter ever, I've been doing a lot of research and googling and it's a bit confusing, but it seems I can cheap out on the processor as long as I get an ATi 2400/2600 series?

Here's what I'm about to pull the trigger on:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9937868

Basically I'm trying to get it cheap with low power consumption. I've never built any AMD machines but I'd be willing to if it meant it would be cheaper. If anyone with more experience with HTPCs could please comment on this build I'd really appreciate the input.

Quoting this for the next page in case anyone missed it. The tv has shipped and I really need some advice here haha. I need an HTPC so I can still game while my girlfriend watches tv.

Okay, so I just ordered a nice 1080p capable tv, and I'm obviously trying to build a HTPC for it. I would like something that will not stutter ever, I've been doing a lot of research and googling and it's a bit confusing, but it seems I can cheap out on the processor as long as I get an ATi 2400/2600 series?

Here's what I'm about to pull the trigger on:
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=9937868

Basically I'm trying to get it cheap with low power consumption. I've never built any AMD machines but I'd be willing to if it meant it would be cheaper. If anyone with more experience with HTPCs could please comment on this build I'd really appreciate the input.
Another choice is

- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- Athon X2 4850e
- Power consumption: 56W/86W/102W @idle/BD(PowerDVD)/BD(CoreAVC)
- HD HQV: 25/100

Compare it with

- GA-G31M-S2L
- Pentium DC E2200
- HD 2600 Pro
- Power consumption: ~80W/100W/110W @idle/BD(PowerDVD)/BD(CoreAVC)
- HD HQV: 90/100

I prefer the latter system because it performs much better in deinterlacing and 3D graphics with only +$10.

Another choice is

- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- Athon X2 4850e
- Power consumption: 56W/86W/102W @idle/BD(PowerDVD)/BD(CoreAVC)
- HD HQV: 25/100

Compare it with

- GA-G31M-S2L
- Pentium DC E2200
- HD 2600 Pro
- Power consumption: ~80W/100W/110W @idle/BD(PowerDVD)/BD(CoreAVC)
- HD HQV: 90/100

I prefer the latter system because it performs much better in deinterlacing and 3D graphics with only +$10.

Thank you, lower power consumption would be a plus.. What is "HD HQV"? Also, wouldn't that AMD setup need some kind of graphics card, or is the processor alone enough to handle h.264? What kind of ram is good to pair up with that processor?

Thank you, lower power consumption would be a plus.. What is "HD HQV"? Also, wouldn't that AMD setup need some kind of graphics card, or is the processor alone enough to handle h.264? What kind of ram is good to pair up with that processor?
HD HQV is a benchmark measuring deinterlacing (and denoise). GA-MA78GM-S2H has IGP good enough for H.264 (if hardware acceleration works). DDR2-800 2 x 1GB is a good choice.

HD HQV is a benchmark measuring deinterlacing (and denoise). GA-MA78GM-S2H has IGP good enough for H.264 (if hardware acceleration works). DDR2-800 2 x 1GB is a good choice.

You say "if hardware acceleration works." Is there a case where it does or doesn't work?

You say "if hardware acceleration works." Is there a case where it does or doesn't work?
As long as you play a BD disc (or a ripped ISO) with PowerDVD/TMT, HA should work. Otherwise HA may not work (e.g. playing a BD disc with CoreAVC and playing some mkv files).

As long as you play a BD disc (or a ripped ISO) with PowerDVD/TMT, HA should work. Otherwise HA may not work (e.g. playing a BD disc with CoreAVC and playing some mkv files).

Thanks, I understand. BD= Blu-ray Disc, right? Also, I'm guessing that the 8200 chipset will have no problem playing OTH HDTV, correct?

Thanks again!
Mike

If you are lucky, you may be able to find Gigabyte Motherboard Coax SPDIF In & out Audio Cable at eBay.

http://i4.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/bb/db/6aed_1.JPG


That cable is awesome, optical and coax. Is there something comparable for the A-N78HD?

As long as you play a BD disc (or a ripped ISO) with PowerDVD/TMT, HA should work. Otherwise HA may not work (e.g. playing a BD disc with CoreAVC and playing some mkv files).

Do you think HA will work with the 4850e to play h.264 files from the HD-PVR Hauppauge is coming out with?

I just got an ASUS EAH3650. The specs on it says it needs either a PCI16 or AGP slot.

This implies to me that maybe I could install an AGP card in a PCIe slot. Is this the case?

I have a card that turns out is bad that I planned to use in another system, and I have an AGP ATI card that I could use if it will work in the PCIe slot.

Yea or Nay?

Another choice is

- GA-MA78GM-S2H
- Athon X2 4850e
- Power consumption: 56W/86W/102W @idle/BD(PowerDVD)/BD(CoreAVC)
- HD HQV: 25/100

Compare it with

- GA-G31M-S2L
- Pentium DC E2200
- HD 2600 Pro
- Power consumption: ~80W/100W/110W @idle/BD(PowerDVD)/BD(CoreAVC)
- HD HQV: 90/100

I prefer the latter system because it performs much better in deinterlacing and 3D graphics with only +$10.

Renethx,
Are those HD HQV scores your own or are they pulled from other sources like anandtech? Any idea or news on how the 4850 performs on those tests? Folks on this thread also might appreciate an additional comparison with the 780G and Phenom processor.

Where would this forum be without you? Up a creek I reckon.

Thanks,

Alex

Thanks, I understand. BD= Blu-ray Disc, right? Also, I'm guessing that the 8200 chipset will have no problem playing OTH HDTV, correct?
Yes. Yes (at least in my system).

That cable is awesome, optical and coax. Is there something comparable for the A-N78HD?



Do you think HA will work with the 4850e to play h.264 files from the HD-PVR Hauppauge is coming out with?
ASUS and MSI also manufacture similar coaxial+optical brackets (usually hard to find) and they work well with any motherboard of any brand. Well, it's natural because the S/PDIF header of every mb must comply with the S/PDIF electrical specifications ... you may need to change pin assignement, however.

I don't know about HD-PVR, but HA should work.

I could install an AGP card in a PCIe slot. Is this the case?
No, PCIe and AGP are incompatible physically and electrically.

Renethx,
Are those HD HQV scores your own or are they pulled from other sources like anandtech? Any idea or news on how the 4850 performs on those tests? Folks on this thread also might appreciate an additional comparison with the 780G and Phenom processor.
I did HD HQV test myself. I am pretty sure Radeon HD 4850 gives the perfect 100 points in this test. I will get my HD 4850 soon and report it.

I did HD HQV test myself. I am pretty sure Radeon HD 4850 gives the perfect 100 points in this test. I will get my HD 4850 soon and report it.

Depends on the player. TMT and PDVD look pretty bad, as usual, with the jaggies tests, and frankly all the tests.

The HD HQV testing I find is entirely self-serving. Running real-life video rarely seems to show the problems that show up in their test videos. It's like their test videos have been designed to create problems that the HQV VP chips fix.

Anyway, I ran the BD version of the HWV tests through TMT and PDVD, and most of the tests were complete or partial fail. Of course it's all subjective in how you see the images, on what size screen, and using what TV. FWIW, I tried sending 30i from the PC and 60p from the PC, with similar results.

AbMagFab

Do you have any other Radeon HD 3650 or higher card or GeForce 8600 GT or higher card? If they show bad scores in your test, something is very wrong in your test setup or you don't understand the criteria. The difference between mid-range to high-end cards and low-end cards such as GeForce 8400, 8500, HD 3450 and IGPs (G35, 8200, 780G; 780G+Phenom is an exception) is quite evident. There is no ambiguity in Video/Film Resolution Loss Test (flickering or not; in other words, 0 or the full score). Jaggies is not so clear, but still difference is clear. Denoise is pretty hard, however. Player-dependent, but difference is clear with both TMT and PDVD.

AbMagFab

Do you have any other Radeon HD 3650 or higher card or GeForce 8600 GT or higher card? If they show bad scores in your test, something is wrong in your test setup. The difference between mid-range to high-end cards and low-end cards such as GeForce 8400, 8500, HD 3450 and most IGP (G35, 8200, 780G) is quite evident. There is no ambiguity in Video/Film Resolution Loss Test (flickering or not). Jaggies is not so clear, but still difference is clear. Denoise is pretty hard, however.

I've got a GF9600GTS on my workstation, but that's on an LCD (not on my TV). I can run it there when I get home.

But even through the PS3 it was pretty bad. If I turned on the (generally annoying) HQV REON in the Onkyo 905, the jaggies got slightly better, but that's about it. The panning of the stadium always is pulsing, and the back-and-forth of the test pattern pulses slightly (not full b/w pulsing, but some of the lines).

The slightly moving purple flower always looks good, but frankly I can't see much difference between the 0/5/10 score on the right still version anyway.

As for the rest of the scoring, like with the boat (and purple flower), I can't tell when I'm supposed to see and score.

But I know the jaggies always look, well, jaggie, on the spinning circles/bars, and they look just as bad on the 4850 as with anything else.

This is on a Sony VW60 on a 110" screen, all HDMI.

I'm going to be building the Mid-Range mATX HTPC that is listed on the first page, with 2 changes: 1TB HD and 4850 (not sure which brand) video card.

Is the PS from the Fusion 430 sufficient to power the 4850? I believe I read the 4850 needs a 450w PS and the Fusion has a 430w PS...

No, PCIe and AGP are incompatible physically and electrically.

I thought so. Interesting that teh ASUS card will install in either.

Thanks for the prompt reply.

Is the PS from the Fusion 430 sufficient to power the 4850? I believe I read the 4850 needs a 450w PS and the Fusion has a 430w PS...
Yes. I am sure the total system power consumption will never exceed 350W even if you use two HDDs and three expansion cards, and all the components are loaded to the max simultaneously (that never happens).

Yes. I am sure the total system power consumption will never exceed 350W even if you use two HDDs and three expansion cards, and all the components are loaded to the max simultaneously (that never happens).

Great! Thanks yet again!

Well, PDVD8 appears out for me. It only works with ISOs. I have mine ripped to directories.

Is that true? My entire collection is in VIDEO_TS directory format.

Not sure about DVDs, but since they removed folder-support from BRs I would be very surprised if there is support for DVDs.

hello guys i'm building up a htpc.
not sure if all these part will work together.. any help will be appeciated
i have most of these parts except the mother board,case,memory,capture card and video card. yes its an over kill but i was building another pc but change my mind and decided to build a media center

1. Intel Core 2 Quad York field 2.66ghz 775 95w 12m cache
2. 160gb sata for operation system hard drive (120gb x 1)
3. seagate 1tb 7200 rpm sata II hard drive (1tb x 3)
4. M.S. Vista Ultimate for system builders 32 bit
5. Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
6. Zelman cpu cooler
7. LG Super Multi light scribe GGW-H2OL Blue-ray drive
8. Motherboard? *
9. Memory? *
10. Video card? *
11. Enermax modu82+emd625a wt 625w atx12v ver.2.3
12. Logitech Dinovo edge wireless Bluetooth keyboard
13. case? *
14. Raid Card sata II
15. power dvd,any dvd hd

i need hdmi output(video and audio)
don't need 7.1
only speakers i would be using are tv built in speakers for know.
not sure on the motherboard i see that all are waiting for the g45
video card? not sure

Anyone know a mATX tower case that can hold more than 14 3.5" drives? I'd like as many as 17 or 18 bays if possible (only need 3.5" bays).

I can only find 14-bay ones on NewEgg (from ThermalTake).

Any suggestions?

While every one is thinking about cases...does anyone know of a full atx desktop case that is less than 17 inches wide? The space I have will only accomodate a case between 15 to 16 inches wide. It is going to be tucked away in an equipment closet, so ugly is OK.

thanks,
Murray

Anyone know a mATX tower case that can hold more than 14 3.5" drives? I'd like as many as 17 or 18 bays if possible (only need 3.5" bays).
This (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12575395#post12575395) is a popular one (15 HDDs). You may use Centurion 590 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152) instead of Lian-Li to save money. Another choice is

- Antec Twelve Hundred (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043) (12 5.25" bays)

with either

- COOLER MASTER STB-3T4-E3-GP 4-in-3 Device Module Hardisk Cage (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817993002) x 4 (16 HDDs)

or

- Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 3 x 5.25" Bays to 5 x 3.5" HD (SATA) Backplane (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817995001) x 4 (20 HDDs)

hello guys i'm building up a htpc.
not sure if all these part will work together.. any help will be appeciated
i have most of these parts except the mother board,case,memory,capture card and video card. yes its an over kill but i was building another pc but change my mind and decided to build a media center

1. Intel Core 2 Quad York field 2.66ghz 775 95w 12m cache
2. 160gb sata for operation system hard drive (120gb x 1)
3. seagate 1tb 7200 rpm sata II hard drive (1tb x 3)
4. M.S. Vista Ultimate for system builders 32 bit
5. Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound
6. Zelman cpu cooler
7. LG Super Multi light scribe GGW-H2OL Blue-ray drive
8. Motherboard? *
9. Memory? *
10. Video card? *
11. Enermax modu82+emd625a wt 625w atx12v ver.2.3
12. Logitech Dinovo edge wireless Bluetooth keyboard
13. case? *
14. Raid Card sata II
15. power dvd,any dvd hd
This type of question is hard to answer without knowing your budget and the functionality you want. mATX or ATX (in other words, how many exapnsion slots do you want)? Onboard video is enough or do you need better deinterlacing? Need 7.1 LPCM HDMI audio or is S/PDIF is enough (with or without DTS Connect/Dolby Digital Live)? What's the purpose of the RAID card in the intended system?

i need hdmi output(video and audio)
don't need 7.1
only speakers i would be using are tv built in speakers for know.
not sure on the motherboard i see that all are waiting for the g45
video card? not sure
A motherboard with IGP, for example, GA-MA78GM-S2H or A-N78HD

Or a discrete card such as Radeon HD 3650 (built-in audio controller, with an ATI DVI-HDMI adapter) or GeForce 8600 GT (S/PDIF pass-through from the mb's S/PDIF header, with a generic DVI-HDMI adapter)

This (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=12575395#post12575395) is a popular one (15 HDDs). You may use Centurion 590 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119152) instead of Lian-Li to save money. Another choice is

- Antec Twelve Hundred (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043) (12 5.25" bays)

with either

- COOLER MASTER STB-3T4-E3-GP 4-in-3 Device Module Hardisk Cage (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817993002) x 4 (16 HDDs)

or

- Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 3 x 5.25" Bays to 5 x 3.5" HD (SATA) Backplane (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817995001) x 4 (20 HDDs)

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I already have 2 RocketRaid 2220's connected which will allow me up to a 16-drive RAID-5 array. I'm just passing 8 drives now, so I'm looking for a solution that could support 16 drives for the RAID, and 2 drives for my boot disk (mirrored).

The 5/3 backplane option looks like it's a single SATA connection, with internal RAID or something? Same with the other hot-swappable solution.

The 4/3 CM unit looks good, but I'd need something like the Antek (12 5.25 bays) with a couple more 3.5 bays for my boot drive.

Any suggestions? Any other 12x5.25 options? Are you sure the CM 4/3 will fit into the Antek?

While every one is thinking about cases...does anyone know of a full atx desktop case that is less than 17 inches wide? The space I have will only accomodate a case between 15 to 16 inches wide. It is going to be tucked away in an equipment closet, so ugly is OK.
- Lian-Li PC-V800
- nMEDIAPC HTPC 300BA & SA
- NZXT Duet

renethx

i decided to go with a origenae s16v case(just ordered.)
i need full size atx motherboard
and a video card for little gaming/movie watching,deinterlacing,encoding,etc..
this case can hold upto 4 hard drive so i wanted to use a
raid 5 for movie,music,photo, for storeage, backup and tivo replacement
but most important i need hdmi(video and audio) output
it will be outputing to a video proccessor which will upscale video to 1080p

right now i 'm only using the tv speakers....so i don't need 7.1
i do like gigabyte motherboard
i still have enough $$ to finish this project
thanks

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I already have 2 RocketRaid 2220's connected which will allow me up to a 16-drive RAID-5 array. I'm just passing 8 drives now, so I'm looking for a solution that could support 16 drives for the RAID, and 2 drives for my boot disk (mirrored).

The 5/3 backplane option looks like it's a single SATA connection, with internal RAID or something? Same with the other hot-swappable solution.

The 4/3 CM unit looks good, but I'd need something like the Antek (12 5.25 bays) with a couple more 3.5 bays for my boot drive.

Any suggestions? Any other 12x5.25 options? Are you sure the CM 4/3 will fit into the Antek?
The backplane has 5 SATA connectors, no RAID chip inside. It just turns 3 5.25" bays into 5 3.5" bays with hot-swapping capability.

Another choice is Lian-Li PC-V2100 PLUS II (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112064) (7 x 5.25", 1 x external 3.5", 12 x internal 3.5"; ~$280, don't buy from Newegg.com).

renethx

i decided to go with a origenae s16v case(just ordered.)
i need full size atx motherboard
and a video card for little gaming/movie watching,deinterlacing,encoding,etc..
this case can hold upto 4 hard drive so i wanted to use a
raid 5 for movie,music,photo, for storeage, backup and tivo replacement
but most important i need hdmi(video and audio) output
it will be outputing to a video proccessor which will upscale video to 1080p

right now i 'm only using the tv speakers....so i don't need 7.1
i do like gigabyte motherboard
i still have enough $$ to finish this project
thanks
- MB: GA-EP35-DS4, GA-EP45-DS4P, P5Q Deluxe
- Video Card: GeForce 9600 GT (this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121229) is quiet) or Radeon HD 4850 (any brand)

thanks renethx

Will a Radeon 4850 fit in an Antec 2480 case?

Will a Radeon 4850 fit in an Antec 2480 case?
Yes. I am testing HD 4850 in NSK2480 right now.

The backplane has 5 SATA connectors, no RAID chip inside. It just turns 3 5.25" bays into 5 3.5" bays with hot-swapping capability.

Another choice is Lian-Li PC-V2100 PLUS II (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112064) (7 x 5.25", 1 x external 3.5", 12 x internal 3.5"; ~$280, don't buy from Newegg.com).

I saw that one, but it says only E-ATX (what is E-ATX?).

Okay, I'll have to check out the 5x3 hot swap thingies.

What's the best enclosure for them? Do they fit into any 3x5.25 bays, or is it designed for something specifically?

I saw that one, but it says only E-ATX (what is E-ATX?).

Okay, I'll have to check out the 5x3 hot swap thingies.

What's the best enclosure for them? Do they fit into any 3x5.25 bays, or is it designed for something specifically?

E-ATX is Extended ATX (12" x 13"). ATX: 12" x 9.6". Surely it supports E-ATX, ATX and m-ATX.

Backplane should fit Antec 1200 (I can't guarantee it though).

I am in the process of buying/building this HTPC...

At home I have the new Harmony One Remote and I want to use this to control my soon to be HTPC...

What do I need to buy to make this HTPC accessable via my Harmony Remote?

Case Silverstone LC17-B
Power Supply AeroCool Zerodba 620W
Video Card 512MB Zotac nVIDIA GeForce 8800GT Amp!
MotherBoard ASUS P5K3 DELUXE
CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300
RAM CORSAIR PC3-12800 4GB(2X2G) 1600MHZ DDR3
Hard Drive Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s 500-GB Hard Drive
Network ?
Sound Card HT OMEGA CLARO 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI
Blu Ray LG GGC-H20L combo Blu-Ray/HD DVD player

I am in the process of buying/building this HTPC...

At home I have the new Harmony One Remote and I want to use this to control my soon to be HTPC...

What do I need to buy to make this HTPC accessable via my Harmony Remote?

Case Silverstone LC17-B
Power Supply AeroCool Zerodba 620W
Video Card 512MB Zotac nVIDIA GeForce 8800GT Amp!
MotherBoard ASUS P5K3 DELUXE
CPU Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300
RAM CORSAIR PC3-12800 4GB(2X2G) 1600MHZ DDR3
Hard Drive Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s 500-GB Hard Drive
Network ?
Sound Card HT OMEGA CLARO 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI
Blu Ray LG GGC-H20L combo Blu-Ray/HD DVD player


Get a MCE compatible receiver like this - http://www.xpcgear.com/xpremote.html

and just toss the remote. Can find them on Ebay as well.

Then configure the harmony to act as a MCE remote and depending on the front end you use, support may be already built in or you can use an app like EventGhost to configure how the pc will respond to the keypresses.

I have been searching for a Mid-range mATX MB. I looked at all on first post but having trouble finding what I looking for. I am going to go wireless and content with be stored on my WHS. I have a 512 MB 8500 GT, e6600, 2 GB PC800, Vista Ultimate 32 Bit. Also need to a case. Looking for something in black, smaller in size and can be controlled with my Harmony 880. Please any help would be great.

Bought all the "stuff" to upgrade my HTPC and am running into space issues... so I thought I would throw some questions at you guys.
Basic parts:
- ASUS EAH4850
- GB EP45-DS4P
- Silverstone LC16M-B

I love this case but I have an issue, the DVD drive is in the front middle of the case and the HD4850 is long enough to not allow the DVD drive to be installed if the card is in the x16 slot. I could install it in the x8 slot but thats almost flush up against the power supply and it covers most of the front panel connections (but it could be done). I REALLY don't want to spend another $200 for a case when I paid over $200 for this one a couple of years ago. What is the performance loss with a x8 slot (PCI 1.1? right?).

I also was considering installing the LG GGC-H20L SATA externally. Anyone have suggesting for an external encolsure?

sucky.

Okay so recently I purchased:
GA-MA78GM-S2H
A64 X2 4850E
with an Antec Fusion 430.

Can anyone with a similar setup tell me if this is going to run too hot together? I've heard things around the net that it gets extremely hot. Should I go ahead and order some PCI fans or something? I plan on typically leaving it on 24/7, and it will probably be streaming 1080p for several hours every day.

I have been searching for a Mid-range mATX MB. I looked at all on first post but having trouble finding what I looking for. I am going to go wireless and content with be stored on my WHS. I have a 512 MB 8500 GT, e6600, 2 GB PC800, Vista Ultimate 32 Bit. Also need to a case. Looking for something in black, smaller in size and can be controlled with my Harmony 880. Please any help would be great.

- Case: Antec Fusion 430
- MB: GIGABYTE GA-G33M-S2L or ASUS P5K-VM

What is the performance loss with a x8 slot (PCI 1.1? right?).

I also was considering installing the LG GGC-H20L SATA externally. Anyone have suggesting for an external enclosure?
None in video playback performance.

Several people used Addonics Zebra ZESU2CS (http://www.addonics.com/products/enclosures/zebra.asp) successfully. Check in this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=927751).

Okay so recently I purchased:
GA-MA78GM-S2H
A64 X2 4850E
with an Antec Fusion 430.

Can anyone with a similar setup tell me if this is going to run too hot together? I've heard things around the net that it gets extremely hot. Should I go ahead and order some PCI fans or something? I plan on typically leaving it on 24/7, and it will probably be streaming 1080p for several hours every day.
The same setup except for case:

- GA-MA78GM-S2H (rev 1.0)
- Athlon X2 4850e
- Antec NSK2480 (two fans are in the low speed)

The room temperature is 75°F. NB temperature:

- 52℃/55℃ @idle/BD playback

I used Scythe Kama Thermo Mini (http://www.scythe-usa.com/product/acc/033/tmminiwh_detail.html) (the sensor attached to NB with adhesive tape).

I plan on getting the P5k-vm mobo, which has an x4 slot. Is this backwards compatible with x1, for the upcoming Xonar HDAV1.3?

yes...plugging a x1 card in a x4 slot will work fine.

in general, plugging a card that uses less PCIe lanes than the slot offers physically will work.

-Brian

Bought all the "stuff" to upgrade my HTPC and am running into space issues... so I thought I would throw some questions at you guys.
Basic parts:
- ASUS EAH4850
- GB EP45-DS4P
- Silverstone LC16M-B

I love this case but I have an issue, the DVD drive is in the front middle of the case and the HD4850 is long enough to not allow the DVD drive to be installed if the card is in the x16 slot. I could install it in the x8 slot but thats almost flush up against the power supply and it covers most of the front panel connections (but it could be done). I REALLY don't want to spend another $200 for a case when I paid over $200 for this one a couple of years ago. What is the performance loss with a x8 slot (PCI 1.1? right?).

I also was considering installing the LG GGC-H20L SATA externally. Anyone have suggesting for an external encolsure?

sucky.
So now I'm a little confused. The EP45-DS4P has 3 PCI slots. The one in the middle of the board is labeled x16 and the two that are close together are labeled x8. But all the pictures I see have 2 cards in the x8 slots in crossfire, but say with one card its x16. Will this card EAH4850 operate at x16 in any of the three slots? Or for my original questions if I plug this into a x8 slot will it hurt the performance that much?

So now I'm a little confused. The EP45-DS4P has 3 PCI slots. The one in the middle of the board is labeled x16 and the two that are close together are labeled x8. But all the pictures I see have 2 cards in the x8 slots in crossfire, but say with one card its x16. Will this card EAH4850 operate at x16 in any of the three slots? Or for my original questions if I plug this into a x8 slot will it hurt the performance that much?
There are three PCIe x16 (physically) slots, from top to bottom:

- PCIEX16_1, blue, PCIe 2.0 x16 electrically
- PCIEX8_1, orange, PCIe 2.0 x8 electrically; when this slot is in use, PCIEX16_1 works only as PCIe 2.0 x8.
- PCIEX4_1, orange, PCIe 1.1 x4 electrically; when this slot is in use, all the other PCIe 1.1 x1 slots are disabled.

In your case you will want to insert a graphics card to PCIEX8_1 and video playback performance will be perfectly fine.

Lately, I've been wondering how to accurately determine my system performance, questioning whether my setup is not correct or did I over built(power) the system.

Here's my components inventories:

M/B: ASUS P5K-VM - G33 mATX board
Mem: 2GB OCZ DDR2 PC2-6400 Platinum Revision 2
Vid: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 2600XT 256MB 128-bit GDDR4 PCI-E
CPU: Core 2 Duo E2180 (2.0 Ghz base)
BR Drive: LG GGC-H20L BLU-RAY HD-DVD

CPU is OC to 2.99 Ghz.
Graphic cards were overdrive to 867Mhz via the Catalyst Overdrive.
OS is Win XP Prof.
No gaming. Primarily use as front end HTPC playing BR movie from LG drive or playing SD movie from network file server.

Playing BR movie using PowerDVD:
* GPU performance: 6% (from Catalyst)
* CPU performance: 5% (from XP Task Mgr mostly concentrate on one core)
* Memory is very low - less that 500MB use

Playing SD movie using PowerDVD:
* GPU performance: 2% (from Catalyst)
* CPU performance: 12% (from XP Task Mgr)
* Memory is very low - less that 500MB use

OK so MPEG-2 on SD movie does not use graphic card, hence higher CPU. But the over all performance footprint is very low. Either my readout is wrong, or my system is way under utilized(over powered)?

What's a typical footprint one should expect to see?

Renethx,

As always thanks a million for all you do on this site.


Quick question, what are the disadvantages (other than not being able to share my files with other computers over a network) to just using one of your enclosure builds (with Port Multipliers) and RAID eSata PM Capable card in HTPC to basically have a 10TB DAS device attached to my media center?

Playing BR movie using PowerDVD:
* GPU performance: 6% (from Catalyst)
* CPU performance: 5% (from XP Task Mgr mostly concentrate on one core)
* Memory is very low - less that 500MB use

Playing SD movie using PowerDVD:
* GPU performance: 2% (from Catalyst)
* CPU performance: 12% (from XP Task Mgr)
* Memory is very low - less that 500MB use

OK so MPEG-2 on SD movie does not use graphic card, hence higher CPU. But the over all performance footprint is very low. Either my readout is wrong, or my system is way under utilized(over powered)?

What's a typical footprint one should expect to see?
What video codec is the BD movie? GPU performance from Catalyst shows stream processor usage (3D engine). It does not include UVD (where decoding is done). So don't count on that.

Quick question, what are the disadvantages (other than not being able to share my files with other computers over a network) to just using one of your enclosure builds (with Port Multipliers) and RAID eSata PM Capable card in HTPC to basically have a 10TB DAS device attached to my media center?
A possible problem is noise. You can still share files with other PC.

This is a pretty cool NAS with no fans... might be a good choice for quiet storage...

http://www.buffalotech.com/products/network-storage/linkstation/linkstation-mini/

This is a pretty cool NAS with no fans... might be a good choice for quiet storage...

http://www.buffalotech.com/products/network-storage/linkstation/linkstation-mini/

Absurd prices. Almost $700 for 1TB???? You can buy a 1TB disk for $169 right now at Best Buy, cheaper on-line. And there are a bazillion enclosures that are very quiet, both for NAS and DAS that are inexpensive.

Anyone dumb enough to spend $700 on a 1TB NAS deserves to lose all their data.

I have a Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R MOBO, with a Core Duo E7200 CPU. It is going in a Silverstone LC-03 Case.

I don't have a lot of top clearance in the case. I purchased a ZeroTherm BTF90 and used in my desktop I just built. It is louder than I like, and too tall for this system for the HTPC.

The stock cooler is quiet, and certainly will fit in the case.

Is it a bad idea to use a stock cooler for an HTPC? I will have all drives for the media in an Unraid Server, only the Boot drive and Blu-Ray DVD in this. Oh, I will have a MyHD 120 in there, but frankly don't watch it much.

If I need something else, any thoughts on what I might consider that is not too tall? I have a max clearance from top of CPU to a bar at top of the case of 4.5".

What video codec is the BD movie? GPU performance from Catalyst shows stream processor usage (3D engine). It does not include UVD (where decoding is done). So don't count on that.
Don't know. I just use PDVD to play. Whatever comes with PDVD. So what too do you use to see perf/load of the GPU? Does this footprint sound right?
I mean the audio and video is coming out very nice. BR picture is very nice (when PDVD works).

Don't know. I just use PDVD to play. Whatever comes with PDVD. So what too do you use to see perf/load of the GPU? Does this footprint sound right?
I mean the audio and video is coming out very nice. BR picture is very nice (when PDVD works).
Video codec is displayed if you click "Show Information" in PDVD. AVC = H.264 is the hardest to decode, VC-1 is easy, MPEG-2 is the easiest.

There is no way to measure UVD load. If UVD does not work (that is, hardware acceleration does not work), the CPU usage of E2180 when playing back H.264 movies will be typically 60%-100%. If UVD works properly, the CPU usage will be less than 50%.

Is it a bad idea to use a stock cooler for an HTPC?
There is nothing wrong with the stock cooler. E7200 runs very cool, the stock cooler is enough.

A possible problem is noise. You can still share files with other PC.

So other than noise it could work though?

How could I share the files with other computers if they weren' t networked?

So other than noise it could work though?

How could I share the files with other computers if they weren' t networked?
Yes.

Where are the other computers located? If they are not connected to your media center by Gb LAN, it is difficult, for example, to stream HD contents.

Hello,

Request for your inputs/recommendation..please..

I'm new to HTPC ..trying to get one soon...

Looking for a decent video card with hdmi that can stream music and video to my Denon 3808CI

I have a HP desktop d4000y
The configs are :
Motherboard : ASUS PTGD-LA
Northbridge i915 graphics and memory controller
Socket: LGA775
Processor : Pentium 4 HT @ 3.2Ghz
3GB DDR2 RAM
500GB HDD
PCI Express x16 slot one available
PCI slot 3 available

I was checking @ my local B&M store they suggested Diamond Viper Radeon HD 3650 1GB " but wanted to check with the experts..

Any recommendations/inputs please...

Thanks

I was checking @ my local B&M store they suggested Diamond Viper Radeon HD 3650 1GB " but wanted to check with the experts..

Any recommendations/inputs please...
HD 3650 is a good choice. But I prefer GDDR3 512MB to GDDR2 1GB (not based on rigorous tests).

HD 3650 is a good choice. But I prefer GDDR3 512MB to GDDR2 1GB (not based on rigorous tests).
Thanks a lot...

I will also look for GDDR3 options too...

I'm finally putting the final touches to building my first HTPC. Have read so much info that my eyes are getting sore :)

So hopefully someone experienced can give me some feedback on the build I'm planning. I'm gonna use it for watching both ripped movies and BD movies, watching HDTV channels, listening to music and controlling my home/lighting with z-wave devices. Connected to my NAD reciever with analog cables and HDMI to my Pioneer PDP-LX508D plasma.

Just waiting for the release of the motherboard which is supposed to come next week.

Case: Antec NSK 2480 Micro-ATX
BD/DVD: LG GGC-H20L Blu-Ray reader & DVD-burner
Harddrive: 750GB Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD753LJ
Memory: 2GB (2x1GB) A-Data Gaming Experience DDR2 800G PC6400
Soundcard: Asus Xonar DX
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 3.0GHz
CPU Cooler: Scythe NINJA MINI
Motherboard: Intel DG45ID
TV-card: FloppyDTV S2, DVB-S Satellite, PCI/FireWire

Looks like you'll need to wait a bit for that board. A lot of us are anticipating Intel's response to the AMD 780G chipset. Apparently, ncix.com says release date is August/September.
http://forum.ncix.com/forums/index.php?mode=showthread&forum=194&threadid=1697954&pagenumber=1&msgcount=2&subpage=1

By the time the new Intel boards come out, the AMD 790GX may be out.

I'm looking for a 10-ft interface that can play all digital media - pictures, music, DVD, Blu-Ray, .avi, .divx, .ts, .tp, .mts (AVCHD from HD cam), etc. My only requirement is that it uses the remote for most if not all of its functions.

Does something like this exist? If not, what's the closest you can get?

I'm looking for a 10-ft interface that can play all digital media - pictures, music, DVD, Blu-Ray, .avi, .divx, .ts, .tp, .mts (AVCHD from HD cam), etc. My only requirement is that it uses the remote for most if not all of its functions.

Does something like this exist? If not, what's the closest you can get?

MediaPortal
Meedios
XLobby

Probably others as well. All 3 of these apps will handle the bulk of what you're asking for right from the start, and the others you can add via customization. For example I'm pretty sure MPC-HC can play all those formats, so if you configure the front end to launch MPC-HC when those file types are chosen, you should be good to go. And they all support remotes.

I'm looking for a 10-ft interface that can play all digital media - pictures, music, DVD, Blu-Ray, .avi, .divx, .ts, .tp, .mts (AVCHD from HD cam), etc. My only requirement is that it uses the remote for most if not all of its functions.

Does something like this exist? If not, what's the closest you can get?

I've spent years working on this. I've had a dozen dedicated devices (starting back with the PrismiQ), and half a dozen software packages on a HTPC.

For non-HD dedicated devices, XBMC is still the king, but no HD kills it. And XBMC for Linux will likely never play BD ISO's with menus.

Another requirement I have is that it be wife- and babysitter-friendly, as well as supporting both share/directory navigation as well as database navigation.

My current favorite is MediaPortal 1.0 RC1. It does pretty much everything you mention above, is relatively easy to configure, is very flexible, and has an active developer group working on it.

The only alternative that was close was Meedio (the old one), but it's extremely clumsy (wife/babysitter), way too complicated, although it's extraordinarily flexible (perhaps too much). It also is deprecated, but it's so extensible that it's alive through module development.

If you like MediaPortal, PM me and I can get you started on the config.

I've spent years working on this. I've had a dozen dedicated devices (starting back with the PrismiQ), and half a dozen software packages on a HTPC.

For non-HD dedicated devices, XBMC is still the king, but no HD kills it. And XBMC for Linux will likely never play BD ISO's with menus.

Another requirement I have is that it be wife- and babysitter-friendly, as well as supporting both share/directory navigation as well as database navigation.

My current favorite is MediaPortal 1.0 RC1. It does pretty much everything you mention above, is relatively easy to configure, is very flexible, and has an active developer group working on it.

The only alternative that was close was Meedio (the old one), but it's extremely clumsy (wife/babysitter), way too complicated, although it's extraordinarily flexible (perhaps too much). It also is deprecated, but it's so extensible that it's alive through module development.

If you like MediaPortal, PM me and I can get you started on the config.

2nd the vote for media portal, almost supports every format out of the box. If it doesn't support it it makes it easy to open a new program to play the file.

I just ordered the Low End II mATX HTPC, with the exception of the Antec Fusion 430.

For the 8500 GT, I'm assuming I will need a DVI-HDMI converter, however will this also carry audio, or will I still need to use Optical from the mobo?

Also, does the OEM Hard Drive (WD 320gb) come with a SATA cable?

Is it a bad idea to use the E2220 stock cooler?

I just ordered the Low End II mATX HTPC, with the exception of the Antec Fusion 430.

For the 8500 GT, I'm assuming I will need a DVI-HDMI converter, however will this also carry audio, or will I still need to use Optical from the mobo?

Also, does the OEM Hard Drive (WD 320gb) come with a SATA cable?

Is it a bad idea to use the E2220 stock cooler?
A generic DVI-HDMI adapter carries audio.

An OEM HDD is a bare drive, no accessories included.

A stock cooler is enough.

To renethx or others:

Long time lurker/first time poster here. I was wondering what the minimum specs of a HTPC would be if I was desiring to record two HD programs while streaming to my 360. I'll be using Vista Media Center Ultimate as my OS and already have the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure a healthy network connection (100/1000 speeds). By the way, I'm not planning on using the system at all while I'm throwing all of this at it, it'll essentially just be a glorified file server and PVR.

The reason why I'm asking is because I have an existing Dell Optiplex 280 (p4 2.8ghz, 4GBs of RAM, gig NIC) and I'm thinking about plopping a hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 in there. If the processor isn't up to snuff I'll pretty sure I'll end up pulling the trigger on a bare bones Dell XPS 420 along with the cablecard tuners.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

To renethx or others:

Long time lurker/first time poster here. I was wondering what the minimum specs of a HTPC would be if I was desiring to record two HD programs while streaming to my 360. I'll be using Vista Media Center Ultimate as my OS and already have the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure a healthy network connection (100/1000 speeds). By the way, I'm not planning on using the system at all while I'm throwing all of this at it, it'll essentially just be a glorified file server and PVR.

The reason why I'm asking is because I have an existing Dell Optiplex 280 (p4 2.8ghz, 4GBs of RAM, gig NIC) and I'm thinking about plopping a hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 in there. If the processor isn't up to snuff I'll pretty sure I'll end up pulling the trigger on a bare bones Dell XPS 420 along with the cablecard tuners.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Recoding/streaming does not require much CPU power. Your Optiplex 280 should be good for this purpose.

Thanks renethx! Much appreciated.

Just thought I would say to those who may be scared or cautious to build their own HTPC, DON'T BE AFRAID!

I just got all my HTPC parts in about 2 hours ago, and it was assembled 30 minutes later, windows installed another 30 minutes later, and surfing the net shortly after.

I am very impressed so far, Antec Fusion 430, E2220, Abit IN73HD, WD 320gb HD, LG GGC-H20L, 8500 GT, and 2gb Crucial Ram.

Couldn't of been simpler, with NO ISSUES! And I NEVER built a PC before.

Thanks again to renethx!

...Basically P45 = G45 with IGP disabled (afaik), so they are identical if you don't use IGP except for TDP:


Could someone please decode this (I mean dumb it down as far as acronyms).

What do these mean?
?? IGP
?? TDP

Trying to follow along.....:)

IGP = Integrated Graphic Processpr. Basically means you have a built in graphic display.
TDP = Thermal Design Power - Power Consumption of a CPU.

Thank you!

In this case TDP is the maximum power consumption of the chipset.

Thanks AbMagFab and others for suggesting Medial Portal.

Question: for my client (running SageTV) I was originally going to get the GIGABYTE GA-M78SM-S2H motherboard with 8200 graphics, but was looking at the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H with the 780G graphics. Which one is going to be better for HDTV (ota recorded) and BD play back? (not that I have a BD drive yet...)

I kinda like the GA-MA78GM-S2H back panel connector selection better.

I kinda like the GA-MA78GM-S2H back panel connector selection better.

Then go for GA-MA78GM-S2H. :) GeForce 8200 features multichannel LPCM HDMI audio. If this is not your concern, either board should be fine.

Then go for GA-MA78GM-S2H. :) GeForce 8200 features multichannel LPCM HDMI audio. If this is not your concern, either board should be fine.

So if I'm using DVI to the LCD TV, and optical to the receiver, LPCM (what is that?) HDMI audio doesn't matter at this point, right? and I could add one of the 7.1 boards latter on when I upgrade my TV and Receiver to both have HDMI (who knows when...). But using optical to the receiver, what kinda sound would I get with a BD disc? or should I use the multi part analog? or both?

So if I'm using DVI to the LCD TV, and optical to the receiver, LPCM (what is that?) HDMI audio doesn't matter at this point, right? and I could add one of the 7.1 boards latter on when I upgrade my TV and Receiver to both have HDMI (who knows when...). But using optical to the receiver, what kinda sound would I get with a BD disc? or should I use the multi part analog? or both?
If your receiver does not support HDMI, then multichannel LPCM does not matter. (LPCM is the standard uncompressed audio format used in PC.) S/PDIF supports Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS bitstreams. Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13233928#post13233928).

If your receiver does not support HDMI, then multichannel LPCM does not matter. (LPCM is the standard uncompressed audio format used in PC.) S/PDIF supports Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS bitstreams. Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13233928#post13233928).

Since my receiver doesn't support HDMI, I think this will work. Does the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H with the 780G graphics support Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS?

To renethx,

I'm listing components for my first HTPC. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you can offer. All others are welcome to provide guidance.

Thank you

* GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS4P - Model #:GA-EP45-DS4P
* ASUS EN8800GT/HTDP/1GB - Model #:EN8800GT/HTDP/1GB
* Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz - Model #:BX80562Q6600
* Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - Model #:PDC24G6400ELK
* ZALMAN 9500A CPU Fan - Model #:9500A
* Western Digital Caviar RE2 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s - Model #:WD1601ABYS
* Western Digital Caviar GP 1TB 5400 to 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s - Model #:WD10EACS
* CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 Power Supply
Model #:CMPSU-520HX
* Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1800 1129 NTSC/ATSC/QAM/FM Tuner Card PCI Express X1
Model #:1129
* LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GGC-H20L
Model #:GGC-H20L
* ZALMAN HD160 PLUS - PC Enclosure

Since my receiver doesn't support HDMI, I think this will work. Does the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H with the 780G graphics support Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS?
GA-MA78GM-S2H supports DTS Connect (a real-time DTS encoder).

To renethx,

I'm listing components for my first HTPC. I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions you can offer. All others are welcome to provide guidance.

Thank you

* GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS4P - Model #:GA-EP45-DS4P
* ASUS EN8800GT/HTDP/1GB - Model #:EN8800GT/HTDP/1GB
* Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz - Model #:BX80562Q6600
* Patriot Extreme Performance 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) - Model #:PDC24G6400ELK
* ZALMAN 9500A CPU Fan - Model #:9500A
* Western Digital Caviar RE2 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s - Model #:WD1601ABYS
* Western Digital Caviar GP 1TB 5400 to 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s - Model #:WD10EACS
* CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX 520W ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 Power Supply
Model #:CMPSU-520HX
* Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1800 1129 NTSC/ATSC/QAM/FM Tuner Card PCI Express X1
Model #:1129
* LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GGC-H20L
Model #:GGC-H20L
* ZALMAN HD160 PLUS - PC Enclosure
A good selection. A few comments:

You can save some money by going with ASUS EN9600GT/HTDI/512M (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121229). For video playback performance they are identical, and GeForce 9600 GT consumes less power.

renethx,

I appreciate your expertise and feedback, thank you. I will make the gpu change as you recommended.

I have maybe a bizarre question on PCIE slots. Is it possible to install a high end gpu (Geforce GTX 280 or 9800 GTX) in the PCIEx16 for gaming and a EN9600GT in the PCIEx8 for video playback? My logic was to be able to use a high end GTX gpu for a Flight Sim X session then switch over to the 9600GT for a video playback session. This would allow the best for both sessions. With my limited knowledge on PCIe, is this even feasable and/or a waste of brain bytes? If I'm off my rocker please say so........ I don' mind brutal honesty!

For your high end system you recommended the Gigabyte mobo. I have always used nothing but Asus mobos for my gaming systems so I am struggling with the switch to Gigabyte. Can you recommend an Asus mobo equal to the DS4P? I believe you have recommended in the forum Asus P5Q Deluxe or P5Q Pro as suitable subs. Does this still hold true and what features will I loose by staying with Asus over the Gigabyte mobo? I guess I need more of your influence to make the switch to Gigbyte...... :-)

Again thanks for your input.

I have maybe a bizarre question on PCIE slots. Is it possible to install a high end gpu (Geforce GTX 280 or 9800 GTX) in the PCIEx16 for gaming and a EN9600GT in the PCIEx8 for video playback? My logic was to be able to use a high end GTX gpu for a Flight Sim X session then switch over to the 9600GT for a video playback session. This would allow the best for both sessions. With my limited knowledge on PCIe, is this even feasable and/or a waste of brain bytes? If I'm off my rocker please say so........ I don' mind brutal honesty!
This is a very bad idea for two reasons:

- If you install two graphics cards, then both PCIe x16 slots work only at x8.
- Two cards consume extra power even if you use one of them at a time.

If you need the 3D performance of GTX 280, then use it for both video playback and gaming. According to NVIDIA, the power consumption of GTX 280 is 25W@idle and 35W@BD playback. It's almost the same as GeForce 9600 GT. Another good choice is Radeon HD 4850 or 4870. One of the features these cards supports and GTX 280 does not support is multichannel LPCM HDMI audio.

For your high end system you recommended the Gigabyte mobo. I have always used nothing but Asus mobos for my gaming systems so I am struggling with the switch to Gigabyte. Can you recommend an Asus mobo equal to the DS4P? I believe you have recommended in the forum Asus P5Q Deluxe or P5Q Pro as suitable subs. Does this still hold true and what features will I loose by staying with Asus over the Gigabyte mobo? I guess I need more of your influence to make the switch to Gigbyte...... :-)
If you like ASUS, then you don't have to switch to GIGABYTE. But one feature missing in P5Q Deluxe is Dolby Home Theater (or DTS Connect).

renethx,

Great feedback, I appreciate your help.

I like the idea of one gpu and will consider the 4870 or 4850.

What are your thoughts on the ASUS Maximus II Formula other than it's pricey?

GA-MA78GM-S2H supports DTS Connect (a real-time DTS encoder).

Does the ABIT A-N78HD also support DTS Connect?

Hello,

I am looking to build a very low power htpc. What I want to do is play back downloaded Xvid, DiVX content to my 1080p monitor and 5.1 speakers. Right now, I use my wife's laptop and things work really well, but it would be cool to get a remote and use it from a distance.

I also have a WHS running so I have enough storage on the network, and my desktop will edit or capture what I need.

So basically, I need a media extender type box. I want it to be low power (green), but still be able to decode HD content properly.

I have read a lot of info here, but I have a hard time figuring out the low power solutions.

Thanks,

Roger.

renethx,

I'm finalizing the parts for my system for smooth HD video
playback and fast encoding jobs(H264, mpeg2 etc).

So far I've on my list:
1) CPU = Intel Quad Q6600
2) Memory = DDR2 800 2G (1x2)
3) Case = Antec Sonata 3 with 500W PS


Video Card:

- Previous recommendation for the video card was
this XFS 8600GT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150258) card. However I also see this
Asus 9600GT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121229) card mentioned here. Would it be better
to get this 9600GT card ?

What are your thoughts on the ASUS Maximus II Formula other than it's pricey?
IMO it's not worth its price. The board has several frills:

- great-looking heatsink
- 8 fan connectors out of which 7 are controllable (vs. 4/3)
- dual PCIe Gb LAN (vs. dual PCIe/PCI Gb LAN)
- SupremeFX X-Fi audio card

4 fan connectors are enough for a HTPC case. I don't know how useful the teaming is. SupremeFX X-Fi audio card is useless if you use multichannel LPCM HDMI on HD 4850/4870.

Does the ABIT A-N78HD also support DTS Connect?
No.

Hello,

I am looking to build a very low power htpc. What I want to do is play back downloaded Xvid, DiVX content to my 1080p monitor and 5.1 speakers. Right now, I use my wife's laptop and things work really well, but it would be cool to get a remote and use it from a distance.

I also have a WHS running so I have enough storage on the network, and my desktop will edit or capture what I need.

So basically, I need a media extender type box. I want it to be low power (green), but still be able to decode HD content properly.

I have read a lot of info here, but I have a hard time figuring out the low power solutions.

Thanks,

Roger.
The power consumption at idle/BD playback:

MicroATX System Low-End I: 46W/78W
MicroATX System Low-End II: 68W/84W
MicroATX System Low-End II with GeForce 8600 GT: 72W/88W

A BD drive is added in this test. The first two are good for 1080p. If you are concerned about good deinterlacing, the last system (GeForce 8600 GT) is recommended (the first two are poor in this respect).

Video Card:

- Previous recommendation for the video card was
this XFS 8600GT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150258) card. However I also see this
Asus 9600GT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121229) card mentioned here. Would it be better
to get this 9600GT card ?
The main differences between 8600 GT and 9600 GT (except for price and 3D performance) are:

- 9600 GT offers extra features like Picture-in-Picture and Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
- 9600 GT performs slightly better in deinterlacing (in particular when Aero is on).

If you want to be sure, go with GeForce 9600 GT.

To renethx,

Thank you for your last feedback on the ASUS Maximus II Formula.

As you predicted, the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS5 and GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DQ6 to be award winning mobos, how do they compare against each other for use in an HTPC and how do these boards compare with the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS4P? You recommended the DS5 in your high-end system so I'm asking this because I cannot find the DS5 for sale in the USA. This limits my choice to the DQ6 or DS4P.

Your feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

Does the ABIT A-N78HD also support DTS Connect?

No.

What type of audio would I get over S/PDIF from the A-N78HD?

As you predicted, the Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS5 and GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DQ6 to be award winning mobos, how do they compare against each other for use in an HTPC and how do these boards compare with the GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS4P? You recommended the DS5 in your high-end system so I'm asking this because I cannot find the DS5 for sale in the USA. This limits my choice to the DQ6 or DS4P.

Read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14080888#post14080888). DQ6 has 4 x PCIe Gb LAN and 2 x PCIe 1.1 x4 slot; these features may not be useful for most users. So practically you have two choices: GA-EP45-DS4P or P5Q Deluxe.

What type of audio would I get over S/PDIF from the A-N78HD?
S/PDIF is limited to stereo LPCM, Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS. But if you use PowerDVD 8, you can get any HD audio track in BD movies (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA, LPCM) through S/PDIF: PDVD decodes it to LPCM and then encodes into Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS.

This is my first attempt at an HTPC although I have built gaming rigs and workstations in the past and I am looking for any comments or thoughts.

*Case: Zalman HD160 Plus
*MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS4P
*CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield
*Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
*Graphics: ASUS EAH4850/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850
or
*Graphics:ASUS EN9600GT
*Sound: HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+
*Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1800
*PSU: ZALMAN ZM600-HP 600W Modular
*PSU Cooler: ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball
*Blu-Ray Drive: LG Black Blu-ray GGC-H20L
*HD Storage (x2): Western Digital Caviar WD10EACS 1TB
*HD OS: Western Digital Caviar WD3200AAJS 320GB

I have the case and the tuner already, but I cannot figure out which video card to get.

The system will be tied directly into a Denon AVR-3808ci receiver. The AVR is the hub with HDMI running everything to my projector (Epson 1080 UB). I want to get good sound and video with the potential later to do gaming.

Thanks,
Steve

This is my first attempt at an HTPC although I have built gaming rigs and workstations in the past and I am looking for any comments or thoughts.

*Case: Zalman HD160 Plus
*MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS4P
*CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield
*Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 800
*Graphics: ASUS EAH4850/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850
or
*Graphics:ASUS EN9600GT
*Sound: HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+
*Tuner: Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-1800
*PSU: ZALMAN ZM600-HP 600W Modular
*PSU Cooler: ZALMAN 9500A 92mm 2 Ball
*Blu-Ray Drive: LG Black Blu-ray GGC-H20L
*HD Storage (x2): Western Digital Caviar WD10EACS 1TB
*HD OS: Western Digital Caviar WD3200AAJS 320GB

I have the case and the tuner already, but I cannot figure out which video card to get.

The system will be tied directly into a Denon AVR-3808ci receiver. The AVR is the hub with HDMI running everything to my projector (Epson 1080 UB). I want to get good sound and video with the potential later to do gaming.

Thanks,
Steve
ATI Radeon HD 4850.

The main differences between 8600 GT and 9600 GT (except for price and 3D performance) are:

- 9600 GT offers extra features like Picture-in-Picture and Dynamic Contrast Enhancement
- 9600 GT performs slightly better in deinterlacing (in particular when Aero is on).

If you want to be sure, go with GeForce 9600 GT.

Thanks for good info. Price of this Asus 9600GT seems almost double
the price of the XFS 8600GT so it looks like the 8600GT is a better value
considering my intended usage.

Finally I'm narrowing down on a motherboard for this system and
picked Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R. In this price range, do you have
other recommendations which might be a better price/feature/performance
value for my components ?

Also would the MB & video card fit OK inside my case (Antec Sonata 3) ?

Thanks again for all the guides.

Finally I'm narrowing down on a motherboard for this system and
picked Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R. In this price range, do you have
other recommendations which might be a better price/feature/performance
value for my components ?
ASUS P5Q PRO (~$150) is another choice. It has two more SATA ports, but has only one Gb LAN port and no optical S/PDIF out.

ASUS P5Q-E (~$160) is basically identical with P5Q Deluxe except for CPU power circuitry (8 phase power vs 16 phase power, which means Deluxe is better in overclocking) and an optional fan for water-cooling/passive-cooling (that does not matter). So you can save $50.

Also would the MB & video card fit OK inside my case (Antec Sonata 3) ?
Yes.

If you like ASUS, then you don't have to switch to GIGABYTE. But one feature missing in P5Q Deluxe is Dolby Home Theater (or DTS Connect).

Renethx, a few questions on DTS Connect:
What exactly does it do?
Is this something that can be obtained through the proper card (4850 or 4870)?

Thanks

Renethx, a few questions on DTS Connect:
What exactly does it do?
Is this something that can be obtained through the proper card (4850 or 4870)?

Thanks

DTSConnect and DDLive allow the creation of a DD/DTS bitstream from discrete channels.

This is mostly used for multi-channel audio games, however it can sometimes be useful for movies and players if you really want to take an HD audio stream and turn it back into a DTS/DD stream over SPDIF. Likely not much better than the core DD/DTS tracks, but some folks like to do this.

renethx,

I'm off to buy my parts.

Thank you!

ASUS P5Q PRO (~$150) is another choice. It has two more SATA ports, but has only one Gb LAN port and no optical S/PDIF out.

ASUS P5Q-E (~$160) is basically identical with P5Q Deluxe except for CPU power circuitry (8 phase power vs 16 phase power, which means Deluxe is better in overclocking) and an optional fan for water-cooling/passive-cooking (that does not matter). So you can save $50.


Yes.

Thanks renethx ! P5Q-E does seem quite attractive. I'll compare this with
the GA-EP45-DSR3 and try to make a call. Would you recommend
DDR2-800 memory for these boards or would I be better off with else ?

Thanks again for all your insights !

After one DOA MB it's finally running and I like it so far. I have a couple of issues that this may or may not be the place for.

1. Having a really hard time getting it to connect to the main PC. Can't pin anything down signal strength looks good but, sometimes it connects and sometimes it won't.

2. Anytime I change the source on the TV and then switch back I get a black screen and have to reboot the PC to get it to work.

Any ideas or where to better ask would be appreciated.
Thanks

Parts:
SILVERSTONE Black SST-LC17-B
ENERMAX MODU82+ EMD525AWT 525W
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-DS4P
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
Crucial Ballistix 2GB
SAPPHIRE 100233L Radeon HD 3450 256MB DVI dongle to HDMI to TV
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM
Vista Home Prem

Trendnet TEW-432BRP 802.11G Router
Trendnet EW-pp3PI PCUI
Panasonic TH-42PZ77U
Toslink to Denon AVR-4802

renethx, I can not tell you how much I value your opinions. Which you back up with documentation and facts. I built my first HTPC back in Feburary with your recommendations. Now, as I sit back and watch all this new hardware come out. I wondered to myself, do I have the best bang for my buck and do I have the best HD aduio/HD video out put I could have. I do not think so, so my question is this. What is the best MOBO/VIDEO/AUDIO solution out there to get the best picture and audio. I currently have a sapphire 2600HD video, gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L and HT Omega claro plus+. I prefer a HDMI solution of course. Price and company no issue here. Thanks!

While I'm thinking of the GA-EP35-DS3R for my server (with a Q6600), what's the difference between the P35 and P45 motherboards?

renethx, I can not tell you how much I value your opinions.... What is the best MOBO/VIDEO/AUDIO solution out there to get the best picture and audio.

+1,000 :)

It would also be nice to have a "current best build" and "current budget build" for those of us who can't spend the weeks of time that it would take to decide each item individually. While I'm at it, it would be nice to know what each video card offers to the HTPC user -- each new version is marketed/designed around the 3D performance, but (for example) why would an HD4850 be any better than last generation, for HTPC video quality??

Renethx, a few questions on DTS Connect:
What exactly does it do?
Is this something that can be obtained through the proper card (4850 or 4870)?
DTS Connect is a real-time DTS encoder which encodes every audio source to DTS. This is a convenient method of passing surround sound through S/PDIF without using analog. Please read BD Movies that result in 2-Channel S/PDIF without DTS Connect or DDL (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13368419#post13368419).

If you use HD 4850/4870 (or G35, GeForce 8200/8300), then you don't need DTS Connect/DDL as it supports multichannel LPCM over HDMI and hence audio source need not be encoded to DTS.

Would you recommend
DDR2-800 memory for these boards or would I be better off with else ?
For example,

- A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit
- A-DATA ADQVE1B16K DDR2-800 2 x 2GB Kit
- G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit
- G.SKILL F2-6400CL5D-4GBPQ DDR2-800 2 x 2GB Kit

1. Having a really hard time getting it to connect to the main PC. Can't pin anything down signal strength looks good but, sometimes it connects and sometimes it won't.

2. Anytime I change the source on the TV and then switch back I get a black screen and have to reboot the PC to get it to work.
1. What is "it"?
2. This post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13115223#post13115223)? Or that thread may be a good place to ask a question.

What is the best MOBO/VIDEO/AUDIO solution out there to get the best picture and audio. I currently have a sapphire 2600HD video, gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L and HT Omega claro plus+. I prefer a HDMI solution of course. Price and company no issue here. Thanks!
HD 4800 series has several features not found in HD 2600/HD 3600/HD 3800 series:

- UVD 2
-- MPEG-2 hardware acceleration
-- Dual stream (HD+SD) playback support
-- BD-Live support
- ATI Avivo Video Post Processor
-- Color vibrance and flesh tone correction
-- Enhanced DVD upscaling (SD to HD)
-- Automatic dynamic contrast adjustment
- HDMI audio
-- Integrated HD audio controller support multichannel LPCM

Enhanced DVD upscaling has surely nice effects. Compare:

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2008/0630/tawada_15.png http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2008/0630/tawada_19.png

These are captures from HQV Benchmark (SD). Pictures are clearly sharper with HD 4850. Of course the biggest improvement is the support for multichannel LPCM. You can now ditch HT Omega claro plus+.

GA-P35-DS3L was replaced by GA-EP35-DS3L (featuring Dynamic Energy Saver [DES] technology), which was replaced by GA-EP43-DS3L/GA-EP45-DS3L. P43/P45 supports PCI Express 2.0 (twice the bandwidth of PCIe 1.1). Buy you won't see any improvement by upgrading your mb. Of course you can buy a fashionable mb such as ASUS Maximus II Formula (P45), P5Q Deluxe (P45), Rampage Formula (X48), GIGABYTE GA-X480-DS4/DQ6 (X48) or something if money is no issue.

HD 4850 has several features not found in HD 2600:

- UVD 2
-- MPEG-2 hardware acceleration
-- Dual stream (HD+SD) playback support
-- BD-Live support
- ATI Avivo Video Post Processor
-- Color vibrance and flesh tone correction
-- Enhanced DVD upscaling (SD to HD)
-- Automatic dynamic contrast adjustment
- HDMI audio
-- Integrated HD audio controller support multichannel LPCM

Enhanced DVD upscaling has surely nice effects. Compare:

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2008/0630/tawada_15.png http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2008/0630/tawada_19.png

These are captures from HQV Benchmark (SD). Pictures are clearly sharper with HD 4850. Of course the biggest improvement is the support for multichannel LPCM. You can now ditch HT Omega claro plus+.

GA-P35-DS3L was replaced by GA-EP35-DS3L (featuring Dynamic Energy Saver [DES] technology), which was replaced by GA-EP43-DS3L/GA-EP45-DS3L. P43/P45 supports PCI Express 2.0 (twice the bandwidth of PCIe 1.1). Buy you won't see any improvement by upgrading your mb. Of course you can buy a fashionable mb such as ASUS Maximus II Formula (P45), P5Q Deluxe (P45), Rampage Formula (X48), GIGABYTE GA-X480-DS4/DQ6 (X48) or something if money is no issue.

How about the AMD platforms? I have been hearing the new 790Gx w/ SB750 is going to be a nice addition for HTPC's. Why the 4850 and not 4870? Just curious there. When and what will allow PAP, is that still in developement phases? I am hoping to future proof a few months here, so if and when HD audio is really passed through to my onkyo, i can really enjoy the movie. Thanks again!!!!

How about the AMD platforms? I have been hearing the new 790Gx w/ SB750 is going to be a nice addition for HTPC's. Why the 4850 and not 4870? Just curious there. When and what will allow PAP, is that still in development phases? I am hoping to future proof a few months here, so if and when HD audio is really passed through to my onkyo, i can really enjoy the movie. Thanks again!!!!
780G/790GX lacks enough stream processors (only 40 vs. 800 in HD 4800 series) for proper post-processing (in particular deinterlacing). If you are not interested in this aspect, 790GX would be a good choice assuming it supports multichannel LPCM. One great advantage of IGP over a discrete GPU is lower power consumption.

Power consumption (system) at idle/BD playback:

- Athlon X2 4850e + GA-MA78GM-S2H: 54W/86W
- Athlon X2 4850e + GA-MA78GM-S2H + Radeon HD 4850: 110W/138W

So you can save 0.5 cents per hour by going with IGP (and of course the system can be quieter).

HD 4870 is identical with HD 4850 in hardware, but with higher core clock and higher memory bandwidth (DDR3 vs. DDR5), that are good for 3D applications.

Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13872683#post13872683) for the current status of PAP.

While I'm thinking of the GA-EP35-DS3R for my server (with a Q6600), what's the difference between the P35 and P45 motherboards?
The main differences are:

- PCIe 1.1 vs. PCIe 2.0
- P45 supports dual PCIe 2.0 x8 in addition to PCIe 2.0 x16

780G/790GX lacks enough stream processors (only 40 vs. 800 in HD 4800 series) for proper post-processing (in particular deinterlacing). If you are not interested in this aspect, 790GX would be a good choice assuming it supports multichannel LPCM. One great advantage of IGP over a discrete GPU is lower power consumption.

Power consumption (system) at idle/BD playback:

- Athlon X2 4850e + GA-MA78GM-S2H: 54W/86W
- Athlon X2 4850e + GA-MA78GM-S2H + Radeon HD 4850: 110W/138W

So you can save 0.5 cents per hour by going with IGP (and of course the system can be quieter).

HD 4870 is identical with HD 4850 in hardware, but with higher core clock and higher memory bandwidth (DDR3 vs. DDR5), that are good for 3D applications.

Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13872683#post13872683) for the current status of PAP.



Interesting reading. I think I see the way I want to go. OK, So does the HD 4850 support PAP or not? I can not find that information? Do I need to goto a product such as:
"- ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3
- Auzentech Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1
- Intel G45 (according to archibael"

I use HDMI to pass through all video and audio to my onkyo. I will go with the 4850 as it seems to have the best ability at HD playback. I guess I will keep it in the intel family after that. I do have the intel E8400, not a bad chip so far. Do I go with a board built in HDMI port, a HDMI port on the HD 4850 or another solution? Do I need the audio card, or will HD 4850 support PAP and pass through the audio? Sorry for the questions, It does make for interesting reading as fast as technology is turning. Thanks!

How does the HD 3870 compare the 4850 for HTPC use?
Thanks in advance

1. What is "it"?
2. This post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13115223#post13115223)? Or that thread may be a good place to ask a question.

It being the new HTPC

Also if I keep having problems with the SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3450 losing sink with the TV is there another resonable card you would recomend?
Thanks again for all your help!