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!

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

Thanks again renethx.
I have a chance to buy a CPU/MB combo
deal locally for $250. (Q9450 + ECS GF7050VT-M (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135064))
There's also a local sale for Q6600 for $190.
I wasn't thinking about the Q9450 but after seeing
this $250 deal I'm thinking Q6600 or Q9450 ?
MB which comes with it is probably useless
and I'll still buy GA-EP45-DS3R($160) OR Asus P5Q-E($170).

This is probably a decision I have to make..
but given these prices and the 45nm MBs mentioned here,
do you see Q9450 adding more value/performance
to my system ?

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!
PAP is useless unless a software player supporting it exists. So you have to wait until a new version of PowerDVD or TMT is released and see if it supports HD 4850's PAP (if exists). The same applies to G45. Even if G45 supports PAP, we don't know yet what player supports it.

How does the HD 3870 compare the 4850 for HTPC use?
Thanks in advance
Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14229198#post14229198).

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!
Try GeForce 8500 GT/8600 GT.

Thanks again renethx.
I have a chance to buy a CPU/MB combo
deal locally for $250. (Q9450 + ECS GF7050VT-M (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135064))
There's also a local sale for Q6600 for $190.
I wasn't thinking about the Q9450 but after seeing
this $250 deal I'm thinking Q6600 or Q9450 ?
MB which comes with it is probably useless
and I'll still buy GA-EP45-DS3R($160) OR Asus P5Q-E($170).

This is probably a decision I have to make..
but given these prices and the 45nm MBs mentioned here,
do you see Q9450 adding more value/performance
to my system ?
Q9450 is faster in encoding (up to +50% depending on applications) and consumes less power (by 25W at full load).

PAP is useless unless a software player supporting it exists. So you have to wait until a new version of PowerDVD or TMT is released and see if it supports HD 4850's PAP (if exists). The same applies to G45. Even if G45 supports PAP, we don't know yet what player supports it.

OK. So I guess the only real way I can do this is this. Purchase a 4850 which will give me better then the sound I have through my 2600HD. Then purchase the ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 or Auzentech Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 to bypass PAP (Sort of speak).

From what I read, PowerDvd will release version 9 sometime in the next few months. Which unlocks the true sound of HD. Or I can use the above mentioned sounds cards to bypass (sort of speak), the PAP issue. What truly sucks is, if you go with cyberlink you lose HD-DVD. If you go with TMT you lose the ability to play Blu-Ray from ISO. I tried WinDVD, and you also lost Blu-Ray play back from ISO. Choices seem to narrow as you sort out what you want to do. Thanks again Renethx

OK. So I guess the only real way I can do this is this. Purchase a 4850 which will give me better then the sound I have through my 2600HD. Then purchase the ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 or Auzentech Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 to bypass PAP (Sort of speak).

From what I read, PowerDvd will release version 9 sometime in the next few months. Which unlocks the true sound of HD. Or I can use the above mentioned sounds cards to bypass (sort of speak), the PAP issue. What truly sucks is, if you go with cyberlink you lose HD-DVD. If you go with TMT you lose the ability to play Blu-Ray from ISO. I tried WinDVD, and you also lost Blu-Ray play back from ISO. Choices seem to narrow as you sort out what you want to do. Thanks again Renethx

Huh? They all play BluRay from ISO. You just mount the ISO with DaemonTools.

ISO playback will always be possible since it looks identical to a real disc.

Huh? They all play BluRay from ISO. You just mount the ISO with DaemonTools.

ISO playback will always be possible since it looks identical to a real disc.

No they do not! WindDVD 9 does not do that, it stops immediately if AACS is not present. I confirmed that with their tech support before I was issued a refund. TMT, I just did not know, I had heard it did the same thing. So the catch is to get HD-DVD to play, which way do you go?

I am almost finished with my HTPC, but I am not sure what the best software is out there to rip blu-ray discs to my hard-drive. Any recommendations?

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 4GB(2X2G) DDR2
Hard Drive Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s 500-GB Hard Drive
Sound Card HT OMEGA CLARO 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI
Blu Ray LG GGC-H20L combo Blu-Ray/HD DVD player

No they do not! WindDVD 9 does not do that, it stops immediately if AACS is not present. I confirmed that with their tech support before I was issued a refund. TMT, I just did not know, I had heard it did the same thing. So the catch is to get HD-DVD to play, which way do you go?

TMT plays HDDVD just fine.

If WinDVD9 doesn't play non-AACS BD (which has nothing to do with ISO's), then that's a fault in their software. I can create non-AACS BD's from my camcorder, and all BD-playing software should play then fine. If they don't, the software is falt out wrong.

Any issues you have are not related to ISO's. ISO's are transparent to software and look like physical media.

I am almost finished with my HTPC, but I am not sure what the best software is out there to rip blu-ray discs to my hard-drive. Any recommendations?

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 4GB(2X2G) DDR2
Hard Drive Barracuda 7200.11 SATA 3Gb/s 500-GB Hard Drive
Sound Card HT OMEGA CLARO 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI
Blu Ray LG GGC-H20L combo Blu-Ray/HD DVD player

AnyDVDHD + ImgBurn + DaemonTools = ISO

-or-

eac3to + Haali + mkvtools = mkv/flac

How does the 780G chipset perform in the SD HQV tests when used with a 9550 phenom or tri-core? I was hoping post-processing might be improved enough to warrant going without the 4850 video card.

Once i burn a blu ray with AnyDVD can I extract the main movie only, then create an iso of that??? Otherwise its using to much space in my hard drives

If so, will my HTPC still read it like its an acutal blu ray?

Once i burn a blu ray with AnyDVD can I extract the main movie only, then create an iso of that??? Otherwise its using to much space in my hard drives

If so, will my HTPC still read it like its an acutal blu ray?

You don't burn with AnyDVDHD, you just remove the AACS. See my post above for the tools to burn, and better to do a search for more details.

Yes, TMT (for example) will play the extracted movie, but it will obviously be missing menus and extras. If you keep the entire ISO, it's just like popping the BD in a drive. In terms of size, you'll only save about 30% of the total space (e.g. 28GB vs 40GB).

Sorry, a few more questions:

1) If you want to do ffdshow post processing (upscaling and whatnot) then does having an HD4850 really matter? Would an IGP do just as well?

2) Or is the quality of the HD4850 hardware upscaling good enough? (I'd rather not have to fiddle with ffdshow if I can get the HD4850 to do just as good in hardware.)

3)Does better hardware deinterlacing matter if you're only watching blurays, mkvs, dvds, and avi's? Aren't those already deinterlaced? (or maybe I'm totally wrong here)

Thanks!

Sorry, a few more questions:

1) If you want to do ffdshow post processing (upscaling and whatnot) then does having an HD4850 really matter? Would an IGP do just as well?

2) Or is the quality of the HD4850 hardware upscaling good enough? (I'd rather not have to fiddle with ffdshow if I can get the HD4850 to do just as good in hardware.)

3)Does better hardware deinterlacing matter if you're only watching blurays, mkvs, dvds, and avi's? Aren't those already deinterlaced? (or maybe I'm totally wrong here)

Thanks!

DVDs and AVIs can benefit from good deinterlacing. Although if you have a good TV, you'll get pretty good deinterlacing from the TV, and might not see a big improvement with the video card.

Upscaling is about the same across all the current generation of gfx cards and IGP's.

DVDs and AVIs can benefit from good deinterlacing. Although if you have a good TV, you'll get pretty good deinterlacing from the TV, and might not see a big improvement with the video card.

Upscaling is about the same across all the current generation of gfx cards and IGP's.

Is the upscaling at least comparable to what we can get from ffdshow? If not, then should I be spending money on a better CPU and use an IGP?

(Sorry for the basic questions, just trying to get a handle on what a minimum build with the best upscaling would be -- why buy an HD4850 if you're not even going to use the hardware acceleration, right?)

Is the upscaling at least comparable to what we can get from ffdshow? If not, then should I be spending money on a better CPU and use an IGP?

(Sorry for the basic questions, just trying to get a handle on what a minimum build with the best upscaling would be -- why buy an HD4850 if you're not even going to use the hardware acceleration, right?)

Not sure what you're asking? Are you asking if the software deinterlacing/upscaling that ffdshow does is comparable to what a 4850 does in hardware?

If that's your question, then no, the 4850 does a lot better than any software-only solution, but the end result will depend a lot on what you watch and what TV you have.

Q9450 is faster in encoding (up to +50% depending on applications) and consumes less power (by 25W at full load).


Thanks to renethx I've picked the parts for
my system. Before I order, I hope you can look
over these parts and make any comments or
suggest any last minute changes..
(I hope I got the Memory picked right)

CPU = Intel Quad Q9450
MB = Asus P5Q-E
Memory = CORSAIR TWIN2X4096-6400C5 4GB(2x2) DDR2 PC6400 (http://shop1.frys.com/product/5611731?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG)
Video = XFX PVT84JUSD4 Geforce 8600 GT (http://www.amazon.com/XFX-PVT84JUSD4-GeForce-Express-S-Video/dp/B000ZPJ79A)
Case = Antec Sonata 3 with 500W PS
DVD/Blyray = TBD (SATA)
HD = Seagate SATA 750.
Misc = 120mm Fan for cooling HDs in Sonata3.

As always I highly value this feedback.

Ren, I read a good portion of you guide and I think its great. I wish i knew of this thread when i built mine a while back. Thanks for your help...

For my question...

I want an above avg system to play back blu-ray/hd-dvd over hdmi. Is this overkill? My budget is about 1200 or so.... No games, no other major applications.

AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz
GIGABYTE GA-MA770-DS3
ASUS Radeon HD 3650
---------------------------------------
Currently, at 1400 bucks (tax/ship)
Silverstone LC20-B ATX
8 gigs pc6400 (2x2 x 4)
1TB HD
Vista Home Prem 64bit
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner
SeaSonic S12 II SS-380GB ATX12V 380W Power Supply (do i need my power?)
Media card reader (TBD)

My other question is Fan for CPU...my goal is quiet, system. My previous expereience, i have always brought the wrong fan for cases. Can you recommend something for this case and processor?

4 gigs should be good but newegg has a combo which makes the first 4 gigs damn cheap so i figure i'll max out the system.

I struggled with AMD vs Intel. I have a Phenom 9300 and love it so I went back to it.

Again, thanks for your expert advice...

_____________________________________________
Recommended HTPC Systems – September 2009 Edition
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Last Update on September 25, 2009

This is outdated. Go to Recommended Systems - The Latest Edition
A small advertisement:

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv328/renethx_yahoo/Supportyellow.png

Table of Contents

Peripheral Components and OS
Input Device
Optical Disc Drive
TV Tuner/Capture Card
Sound Card
OS
Brackets
Mini-ITX System
MicroATX System
Low-End
Mid-Range
High-End
Premium
ATX System
Low-End
Mid-Range
High-End
Premium
DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
Workstation
Media Storage Sever
Software – Links to Useful Threads
What's next?
Intel Processor
AMD Processor
Motherboard
Memory
Graphics Card
Sound Card

______________
Mini-ITX System
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=131137&d=1232878695

Case and PSU

Selecting a case and PSU is perhaps the most difficult part in building a Mini-ITX system. Apex MI-008 with 250W PSU selected here is favorably reviewed by Silent PC Review (http://www.silentpcreview.com/apex-mi008).

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.60GHz 2MB L2 LGA775, $64.
CPU Cooler: SilverStone NT07-775, $20.
Motherboard: Intel DG45FC (BOXDG45FC) LGA775 Intel G45 chipset Mini-ITX, $115.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics Card: Intel GMA X4500HD (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: WD Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.
Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $40. An alternative is Apex MI-100BK Mini-ITX, $48.
Total Cost: $341
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=134795&d=1235659332

Remarks

BD playback under Windows XP is not supported in this system due to the chipset driver limitation.
Intel/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.60GHz 2MB L2 LGA775, $64.
CPU Cooler: SilverStone NT07-775, $20.
Motherboard: ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi GF9300-D-E LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU Mini-ITX, $140.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics Card: GeForce 9300 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.
Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $40. An alternative is Apex MI-100BK Mini-ITX, $48.
Total Cost: $366
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=134796&d=1235659332

AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: SilverStone NT07-AM2, $20.
Motherboard: J&W MINIX 780G-SP128MB AM2+ AMD 780G chipset Mini-ITX, $155.
Memory: Crucial CT2KIT12864AC800 DDR2-800 SO-DIMM 2 x 1GB Kit, $29.
Graphics Card: Radeon HD 3200 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.
Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $40. An alternative is Apex MI-100BK Mini-ITX, $48.
Total Cost: $374
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151823&stc=1&d=1252163981

Remarks

You need to add a discrete graphics card such as SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4550 DDR3 512MB HDMI, $45, for multichannel LPCM over HDMI.
AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: SilverStone NT07-AM2, $20.
Motherboard: ZOTAC GeForce 8200-ITX WiFi GF8200-C-E AM2+ GeForce 8200 mGPU Mini-ITX, $110.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 1GB Kit, $37.
Graphics Card: GeForce 8200 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: ATX12V 250W SFX PSU (included in the case): $0.
Case: Apex MI-008 Mini-ITX, $40. An alternative is Apex MI-100BK Mini-ITX, $48.
Total Cost: $337
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151849&d=1252169213

Gaming HTPC

System

CPU: Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz 12MB L2 LGA775, $266.
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7 LP, $20.
Motherboard: ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi GF9300-D-E LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU Mini-ITX, $140.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1B16K DDR2-800 2 x 2GB Kit, $55.
Graphics Card: HIS H485Q1GH Radeon HD 4850 GDDR3 1GB, $133. An alternative is XFX GS-250X-ZDFC GeForce GTS 250 DDR3 1GB, $144.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70. You will need a 12 inch Right Angle SATA to Straight SATA Cable, $2.
PSU: ATX12V 300W SFX PSU (included in the case), $0.
Case: SilverStone Sugo SG05 SST-SG05B Mini-ITX/Mini-DTX, $100.
Total Cost: $786 for ATI, $797 for NVIDIA
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151825&stc=1&d=1252164102

Remarks

The case supports a slim type optical drive, e.g., SilverStone TOB02 SST-TOB02 Slim Type BD-ROM/DVD Rewriter, $148.
If you are interested in passive CPU cooling, check these two threads:
Hard|Forum – SG05, GeminII inside (April 28, 2009) (http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1414331)
OverclockingStation – "MINI-ME" - Mini-ITX für Sofa-Gamer... (April 28, 2009) (http://www.overclockingstation.de/showthread.php?p=78519)
______________
MicroATX System
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

A microATX system is generally considered good for HTPC because of its small form factor. As the number of expansion slots is limited to four, almost every microATX motherboard integrates a graphics processing unit (GPU). There are already a couple of integrated graphics processing units (iGPU) that are good enough to play back HD contents and a microATX system with such an iGPU has several advantages over an ATX system with discrete graphics processing unit (dGPU):

Lower cost
Lower power consumption and heat output, hence lower noise
Space-saving
Disadvantages are:

The number of expansion slots is limited to four.
iGPU is still not perfect for post-processing.
iGPU is very weak in gaming (for a gaming HTPC).
Actually four expansion slots are plenty for normal use. Unfortunately most motherboard manufacturers still prefer to put two PCI slots despite the fact that PCI Express devices are quickly taking place of PCI devices.

I will give a low-end system, a mid-range system, a high-end system and a gaming system for each of the Intel platform/Intel chipset, the Intel platform/NVIDIA chipset, the AMD platform/AMD chipset and the AMD platform/NVIDIA chipset. Basic distinctions are:

Low-end system: offers reasonably good video playback performance at a low cost.
Mid-range system: offers the best video playback performance without compromise.
High-end system: should be able to handle other HTPC-related tasks such as video re-encoding and games with reasonably good performance.
Premium system: is intended to be the best (but not too expensive) overall system available today.
Here is a feature comparison chart (needs to be updated).

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv328/renethx_yahoo/Support2yellow2.png

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=133613&stc=1&d=1234688600

So are my recommendations really enough for HD contents?

One of the most frequently asked questions is if these systems can play 1080p contents (including various mkv files as well as BD movies) fine. The answer is yes as you can see in the above chart. Here are screenshots taken in one of the recommended systems (the low-end Intel/NVIDIA system) when a 1080p mkv file is played back. Whether hardware acceleration of the GPU is on or off, the file can be played back fine.

Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.5GHz 2MB L2 cache
GA-E7AUM-DS2H GeForce 9400 mGPU mATX
DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
Windows Vista SP1 32-bit
MPC HomeCinema with MPC Video Decoder (the first screenshot)/ffdshow Video Decoder (the second screenshot) and madFlac Decoder
1080p mkv file with FLAC audio track created from Blu-ray Spider-Man 3; the first 100 seconds of chapter 44 with max bitrate around 36Mbps
Hardware Acceleration ON (MPC Video Decoder)

If GPU hardware acceleration is used, max CPU usage is around 33%.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=130070&d=1232203181

Hardware Acceleration OFF (ffdshow Video Decoder)

ffdshow does not support GPU hardware acceleration (yet). Max CPU usage is around 70%.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=130071&d=1232203181

_______
Low-End
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

All the low-end systems are basically equivalent in performance. There are differences in features however. The case I chose here is a inexpensive low-profile case. Alternative cases are

Antec NSK1480 microATX, low-profile, $95.
Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 microATX, low-profile, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $175.
Lian Li PC-C37B MUSE microATX, low-profile, $144.
Lian Li PC-C39 microATX, low-profile, with RF receiver/remote, $180.
Moneual MonCaso312 microATX, low-profile, with IR receiver/remote, $220.
Moneual MonCaso301 microATX, low-profile, with VFD/IR receiver/remote, $300.
Antec NSK2480 microATX, $94.
Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=153020&d=1253441623

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.60GHz 2MB L2 LGA775, $64.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA775 Intel G45 chipset microATX, $125. A cheaper alternative is Intel DG45ID (BOXDG45ID) LGA775 Intel G45 chipset microATX, $100.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics Card: Intel GMA X4500HD (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: 80 PLUS 350W ATX PSU (included in the case), $0
Case: Antec NSK1480 microATX, $95.
Total Cost: $386
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=142141&stc=1&d=1241781886

Remarks

BD playback under Windows XP is not supported in this system due to the chipset driver limitation.
Intel/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.60GHz 2MB L2 LGA775, $64.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA775 GeForce 9400 mGPU microATX, $130. A cheaper alternative is MSI P7NGM-Digital LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU microATX, $105, which is of better value if you don't need an S/PDIF port and an eSATA port.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics Card: GeForce 9400 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: 80 PLUS 350W ATX PSU (included in the case), $0
Case: Antec NSK1480 microATX, $95.
Total Cost: $391
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=134799&d=1235661749

AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset microATX, $80.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 1GB Kit, $37.
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4550 DDR3 512MB HDMI, $45.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: 80 PLUS 350W ATX PSU (included in the case), $0
Case: Antec NSK1480 microATX, $95.
Total Cost: $387
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151821&stc=1&d=1252163796

Remarks

You could use the onboard graphics (HD 4200) but HDMI audio is limted to stereo LPCM. If your receiver is pre-HDMI, this is a good choice.
If you prefer DDR3 SDRAM (+$10 with little performance increase, but DDR3 memory modules are reusable in future), choose
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset microATX, $82.
G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-2GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 1GB Kit, $45.
AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: ASUS M3N78-EM AM2+ GeForce 8300 mGPU microATX, $83.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 1GB Kit, $37.
Graphics Card: GeForce 8200 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: 80 PLUS 350W ATX PSU (included in the case), $0
Case: Antec NSK1480 microATX, $95.
Total Cost: $345
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151822&d=1252163860

_________
Mid-Range
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz 3MB L2 LGA775, $113.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32.
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA775 Intel G45 chipset microATX, $125. A cheaper alternative is Intel DG35EC (BOXDG35EC) LGA775 Intel G35 chipset microATX, $88 (there are no overclocking or memory voltage options in BIOS).
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1B16K DDR2-800 2 x 2GB Kit, $57.
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $70. An alternative is HIS H467QS1GH Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $75.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $667
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152722&d=1253073843

Intel/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz 3MB L2 LGA775, $113.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA775 GeForce 9400 mGPU microATX, $130. A cheaper alternative is MSI P7NGM-Digital LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU microATX, $105, which is of better value if you don't need an S/PDIF port and an eSATA port.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1B16K DDR2-800 2 x 2GB Kit, $57.
Graphics Card: ASUS EN9600GT/DI/512MD3 GeForce 9600 GT DDR3 512MB, $77.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $679
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151799&d=1252141415

Remarks

The graphics card supports S/PDIF pass-through from the onboard audio codec through HDMI. If you want multichannel LPCM audio, you have to connect your AVR to the HDMI port of the motherboard and your display to the graphics card. Please read Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).
AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Athlon II X4 630 ADX630WFGIBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $122.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset microATX, $80.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 2GB Kit, $65.
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $70. An alternative is HIS H467QS1GH Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $75.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $639
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152878&d=1253250306

Remarks

If you prefer DDR3 SDRAM (+$17 with little performance increase, but DDR3 memory modules are reusable in future), choose
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset microATX, $82.
G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $75.
AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Athlon II X4 630 ADX630WFGIBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $122.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32.
Motherboard: ASUS M3N78-EM AM2+ GeForce 8300 mGPU microATX, $83.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 2GB Kit, $65.
Graphics Card: ASUS EN9600GT/DI/512MD3 GeForce 9600 GT DDR3 512MB, $77.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $649
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=153329&stc=1&d=1253704663

Remarks

The graphics card supports S/PDIF pass-through from the onboard audio codec through HDMI. If you want multichannel LPCM audio, you have to connect your AVR to the HDMI port of the motherboard and your display to the graphics card. Please read Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).
________
High-End
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Core i5 750 2.66GHz LGA1156, $196.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32. Perhaps you have to buy a retention bracket set for LGA1156 which is not released yet. Meanwhile you can use the stock cooler.
Motherboard: ASRock P55M Pro LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset microATX, $100.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: HIS H485Q1GH Radeon HD 4850 GDDR3 1GB, $133.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 525W EPR525AWT, $96. A cheaper alternative is Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $852
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152366&d=1252668618

Intel/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Core 2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 LGA775, $183.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA775 GeForce 9400 mGPU microATX, $130. A cheaper alternative is MSI P7NGM-Digital LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU microATX, $105, which is of better value if you don't need an S/PDIF port and an eSATA port.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1B16K DDR2-800 2 x 2GB Kit, $57.
Graphics Card: XFX GS-250X-ZDFC GeForce GTS 250 DDR3 1GB, $144.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 525W EPR525AWT, $96. A cheaper alternative is Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $852
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151803&d=1252141738

Remarks

The graphics card supports S/PDIF pass-through from the onboard audio codec through HDMI. If you want multichannel LPCM audio, you have to connect your AVR to the HDMI port of the motherboard and your display to the graphics card. Please read Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).
AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Phenom II X4 945 HDX945WFGIBOX 3.0GHz AM3, $170.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G chipset microATX, $82.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: HIS H485Q1GH Radeon HD 4850 GDDR3 1GB, $133.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 525W EPR525AWT, $96. A cheaper alternative is Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $808
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152571&d=1252915714

AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Phenom II X4 945 HDX945WFGIBOX 3.0GHz AM3, $170.
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32.
Motherboard: ASUS M3N78-EM AM2+ GeForce 8300 mGPU microATX, $83.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 2GB Kit, $65.
Graphics Card: XFX GS-250X-ZDFC GeForce GTS 250 DDR3 1GB, $144.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 525W EPR525AWT, $96. A cheaper alternative is Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.
Total Cost: $800
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151830&d=1252166440

Remarks

The graphics card supports S/PDIF pass-through from the onboard audio codec through HDMI. If you want multichannel LPCM audio, you have to connect your AVR to the HDMI port of the motherboard and your display to the graphics card. Please read Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).
_______
Premium
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Core i7 860 2.80GHz LGA1156, $284. A cheaper alternative is Core i5 750 2.66GHz LGA1156, $196.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, $45, with Xigmatek Crossbow ACK-I5361, $10 (necessary to attach the cooler to the LGA1156 socket).
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55M-UD4 LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset microATX, $150.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card (ATI): Radeon HD 5850 GDDR5 1GB, $259; two of this card for CrossFireX, $518. An alternative is Radeon HD 5870 GDDR5 1GB, $379.
Graphics Card (NVIDIA): GeForce GTX 275 DDR3 896MB, $210; two of this card for SLI, $420. An alternative is GeForce GTX 285, $320 or GeForce GTX 295, $525.
HDD: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2 80GB SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, $234.
PSU: Enermax MODU82+ 625W EMD625AWT, $128. An alternative is Enermax REVOLUTION85+ 850W ERV850EWT, $213.
Case: LUXA2 LM200 Touch microATX, with 7” touch screen/IR receiver/remote, $512. If you don't need or don't like a touch screen, choose LUXA2 LM200 microATX, with VFD/IR receiver/remote, $308.
Total Cost: $1707 for non-CrossFireX, $1966 for CrossFireX; $1658 for non-SLI, $1868 for SLI.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=153331&d=1253706866
AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition HDZ965FBGIBOX 3.4GHz AM3, $245.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, $45, with Enzotech Type-X AM2 Retention Modules, $3, and four nuts (necessary to attach the cooler in the correct orientation).
Motherboard: DFI LANPARTY JR 790GX-M3H5 AM3 AMD 790GX chipset microATX, $140.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: Radeon HD 5850 GDDR5 1GB, $259; two of this card for CrossFireX, $518. An alternative is Radeon HD 5870 GDDR5 1GB, $379.
HDD: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2 80GB SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, $234.
PSU: Enermax MODU82+ 625W EMD625AWT, $128. An alternative is Enermax REVOLUTION85+ 850W ERV850EWT, $213.
Case: LUXA2 LM200 Touch microATX, with 7” touch screen/IR receiver/remote, $512. If you don't need or don't like a touch screen, choose LUXA2 LM200 microATX, with VFD/IR receiver/remote, $308.
Total Cost: $1651 for non-CrossFireX, $1910 for CrossFireX.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=153332&d=1253706866

__________
ATX System
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

The ATX form factor is differentiated from microATX by its larger size 12″ x 9.6″ vs. 9.6″ x 9.6″ of microATX, and hence the support for 7 expansion slots vs. 4 expansion slots in microATX. Another differentiating factor is that motherboard manufacturers tend to implement better CPU power circuitry and cooling solution for MOSFET and the chipset in ATX motherboards for better stability with a CPU of very high power consumption such as Phenom 125W/140W and better overclocking (although most HTPC users will not be interested in this aspect). I give a low-end system, a mid-range system, a high-end system and a premium system for each of the Intel platform with Intel chipsets, the Intel platform with NVIDIA chipsets, the AMD platform with AMD chipsets and the AMD platform with NVIDIA chipsets. As the expandability is the most important factor, I set the following criteria:: the motherboard should have

Low-end:
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 for a 2-slot graphics card
3 x PCIe x1 for HBA, a sound card and a TV tuner
Mid-range and high-end:
1 x PCIe 2.0 x8 for a 2-slot graphics card
1 x PCIe x8 for HBA
2 x PCIe x1 for a sound card and a TV tuner
Premium system:
2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (or x8) for dual 2-slot graphics
1 x PCIe x1 and 1 x PCIe x4 for a sound card/TV tuner/HBA
But a few systems do not meet this criteria (simply because there is no good motherboard). In addition, fully usable 6 SATA ports (I mean not blocked by a large graphics card) is a norm. I will give low-end, mid-range, high-end and premium systems for each of the Intel platform with Intel and NVIDIA chipsets and the AMD platform with AMD and NVIDIA chipsets. Basic distinctions are:

Low-end system: offers reasonably good video playback performance at a low cost.
Mid-range system: offers the best video playback performance without compromise.
High-end system: should be able to handle other HTPC-related tasks such as video re-encoding and games with reasonably good performance.
Premium system: is intended to be the best (but not too expensive) overall system available today.
Here is a feature comparison chart.

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv328/renethx_yahoo/Support2yellow2.png

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=133082&stc=1&d=1234264565

_______
Low-End
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.60GHz 2MB L2 LGA775, $64.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP43-UD3L LGA775 Intel P43 chipset ATX, $80.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4550 DDR3 512MB HDMI, $45.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: SilverStone Lascala LC17 SST-LC17B ATX, $119.
Total Cost: $470.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151834&d=1252166768

Intel/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E5300 2.60GHz 2MB L2 LGA775, $64.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: EVGA 113-YW-E115-TR LGA775 GeForce 9300 mGPU ATX, $118.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics Card: GeForce 9300 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: SilverStone Lascala LC17 SST-LC17B ATX, $119.
Total Cost: $463.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151835&d=1252166768

AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset ATX, $90.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4550 DDR3 512MB HDMI, $45.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: SilverStone Lascala LC17 SST-LC17B ATX, $119.
Total Cost: $481
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151836&d=1252166768

Remarks

You could use the onboard graphics (HD 4200) but HDMI audio is limted to stereo LPCM. If your receiver is pre-HDMI, this is a good choice.
If you prefer DDR3 SDRAM (+$8 with little performance increase, but DDR3 memory modules are reusable in future), choose
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GT-UD3H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset ATX, $90, or ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO AM3 AMD 785G chipset ATX, $100.
G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-2GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 1GB Kit, $45.
AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler, $0.
Motherboard: ASUS M3N78 PRO AM2+ GeForce 8300 mGPU ATX, $94.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-2GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 1GB Kit, $37.
Graphics Card: GeForce 8300 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W, $60.
Case: SilverStone Lascala LC17 SST-LC17B ATX, $119.
Total Cost: $440.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151837&d=1252166783

_________
Mid-Range
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Core 2 Duo E7500 2.93GHz 3MB L2 LGA775, $113.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek NEPARTAK S983, $30.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA775 Intel P45 chipset ATX, $115.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1B16K DDR2-800 2 x 2GB Kit, $57.
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $70. An alternative is HIS H467QS1GH Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $75.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 525W EPR525AWT, $96. A cheaper alternative is Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Max ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $178.
Total Cost: $729.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152724&d=1253073935

Intel/NVIDIA

There is no recommendation of a mid-range system for this platform. A system with the popular ASUS P5N-D nForce 750i SLI chipset motherboard is good for x16 SLI, but not particularly good for HTPC (not enough PCIe x1 slots; its SB is the three-year old MCP51 [used in GeForce 6150 motherboards!] supporting only 4 SATA ports).

AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Athlon II X4 630 ADX630WFGIBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $122.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek NEPARTAK S983, $30.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790X-UD4P AM2+ AMD 790X chipset ATX, $104. An alternative is GIGABYTE GA-MA790GP-UD4H AM2+ AMD 790GX chipset ATX, $115 (with IGP; useful in case you use the motherboard for a server in future).
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 2GB Kit, $65.
Graphics Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $70. An alternative is HIS H467QS1GH Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB, $75.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 525W EPR525AWT, $96. A cheaper alternative is Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Max ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $178.
Total Cost: $735
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152879&d=1253250536

Remarks

If you prefer DDR3 SDRAM (+$20 with little performance increase, but DDR3 memory modules are reusable in future), choose
GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 AMD 790X chipset ATX, $115 (without IGP) or GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX chipset ATX, $115 (with IGP).
G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $75.
AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Athlon II X4 630 ADX630WFGIBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $122.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek NEPARTAK S983, $30.
Motherboard: ASUS M3N72-D AM2+ nForce 750a SLI MCP ATX, $112.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 2GB Kit, $65.
Graphics Card: ASUS EN9600GT/DI/512MD3 GeForce 9600 GT DDR3 512MB, $77.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 525W EPR525AWT, $96. A cheaper alternative is Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Max ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $178.
Total Cost: $750.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=153330&d=1253704877

Remarks

nForce 750a SLI is basically an SLI x8 version of GeForce 8200.
The graphics card supports S/PDIF pass-through from the onboard audio codec through HDMI. If you want multichannel LPCM audio, you have to connect your AVR to the HDMI port of the motherboard and your display to the graphics card. Please read Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).
________
High-End
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Core i5 750 2.66GHz LGA1156, $196.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek NEPARTAK S983, $30, with Xigmatek Crossbow ACK-I5361, $10 (necessary to attach the cooler to the LGA1156 socket).
Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D EVO LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset ATX, $185. An alternative is ASUS P7P55D PRO LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset ATX, $170 (single Gb LAN, no SLI bridge included) or ASRock P55 Deluxe LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset ATX, $175 (supporting DTS Connect, good for S/PDIF gamers; a 2-port SATA 6Gbps card included).
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: HIS H485Q1GH Radeon HD 4850 GDDR3 1GB, $133.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 625W EPR625AWT, $108. A cheaper alternative is Corsair TX650W CMPSU-650TX 650W, $93.
Case: Zalman HD160 Plus ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $277.
Total Cost: $1094.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152568&d=1252913988

Intel/NVIDIA

There is no recommendation of a high-end system for this platform. A system with the popular ASUS P5N-D nForce 750i SLI chipset motherboard is good for x16 SLI, but not particularly good for HTPC (not enough PCIe x1 slots; its SB is the three-year old MCP51 [used in GeForce 6150 motherboards!] supporting only 4 SATA ports).

AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Phenom II X4 945 HDX945WFGIBOX 3.0GHz AM3, $170.
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9500A LED, $43.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 AMD 790X chipset ATX, $115. An alternative is GIGABYTE GA-MA790GPT-UD3H AM3 AMD 790GX chipset ATX, $115 (with IGP; useful in case you use the motherboard for a server in future).
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: HIS H485Q1GH Radeon HD 4850 GDDR3 1GB, $133.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 625W EPR625AWT, $108. A cheaper alternative is Corsair TX650W CMPSU-650TX 650W, $93.
Case: Zalman HD160 Plus ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $277.
Total Cost: $1001.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152569&d=1252913988

AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Phenom II X4 945 HDX945WFGIBOX 3.0GHz AM3, $170.
CPU Cooler: Zalman CNPS9500A LED, $43.
Motherboard: ASUS M3N72-D AM2+ nForce 750a SLI MCP ATX, $112.
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK DDR2-1066 2 x 2GB Kit, $65.
Graphics Card: XFX GS-250X-ZDFC GeForce GTS 250 DDR3 1GB, $144.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
PSU: Enermax PRO82+ 625W EPR625AWT, $108. A cheaper alternative is Corsair TX650W CMPSU-650TX 650W, $93.
Case: Zalman HD160 Plus ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $277.
Total Cost: $989.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152570&d=1252913988

Remarks

nForce 750a SLI is basically an SLI x8 version of GeForce 8200.
The graphics card supports S/PDIF pass-through from the onboard audio codec through HDMI. If you want multichannel LPCM audio, you have to connect your AVR to the HDMI port of the motherboard and your display to the graphics card. Please read Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).
________
Premium
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Intel/Intel

System

CPU: Core i7 860 2.80GHz LGA1156, $284.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, $45, with Xigmatek Crossbow ACK-I5361, $10 (necessary to attach the cooler to the LGA1156 socket).
Motherboard: ASUS P7P55D EVO LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset ATX, $185. An alternative is Intel DP55KG (BOXDP55KG) LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset ATX, $210 (supporting Dolby Home Theater, good for S/PDIF gamers; single Gb LAN).
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card (ATI): Radeon HD 5850 GDDR5 1GB, $259; two of this card for CrossFireX, $518. An alternative is Radeon HD 5870 GDDR5 1GB, $379.
Graphics Card (NVIDIA): GeForce GTX 275 DDR3 896MB, $240; two of this card for SLI, $480. An alternative is GeForce GTX 285, $320 or GeForce GTX 295, $525.
HDD: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2 80GB SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, $234.
PSU: Enermax REVOLUTION85+ 850W ERV850EWT, $213.
Case: Thermaltake DH104 VH4001BNS ATX, with 7” touch screen/IR receiver/remote, $451. If you don't need or don't like a touch screen, choose Thermaltake DH103 VH3001BNS ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $244 or SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02S-MXR ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $364.
Total Cost: $1766 for non-CrossFireX, $2025 for CrossFireX; $1717 for non-SLI, $1927 for SLI.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=153333&d=1253707119

Intel/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz 12MB L2 LGA775, $266.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, $45.
Motherboard: XFX MB-N790-IUL9 LGA775 nForce 790i 3-Way SLI ATX, $170.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 275 DDR3 896MB, $210; two of this card for SLI, $420. An alternative is GeForce GTX 285, $320 or GeForce GTX 295, $525.
HDD: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2 80GB SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, $234.
PSU: Enermax REVOLUTION85+ 850W ERV850EWT, $213.
Case: Thermaltake DH104 VH4001BNS ATX, with 7” touch screen/IR receiver/remote, $451. If you don't need or don't like a touch screen, choose Thermaltake DH103 VH3001BNS ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $244 or SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02S-MXR ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $364.
Total Cost: $1674 for non-SLI, $1884 for SLI.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151845&d=1252167147

AMD/AMD

System

CPU: Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition HDZ965FBGIBOX 3.4GHz AM3, $245.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, $45, with Enzotech Type-X AM2 Retention Modules, $3, and four nuts (necessary to attach the cooler in the correct orientation).
Motherboard: MSI 790FX-GD70 AM3 AMD 790FX chipset ATX, $165.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: Radeon HD 5850 GDDR5 1GB, $259; two of this card for CrossFireX, $518. An alternative is Radeon HD 5870 GDDR5 1GB, $379.
HDD: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2 80GB SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, $234.
PSU: Enermax REVOLUTION85+ 850W ERV850EWT, $213.
Case: Thermaltake DH104 VH4001BNS ATX, with 7” touch screen/IR receiver/remote, $451. If you don't need or don't like a touch screen, choose Thermaltake DH103 VH3001BNS ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $244 or SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02S-MXR ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $364.
Total Cost: $1700 for non-CrossFireX, $1959 for CrossFireX.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=153334&d=1253707119

AMD/NVIDIA

System

CPU: Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition HDZ965FBGIBOX 3.4GHz AM3, $245.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, $45, with Enzotech Type-X AM2 Retention Modules, $3, and four nuts (necessary to attach the cooler in the correct orientation).
Motherboard: MSI NF980-G65 AM3 nForce 980a SLI MCP ATX, $180.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 275 DDR3 896MB, $210; two of this card for SLI, $420. An alternative is GeForce GTX 285, $320 or GeForce GTX 295, $525.
HDD: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2 80GB SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, $234.
PSU: Enermax REVOLUTION85+ 850W ERV850EWT, $213.
Case: Thermaltake DH104 VH4001BNS ATX, with 7” touch screen/IR receiver/remote, $451. If you don't need or don't like a touch screen, choose Thermaltake DH103 VH3001BNS ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $244 or SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02S-MXR ATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $364.
Total Cost: $1666 for non-SLI, $1876 for SLI.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151882&d=1252196029

Remarks

nForce 980a SLI (rebadged nForce 780a SLI) is nForce 750a SLI + nForce 200 (a PCI Express switch for SLI x16).
The graphics card supports S/PDIF pass-through from the onboard audio codec through HDMI. If you want multichannel LPCM audio, you have to connect your AVR to the HDMI port of the motherboard and your display to the graphics card. Please read Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).
_________________________
DAS (Direct Attached Storage)
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

If you need more storage space than the one provided by the motherboard and the case, the quickest solution is attach an external HDD enclosure. Possible interfaces are USB 2.0 (60MB/s), IEEE 1394a (50MB/s), PCI (133MB/s), PCI Express x1 (250MB/s), all of which are good enough for home use. If you need lots of drives, you may want to consider a dedicated file server (see "Home Media Server"). If you need higher I/O throughput, e.g. for video editing, there are many SATA RAID controller cards with PCI Express x4 (1.0GB/s) or x8 (2.0GB/s) interface. Here are a couple of examples.

5 Drive SATA Enclosure with PCI Express Controller

AMS DS-2350S VENUS T5 (http://prostores2.carrierzone.com/servlet/amselectronicscom/Detail?no=783), $220 (the picture below)
AMS DS-2340SES VENUS ES5 (http://prostores2.carrierzone.com/servlet/amselectronicscom/Detail?no=765), $175
SilverStone DS351 (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=ds351&area=usa), $480
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=120521&d=1222204589

Each of them has Silicon Image SiI4726 (http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=74) SATA to 5-Port SATA Device SteelVine Storage Processor and is bundled with a 2-port SATA PCIe x1 host bus adapter based on Silicon Image SiI3132 (http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=32). You can attach up to two enclosures (10 drives) to one card by FIS-based Port Multiplier. Supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 5 and JBOD.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=120524&d=1222204694

8 Drive SATA Enclosure with PCI Express Controller

Rosewill RSV-S8 (http://www.rosewill.com/products/1189/productDetail.htm), $350
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=120522&d=1222204589

The case has two SiI3726 (http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=26) port multipliers and is bundled with a 2-port SATA PCIe x1 host bus adapter based on Silicon Image SiI3132 (http://www.siliconimage.com/products/product.aspx?id=32) supporting port multiplier. The difference between SiI3726 and SiI4726 is that SiI4726 can be connected to a non-PM aware SATA port, while SiI3726 needs to be connected to a PM aware SATA port.

High-Performance 8 Drive SATA Enclosure with PCI Express Controller

External 8 drive Hotswap SATA Enclosure w/4X connectors (http://www.pc-pitstop.com/sata_enclosures/scsat84x.asp), $389
HighPoint RocketRAID 2322 2-port SFF-8088 (8-port SATA) RAID Controller PCIe x4 Card, $230
HighPoint Ext-MS-1MSB SFF-8088 to SFF-8470 1 m cable x 2, $56
Total Cost: $675
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129564&d=1231846498

For better performance you can go with a RAID controller card with a hardware RAID processor engine such as

HighPoint RocketRAID 3522 with IOP341 processor, $480
Areca ARC-1221x with IOP341 processor, $595
Adaptec RAID 3085, $595
Adaptec RAID 5085, $760
LSI SAS3801E, $300
15 Drive SATA 4U Rack Mount Storage Chassis

Addonics is manufacturing a highly customizable 4U rack mount chassis supporting 15 HDDs.

SR460S Storage Rack base unit with 460W ATX power supply (http://www.addonics.com/products/raid_system/rack_overview.asp), $335
AE5RCS35NSA Disk Array 5SA (http://www.addonics.com/products/raid_system/ae4rcs35nsa.asp) x 3, $387
Total Cost: $722
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=127321&d=1229843353

You can use the chassis in various ways. For example use it with a RAID controller card such as:

HighPoint RocketRAID 2340 4-port SFF-8087 (16-port SATA) RAID Controller PCIe x8 Card, $430
or use it with three PMs and PM-aware SATA controllers such as:

AD5SARPM-E eSATA Port Multiplier for Rackmount Systems (http://www.addonics.com/products/host_controller/ad5sapm-e.asp) x 3, $240
MonoPrice PCI Express Serial ATA II (SATA II) Card (http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10407&cs_id=1040702&p_id=3581&seq=1&format=2) x 2, $30
Total Cost: $270
Other Solutions

Please check Newegg.com > Servers > Server RAID Systems (http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=509&name=Server-RAID-Systems).

__________
Worktsation
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Workstation here is a PC intended for various HTPC-related tasks other than video/audio playback. The CPU and the motherboard chosen here are good enough for the most demanding tasks and future upgrades (4 cores/8 threads, supporting PCI Express 2.0 x16, x16 / x16, x8, x8 / x8, x8, x8, x8 links). The selection of other components depends on the tasks you are going to do. The system below is a consumer-grade high-performance video editing machine.

System

CPU: Core i7 860 2.80GHz LGA1156, $284.
CPU Cooler: Xigmatek Dark Knight-S1283V, $45, with Xigmatek Crossbow ACK-I5361, $10 (necessary to attach the cooler to the LGA1156 socket).
Motherboard: ASUS P7P55 WS SuperComputer LGA1156 Intel P55 and nForce 200 chipsets ATX, $250.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 275 DDR3 896MB, $210.
HBA: Adaptec RAID 51645 20-port SAS/SATA RAID Controller PCI Express x8 Card, $1,040.
HDD: Intel X25-M SSDSA2MH080G2 80GB SATA 3.0Gbps SSD, $234.
PSU: Enermax REVOLUTION85+ 850W ERV850EWT, $213.
Case: Chenbro SR109 EATX/ATX, $245.
HDD Cage (optional): Chenbro 84H210910-010 5-in-3 Hotswap HDD Cage, $102. The case supports up to 15 HDDs (besides the OS drive) with three cages.
Total Cost: $2616 (optional HDD cages and drives for data storage are not included)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=152355&d=1252656633

Remarks

You can even use:
CPU: Core i7 920 2.66GHz LGA1366, $284.
Motherboard: ASUS P6T6 WS Revolution LGA1366 Intel X58 and nForce 200 chipsets ATX, $350 (supporting PCI Express 2.0 x16, x16, x16 / x16, x16, x8, x8 / x16, x8, x8, x8, x8 links), or ASUS P6T7 WS SuperComputer LGA1366 Intel X58 and dual nForce 200 chipsets ATX, $430 (supporting PCI Express 2.0 x16, x16, x16, x16 / x16, x16, x16, x8, x8 / x16, x16, x8, x8, x8, x8 / x16, x8, x8, x8, x8, x8, x8 links).
Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9T-6GBNQ DDR3-1600 3 x 2GB Kit, $125.
if your applications can utilize that expandability.
_________________
Media Storage Sever
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

Purpose of a Media Storage Sever

The main purposes of the media storage server described here are:

Storing/archiving media files (ripped/downloaded/recorded SD & HD contents, ripped/downloaded/recorded music, photographs etc.) in one centralized place.
Streaming media to HTPCs.
Possibly serving as a DVR with TV tuners added.
Here are some considerations in building such a system.

Component Selection

OS: The intended OS is one of
Windows Vista or Windows 7, x86 or x64 (Single Disk or JBOD or FlexRAID)
Windows Home Server (WHS)
unRAID (a Linux variant with RAID 4 capability)
You can also use Linux (software RAID), OpenFiler etc. as long as the SATA controller supports it.
Case: Currently NORCO RPC-4020 and NORCO RPC-4220 are the best cases for a media storage server. Both support 20 HDDs in hot-swap bays at a relatively cheap price ($290 and $350 respectively). The latter has a backplane with five SFF-8087 connectors instead of twenty SATA connectors in the former. If you need more storage space, build another server of the same type and store them in a rack such as iStarUSA WO22AB 22U WO Open Frame Rack (http://www.istarusa.com/server_cabinet/open_frame_rack/default.aspx), ~$300:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=120528&d=1222205426

PSU: Each hard disk drive consumes as low as 5W at idle, but as much as 30W at start-up (depending on each model). So we will need a powerful PSU to start up all the drives at a time. A typical power consumption of a server consisting of twenty HDDs is
~600W at start up
~200W at seek
~150W at idle
CPU: We chose a cheap dual-core processor because archiving/streaming/recording is not CPU-intensive.
Memory: 2GB is enough for a similar reason.
Motherboard: Basic requirements are
Onboard graphics
2 PCI slots or 2 PCI Express x4 slots for storage controllers for 16 storage HDDs
6 onboard SATA ports for additional storage HDDs and the OS HDD.
Gb LAN (that provides enough bandwidth for streaming HD contents to several HTPC simultaneously)
Proper support for power management, in particular WOL (Wake-On-LAN)
If you are going to use the server as a DVR, you may want more expansion slots. The motherboard chosen here (GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H) has enough expansion slots and is reasonably cheap. You can even use a RAID controller PCIe x8 card.
HBA (host bus adapter): As the number of onboard SATA ports is not enough, we use SATA controller cards. I chose cheap non-RAID SATA controller PCI-X (compatible with PCI) or PCI Express x4 cards, that are enough for our purpose.
OS drive: You can use any drive for OS (or a USB flash memory for unRAID).
Storage drives: There are several good cheap 1TB/1.5TB HDDs.
WD Caviar Green WD10EADS 1TB 5400 rpm SATA 3.0Gbps, $85.
Samsung HD103SI 1TB 5400 rpm SATA 3.0Gbps, $80.
WD Caviar Green WD15EADS 1.5TB 5400 rpm SATA 3.0Gbps, $120.
Samsung HD154UI 1.5TB 5400 rpm SATA 3.0Gbps, $120.
Backup

You will need to back up important, irreplaceable data (e.g. personal documents and family photos), perhaps off-site. Building a dedicated backup system is one method (you can use similar hardware components here). A caution to those who consider RAID5: RAID 5 is not a backup strategy, it's about uptime - if a drive fails, you can swap it for a new one to rebuild with no service interruption. You may lose the entire date in the array instantly however if multiple drives fail or if a hardware issue kills the array. FlexRAID and unRAID are better in this point: you can still get data from each non-failed drive.

http://i696.photobucket.com/albums/vv328/renethx_yahoo/Support2yellow2.png

20 HDD System I

The first system uses NORCO RPC-4020 case (20 SATA connectors in the backplane) and two 8-port SATA controller PCI-X cards.

System

Case: NORCO RPC-4020 4U EATX/ATX (20 x SATA/SAS drive bay), $290.
PSU: Corsair TX750W CMPSU-750TX 750W, $112.
CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: Stock Cooler, $0.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset ATX, $90.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics: Radeon HD 4200 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HBA: Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 8-port SATA Controller PCI-X Card, $95.
HBA: Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 8-port SATA Controller PCI-X Card, $95.
OS HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
Total Cost: $844 (storage drives are not included)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151901&d=1252222290

Remarks

Supermicro AOC-SAT2-MV8 is a PCI-X card. However it works fine with a PCI slot and the performance is good enough for WHS or unRAID (this is natural considering the bandwidth of PCI is 133MB/s, higher than most single disks). If you want full bandwidth PCI-X slots (important for software RAID), then check one of the following motherboards:


Intel S3210SHLX LGA775 Intel 3210 chipset ATX, $280 (1 x VGA, 1 x PCIe x16@x8, 1 x PCIe x8, 2 x PCI-X, 1 x PCI) or
Supermicro MBD-X7SBA LGA775 Intel 3210 chipset ATX, $220 (1 x VGA, 1 x PCIe x16@x8, 2 x PCI-X, 4 x PCI) or
Supermicro MBD-X7SBE LGA775 Intel 3210 chipset ATX, $250 (1 x VGA, 1 x PCIe x8, 1 x PCIe x4, 4 x PCI-X) or
Tyan Toledo i3210W (S5211G2NR) LGA775 Intel 3210 chipset ATX, $235 (1 x VGA, 2 x PCIe x16@x8, 2 x PCI-X, 2 x PCI)

with an Intel Core 2 processor.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=129313&d=1231659444


You may need two Right (Left?)-Angle SATA cables so that one of the Supermicro cards does not interfere with the onboard SATA ports, such as:


StarTech SATA18LA1 18 inch Left Angle Serial ATA Cable (http://www.startech.com/Product/ItemDetail.aspx?productid=SATA18LA1&c=US)
20 HDD System II

The second system uses NORCO RPC-4220 case (5 SFF-8087 connectors in the backplane) and two 8-port SATA controller PCI Express x4 cards.

System

Case: NORCO RPC-4220 4U EATX/ATX (20 x SATA/SAS drive bay), $350.
PSU: Corsair TX750W CMPSU-750TX 750W, $112.
CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3, $60.
CPU Cooler: Stock Cooler, $0.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785G-UD3H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset ATX, $90.
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $32.
Graphics: Radeon HD 4200 (integrated in the chipset), $0.
HBA: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8-port SATA Controller PCI Express x4 Card, $100.
HBA: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8-port SATA Controller PCI Express x4 Card, $100.
Cable: 0.5m SFF-8087 to Four SATA Cable, $11. (For example, 3ware CBL-SFF8087OCR-05M or Norco C-SFF8087-4S)
Cable: 0.5m SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 Cable, $11. (For example, 3ware CBL-SFF8087-05M or Norco C-SFF8087-D)
Cable: 0.5m SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 Cable, $11. (For example, 3ware CBL-SFF8087-05M or Norco C-SFF8087-D)
Cable: 0.5m SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 Cable, $11. (For example, 3ware CBL-SFF8087-05M or Norco C-SFF8087-D)
Cable: 0.5m SFF-8087 to SFF-8087 Cable, $11. (For example, 3ware CBL-SFF8087-05M or Norco C-SFF8087-D)
OS HDD: WD Scorpio Black WD3200BEKT 320GB SATA 3.0Gbps mobile 7200 RPM, $80.
Total Cost: $979 (storage drives are not included)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151902&d=1252222290
Remarks

Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 is a PCI Express x4 card so that there should be enough bandwidth even if you go with software RAID. However currently the supported OS' are limited to:
Windows Home Server, 2003, 2008 and Vista
RedHat Enterprise Linux
Fedora Linux 9
SuSE Linux Enterprise
So you can't use it with, for example, unRAID or OpenFiler.
Tower Cases

In case you prefer or have to use a tower case, here are a couple of recommended ones.

15 HDD's in Hot Swap Bays, $551
Chenbro SR109 EATX/ATX, $245.
Chenbro 84H210910-010 5-in-3 Hotswap HDD Cage, $102.
Chenbro 84H210910-010 5-in-3 Hotswap HDD Cage, $102.
Chenbro 84H210910-010 5-in-3 Hotswap HDD Cage, $102.
15 HDD's in Hot Swap Bays, $380
Cooler Master Centurion 590 RC-590-KKN1-GP ATX (9 x 5.25” bay), $50.
Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane, $110.
Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane, $110.
Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane, $110.
18 HDD's in Non-Hot Swap Bays, $284
Antec Twelve Hundred ATX (12 x 5.25” bay), $146.
Lian Li EX-23NB Internal HDD Kit, $23.
Lian Li EX-23NB Internal HDD Kit, $23.
Lian Li EX-23NB Internal HDD Kit, $23.
Lian Li EX-23NB Internal HDD Kit, $23.
Lian Li EX-23NB Internal HDD Kit, $23.
Lian Li EX-23NB Internal HDD Kit, $23.
20 HDD's in Hot Swap Bays, $586
Antec Twelve Hundred ATX (12 x 5.25” bay), $146.
Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane, $110.
Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane, $110.
Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane, $110.
Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane, $110.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=151896&d=1252221933

Remarks

For a 15 HDD system, you can replace one of the two Supermicro SATA controller cards with this cheaper card:
MonoPrice 2530 2-port SATA RAID Controller PCI Express x1 Card, $14.

____________________________
Software – Links to Useful Threads
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
__________________
Windows Media Center
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
Tutorial

Unleashing Microsoft Windows Vista Media Center (http://www.amazon.com/Unleashing-Microsoft-Windows-Vista-Center/dp/0789736713/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228621950&sr=1-1)
Plug-ins

List your VMC best plugins here... (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1032611)
DVD

Built-in player with the build-in decoder (or change it with Vista Media Center Decoder utility (http://mediacenterexpert.blogspot.com/2006/07/vista-media-center-decoder-utility.html))
DVD Shrink or DVD Fab for ripping
Vote for your favorite RIPPER! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1002316)
help ripping dvd collection for the first time (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1085903)
How to enable the DVD Library in Windows Media Center on a Windows Vista-based computer (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/930526)
How To Set Up a DVD Library in Windows Media Server (http://www.paraesthesia.com/archive/2008/09/12/how-to-set-up-a-dvd-library-in-windows-media.aspx)
BD

TMT or PDVD
AnyDVD HD (or DVDFab HD Decrypter) with or without ImgBurn for ripping
My Movies (http://www.mymovies.dk/)
MyMovies and WHS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14918868#post14918868)
MKV

HD to mkv .....the options are endless!!!! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1033822) (creating your own mkv files)
Playing MKV files through VMC (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1023720)
Is Hardware Acceleration (HA) possible for MKV in Vista Media Center (VMC)? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1035600)
Getting hardware accel working in VMC (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1070439)
How To Guide: Full DXVA (Hardware Accel) in Vista Media Center for 1080p MKV's (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1096447)
TV Tuners

Three ATSC tuners in MCE? (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=909663)
Media Center TV Pack! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1050312)
Better way of recording live TV to WHS (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=935341)
Tutorial: How to move Media Center Recordings automatically (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1073086)
_____________
Other Front End
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

MediaPortal

MediaPortal Install Guide (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1092168)
___________
What's Next?
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
_____________
Intel Processor
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

LGA 775 Processors

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/renethx/IntelCPUPriceList.png

LGA 1366 Processors

The Core i7 processor (codenamed Bloomfield, Socket B or LGA1366), the successor to Core 2 Quad, was anounced on August 11, 2008 and will be available in Q4 2008, that features native quad-core, integrated memory controller, and QuickPath Interconnect. You can expect 20–50% performance gains over Yorkfield (Core 2 Quad 45 nm). The initial lineup is:

Core i7 Extreme 965 (3.20GHz, QPI 6.4GT/s, L3 8MB, 130W), $999
Core i7 940 (2.93GHz, QPI 6.4GT/s, L3 8MB, 130W), $562
Core i7 920 (2.66GHz, QPI 4.8GT/s, L3 8MB, 130W), $284
(Source: HKEPC Hardware – Intel Bloomfield處理器定價曝光2.66GHz 8MB L3型號僅售$284美元 (July 14, 2008) (http://www.hkepc.com/?id=1447).) Please read my post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14049839#post14049839) for details and the other two Core i7 processors, Lynnfield and Havendale (Socket H or LGA1156).

LGA 1156 Processors

List of LGA 1156 processors

Lynnfield processors (4-core, no IGP, 45 nm; to be released on September 8)

- Core i7 870 (8 Threads/2.93GHz/TB 3.60GHz/L3 8MB/dual channel DDR3/95W)　$562
- Core i7 860 (8 Threads/2.80GHz/TB 3.46GHz/L3 8MB/dual channel DDR3/95W)　$284 ✓
- Core i5 750 (4 Threads/2.66GHz/TB 3.20GHz/L3 8MB/dual channel DDR3/95W)　$196

Clarkdale processors (2-core, IGP, 32 nm; to be released in January 2010 at CES 2010)[/B]

- Core i5 670 (4 Threads/3.46GHz/TB 3.73GHz/GPU 733MHz/L3 4MB/dual channel DDR3/73W)　$284
- Core i5 661 (4 Threads/3.33GHz/TB 3.60GHz/GPU 900MHz/L3 4MB/dual channel DDR3/73W)　$?
- Core i5 660 (4 Threads/3.33GHz/TB 3.60GHz/GPU 733MHz/L3 4MB/dual channel DDR3/73W)　$196
- Core i5 650 (4 Threads/3.20GHz/TB 3.46GHz/GPU 733MHz/L3 4MB/dual channel DDR3/73W)　$176 ✓

- Core i3 540 (4 Threads/3.06GHz/TB -/GPU 733MHz/L3 4MB/dual channel DDR3/73W)　$143
- Core i3 530 (4 Threads/2.93GHz/TB -/GPU 733MHz/L3 4MB/dual channel DDR3/73W)　$123 ✓
- Pentium G6950 (2 Threads/2.80GHz/TB -/GPU 733MHz/L3 3MB/dual channel DDR3/73W) $87

References

HKEPC Hardware (http://global.hkepc.com/3673)
X-bit labs (http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20090813091122_Intel_May_Unveil_Microprocessors_with_Integra ted_Graphics_Cores_at_Consumer_Electronics_Show.html)
Branding Scheme

The most important features that distinguish between i7, i5 and i3 are:

Number of threads (instead of the number of cores)
Turbo Boost Technology
Roughly speaking,

Core i7 = 8 threads, Turbo Boost (4 cores [Lynnfield])
Core i5 = 4 threads, Turbo Boost (4 cores [Lynnfield] or 2 cores [Clarksdale])
Core i3 = 4 threads, no Turbo Boost (2 cores [Clarksdale])
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=148275&stc=1&d=1248186508

Previews

AnandTech - The Lynnfield Preview: Rumblings of Revenge (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3570)
Expreview - Intel’s 32nm Clarkdale Processor Review Emerges (http://en.expreview.com/2009/07/29/intels-32nm-clarkdale-processor-review-emerges.html)

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=150164&stc=1&d=1250348076

(The performance improvement by Clarkdale depends largely on how well the application supports HyperThreading Technology.)

HARDSPELL – Intel mulls extended life-cycle for socket 775-based processors (November 17, 2008) (http://en.hardspell.com/doc/showcont.asp?news_id=4451)

Intel is considering extending the life-cycle of its socket 775-based processors to 2011 and is expected to let these CPUs cover the entry-level segment, according to sources at motherboard makers.

Currently, Core i7 processors use the new socket 1366, while in the third quarter of 2009, Intel will launch Nehalem-based mainstream desktop PC processors based on socket 1156.

If socket 775-based processors do get extended to 2011, 4-series chipsets will also need a longer life-cycle, therefore Intel is planning to make some modifications to its 4-series chipsets including boosting the G45s image processing performance, and adding Post Processing and Report Mode technologies to boost the chipsets image quality and add support of 24Hz monitors.

For the G43 chipset, Intel will improve memory slot support from two DIMMs originally to four and increase capacity from 8GB DDR2 and 4GB DDR3 to 16GB DDR2 and 8GB DDR3. G41 chipsets will see the addition of an HDMI port, as well as support of the ICH7 southbridge and RAID.

____________
AMD Processor
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

AMD Processors Price List

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/renethx/AMDProcessorPriceList1.png http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/renethx/AMDProcessorPriceList2.png

AMD Roadmaps

AMD CPU Roadmap

http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/6081/002fo2.jpg

Denob was postponed until Q2 9009.

AMD Chipset Roadmap

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/863/007kw2.jpg

AMD Platform Roadmap

http://img262.imageshack.us/img262/791/005hb6.jpg

AMD Roadmaps at 2008 Financial Analyst Day (November 14, 2008)

Deneb is slated for 2009 CES (January) with the Dragon platform.

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/6601/45nmconsumerdesktopprocor6.jpg http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/6000/phenomiilaunchplansfv5.jpg

Source: IT168 – AMD最新Roadmap：45nm产品命名再次大改 (November 14, 2008) (http://publish.it168.com/2008/1114/20081114006901.shtml)

Bulldozer & Bobcat

The completely new microarchitecutures Bulldozer and Bobcat will be released in 2011 (unlike Barcelona they are not a revision of the K8 processor). Orochi, Llano and Ontario in the chart below are them.

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1985/amdclientprocessorroadmvi7.jpg

Source: PC Watch – AMDが新マイクロアーキテクチャCPU「Orochi」と「Ontario」を2011年に計画 (November 14, 2008) (http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2008/1114/kaigai476.htm)

___________
Motherboard
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

_______
Memory
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

DRAMeXchange – Taiwanese DRAM packaging and testing industry analysis Part II (November 18, 2008) (http://www.dramexchange.com/WeeklyResearch/Post/2/620.aspx)

About the outlook of packaging and testing suppliers next year, we will mainly focus on the speed of migrating to DDR3. From the current status of the suppliers, except Powertech which mainly takes orders of Elpida is more aggressive, the others are still conservative about the schedule of DDR3 migration. This is because except Nanya and Inotera, other Taiwanese DRAM vendors so far still have no plan for the DDR3 production. Furthermore, the testing speed of the widely used Advantest T5593 can only top 1066 Mhz on DDR3, and the purchase of new equipments will be needed while dealing with higher clock-speed DDR3, such as 1333 Mhz or even 1600 Mhz. Unless the DDR3 chip output has reached the economy of scale or protected under the long term deals of stable amount and fix customers to secure the quantity, the packaging and testing suppliers will wait until the 2H09 DRAM industry recovery to invest in the DDR3 testing equipments.

___________
Graphics Card
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

ATI

NVIDIA

Nvidia's GPU lineup for 2009 uncloaked (http://www.guru3d.com/news/nvidias-gpu-lineup-for-2009-uncloaked/)

The guys over at Vr Zone are showing off some new specifications about NVIDIA's plans for the desktop GPU market in 2009.

Obviouslt you already read our GeForce GTX 295 review and GeForce GTX 285 are slated for the first quarter of 2009, and the site says the first 40nm GPU will arrive in Q2 2009. The 40nm GT212 will serve both the enthusiast and performance segment, so the 55nm GT200b GPUs will have a very short lifespan.

The mainstream GT214 and GT216 along with the value GT218 40nm GPUs are expected in Q3 2009, these chips will replace the G94, G96 and G98, respectively. VR Zone claims NVIDIA is working on four desktop SKUs for the GT216 and six desktop SKUs for GT218 at least, so you can expect different clocks and memory configs/types.

For the integrated graphics market NVIDIA is working on the iGT209, this IGP chipset will replace the GeForce 9300/9400 series in Q3 2009. Last but not least, the site also lists the GT300 GPU. This will be NVIDIA's next-generation 40nm GPU, it will support DirectX 11 and is slated for Q4 2009.

Yet another rumor surfaced moments ago though, it seems, NVIDIA will rebrand the GeForce 9800 series graphics cards to GeForce GTS 240 and GeForce GTS 250.

According to sources this respin will commence in February 2009, and that NVIDIA will keep selling both 55nm and 65nm G92 GPUs.

http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq146/renethx/NVIDIAGPUroadmap2.png

__________
Sound Card
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

For PAP-related arguments, please read my post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13872683#post13872683). Maybe a standard PAP will be implemented only in Windows 7?

Two sound cards finally supports PAP/multichannel LPCM/Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreams through HDMI (relased in July and September respectively):

ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/4431/xonarhdav131024uq3.png

Auzentech Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1

Auzentech Reveals HDMI 1.3-native PCI Express Audio Combo Card (http://auzentech.com/site/company/press.php)

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/8844/xfihometheater71lj8.jpg

Compare it with

Auzentech Auzen X-Fi Prelude 7.1

http://img209.imageshack.us/img209/9427/xfiprelude666cg3.png

http://img181.imageshack.us/img181/934/xfihometheaterspec61706gc1.png

For my question...

I want an above avg system to play back blu-ray/hd-dvd over hdmi. Is this overkill? My budget is about 1200 or so.... No games, no other major applications.

AMD Phenom 9600 Agena 2.3GHz
GIGABYTE GA-MA770-DS3
ASUS Radeon HD 3650
---------------------------------------
Currently, at 1400 bucks (tax/ship)
Silverstone LC20-B ATX
8 gigs pc6400 (2x2 x 4)
1TB HD
Vista Home Prem 64bit
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner
SeaSonic S12 II SS-380GB ATX12V 380W Power Supply (do i need my power?)
Media card reader (TBD)

My other question is Fan for CPU...my goal is quiet, system. My previous expereience, i have always brought the wrong fan for cases. Can you recommend something for this case and processor?

4 gigs should be good but newegg has a combo which makes the first 4 gigs damn cheap so i figure i'll max out the system.

I struggled with AMD vs Intel. I have a Phenom 9300 and love it so I went back to it.
GA-MA770-DS3 is a year-old model. The current replacement (?) is GA-MA78G-DS3H (the same price). This mb has IGP (HD 3200). IGP performs pretty well with Phenom processor so you don't need HD 3650. The southbridge SB700 is also better than SB600.

CPU cooler: ZEROtherm BTF90

Case fan: You can control the speed of the two case fans using this adpater (http://www.bestbyteinc.com/Cables_&_Misc._Accessories/Power_Cables,_Fan_Cables/3pin_Female_-_Dual_3wire__x__3pin_Male_Fan_Power_Adapter/Page_1/CBL-FAN-3D3.html) which should be connected to SYS_FAN1, and SpeedFan.

Q9450 is faster in encoding (up to +50% depending on applications) and consumes less power (by 25W at full load).

That was compared to a Q6600, correct?

How is a Q9300 compared to a Q6600?

Thanks!
Mike

That was compared to a Q6600, correct?

How is a Q9300 compared to a Q6600?
Yes.

Q9300 is faster and cooler.

I just built a HTPC. I like it so far. It's faster than my old HTPC obviously and the build didn't have too many issues. Unfortunately, I don't have a BluRay drive yet but I'll get one eventually. I do know that the system draws about 67w when idle. I have the primary monitor hooked up to a 19" LCD monitor via VGA and then the secondary display is my 50" Panasonic 1080p plasma via HDMI. I run Vista Media Center on the plasma display and it works fine. I stream most of my video files over the wired 100Mbps LAN and it doesn't have any hiccups.

If anyone wants to know anything more about this system, let me know.

Reply #2