Thanks renethx. Some more question though, as for the expension cards, is there a possibility I need more than four in the future? I plan to have a decent video card for occasionnal gaming, something to record TV, what else can I put in it?

Also, have you heard about controlling the HTPC with a Playstation 3 or X-box 360 remotes? In one case, i would need bluetooth, while on the other, RF... Is it feasable? Since I plan to run emulator, it would be great.

Finally, do you suggest to put vista 32 or xp 32 in a HTPC these day? And using the 32 bits limits me to 3.2 GB of ram right?

Oh, and finally... Concerning the sound, I'm I ok with the 7.1 from the video card (HD4850?). Like I've said, my receiver does not internally decode the new format. My PS3 pass those as PCM, so I guess the PS3 is decoding them. Will this card do the same thing? And if I want to use my HTPC as a HDPVR, do I need a sound card then?
If you continue to use just one TV tuner and don't use extra SATA controller cards, then four is enough. (Two of them are PCI which will be outdated soon; by then the mb itself will be outdated too.)

Vista. 32-bit is limited to 4GB max memory (around 3.2GB for application use).

A software player decodes HD audio (Dolby TrueHD etc.) to 5.1 or 7.1 LPCM and HD 4850 sends it over HDMI. You don't need a sound card.

Renethx:

Welcome back, we missed you. How was the vacation? Did you go some where or stay at home?
I stayed at my parents home (a great rural area, many mountains and lakes) with my wife and my 5 year-old son. Had a great time. :)

Can a HTPC upconvert DVD video to HDMI like an upconvert DVD player?

Can a HTPC upconvert DVD video to HDMI like an upconvert DVD player?
Yes, upconvert is no problem. The quality may vary from card to card, however.

Yes, upconvert is no problem. The quality may vary from card to card, however.
Do I have to change any setting in order to get the upconvert video? Or it does it automatically? I have the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard with onboard video ATI Radeon HD 3200. I play my video with KMplayer.

A good selection. Choose Phenom X3 8450, $104, for better deinterlacing. APEVIA X-QPack is a very popular SFF case. NSK1380 comes with a 80 PLUS 350W custom PSU, while APEVIA 420W ATX PSU is not so good ...

Great!! Only a few questions left...

What do you mean by custom PSU?
Do I understand you correctly that the NSK1380 is ok for my htpc?

Last, is there power enough to add a blue ray player?
What about LG GGC-H20L?

Thank you renethx!

Do I have to change any setting in order to get the upconvert video? Or it does it automatically? I have the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard with onboard video ATI Radeon HD 3200. I play my video with KMplayer.
Upconvert is done automatically.

What do you mean by custom PSU?
Do I understand you correctly that the NSK1380 is ok for my htpc?

Last, is there power enough to add a blue ray player?
What about LG GGC-H20L?
"Custom" means non-standard. (So if your PSU is dead after the warranty period expired, you have to buy the same model from Antec.)

NSK1380 is fine for your purpose except for this inconvenience, and 350W is plenty enough for a BD player.

A good selection. Choose Phenom X3 8450, $104, for better deinterlacing. APEVIA X-QPack is a very popular SFF case. NSK1380 comes with a 80 PLUS 350W custom PSU, while APEVIA 420W ATX PSU is not so good ...

One more thing renethx... Can you please explain better deinterlacing?

Thanks...

One more thing renethx... Can you please explain better deinterlacing?
If you play interlaced contents (e.g. many HDTV programs), you have to deinterlace them with either the video card, an external video processor or a HDTV. Radeon HD 3200 (the onboard GPU of GA-MA78GM-S2H) is very good for deinterlacing if it is paired with a Phenom processor.

Does anyone know what setting to set in KMplayer to play video without lag. I have a mp4 HD video that plays with fast and clear picture in Windows Media Player, but it does not show the same in KMplayer. :confused:

first of all thx renethx for a GREAT thread..and hope you enjoyed your vacation.....


now onto my question....looking at your recommended premium for full atx amd/amd(page85) i am having a real hard time finding most of the components that you listed....in particular the video and the mobo. tried the typical newegg,tiger,etc....did you happen to list on one of the 100+ pages somewhere the sources for you prices? i want to put one together basicly per your spec as this will be my first htpc (dozen gaming rigs 3-4 years ago so really alot of this stuff is still new to me)but as i stated i am having a real hard time finding the components.

I stayed at my parents home (a great rural area, many mountains and lakes) with my wife and my 5 year-old son. Had a great time. :)


Good for you! Spent last week with my son and wife in Poconos, you just got to get away some time.

Thanks for confirming my P35 is good awhile longer, I really like the way this build came out, though still dealing with Vista issues, but that's a different thread. :rolleyes:

first of all thx renethx for a GREAT thread..and hope you enjoyed your vacation.....


now onto my question....looking at your recommended premium for full atx amd/amd(page85) i am having a real hard time finding most of the components that you listed....in particular the video and the mobo. tried the typical newegg,tiger,etc....did you happen to list on one of the 100+ pages somewhere the sources for you prices? i want to put one together basicly per your spec as this will be my first htpc (dozen gaming rigs 3-4 years ago so really alot of this stuff is still new to me)but as i stated i am having a real hard time finding the components.
CPU: Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition HD995ZFAGHBOX 2.6GHz Socket AM2+, $235 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103273).
CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-01 PLUS, $50 (http://www.svc.com/hr-01plus.html).
CPU Fan: Scythe S-FLEX S-FDB 120mm Fan SFF21E, $15 (http://www.svc.com/sy-fan-sff21e.html).
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 AMD 790FX chipset ATX, $212 (http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=206461713&listingid=27178294&dcaid=17902). An alternative is MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX chipset ATX, $150 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130136) (four PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, but some of them are lowered to x8 if you use more than two slots).
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ DDR2-1000 2 x 2GB Kit, $80 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231145).
Graphics Card: ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4870, $255 (after rebate) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121258); two of this card for CrossFireX, $490. An alternative is Radeon HD 4870 X2, $549.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA, $85 (http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008688).
PSU: Enermax MODU82+ 625W EMD625AWT, $145 (http://www.provantage.com/enermax-emd625awt~7EMAX00J.htm).
Case: SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02B-MXR, $363 (http://www.sundialmicro.com/silverstone_crown_sstcw02bmxr_desktop_htpc_case_1699_1086.ht ml)
GA-MA790FX-DS5 is discontinued. Buy MSI K9A2 Platinum or the new Foxconn A79A-S, $230 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186149).

If you play interlaced contents (e.g. many HDTV programs), you have to deinterlace them with either the video card, an external video processor or a HDTV. Radeon HD 3200 (the onboard GPU of GA-MA78GM-S2H) is very good for deinterlacing if it is paired with a Phenom processor.

Never heard of a video card that sends out a "raw" interlaced 480i/576i ??

Ok, having some problems with the basics. I'm having some trouble displaying my PC desktop on my TV. Any directional help is appreciated.

Overview
PC - Intel P4, Windows XP, NVidia 6800 Ultra, DVI out
AV - Denon 4308ci
TV - Sony KDL 52XBR4

I've attempted to connect and send PC video signal to the TV via DVI-to-HDMI cable to the Denon HDMI input and asign and select the source and nothing. I've changed a number of variable setting including resolutions and nothing.

So, I removed the Denon from the equation and ran the PC DVI-to-HDMI cable directly to the Sony TV's 2nd HDMI input, selected the input as the source on the TVs settings and nothing.

I did set the TV up as a secondary monitor within the NVidia display management interface in Windows.

The NVidia graphics card has only 1 DVI out so it's not like I have it connected to the wrong DVI hookup.

Still all I get is a blank TV screen.

Any direction from you guys?

Many thanks.

Ok, having some problems with the basics. I'm having some trouble displaying my PC desktop on my TV. Any directional help is appreciated.

Overview
PC - Intel P4, Windows XP, NVidia 6800 Ultra, DVI out
AV - Denon 4308ci
TV - Sony KDL 52XBR4

I've attempted to connect and send PC video signal to the TV via DVI-to-HDMI cable to the Denon HDMI input and asign and select the source and nothing. I've changed a number of variable setting including resolutions and nothing.

So, I removed the Denon from the equation and ran the PC DVI-to-HDMI cable directly to the Sony TV's 2nd HDMI input, selected the input as the source on the TVs settings and nothing.

I did set the TV up as a secondary monitor within the NVidia display management interface in Windows.

The NVidia graphics card has only 1 DVI out so it's not like I have it connected to the wrong DVI hookup.

Still all I get is a blank TV screen.

Any direction from you guys?

Many thanks.

Are you sure that the selected resolution is supported by your TV via HDMI? You can dump the EDID info to get a list of supported resolutions. Or it should be in your users guide. Even easier is to make sure you're using something like 1920x1080 @ 60Hz, or some other resoltion you know for sure will be supported.

Still all I get is a blank TV screen.

Any direction from you guys?

Many thanks.

Do you get any display when you boot into safe mode or VGA mode? If so, then it's probably an issue between your TV and the Nvidia drivers (assuming you are set up properly in the Nvidia control panel).
If you look at the Nvidia forums, you'll find this is a very common problem for which there are many, many possible fixes. A lot of people (myself included) have not found a solution. Start searching for "BSOD" (black screen of death).

CPU: Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition HD995ZFAGHBOX 2.6GHz Socket AM2+,
CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-01 PLUS,
CPU Fan: Scythe S-FLEX S-FDB 120mm Fan SFF21E, .
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 AMD 790FX chipset ATX, An alternative is MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX chipset ATX, (four PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, but some of them are lowered to x8 if you use more than two slots).
Memory: G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ DDR2-1000 2 x 2GB Kit,
Graphics Card: ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4870, two of this card for CrossFireX, $490. An alternative is Radeon HD 4870 X2, $549.
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA,
PSU: Enermax MODU82+ 625W EMD625AWT,
Case: SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02B-MXR,
GA-MA790FX-DS5 is discontinued. Buy MSI K9A2 Platinum or the new Foxconn A79A-S,


thx boss, your the best!!!!!!

Will the 9800GTX+ fit in the Antec Fusion 430?

I just got the 4850 and I have a bunch of issues with it.

I currently have an 8500GT which works great, so if I cant get the issues worked out with the 4850, I think I'll stay with Nvidia.

Will the 9800GTX+ fit in the Antec Fusion 430?
No, it's too long (10.5 in).

This looks like a great system, which of these systems would be the best for true 24p playback? Nvidia, intel or amd?

This looks like a great system, which of these systems would be the best for true 24p playback? Nvidia, intel or amd?
Both NVIDIA and ATI work fine. Don't know the best. Somebody started the thread 24p support roundup (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1057996).

Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with the PC based player market?

I bought the LG HD/BluRay combo player. The CyberLink PowerDVD was bundled with it--a good thing since the player is useless without software. But the OEM version of the player is dumbed down. Only two channel audio, and it wouldn't play recent BluRay discs such as 3:10 to Yuma. I understand a patch was available for the retail version, but not the OEM version.

So I looked into buying the retail version. It lists at $99.00, but since I'd be upgrading from the OEM version, I'd get a discount. I have to pay ONLY $89.00! Suddenly my PC based BluRay player doesn't look like a bargain. I never see this issue mentioned in HTPC articles. Fully featured player software is a chunk of money compared to the price of the drive itself.

My sad tale gets worse. I bought ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre instead, both because I was pissed at CyberMedia, and because the product integrates better with MS MediaCenter. I received download instructions and my invoice from Element 5, but not the registration number required to activate the product. Element 5 disclaims any role in this, referring me back to ArcSoft, but ArcSoft's support options all require that you sign up as a registered user--requiring the very registration number I am trying to get! Catch-22.

It all sours me on the whole HTPC concept. With a stand-alone player, I wouldn't have to deal with these robbers, wouldn't have to put hours of work into it, and my family would find it much easier to operate. Disgouraging.

^^ I'm pretty sure your copy of TotalMedia Theatre came pre-activated through the special download link you were sent.

Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with the PC based player market?

I bought the LG HD/BluRay combo player. The CyberLink PowerDVD was bundled with it--a good thing since the player is useless without software. But the OEM version of the player is dumbed down. Only two channel audio, and it wouldn't play recent BluRay discs such as 3:10 to Yuma. I understand a patch was available for the retail version, but not the OEM version.

So I looked into buying the retail version. It lists at $99.00, but since I'd be upgrading from the OEM version, I'd get a discount. I have to pay ONLY $89.00! Suddenly my PC based BluRay player doesn't look like a bargain. I never see this issue mentioned in HTPC articles. Fully featured player software is a chunk of money compared to the price of the drive itself.

My sad tale gets worse. I bought ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre instead, both because I was pissed at CyberMedia, and because the product integrates better with MS MediaCenter. I received download instructions and my invoice from Element 5, but not the registration number required to activate the product. Element 5 disclaims any role in this, referring me back to ArcSoft, but ArcSoft's support options all require that you sign up as a registered user--requiring the very registration number I am trying to get! Catch-22.

It all sours me on the whole HTPC concept. With a stand-alone player, I wouldn't have to deal with these robbers, wouldn't have to put hours of work into it, and my family would find it much easier to operate. Disgouraging.

We have all been there...but it always ends up its your own fault...usually.

Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with the PC based player market?

I bought the LG HD/BluRay combo player. The CyberLink PowerDVD was bundled with it--a good thing since the player is useless without software. But the OEM version of the player is dumbed down. Only two channel audio, and it wouldn't play recent BluRay discs such as 3:10 to Yuma. I understand a patch was available for the retail version, but not the OEM version.

So I looked into buying the retail version. It lists at $99.00, but since I'd be upgrading from the OEM version, I'd get a discount. I have to pay ONLY $89.00! Suddenly my PC based BluRay player doesn't look like a bargain. I never see this issue mentioned in HTPC articles. Fully featured player software is a chunk of money compared to the price of the drive itself.

My sad tale gets worse. I bought ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre instead, both because I was pissed at CyberMedia, and because the product integrates better with MS MediaCenter. I received download instructions and my invoice from Element 5, but not the registration number required to activate the product. Element 5 disclaims any role in this, referring me back to ArcSoft, but ArcSoft's support options all require that you sign up as a registered user--requiring the very registration number I am trying to get! Catch-22.

It all sours me on the whole HTPC concept. With a stand-alone player, I wouldn't have to deal with these robbers, wouldn't have to put hours of work into it, and my family would find it much easier to operate. Disgouraging.
Like BrundleFly said, "we all have been there." My BD HTPC solution ended up costing me over $1000 in upgrades, and I still ended up buying a stand alone player! The truth of the matter is, the HTPC is just not ready for prime time and friendly enough to be in most living/great/media rooms. Anyone who tells you otherwise has either had a custom solution provided for big, big bucks, or is stretching the truth. Sure there are the exceptions, but they are few and far between I think. It's just the way it is. Mine happens to be in my home office, where we watch some movies, but my wife rarely enters to watch any TV. If she wanted to, she get my 10 yr old son to figure it out for her. I'm sure there are things I could automated and make simplier, but I travel all the time, so that impacts my ability to keep things running smoothly. And it always seems like I'm upgrading this or that!

Does anyone know of a comprehensive review of front bay devices, not just fan controllers. Especially interested in ones that have a remote control. Thanks.

Hi renethx,

Great thread you have going on here! Im planning to build a HTPC which will be used most for SD material in the start which will have to be upscaled to 720p and in near future to 1080p. Also in near future i want to use it for Blueray. Im relativly new to HTPC, so my question is if the midrange profile will be enough if i want to use ffdshow? Should i just go with an onboard gfx or do i need a "real" one?

Hi renethx,

Great thread you have going on here! Im planning to build a HTPC which will be used most for SD material in the start which will have to be upscaled to 720p and in near future to 1080p. Also in near future i want to use it for Blueray. Im relativly new to HTPC, so my question is if the midrange profile will be enough if i want to use ffdshow? Should i just go with an onboard gfx or do i need a "real" one?

That is a great question and I have been asking the same thing. What is needed for Blu Ray playback is pretty well defined here but I still find SD DVD playback and ffdshow with no limits being a bigger challenge.

Personally, I have practically set my mind on at least using a Core 2 Duo E8500, an ATX board, with a dedicated graphics card like the ATI HD4850. I would think this is enough to do what I want with ffdshow but I would like to know if its overkill. I just don't know.

So, does anyone know the status of the xonar? Is it delayed again? Is it going to work? I saw the review in the dedicated thread here but it didn't really answer anything for me. It seems like a lot of people are under the impression that it's been pretty hobbled. Hdd playback of bd movies isn't a huge issue for me but it would be nice to know exactly what the thing is going to do and when it's coming since I've got the rest of my components ready to build. I'm contemplating just going with a standard high end sound card and calling it a day on having only one output wire from my pc.

The truth of the matter is, the HTPC is just not ready for prime time and friendly enough to be in most living/great/media rooms. .... It's just the way it is.

Unfortunately I have to agree with this. I'm generally happy with my HTPC, but with the complexity created by "content protection," and the generally buggy software - they aren't ready for the general user - or as others have said - they just aren't "wife friendly" yet.

Ben

I think if you stay within a controlled environment like Windows Media Center then the HTPC is ready for prime time and is easily usable by other family members. Of course the downside is no Bluray or HD-DVD, and no MKV or other unsupported containers and codecs. But it's a great user interface with a ton of online content.

I noticed that one of the recommended HTPC cases is the Silverstone LC-20M. The M stands for multimedia and it comes with a VFD and remote control. I think they are basically an IMON product. The only question I have is that I assume from looking at the remote this product will allow you to start the computer from a cold boot...correct? I prefer completely powering off my HTPC when not in use and powering it on remotely and with my current HTPC I had to couple an X10 relay into the cases power button to get that done.

I think if you stay within a controlled environment like Windows Media Center then the HTPC is ready for prime time and is easily usable by other family members. Of course the downside is no Bluray or HD-DVD, and no MKV or other unsupported containers and codecs. But it's a great user interface with a ton of online content.

If you're going to limit it to non-HD content, XBMC is BY FAR the best solution, much better than WMC/VMC. And for about $150 complete (including the eBay'd items to get XBMC on without any hardware mods), it's far cheaper.

If you're going to limit it to non-HD content, XBMC is BY FAR the best solution, much better than WMC/VMC. And for about $150 complete (including the eBay'd items to get XBMC on without any hardware mods), it's far cheaper.

Yeah, I'd agree that the Xbox360 is a great extender. Of course you still need a computer for the content, so I'm not sure you're really saving any money. Either you add a 1080p video card and optical output to your computer or buy an Xbox360.

If you're going to limit it to non-HD content, XBMC is BY FAR the best solution, much better than WMC/VMC. And for about $150 complete (including the eBay'd items to get XBMC on without any hardware mods), it's far cheaper.

Yeah, I'd agree that the Xbox360 is a great extender. Of course you still need a computer for the content, so I'm not sure you're really saving any money. Either you add a 1080p video card and optical output to your computer or buy an Xbox360.
I don't think you're referring to quite the same thing. XBMC is Linux-based, I think, and runs on the original Xbox.

Yeah, I'd agree that the Xbox360 is a great extender. Of course you still need a computer for the content, so I'm not sure you're really saving any money. Either you add a 1080p video card and optical output to your computer or buy an Xbox360.

No, not the 360 - it's the same as VMC, just with fewer codecs (i.e. worse).

I'm talking the original Xbox + XBMC (Xbox Media Center). The open-source media player that's been around and very active for years. For SD content, there is absolutely nothing that comes close. I mean not even in the same league as XBMC.

Sadly, the XBox is way underpowered for HD content, so it's useless when you make the move to HD. And XBMC for Linux is a joke still, unless you plan to transcode everything to FLAC + mkv, and deal with the horrible video card and audio driver support.

Yes, for HD, we're stuck with the HTPC, and the nowhere-near-WAF-mish-mosh of applications. I'm getting closer with MediaPortal + TMT + PDVD codecs, but it's not there yet. Even simple things like switching away from the PC and back (through a pre-pro/AVR) has periodi random weird effects like causing the mouse to be visible and not fade away again.

Someday... someday...

Ah! I thought XBMC was an acryonym for the Media Center on the Xbox-360. Sorry about that. I've seen that phase for over a year and apparently have never understood it. :)

But the Xbox is underpowered for HD? It runs great with HD-DVD.

Ah! I thought XBMC was an acryonym for the Media Center on the Xbox-360. Sorry about that. I've seen that phase for over a year and apparently have never understood it. :)

But the Xbox is underpowered for HD? It runs great with HD-DVD.

Xbox, not Xbox 360... pay attention! :cool::p

Xbox, not Xbox 360... pay attention! :cool::p

Xbox?! OK, jeesh. I'm obviously way out of the loop on this. Let's just pretend that this conversation never happened. :o

...correct?
Yes, correct.

While you were out I discovered this very thoughtful thread. From reading and absorbing details from here as well as wikapedia and other sources, I was able to understand that some video cards have the ability to off load most graphics processing. The only thing that seems a bit "unclear" (by the thread as well as those that responded within it) is "how small" a CPU could be used. Seems that everyone here is building HTPC's with recent motherboards and processors. This makes sense but I am probably on the other end of the scale for this effort. I wanted to re-use existing equipment or otherwise discover ways to "get out on the cheap" for my Blu-Ray playback (no gaming, no other applications, just playback). So, my question still remains (because no one here could really answer it) is "How small a CPU can I use with these newer cards?" To be even more specific, I did pick up an ATI 3650 Saphire card with 512MB with the PCI-e bus. A buddy has an older PCI-e bus Mobo he took out of some client's PC he is willing to give me. I am fairly certain it does not have any type of duo-core capabilities nor functions. Can I use that with this Radeon card? My original inquiry was if an A-slot Athlon could have been used with an AGP bus and I did pick up one of the 2600 AGP boards but was never able to get it to recognize the Radeon 2600 so I returned that one to the store. The 3650 I now have was picked up from eBay and was only around $50 so I know it's not a terribly high end board but after reading on here I do understand that it can offload the majority of the video processing.

PS - I used to build PC's in the early days (translates to XT's, AT's and PS-2s and was actually one of the first persons to have been certified with Novell so I've been around the block in the past). I now am a consultant to deploying Wi-Max for cellular providers so I don't really dabble in the component aspect of PC's (and haven't for about 10 years now).

Post #2884 is probably the last one that is applicable if you could take a look at that and provide your guidance that would be :cool: Thanks in advance!

From reading and absorbing details from here as well as wikapedia and other sources, I was able to understand that some video cards have the ability to off load most graphics processing. The only thing that seems a bit "unclear" (by the thread as well as those that responded within it) is "how small" a CPU could be used. Seems that everyone here is building HTPC's with recent motherboards and processors. This makes sense but I am probably on the other end of the scale for this effort. I wanted to re-use existing equipment or otherwise discover ways to "get out on the cheap" for my Blu-Ray playback (no gaming, no other applications, just playback). So, my question still remains (because no one here could really answer it) is "How small a CPU can I use with these newer cards?" To be even more specific, I did pick up an ATI 3650 Saphire card with 512MB with the PCI-e bus. A buddy has an older PCI-e bus Mobo he took out of some client's PC he is willing to give me. I am fairly certain it does not have any type of duo-core capabilities nor functions. Can I use that with this Radeon card?
Surely you can use 3650 with any mb with a PCIe x16 slot. If you tell me the model number of the mb, I can give a better advice. CPU can be single-core. Do you already have a processor? Then the model number?

BTW the retail 3650 is as low as $55 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121237). :)

i want to know if 3450 video card does or doesnot interlancing?

i want to know if 3450 video card does or doesnot interlancing?
Does deinterlace poorly.

i want to buy an onobard video motherboard that has a good deinterlancing, what do you recommended?

i want to buy an onobard video motherboard that has a good deinterlancing, what do you recommended?
Intel G45 or AMD 780G+Phenom (see my latest mATX recommendations).

i have downloaded a lot of Blu-ray movies from the net and i watched tv a lot. do i need 24p if i want to watch downloaded movies.

do i need 24p if i want to watch downloaded movies.
No.

Surely you can use 3650 with any mb with a PCIe x16 slot. If you tell me the model number of the mb, I can give a better advice. CPU can be single-core. Do you already have a processor? Then the model number?

BTW the retail 3650 is as low as $55 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121237). :)

Yes, the board I bought off eBay was new "in the box" with all barcodes included. Do you know if the 3650 rebate was a manufacture's rebate or only from newegg? As far as the mobo goes, I don't know what he has but may simply decide to pick up one of the lower-end ones from Tiger direct. Maybe this...
"Asus M2N-SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.60GHz Processor Black Edition Retail, OCZ Platinum Revision-2 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 x 1024MB)" for ~$180

PS - My "primary" use for this is as a BluRay player driving a 1080p screen. Sound will go to a Yamaha receiver through SPIF rather than through this card.

i have downloaded a lot of Blu-ray movies from the net and i watched tv a lot. do i need 24p if i want to watch downloaded movies.

How do you legally download BD movies from the net? Does a service provider like Netflix offer this?

but may simply decide to pick up one of the lower-end ones from Tiger direct. Maybe this...
"Asus M2N-SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle - AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.60GHz Processor Black Edition Retail, OCZ Platinum Revision-2 2048MB PC6400 DDR2 800MHz Dual Channel Memory (2 x 1024MB)" for ~$180
That combination is a bit outdated, but not bad. But you can buy latest better components nearly at the same price, for example

- Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.5GHz, $84
- GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L, $90
- OCZ Platinum Revision 2 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB, $20 (after rebate)
- Total: $194

I finally think I put all the components for my very first HTPC together and would very much appreciate any comments.
Case: Lian-Li PC-C36
CPU: Intel Core 2 Dua e7200
Motherboard: Asus P5q-EM
Memory: 2 x 1 GB 1.8 V
Harddrive: WD Caviar GP 1 TB
WLAN-Adapter: GigaByte WP30N (PCIe)
or: MSI US70SE (USB 2.0)
Microsoft remote control and receiver

Some questions remain:
1. Why is the Caviar Blue recommended over the Caviar Green
2. Is there any reason to go for the more expensive WD1000FYPS instead of the WD10EACS?
3. Since I have to use a WLAN adapter should I go for the PCIe or the USB solution?
4. I plan on using a stand alone touch screen for browsing my mp3s so I don't have to fire up my projector if I just want to listen to music. The projector will be connected via HDMI and the touchscreen has a VGA plug. Will this solution work?

Many thanks in advance. This thread is so great.

Would there be any advantages to going with ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe and using the
very overclockable Corsair 2GB XMS3-2000 Dominator ram? I am building a combination HTPC / new home media computer. Each room in the house will have access to the pc and stored media/music through a Russound system that a company is installing. I was hoping to get the system to a decent overclock.
The E8400 or 8500 has plenty of headroom. The video card would be the recommended ATI 4850. Is this system overkill?

That combination is a bit outdated, but not bad. But you can buy latest better components nearly at the same price, for example

- Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.5GHz, $84
- GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3L, $90
- OCZ Platinum Revision 2 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB, $20 (after rebate)
- Total: $194

Thanks for the more exacting quote but I am really more of an AMD kinda guy as I have typically seen higher performance for less $'s from that company and never once had any problems with their products. I'll review your latest recs to see what AMD-capable board has similar features (like built in 8-channel and external Sata interfaces as I can see benefits to those two features for this application)

1. Why is the Caviar Blue recommended over the Caviar Green
2. Is there any reason to go for the more expensive WD1000FYPS instead of the WD10EACS?
3. Since I have to use a WLAN adapter should I go for the PCIe or the USB solution?
4. I plan on using a stand alone touch screen for browsing my mp3s so I don't have to fire up my projector if I just want to listen to music. The projector will be connected via HDMI and the touchscreen has a VGA plug. Will this solution work?
1. I am always thinking of separating OS and data in different HDDs, large data, for example, stored in a media server (and Green 5400rpm is a bit slow for OS, this is not important for a pure BD player though). You can use WD10EACS for OS by creating a partition >= 40GB for that.

2. Better reliability and longer warranty. But perhaps too expensive for home use.

3. Either one has enough bandwidth for WLAN (which itself lacks bandwidth for streaming HD contents, however).

4. Works in clone mode and but the touch screen must support the same resolution as the projector.

Would there be any advantages to going with ASUS P5Q3 Deluxe and using the
very overclockable Corsair 2GB XMS3-2000 Dominator ram?
No, unless you use it as a gaming machine (and you are a hardcore gamer).

I'm hoping for some feedback on my intended spec for a new HTPC (running MythTV). This machine will be taking care of TV and a couple of home automation duties most of the time. Every now and then it will be a gaming rig for GTR Ultimate.

Please offer your feedback. My head is kind of spinning reading all potential issues.
My plan is to connect it to a 1080P LCD (yet to be acquired, thinking about Sony Bravia 46") via HDMI, and to connect the motherboard audio to the amp via the optical s/pdif.

Main hardware components:
* Antec P182B (Quiet and decent looking ATX tower)
* ASUS P5Q-E or P5Q Deluxe motherboard (has requisite PCI slots, spdif optical)
* Intel Quad Q9450 (2.66Ghz, capable of 3.9Ghz overclocked for game)
* Thermalright HR-01 Plus CPU heatsink
* Corsair HX520W power supply
* Nvidia GTX 260 Graphics card
* Dvico DVB-T tuner (already have it)
* Haupagge Nova T-500 or HVR2200 (want an additional dual tuner)
* 3 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB drives in RAID5 config

What do you think? Any suggestions?

I'm hoping for some feedback on my intended spec for a new HTPC (running MythTV). This machine will be taking care of TV and a couple of home automation duties most of the time. Every now and then it will be a gaming rig for GTR Ultimate.

Please offer your feedback. My head is kind of spinning reading all potential issues.
My plan is to connect it to a 1080P LCD (yet to be acquired, thinking about Sony Bravia 46") via HDMI, and to connect the motherboard audio to the amp via the optical s/pdif.

Main hardware components:
* Antec P182B (Quiet and decent looking ATX tower)
* ASUS P5Q-E or P5Q Deluxe motherboard (has requisite PCI slots, spdif optical)
* Intel Quad Q9450 (2.66Ghz, capable of 3.9Ghz overclocked for game)
* Thermalright HR-01 Plus CPU heatsink
* Corsair HX520W power supply
* Nvidia GTX 260 Graphics card
* Dvico DVB-T tuner (already have it)
* Haupagge Nova T-500 or HVR2200 (want an additional dual tuner)
* 3 x Samsung Spinpoint F1 1TB drives in RAID5 config
Basically a good selection. Where is the drive for OS?

Hi guys,

I have built the following HTPC (gaming/movies):

Asus P5Q-E
Intel Q9550 (stock cooler)
4Gb Corsair Dominator DDR2 1066
Asus HD4850 1gb DDr3 w/Glaciator heatsink
1Tb Samsung (50gb OS partition)
LC Power 650W Ozeanos 140mm V2.2 (modular)
Thermaltake DH101 (no lcd version)

This is hooked up by HDMI to my Panny TH42PZ70 plasma.

The built went smoothly, apart from figuring out how to boot with both Ram sticks. Bios update, changed slot for one stick, and everything boots fine.

Then... enter the nightmare time.

Installed Vista64, Mobo drivers - all good n' smooth

I noticed some image corruption (vertical red dots columns along the screen), which I thought would go away with the Gfx drivers....

Installed the latest 8.8 Ati drivers and all hell broke loose. I was still able to pull the resolution up to the Panny's native 1900x1200 @60hz. The screen corruption then got quite worse, with vertical lines all over the place.

Tried to reboot and... BSODed. Went to safe mode, remove the drivers, reboot and... no go. The best I get is a totally distorted desktop, which goes blank after a few minutes. That or BSOD on boot.

I did manage to check the temps: 53C on idle... i don't think thats the problem.

So I really need help, please :(

Basically a good selection. Where is the drive for OS?

Very Speedy Rene!
In the long run I'll get a pair of green drives for the O/S and mirror them. I'll also setup the media drives as RAID-0 and just backup anything important to some remote storage.

But right now i just plan to use 3 drives in RAID-5 (using motherboard controller RAID). I'll partition up stuff for Windows, Linux and Media and use that for a while. It'll let me get a feel for how much storage I need where.

The reason for all of this complication is:
1) Don't like being at the mercy of MB RAID - the disk layout is proprietory and could make it hard to get data back if MB controller dies. ie new controller might not recognise your raid set.
2) I'll setup the disks with different profiles, to put them to sleep when not being used.

I've done a bit more research and can't see any great value in the P5Q Deluxe. So I'll go with the P5Q-E and save a few $.

Thanks for the huge amount of input throughout - I love this thread!

Do you think the audio from ASUS 'HD' onboard audio (ADI AD2000B) is upto scratch for playing music or would your recommend a separate card?

Do you think the audio from ASUS 'HD' onboard audio (ADI AD2000B) is upto scratch for playing music or would your recommend a separate card?
Which do you use, analog or S/PDIF?

renethx,

I have right now,

Abit IP 35 e
4 gigs of Crucial
GF 8600gts
c2d 6420 Intel
Vista Ult 32 bit SP1

I can play everything fine except 1080p mkv files. 720 play fine but the 1080p are jerky and the audio is off by several seconds. I have searched and tried everything to no avail. Using VMC, ZP, KMP, FFDSHOW etc.

Would going to a c2d 8400 help?

thanks, Sam

Is there any way to move/hide the mouse (in Vista)? Hotkeys, WSH/VBS, anything. It's annoying that often, after switching back to the HTPC with something like MediaPortal running, the mouse won't hide anymore.

renethx,

I have right now,

Abit IP 35 e
4 gigs of Crucial
GF 8600gts
c2d 6420 Intel
Vista Ult 32 bit SP1

I can play everything fine except 1080p mkv files. 720 play fine but the 1080p are jerky and the audio is off by several seconds. I have searched and tried everything to no avail. Using VMC, ZP, KMP, FFDSHOW etc.

Would going to a c2d 8400 help?

thanks, Sam
C2D 6420 2.13GHz is too slow to play some 1080p mkv files. C2D E8400 3.00GHz should help, but smooth playback may not be guaranteed as the cause of your problem may not be simply the insufficient CPU power.

Try overclock your processor to around 2.66GHz (or more): in BIOS setup, select

- SoftMenu Setup > CPU Operating Speed > External Clock: 333MHz
- SoftMenu Setup > CPU Operating Speed > DRAM Speed (CPU:DRAM): 1:1.20

Check CPU/memory frequency with CPU-Z (should be 2666.7MHz/400MHz respectively) and see if your problems are fixed.

C2D 6420 2.13GHz is too slow to play some 1080p mkv files. C2D E8400 3.00GHz should help, but smooth playback may not be guaranteed as the cause of your problem may not be simply the insufficient CPU power.

Try overclock your processor to around 2.66GHz (or more): in BIOS setup, select

- SoftMenu Setup > CPU Operating Speed > External Clock: 333MHz
- SoftMenu Setup > CPU Operating Speed > DRAM Speed (CPU:DRAM): 1:1.20

Check CPU/memory frequency with CPU-Z (should be 2666.7MHz/400MHz respectively) and see if your problems are fixed.

Haha, you kidding me, did as you said and it runs the files perfectly. No stuttering and no lip synch issues. So, should I keep it as is or go for the 8400? Thanks a ton!!!!

Which do you use, analog or S/PDIF?

My amp has optical S/PDIF inputs and the ASUS P5Q-E has S/PDIF on the port panel. So my plan is to try out the onboard sound.

Oh ****, I just found out the SPDIF is not supported for the chipset on the P5Q-E which appears to be a 1989b rather than the ADI AD2000B that ASUS say it is - sigh (http://www.mail-archive.com/alsa-user@lists.sourceforge.net/msg22831.html).

Well I could fill the last accessible slot, which means finding a PCIe card with SPDIF output supported by linux.

Getting tough again.

Haha, you kidding me, did as you said and it runs the files perfectly. No stuttering and no lip synch issues. So, should I keep it as is or go for the 8400? Thanks a ton!!!!

Most C2D run at 3.0GHz with no problem. Keep it.

i want to know if Pheonm 9950 or 9850 and 790gx board good or not.

for deinterlancing and stuff etc.

i want to know if Pheonm 9950 or 9850 and 790gx board good or not.

for deinterlancing and stuff etc.
Good.

I have attempted to use my HTPC to play DTS music off of CD. I have not been able to find a player yet that will do this. Any suggestions? I am using my s/pdif out and some of the music is in 5.1 so the player needs to be able to deal with that.

I will like to start by thanking all this forum members in advance. I am home theater enthusiast who wants to get the absolute best picture (blue Ray included) and sound out of my TV and stereo system; price is not a consideration for now so if you could give me the absolute best, I can always scale down as needed.

I will like to be able to hookup an HTPC system that I want to build to my stereo by means of HTMI to HTMI from the HTPC to my preamp “Anthem D2” my system as it stands is the following:

Dali speakers
Euphonia MS4, euphonia CS4, euphonia AS2, euphonia phantom
Anthem D2
Cary Audio Model 7.125
Pioneer 50" 1080p Flat Panel Plasma HDTV - PDP5010FD

After considerable times spend reading these site the HTPC system components I am thinking:

Mother board
First choice
ASUS P5Q-EM,
Foxconn A7DA-S 790GX
ASRock 4Core1333-FullHD HTPC
Considerations
GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 AMDMSI K9A2 Platinum Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
ASUS M3N78-EMH HDMI, M3N-H/HDMI, M3N78 PRO, M3N78-EM, M3N-HD/HDMI
AMD 790FX chipset ATX, $212.
MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX chipset ATX,MSI K9N2 Diamond, MSI P7N Diamon
LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
GA-EP45-DQ6 and GA-EP45-DS5
Processor (CPU)
I really will like someone’s opinion on this I do not have any preference—I will be running Windows Vista 64
Sound cards
Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 and daughter board I want a card that is PAP/PAVP compatible
Graphic Cards
Radeon HD 4870
Fan
CPU FAN: Zalman CNPS9500
Memory
Please recommend I hear Corsair is a plus
Power supply
Enermax MODU82+ 625W (EMD625AWT)
Case
Moneual MonCaso 972
Blue Ray drive
I am thinking of the LG

Concerns and considerations
I want to be able to use one wire that hooks HTMI to HTMI that caries both audio and video at 24p and PAP compatible. Can I wire the audio and video to one HDMI output and want about the HDMI output that is in the mother board I am not sure how it will work or will there be a conflict?
My first choice was the ASUS P5Q-EM, but I notice that it limited room and the audio card and daughter board will take two slots, the graphic card will take another two with no room for extension. If I want to add a storage system there will be no room for a server, or I want to add something else it will not be possible I was considering the Foxconn A7DA-S 790GX as an option but have not heard many reviews on this card. They said that the case could take a full size motherboard.
Any help will be greatly appreciated on any aspect of any part of building this HTPC.

Thanks

Fred

I will like to start by thanking all this forum members in advance. I am home theater enthusiast who wants to get the absolute best picture (blue Ray included) and sound out of my TV and stereo system; price is not a consideration for now so if you could give me the absolute best, I can always scale down as needed.

I will like to be able to hookup an HTPC system that I want to build to my stereo by means of HTMI to HTMI from the HTPC to my preamp “Anthem D2” my system as it stands is the following:

Dali speakers
Euphonia MS4, euphonia CS4, euphonia AS2, euphonia phantom
Anthem D2
Cary Audio Model 7.125
Pioneer 50" 1080p Flat Panel Plasma HDTV - PDP5010FD

After considerable times spend reading these site the HTPC system components I am thinking:

Mother board
First choice
ASUS P5Q-EM,
Foxconn A7DA-S 790GX
ASRock 4Core1333-FullHD HTPC
Considerations
GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 AMDMSI K9A2 Platinum Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
ASUS M3N78-EMH HDMI, M3N-H/HDMI, M3N78 PRO, M3N78-EM, M3N-HD/HDMI
AMD 790FX chipset ATX, $212.
MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX chipset ATX,MSI K9N2 Diamond, MSI P7N Diamon
LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
GA-EP45-DQ6 and GA-EP45-DS5
Processor (CPU)
I really will like someone’s opinion on this I do not have any preference—I will be running Windows Vista 64
Sound cards
Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 and daughter board I want a card that is PAP/PAVP compatible
Graphic Cards
Radeon HD 4870
Fan
CPU FAN: Zalman CNPS9500
Memory
Please recommend I hear Corsair is a plus
Power supply
Enermax MODU82+ 625W (EMD625AWT)
Case
Moneual MonCaso 972
Blue Ray drive
I am thinking of the LG

Concerns and considerations
I want to be able to use one wire that hooks HTMI to HTMI that caries both audio and video at 24p and PAP compatible. Can I wire the audio and video to one HDMI output and want about the HDMI output that is in the mother board I am not sure how it will work or will there be a conflict?
My first choice was the ASUS P5Q-EM, but I notice that it limited room and the audio card and daughter board will take two slots, the graphic card will take another two with no room for extension. If I want to add a storage system there will be no room for a server, or I want to add something else it will not be possible I was considering the Foxconn A7DA-S 790GX as an option but have not heard many reviews on this card. They said that the case could take a full size motherboard.
Any help will be greatly appreciated on any aspect of any part of building this HTPC.
The upcoming (September 10) Radeon HD 4650 is very good for HTPC: the same UVD2 and the same post-processing as HD 4850/4870, with a reduced number of stream processors [320 vs. 800], thus reduced power consumption (save 50W or more at idle as compared with 4850/4870).

- Radeon HD 4650
- ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3

You don't need to go with mATX. There are lots of good ATX mbs. See my ATX recommendations. The Foxconn board is surely a very good choice.

If MonCaso 972 has the same internal structure as 932, then LG GGC-H20N combo drive hits the mb. The depth of the drive should be < 180mm.

Thank you for your help

I just call ASUS and I do not think I will have problems using ASUS P5Q - EM motherboard and the other thing they share with me is that audio card DX2 is a newer and better card then the Asus Xonar HDAV ? any comments ?
I call the case people and they have not return my call yet, but my gut feeling is that it will be the same size, is there another combo drive that you can recommend? If this is true.

Thanks
Fred

I just call ASUS and I do not think I will have problems using ASUS P5Q - EM motherboard and the other thing they share with me is that audio card DX2 is a newer and better card then the Asus Xonar HDAV ? any comments ?
I call the case people and they have not return my call yet, but my gut feeling is that it will be the same size, is there another combo drive that you can recommend? If this is true.
P5Q-EM has a limited number of expansion slots. You'd better go with ATX if you use an ATX case.

Xonar D2X was released in December 2007, absolutely no support for PAP or HDMI, while HDAV1.3 has not been released yet, supporting PAP, Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD MA bitstreams/multichannel LPCM over HDMI. Perhpas the person you talked to has never heard of HDAV1.3?

I don't know a combo drive other than LG.

Thank you for the feedback, this person sounded like he knew both products well, but I will go with your advice and stick to the original Xonar HDAV1.3 then. Can you give me the best high-end motherboard you can think for my system so many I have looked at I am not sure which way to go.

Thanks


Fred

Thank you for the feedback, this person sounded like he knew both products well, but I will go with your advice and stick to the original Xonar HDAV1.3 then. Can you give me the best high-end motherboard you can think for my system so many I have looked at I am not sure which way to go.
There is no clear choice. I prefer ASUS P5Q-E or P5Q Deluxe (better heatsink, more accessories)

Renethx,

Thanks for your previous response. I am finalizing my Premium system and had a couple last questions. First, I am not a PC guy but have discovered I know more than the custom installers I have used in the past and can crack open a PC so I apologize if my questions seem lame.

1). I am going to populate the CW02 case with 4 Greenpower WD 1 Tb drives and therefore utilize the onboard RAID in RAID 5 for these 4 drives. I may go with more external drives as well. My question then, should I go with your recommended system drive, get two of them and use RAID 0 on the purple Gigabyte eSATA ports or get one Velociraptor 300 instead? This system will be used to stream as much as three HD signals to extenders in the house as well as be the direct connection to my TivotoGo program, and the primary unit in the Theater. I also intend to play some games, after the little dudes are asleep. Finally, it will be used to render home movies and render other material as well. So, it's going to get a pretty constant workout. Knowing this, would you go with two drives, one screaming fast one, or the drive you recommend?

2). Here is my rookie RAID question. Should I put the Blu Ray on a yellow port (not part of the array, of course) or if I get only one drive should I put the Blu Ray on the purple ports? Again, non array. Does it matter? Should I stick the primary drive as well on the yellow port and place it in the lowest number so it boots from there? I also said it is best to flash the ports correctly for RAID at initial install even if you don't actually set up an array. Your opinion? In reading Gigabyte material and blogs my understanding is the purple ports are theoretically better/faster. Is this correct?

3). As it stands, I intend to use Vista Media Center with TMT. From my reading, it appears that only the HDHomerun will work for QAM & Vista Media Center. I get royally confused when I read about the new plug in to allow other tuners to work. I hear that its only for OEM stuff. Do you know if I should go with the HDHomerun or do you recommend another tuner that will then work with the upcoming changes to Vista Media Center and if in fact we little people will be able to get the changed Media Center fix?

I ask this because of all things, I was swinging one of my munchkins at the park on Sunday here in WA and a guy from Boston (of all places) who owns the company that sells OrigenAE equipment (second distributor), was swinging his grandkid and he said he was on his way to CEDIA. He had been assured that multiple tuners were out there that would indeed work with Windows Media Center (latest fix) and that end consumers like me would soon be able to download the Vista Media Center fix. As I researched cases, I had been to his web site and looked at his info. It is a small, small world. Do you have an opinion or advice on the tuner mess? I have room for the HDHomerun unit so it doesn't really matter except it would be nice to get a cleaner setup and one less cable and power.

4). With all six bays filled, should I populate the two 92mm drive fans or leave them empty? If yes, what fans? The system is in a fairly good air flow power ventilated cabinet. The only other quite hot product is my B&K receiver which I intend to place a foot above the PC. The B&K can damn near cook an egg when cranked.

I appreciate any help as I really don't want to spend all this money and have the flipping thing not work with QAM and not be able to handle a lot of activity.

Renethx,

Thanks for your previous response. I am finalizing my Premium system and had a couple last questions. First, I am not a PC guy but have discovered I know more than the custom installers I have used in the past and can crack open a PC so I apologize if my questions seem lame.

1). I am going to populate the CW02 case with 4 Greenpower WD 1 Tb drives and therefore utilize the onboard RAID in RAID 5 for these 4 drives. I may go with more external drives as well. My question then, should I go with your recommended system drive, get two of them and use RAID 0 on the purple Gigabyte eSATA ports or get one Velociraptor 300 instead? This system will be used to stream as much as three HD signals to extenders in the house as well as be the direct connection to my TivotoGo program, and the primary unit in the Theater. I also intend to play some games, after the little dudes are asleep. Finally, it will be used to render home movies and render other material as well. So, it's going to get a pretty constant workout. Knowing this, would you go with two drives, one screaming fast one, or the drive you recommend?

2). Here is my rookie RAID question. Should I put the Blu Ray on a yellow port (not part of the array, of course) or if I get only one drive should I put the Blu Ray on the purple ports? Again, non array. Does it matter? Should I stick the primary drive as well on the yellow port and place it in the lowest number so it boots from there? I also said it is best to flash the ports correctly for RAID at initial install even if you don't actually set up an array. Your opinion? In reading Gigabyte material and blogs my understanding is the purple ports are theoretically better/faster. Is this correct?

3). As it stands, I intend to use Vista Media Center with TMT. From my reading, it appears that only the HDHomerun will work for QAM & Vista Media Center. I get royally confused when I read about the new plug in to allow other tuners to work. I hear that its only for OEM stuff. Do you know if I should go with the HDHomerun or do you recommend another tuner that will then work with the upcoming changes to Vista Media Center and if in fact we little people will be able to get the changed Media Center fix?

I ask this because of all things, I was swinging one of my munchkins at the park on Sunday here in WA and a guy from Boston (of all places) who owns the company that sells OrigenAE equipment (second distributor), was swinging his grandkid and he said he was on his way to CEDIA. He had been assured that multiple tuners were out there that would indeed work with Windows Media Center (latest fix) and that end consumers like me would soon be able to download the Vista Media Center fix. As I researched cases, I had been to his web site and looked at his info. It is a small, small world. Do you have an opinion or advice on the tuner mess? I have room for the HDHomerun unit so it doesn't really matter except it would be nice to get a cleaner setup and one less cable and power.

4). With all six bays filled, should I populate the two 92mm drive fans or leave them empty? If yes, what fans? The system is in a fairly good air flow power ventilated cabinet. The only other quite hot product is my B&K receiver which I intend to place a foot above the PC. The B&K can damn near cook an egg when cranked.

I appreciate any help as I really don't want to spend all this money and have the flipping thing not work with QAM and not be able to handle a lot of activity.
1 & 2. I prefer: Install the BD drive in one of the purple and the VelociRaptor (OS) in the other. No RAID 0 for OS. Four WD in yellow in RAID 5. The purple ports are connected to JMicron JMB363, while the six yellow ports are Intel ICH9R. I am not sure if VelociRaptor is overkill or not, a 7200rpm drive may be enough.

3. AverTV combo PCIe also works for QAM/VMC. I am not familiar with TV Pack. Check this thread (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1050312) if you haven't yet.

4. NEXUS DF1209SL-3 (http://www.svc.com/df1209sl-3.html).

right now i have asus p5q + e8400. does it really matter if i buy 8600gt, 9800gt or 4850 for video card if i have e8400.

on the info that you have, that e8400 + p45 + either 9800gt or 4850 for good for PP and other things.

i want to know if i buy 8600gt instead of either 9800gt or 4850, that is really matter or not.

right now i have asus p5q + e8400. does it really matter if i buy 8600gt, 9800gt or 4850 for video card if i have e8400.

on the info that you have, that e8400 + p45 + either 9800gt or 4850 for good for PP and other things.

i want to know if i buy 8600gt instead of either 9800gt or 4850, that is really matter or not.
8600 GT is the minimum for good pp. 9800 GT and HD 4850 are better. But watch the upcoming HD 4650. This card will be the best in performance/features/price/power consumption. It also supports multichannel LPCM.

[QUOTE=redjr;14551404]The truth of the matter is, the HTPC is just not ready for prime time and friendly enough to be in most living/great/media rooms.[QUOTE]

Well, it's not for those that like to "set it, and forget it!" And, I wonder if it will ever be ready for primetime. The flexibility inherent in an HTPC creates a lot of variables. If all you want to do is play blu-ray movies, you'd be better off buying a PS3 or a component style BD player. But, if you want to do a lot of other things like stream and download media, play some games, and you enjoy spending a lot of time on the project, an HTPC fits the bill in a single chassis. A/V and computer manufacturers will probably come out with more and more products that come closer, but I doubt they will offer the power and flexibility of a homemade system.

Note: I haven't made three posts, so no URLs. Sorry folks. I don't want to make three quick junk posts just to include URLs.

I recently bought an AppleTV and used the aTV Flash on it, intending to play some 720p MKV files. Lots of screwing around later, I find out it's not capable on a hardware level of performing this task. Faced with transcoding my 800GB+ collection of TV shows and films to the proper format for the AppleTV, I've decided to build an HTPC. It'll be Linux/MythTV based. I'm a Mac guy, so introducing Microsoft back to my life is not something I look forward to. I realize this means that I won't be able to take advantage of processor-level decoding, so I believe I've amped up the performance to compensate. I've chosen an Intel system because that's what I have experience with as a system builder (though I haven't build one in several years).

Case: SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum GD01B-MXR -- I chose this case because it has a built-in IR receiver, apparently a rare thing in HTPC cases for some stupid reason? I can't find USB IR receivers on NewEgg, am I doing something wrong?

Power Supply: ORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-DS2H -- According to the guide here on page 85 of this thread, this should be fine for what I want to do. It lists 24Hz BD playback as not optimal, but I don't have any BD media and if I get into it someday, I'm most likely going to buy a standalone player.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz -- I'm debating dropping this down. Maybe a slower clock on a Quad or even down to a Duo. Am I really going to get that much more performance out of the Quad compared to a Duo in Linux, with MythTV? I'm seeing posts in this thread in favor of a ~3Ghz Duo... would that be better than the Quad I'm considering?

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) -- Good ratings, RAM is cheap.

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB -- I don't need massive storage, using a Drobo. Thought about a 10k drive but can't justify the cost.

Optical drive: Pioneer DVD burner -- See above note about BD.

Remote: Logitech Harmony 880 -- I have a girlfriend, I have roommates. While we all work for the AV department here on campus, I'm by and far the most advanced of the group. I'll be making a "Mrs. Satan" button so she can just turn everything to where it needs to be.


Thoughts? Comments? I'm looking to trim costs because the addition of the Harmony remote has driven this cost up north of $1000, before shipping.

8600 GT is the minimum for good pp. 9800 GT and HD 4850 are better. But watch the upcoming HD 4650. This card will be the best in performance/features/price/power consumption. It also supports multichannel LPCM.


when is it come out? it looks like i would rather wait.

when is it come out? it looks like i would rather wait.
September 10.

http://publish.it168.com/2008/0901/images/1142397.jpg

Radeon HD 4650/4670 reference card

I've decided to build an HTPC. It'll be Linux/MythTV based. I'm a Mac guy, so introducing Microsoft back to my life is not something I look forward to. I realize this means that I won't be able to take advantage of processor-level decoding, so I believe I've amped up the performance to compensate. I've chosen an Intel system because that's what I have experience with as a system builder (though I haven't build one in several years).

Case: SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum GD01B-MXR -- I chose this case because it has a built-in IR receiver, apparently a rare thing in HTPC cases for some stupid reason? I can't find USB IR receivers on NewEgg, am I doing something wrong?

Power Supply: ORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EG45M-DS2H -- According to the guide here on page 85 of this thread, this should be fine for what I want to do. It lists 24Hz BD playback as not optimal, but I don't have any BD media and if I get into it someday, I'm most likely going to buy a standalone player.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz -- I'm debating dropping this down. Maybe a slower clock on a Quad or even down to a Duo. Am I really going to get that much more performance out of the Quad compared to a Duo in Linux, with MythTV? I'm seeing posts in this thread in favor of a ~3Ghz Duo... would that be better than the Quad I'm considering?

RAM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) -- Good ratings, RAM is cheap.

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD800JD 80GB -- I don't need massive storage, using a Drobo. Thought about a 10k drive but can't justify the cost.

Optical drive: Pioneer DVD burner -- See above note about BD.

Remote: Logitech Harmony 880 -- I have a girlfriend, I have roommates. While we all work for the AV department here on campus, I'm by and far the most advanced of the group. I'll be making a "Mrs. Satan" button so she can just turn everything to where it needs to be.


Thoughts? Comments? I'm looking to trim costs because the addition of the Harmony remote has driven this cost up north of $1000, before shipping.
There are a bunch of cases with built-in IR receiver. A USB IR receiver is here (http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=microsoft+remote&btnG=Search+Products&show=dd&cid=12181927382729008783#ps-sellers).

Q6600 2.4GHz is now only $190 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115017). It's a 65nm processor, but it's a great bargain.

"AverTV combo PCIe also works for QAM/VMC."

I've got the AVerMedia M780 and it definitely works with unencrypted QAM under VMC - even with 4GB of RAM under 64-bit Vista, which has been a problem for lots of software and hardware.

But beware that QAM can be a major pain in the butt - especially if your cable company likes to move stations around. You first have to run a utility to search for the QAM stations. Then you select each one that has an active channel and figure out the call letters. This took over an hour, flicking back and forth between the utility and cable to figure out what the channels were. And if you want the channel guide to be automatically loaded, make sure you use the exact name used by zap2it.com. Then you do some weird (but straightforward) stuff to load those channels into VMC. And it works very well. But once I was done, and realized that all I had gained over ATSC via antenna was ESPN, WGN, and a bunch of spanish, religious and local government channels. And I had lost some picture quality because cable isn't quite as good as OTA. (Luckily I'm in an area with very good OTA reception.) I know from other folks that my cable company moves QAM channels around frequently, and I couldn't imagine going through all that again, so I immediately bailed and moved back to antenna.

So I'm not saying that QAM isn't for you, but I'm just warning you that you may not enjoy it.

Im thinking in this htpc based system this one is one of the recomended with small changes.
AMD/AMD

System

* CPU: Phenom X3 8450 HD8450WCGHBOX 2.1GHz, $102.
* CPU Cooler: Scythe SHURIKEN SCSK-1000, $33.
* Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G chipset microATX, $85.
* Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $38.
* Graphics Card: Radeon HD 3200 (integrated in the motherboard chipset), $0.
* HDD: Western Digital WD3200AAKS 640GB SATA, $85.

* Case: Antec NSK4480B Black 0.8mm cold-rolled steel construction ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 380W Power Supply $79.99
* Total Cost: almost $480 with shipping and tax.

what do you guys think, it will be my first biuld system so.

There are a bunch of cases with built-in IR receiver. A USB IR receiver is here.

Q6600 2.4GHz is now only $190. It's a 65nm processor, but it's a great bargain.

Good spot with the Q6600. What kind of case would you recommend? I'm looking for something black (preferably), IR receiver built in, doesn't have to have a card reader or power supply (but are nice to have). I find the Silverstones to be a bit on the expensive side... I'm looking for the $160-80 range.

Good spot with the Q6600. What kind of case would you recommend? I'm looking for something black (preferably), IR receiver built in, doesn't have to have a card reader or power supply (but are nice to have). I find the Silverstones to be a bit on the expensive side... I'm looking for the $160-80 range.

You might want to have a look at the Antec NSK2480 (http://www.antec.com/Detail.bok?no=571).

It's super quiet and has 120mm fans.

3650 is here already on newegg.

Im thinking in this htpc based system this one is one of the recomended with small changes.
AMD/AMD

System

* CPU: Phenom X3 8450 HD8450WCGHBOX 2.1GHz, $102.
* CPU Cooler: Scythe SHURIKEN SCSK-1000, $33.
* Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G chipset microATX, $85.
* Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A16K DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $38.
* Graphics Card: Radeon HD 3200 (integrated in the motherboard chipset), $0.
* HDD: Western Digital WD3200AAKS 640GB SATA, $85.

* Case: Antec NSK4480B Black 0.8mm cold-rolled steel construction ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 380W Power Supply $79.99
* Total Cost: almost $480 with shipping and tax.

what do you guys think, it will be my first biuld system so.
A good selection.

Good spot with the Q6600. What kind of case would you recommend? I'm looking for something black (preferably), IR receiver built in, doesn't have to have a card reader or power supply (but are nice to have). I find the Silverstones to be a bit on the expensive side... I'm looking for the $160-80 range.
Antec Fusion Remote Black (mATX only), ~$150 (PSU and a remote controller included).

Antec Fusion Remote Black (mATX only), ~$150 (PSU and a remote controller included).

Just curious, do you think fusion black is equally as good as the Fusion 430? My friend is looking for a black case as well. Figured I'd show him the new black also.

I noticed the PS on the new black is 350 vs. 430 and has 2 x80mm fans (plus a 1x 80mm HDD intake fan) vs. 2x 120mm.

Just curious, do you think fusion black is equally as good as the Fusion 430? My friend is looking for a black case as well. Figured I'd show him the new black also.

I noticed the PS on the new black is 350 vs. 430 and has 2 x80mm fans (plus a 1x 80mm HDD intake fan) vs. 2x 120mm.
AFAIK

Fusion Remote Black = Fusion 430 Black - PSU + iMON remote controller.

Hi all,

I am looking to add a bd rom to my system and was wondering if you all can tell me if my current system is good enough to playback blueray.

Critical Specs:
1. abit ip35-pro
2. gigabyte 8500gt video card
3. 2gb ram
4. intel e4400 2.0ghz
5. windows media center

Based on the above specs, if I had to upgrade components, what would you recommend? I would like to pipe audio into my receiver which can take a toslink/digital input. So, I was thinking maybe a bluegears b-enspirer as an add-on to this system. Do you think the CPU and the video card would be sufficient?

What else would I need?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Hi all,

I am looking to add a bd rom to my system and was wondering if you all can tell me if my current system is good enough to playback blueray.

Critical Specs:
1. abit ip35-pro
2. gigabyte 8500gt video card
3. 2gb ram
4. intel e4400 2.0ghz
5. windows media center

Based on the above specs, if I had to upgrade components, what would you recommend? I would like to pipe audio into my receiver which can take a toslink/digital input. So, I was thinking maybe a bluegears b-enspirer as an add-on to this system.
Your system has enough power to play BD movies. You don't need a sound card, just connect the optical S/PDIF port of the back panel of the mb to your receiver.

I am planning on building my first HTPC. Currently, I am just using a Macbook pro Core Duo 1.86Ghz with 1.5GB of RAM. After reading a lot of different threads, I am planning on building the following system, but want to make sure everything works together and will fit with one another. Also, if you think I should upgrade or downgrade in certain areas, please let me know.

Objectives:
1. Play BD
2. Use VMC or SageTV
3. Record HDTV through DirecTV Choice Package (only 15/month since our building is pre-wired for it) and OTA
4. Increase storage as time passes by and as I see good deals.
5. What else? Hmmmm....

Specs:
Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case (119.99)
MOBO: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (134.99)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 (189.99)
Memory: A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1B16K (77.99)
HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (149.99)
DVD/Bluray Player: LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray DVD ROM SATA Model DH-4O1S-08 (139.99)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler (34.99)

Accessories:
-Hauppauge HD PVR High Definition Personal Video Recorder 1212 USB 2.0 Interface (219.99)
-Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner/Encoder (149.00)

Total Cost: $1216.92

Currently Own:
Logitech diNovo Mini Keyboard (115)
47" Westinghouse LVM-47w1 1080p Monitor (1900)
Harman KardonAVR 247 (350)(Supports 7.1, but hooked with 5.1 currently - have two extra Yamaha speakers that I can connect if I want)
Klipsch Quintet III Surround Speaker System (5 speakers) (499.99)
Klipsch - 10" 420W Powered Subwoofer (399.99)
Toshiba HD-A30 HD DVD Player (175.89)
XBOX 360 (Non HDMI Version) (400)
Nintendo Wii (250)
1TB Harddisk in an Antec MX-1 Enclosure (190)
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-950Q USB stick (99)
Logitech Harmony 880 Universal Remote (134)
DirecTV HD DVR - HR22 (200)
MonoPriceHDX-501 (5X1 Enhanced HDMI Switch with built-in Equalizer (REV.2.1)) (33.60)
Linksys WRT160N Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router (79.99)
Linksys BEFCMU10 Ethernet Cable Modem (69.99)

Holy crap, that’s a fortune...Feel free to total it up...This doesn't include a past surround sound system I had and wires, accessories, etc....I'm scared...Oh well...

I'm not sure if I need to get a sound card or a video card to go along with it, but I don't game on the PC. I have my XBOX 360 and Wii for that. I just want a nice powerful system so that I can watch TV and movies, and rip them on the hard disk as well. Also, there might be remote access through software such as Sage Placeshifter so when I am travelling (which is most of the time), I can access my system from anywhere. Should I go with a different motherboard or a quad processor? Or downgrade the CPU to the E8400 which is only $20 cheaper on Newegg? I didn't go with a bluray burner just because I think the prices of bluray discs are high, and it would be cheaper to add extra storage.

I own all the necessary software, so I have not included that in this.

I hope this is detailed enough. Please provide me with your suggestions or any questions.

Thanks!!!

So, I'm using the Asus 8200 mATX board, 4gb RAM, Vista 32, 4850e CPU. DVD's don't look near as good as the HTPC that has an 8600GT in it. Is this about post-processing that the 8200 doesn't do very well? Everything else is the same except the video card. Will standard DVDs look better if I upgrade to a 65w Phenom or add in a video card?

Please provide me with your suggestions or any questions.
Your system should work fine for your purposes.

From your usage (no CPU intensive task such as transcoding), I don't think you need E8500. You can go with E7300, E7200 or E5200 if you want to save money.

I probably will be doing some transcoding when ripping my DVDs from the DVD to store on the hard drives right?

I am planning on building my first HTPC. Currently, I am just using a Macbook pro Core Duo 1.86Ghz with 1.5GB of RAM. After reading a lot of different threads, I am planning on building the following system, but want to make sure everything works together and will fit with one another. Also, if you think I should upgrade or downgrade in certain areas, please let me know.

Objectives:
1. Play BD
2. Use VMC or SageTV
3. Record HDTV through DirecTV Choice Package (only 15/month since our building is pre-wired for it) and OTA
4. Increase storage as time passes by and as I see good deals.
5. What else? Hmmmm....

Specs:
Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case (119.99)
MOBO: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (134.99)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 (189.99)
Memory: A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1B16K (77.99)
HD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive (149.99)
DVD/Bluray Player: LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray DVD ROM SATA Model DH-4O1S-08 (139.99)
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler (34.99)

Accessories:
-Hauppauge HD PVR High Definition Personal Video Recorder 1212 USB 2.0 Interface (219.99)
-Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner/Encoder (149.00)



Do I need to get any fans/heatsinks/coolers? If so which ones if I plan to overlock it?

I probably will be doing some transcoding when ripping my DVDs from the DVD to store on the hard drives right?
No, the CPU usage is very low when ripping.

Do I need to get any fans/heatsinks/coolers? If so which ones if I plan to overlock it?
Perhaps no, as all necessary fans/heatsinks/coolers are included in the case and Ninja mini. Read nMediaPC HTPC 1000B Review (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1060462). You don't need to OC for your purpose.

Thanks for the opinion. I should be ordering it soon.

Will this motherboard support Dolby Digital and surround sound?

Thanks for the opinion. I should be ordering it soon.

Will this motherboard support Dolby Digital and surround sound?
Yes (through S/PDIF [Realtek ALC1200] and HDMI [Intel]).

If no one has yet told you, you're a genious!

I'm really suprised at how bad the DVD quality is on the 8200 compared to the 8600gt. I'm going to get another video card and maybe a 9150e Phenom and give it a shot.

I'm really suprised at how bad the DVD quality is on the 8200 compared to the 8600gt. I'm going to get another video card and maybe a 9150e Phenom and give it a shot.
This type of questions may be better answered in its own thread. Which player/codec are you using?

Fantastic guide at the beginning of this post , you obvously have too much time on your hands renethx !

Am I right in thinking if you want the ultimate system that does everything ie copes with 1080 24p , PAP , bitstream etc etc - you need a radeon 4850 and either an Asus Xonar or Azuntech HD soundcard in the same system ? When using these HD souncards does the video pass thru the HDMI input of the soundcard and then out combined with the audio thru the HDMI output of the card to the receiver ?

Fantastic guide at the beginning of this post , you obvously have too much time on your hands renethx !

Am I right in thinking if you want the ultimate system that does everything ie copes with 1080 24p , PAP , bitstream etc etc - you need a radeon 4850 and either an Asus Xonar or Azuntech HD soundcard in the same system ? When using these HD souncards does the video pass thru the HDMI input of the soundcard and then out combined with the audio thru the HDMI output of the card to the receiver ?

If you aren't doing much gaming you might want to wait a week and look into the ATI 4650 instead of the 4850. Much smaller card and uses a lot less power. However, it has the same video capabilities of the 4850.

I will be trying the ATI 4650/Asus Xonar combo, the only thing I am worried about it that the Xonar is tied to TMT and in my experience so far nVidia has been working much better than ATI when watching 24p with TMT as the player.

Will this fit my setup to-be?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186134

Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case (119.99)
MOBO: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (134.99)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.00GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8500 (169.99)

its over 4.9 in tall... might be tight (without checking the nmedia metal to metal case dimensions) plus the 1/2 in rise for the mobo above the case floor...

its over 4.9 in tall... might be tight (without checking the nmedia metal to metal case dimensions) plus the 1/2 in rise for the mobo above the case floor...

5.4" is the height on newegg's site for the case
motherboard..if i had 1/2"...it will be an exact fit.

maybe i need to find another case fan/heatsink...

Am I right in thinking if you want the ultimate system that does everything ie copes with 1080 24p , PAP , bitstream etc etc - you need a radeon 4850 and either an Asus Xonar or Azuntech HD soundcard in the same system ? When using these HD souncards does the video pass thru the HDMI input of the soundcard and then out combined with the audio thru the HDMI output of the card to the receiver ?
The upcoming HD 4650 performs identically with HD 4850 in video (UVD2, post-processing) and audio (multichannel LPCM) with lower cost and heat output.

HD 4650 is an all-in-one solution, but still lacks HD audio bitstreaming. If you need it, go with Xonar HDAV1.3 or X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1. Video goes from the video card to the sound card (via HDMI), then is muxed with HD audio, then goes out from the sound card to the AVR through HDMI.

Maybe is my first post here, but I 've been reading this for months now. I have "lost" many hours...

This is my conclusion:

MotherBorad Asus P5Q Pro 125 EUROS
CPU Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz Socket 775 275 EUROS
Graphic Card ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/512M 229 EUROS
Memory DDR2 OCZ 4GB DDR2-1066 2x2048MB 81 EUROS
CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS 9500 AT 38 EUROS
PSU Enermax MODU82+ 525Watt 1x120mm 97EUROS
HDD SATA 1000GB 7200 32MB Samsung HD103UJ 111EUROS
Case THERMALTAKE VF7001BNS DH101 MEDIA LAB BLACK 178EUROS

Maybe the prices are more expensive than what you find at the States, but here in Europe everything I think is more expensive...

I want the system to be first for HD movies in my Sony 46x3500 and transcoding videos, less for games(I do not play games).. I have an old Yamaha AVR with 5.1 analog input for the audio which I am going to change it in the next 6 months.

Any suggestions or comments ???

Thanks everybody (especially renethx) .... it is a great Thread and I have learned a lot...

Any suggestions or comments ???
A good selection. (Are you thinking of GPU parallel computing? If not, the upcoming HD 4650 may be enough.)

When do you really need to start thinking about a separate graphics card such as the HD 4650?

What sort of stuff would you be doing other than gaming?

I've changed my specs a little bit, and just realized that the nMediaPC does not include a power supply which I thought it did. I must have misread that or newegg corrected a mistake.

Could someone please recommend how much Watts I will need, and recommend a PSU? Do I need 300W or 450 or 430? I don't want something that is really loud either.

Specs:
Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

MOBO: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400

Memory: A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1B16K

HD: WESTERN DIGITAL WD10EACS 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Hard Drive

HD2: WESTERN DIGITAL WD10EACS 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Hard Drive

HD3: SEAGATE Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Hard Drive

HD4: Something for the OS

DVD/Bluray Player: LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray DVD ROM SATA Model DH-4O1S-08

CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler

I've changed my specs a little bit, and just realized that the nMediaPC does not include a power supply which I thought it did. I must have misread that or newegg corrected a mistake.

Could someone please recommend how much Watts I will need, and recommend a PSU? Do I need 300W or 450 or 430? I don't want something that is really loud either. Please provide with a suggestion or two.

Specs:
Case: nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum panel & Steel HTPC 1000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case

MOBO: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400

Memory: A-DATA 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1B16K

HD: WESTERN DIGITAL WD10EACS 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Hard Drive

HD2: WESTERN DIGITAL WD10EACS 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 16MB Hard Drive

HD3: SEAGATE Barracuda 7200.11 ST31000340AS 1TB SATA 7200 RPM 32MB Hard Drive

HD4: Something for the OS

DVD/Bluray Player: LITE-ON Black 4X Blu-ray DVD ROM SATA Model DH-4O1S-08

CPU Cooler: Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler

I am about to place an order with Newegg for a system with an ASUS M3A78-T / Phenom 9950 setup. Specs for the MB state that the Crossfire "Hybrid" setup is compatible with the ATI 3450 card, but no mention of any other card being able to work as a "Hybrid" with the IGP. So I have a couple of questions I can't seem to answer!

Would this be a decent Video setup for HTPC?
Will the Crossfire "Hybrid" setup work with newer cards?

Thanks!

When do you really need to start thinking about a separate graphics card such as the HD 4650?

What sort of stuff would you be doing other than gaming?
It's the world of parallel computing. Intel (Larrabee), AMD and NVIDIA (General Purpose GPU or GPU computing) are competing with each other. Applications are vast (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPGPU#Applications).

I am about to place an order with Newegg for a system with an ASUS M3A78-T / Phenom 9950 setup. Specs for the MB state that the Crossfire "Hybrid" setup is compatible with the ATI 3450 card, but no mention of any other card being able to work as a "Hybrid" with the IGP. So I have a couple of questions I can't seem to answer!

Would this be a decent Video setup for HTPC?
Will the Crossfire "Hybrid" setup work with newer cards?

Thanks!
Hybrid CrossFire is useless in video playback. Precisely speaking, only the GPU to which the display (or AVR) is connected is used for video playback.

The graphics cards supporting Hybrid CrossFire are HD 2400 series and HD 3400 series only.

Could someone please recommend how much Watts I will need, and recommend a PSU? Do I need 300W or 450 or 430?
300W is enough.

CPU: 65W
MB: 50W
RAM: 10W
HDD x 4: 40W
OD: 20W
Total: 185W

CMPSU-450VX, or Seasonic M12II-430 if you like modular cables.

Maybe is my first post here, but I 've been reading this for months now. I have "lost" many hours...

This is my conclusion:

MotherBorad Asus P5Q Pro 125 EUROS
CPU Core 2 Quad Q9550 2.83GHz Socket 775 275 EUROS
Graphic Card ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/512M 229 EUROS
Memory DDR2 OCZ 4GB DDR2-1066 2x2048MB 81 EUROS
CPU Cooler Zalman CNPS 9500 AT 38 EUROS
PSU Enermax MODU82+ 525Watt 1x120mm 97EUROS
HDD SATA 1000GB 7200 32MB Samsung HD103UJ 111EUROS
Case THERMALTAKE VF7001BNS DH101 MEDIA LAB BLACK 178EUROS

Maybe the prices are more expensive than what you find at the States, but here in Europe everything I think is more expensive...

I want the system to be first for HD movies in my Sony 46x3500 and transcoding videos, less for games(I do not play games).. I have an old Yamaha AVR with 5.1 analog input for the audio which I am going to change it in the next 6 months.

Any suggestions or comments ???

Thanks everybody (especially renethx) .... it is a great Thread and I have learned a lot...

A good selection. (Are you thinking of GPU parallel computing? If not, the upcoming HD 4650 may be enough.)



No I am not thinking of a GPU parallel computing, but I don't want to wait for the HD 4650 to be out to the shops... and I could not think of a better choice...

The keyboard is also something that keeps me back to place the order because I do not find the ones that you suggest in page 85 very comfortable... They are big... I am trying to find something smaller with trackball but is difficult.... has anyone seen this (http://www.maxpoint.de/en/products/keyboards.php?pid=1_3_6&we_objectID=796) ???

Thank you for the previous answer... Excellent threat... it has keep me busy for the last months.

No I am not thinking of a GPU parallel computing, but I don't want to wait for the HD 4650 to be out to the shops... and I could not think of a better choice...
The official release date of HD 4650 is September 10th. I don't know if cards are available immediately, however. The best choice for HTPC is HD 4850 right now. HD 4870 is identical with HD 4850 except for higher core/shader clock and GDDR5 that are useful only for gaming; it consumes much more power (40W more than HD 4850, and HD 4850 itself 30W more than HD 4650, at idle!) and costs more.

AFAIK

Fusion Remote Black = Fusion 430 Black - PSU + iMON remote controller.

Newegg lists a Remote Black that has a 350W PSU built in. Is that going to be enough for my system? No dedicated GPU, probably going with the Q6600 processor.

Newegg lists a Remote Black that has a 350W PSU built in. Is that going to be enough for my system? No dedicated GPU, probably going with the Q6600 processor.
It it this case?

http://www.antec.com/images/400/MicroFusion350_Q.jpg

It's Micro Fusion Remote 350 (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15737). Yes, 350W is enough for your system. Check also Antec NSK1480 (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=91480) (no LCD, no remote).

Fusion Remote Black (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15735) I mentioned is a different full-height case:

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4598/fusionremoteblackcm8.png

Hybrid CrossFire is useless in video playback. Precisely speaking, only the GPU to which the display (or AVR) is connected is used for video playback.

The graphics cards supporting Hybrid CrossFire are HD 2400 series and HD 3400 series only.

I see. So the implication is that if I want the primary function to be Video Playback, get a high end graphic card (4650/4670). If primarily for 'putin, then the IGA with a 3400 in a Hybrid Crossfire config is the way to go??

I see. So the implication is that if I want the primary function to be Video Playback, get a high end graphic card (4650/4670). If primarily for 'putin, then the IGA with a 3400 in a Hybrid Crossfire config is the way to go??
Depends on your purpose. For video playback, HD 3300 with Phenom is enough (and 9950 is overkill). For gaming, get HD 3850 or higher and forget about HD 3300 (it's useless). If multichannel LPCM matters for you, then get HD 4650 or HD 4850.

3D performance:

4650 < 4670 < 3850 < 3870 < 4850 < 4870 < 4870 X2

what is the difference between 9850 black edition and 9850 non black edition?

what is the difference between 9850 black edition and 9850 non black edition?
Multiplier is unlocked both upward and downward in BE, while it is unlocked only downward in non-BE.

Quick question: does a Geforce 7600gs have enough muscle to do decent post-processing on 1080i MPEG2?

I've got one laying around. Otherwise, I'd buy an 8600GT.

I would like to purchase the parts for my new HTPC today but would like some final advice/tips. If you have a minute, could someone look over this list and let me know what they think:

http:// secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8326331&WishListTitle=Matt's

it is just going to be used for blue ray playback (will have to buy the blue ray a bit later), and other media like pictures and music.

Will it remiain cool enough on the stock HS?
will it all fit? :)
will it hook up easily to my receiver (plan to use the optical cable)?
I have an vista OEM 32bit edition, will it install correctly (some reviewers said they needed vista w/sp1 to install the OS)

one more thing.... will that cheap DVD drive output 1080i to my tv through the HDMI output? Sorry, I don't know much about HD coming from a computer and if it is the drive that upconverts or the video drivers.... Thanks

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=8326331&WishListTitle=Matt's

- Hard drive space...you can never have enough and 500GB is just a few bucks more than that 250GB.
- Might as well get a DVD burner for ~ $6-7 more. I recommend the Samsung SH 202/203 series.
- The stock HSF will be fine, but others will be cooler and quieter.

one more thing.... will that cheap DVD drive output 1080i to my tv through the HDMI output?Yep. Its nothing to do with the drive, though.

I might consider a Geforce 8200/8300 chipset based board instead. I've read about lots of weird issues with the 780G not initializing the HDMI port after you turn your TV off and back on with the computer running.

- Might as well get a DVD burner for ~ $6-7 more. I recommend the Samsung SH 202/203 series.
While you're at it, might as well go with SATA. Right now, there's barely (if any) price premium for SATA optical drives. You'll be glad you did especially in a case as tiny as yours. The Sony drive you selected is $26.24 ($17.99 + $8.25 ship). For the same price, you can find several SATA DVD burners w/free shipping.

Quick question: does a Geforce 7600gs have enough muscle to do decent post-processing on 1080i MPEG2?

I've got one laying around. Otherwise, I'd buy an 8600GT.
No, 7600 GS is poor in deinterlacing.

Does anyone know if the Asus P5Q-EM supports Dolby Home Theater/DTS Connect. It has the Realtek ALC1200 about which I am not able to find much info, but it seems to be as new as the ALC889 chipsets which do support these features.

As my receiver has no HDMI, I would want to be able to get all audio as digital 5.1 from the HTPC and just use 1 connection, and these technologies seem to be the best for that. Or are there any alternatives? I know some media players will reencode audio but I really prefer it to be a universal solution.

Does anyone know if the Asus P5Q-EM supports Dolby Home Theater/DTS Connect. It has the Realtek ALC1200 about which I am not able to find much info, but it seems to be as new as the ALC889 chipsets which do support these features.

As my receiver has no HDMI, I would want to be able to get all audio as digital 5.1 from the HTPC and just use 1 connection, and these technologies seem to be the best for that. Or are there any alternatives? I know some media players will reencode audio but I really prefer it to be a universal solution.

Yes it does support dolby surround from what I understand. I haven't ordered it yet, and I'm not an expert either. I am planning on getting this motherboard with my nMediaPC case

While you're at it, might as well go with SATA. Right now, there's barely (if any) price premium for SATA optical drives. You'll be glad you did especially in a case as tiny as yours. The Sony drive you selected is $26.24 ($17.99 + $8.25 ship). For the same price, you can find several SATA DVD burners w/free shipping.

CRAP. I already put the order in and completely missed the fact that I chose an IDE drive.... I have been using sata drives on my PCs for so long that I forgot they even used IDE anymore...... trying to convince newegg to reverse it now :) haha I feel dumb, oh well
maybe i will just take my DVD drive out of my computer for now and place the basic IDE one in it instead... haven't burned many DVD's lately anyway....

Rene can you have a look at the system I choose:

Case
Thermaltake VF7001BNS

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4

Cpu / Cooler
AMD Phenom X4 9550
Scythe Mine SCMN-1100

Memory
Kingston ValueRAM KVR800D2N5K2/2G 2GB (2x 1GB) DDR2

PSU
Corsair CMPSU-450VX

Optical disc
Lite-On DH-4O1S

Hard drive
Western Digital Caviar GP WD10EACS, 1TB

TV card / CAM
FloppyDTV C
Alphacrypt 3.05 classic

OS
Windows Vista Premium 32 bit

I am going to underclock the processor, see hxxp://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3344&p=6

Does the HD4650 has any advantages for video quality (deinterlacing) (UVD2 versus UVD+)? Is hybryd crossfire possible with the HD4650? I am not interested at the LPCM at this moment. I will connect my receiver to this media center with SPDIF. Will I always get 5.1 sound?

When SSD disk are cheaper I want to buy one and make that one my OS disk. In the near future I probably buy 2 more 1 TB disk for Raid 5. Hmmm... I see the case has only 3x 3.5". My preferred setup doesn't fit the case. Does anyone know a case with a maximum height of 16.5 cm? It has to fit a furniture with a 17 cm height.

Does the cooler fit the case? Does all components fit in the case? First system I choose from components...and first htpc.....

Thanks for all the info so far!

It it this case?

http://www.antec.com/images/400/MicroFusion350_Q.jpg

It's Micro Fusion Remote 350 (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15737). Yes, 350W is enough for your system. Check also Antec NSK1480 (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=91480) (no LCD, no remote).

Fusion Remote Black (http://www.antec.com/us/productDetails.php?ProdID=15735) I mentioned is a different full-height case:

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/4598/fusionremoteblackcm8.png

This makes sense now. Apparently I confused these two with my last inquiry on Fusion Black Remote on being 350w ps and having different fans. I didn't realize there was a new fusion 430 with remote, as well as the Micro Fusion.

Does anyone know if the Asus P5Q-EM supports Dolby Home Theater/DTS Connect.

Or are there any alternatives?
No, P5Q-EM does not support either of them.

Currently there is only three microATX motherboards that support either of them.

- GA-MA78GM-S2H: DTS Connect
- GA-MA78GPM-DS2H: Dolby Home Theater
- Intel DG45ID: Dolby Home Theater

Perhaps DG45ID is the best choice (and the only choice in the Intel platform).

Rene can you have a look at the system I choose:

Case
Thermaltake VF7001BNS

Motherboard
Gigabyte GA-MA790GP-DS4

Cpu / Cooler
AMD Phenom X4 9550
Scythe Mine SCMN-1100

Memory
Kingston ValueRAM KVR800D2N5K2/2G 2GB (2x 1GB) DDR2

PSU
Corsair CMPSU-450VX

Optical disc
Lite-On DH-4O1S

Hard drive
Western Digital Caviar GP WD10EACS, 1TB

TV card / CAM
FloppyDTV C
Alphacrypt 3.05 classic

OS
Windows Vista Premium 32 bit

I am going to underclock the processor, see hxxp://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3344&p=6

Does the HD4650 has any advantages for video quality (deinterlacing) (UVD2 versus UVD+)? Is hybryd crossfire possible with the HD4650? I am not interested at the LPCM at this moment. I will connect my receiver to this media center with SPDIF. Will I always get 5.1 sound?

When SSD disk are cheaper I want to buy one and make that one my OS disk. In the near future I probably buy 2 more 1 TB disk for Raid 5. Hmmm... I see the case has only 3x 3.5". My preferred setup doesn't fit the case. Does anyone know a case with a maximum height of 16.5 cm? It has to fit a furniture with a 17 cm height.

Does the cooler fit the case? Does all components fit in the case? First system I choose from components...and first htpc.....

Thanks for all the info so far!
A good selection except that Mine won't fit the case (the cooler is 150mm, the case height is 153.5mm).

For video playback, HD 3300+Phenom is equivalent to HD 4650/4850. The mb supports Dolby Home Theater. So you don't need a discrete card. BTW HD 4650 does not support Hybrid CrossFire. The reason is clear:

The number of stream processors:
HD 3200/3300: 40
HD 4650: 320
Total: 360

Improvement by Hybrid CrossFire would be almost negligible in real world applications (i.e. games). Rather there would be lots of complaints from users that there is no real performance gain. In addition, Hybrid CrossFire is useless in video playback (only the GPU the display is connected to is used in video playback).

There are a bunch of ATX cases (in particular SilverStone) with height less than 165mm. See my case list.

Let me start by thanking you a million!

A good selection except that Mine won't fit the case (the cooler is 150mm, the case height is 153.5mm).

The new configuration will have a Scythe Ninja Mini as cooler. Good choice?

....
There are a bunch of ATX cases (in particular SilverStone) with height less than 165mm. See my case list.
Can you give me a link..... Found it: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972#Case :)

Let me start by thanking you a million!


The new configuration will have a Scythe Ninja Mini as cooler. Good choice?


Can you give me a link?
Ninja Mini is good.

SilverStone LC10M (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_spec.php?pno=lc10m&area=usa), LC10, LC13, LC03, LC01.

nMEDIAPC HTPC 2000B (http://www.nmediapc.com/htpc2000.htm#2), 167mm (released soon)

Lian-Li PC-C32B (http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=263&cl_index=1&sc_index=26&ss_index=68), 167mm

Lian-Li PC-C30B (http://www.xpcgear.com/pcc30b.html), 167mm (released soon)

Ninja Mini is good.

SilverStone LC10M (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_spec.php?pno=lc10m&area=usa), LC10, LC13, LC03, LC01.

nMEDIAPC HTPC 2000B (http://www.nmediapc.com/htpc2000.htm#2), 167mm (released soon)

Lian-Li PC-C32B (http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=263&cl_index=1&sc_index=26&ss_index=68), 167mm

Lian-Li PC-C30B (http://www.xpcgear.com/pcc30b.html), 167mm (released soon)

Thank you for contribute those cases. I want a VFD and there are only two with that: lc03v and nMEDIAPC HTPC 2000B. I wonder if the nMEDIAPC HTPC 2000B will be available in The Netherlands. No (known) store has any products of this manufacture. I don't like the looks of the lc03v.

# Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AMD 780G chipset microATX
...

Now the htpc won't even boot.
No POST. No Video.
It happened before, and leaving only one stick of ram did the trick to bring it back from the dead.
But not now.
So, i'm sick of troubleshooting. And the wife is about to go berzerk.
I need to get this working 100%. All the time.



On Newegg, there are A LOT of similar complaints about this board ... If you RMA the board, you should get the new revision back.


Returned the board to NCIX.
35$ for shipping.

Guess what?

They returned another Rev.1.0 board... USED.
I'm f'ing pissed.

They really dropped it this time.

I thought this would be the place to ask...

I am going to change this motherboard (690G) to at least a 790GX or an 790FX with the better southbridge but that depends on product release and the itch to make upgrades.

In any event, both boards have a rear e-SATA port where the Gigabyte board I have only has front support since the case I use does. I was thinking about a 4/5 bay case without an e-SATA card because I'll just use the rear port on the back of the board.

What case would you recommend that doesn't come with a SATA card?

Any drive recommendations?

Thanks

I am going to change this motherboard (690G) to at least a 790GX or an 790FX with the better southbridge but that depends on product release and the itch to make upgrades.

In any event, both boards have a rear e-SATA port where the Gigabyte board I have only has front support since the case I use does. I was thinking about a 4/5 bay case without an e-SATA card because I'll just use the rear port on the back of the board.

What case would you recommend that doesn't come with a SATA card?

Any drive recommendations?
"both boards have a rear e-SATA port": Which motherboards are you referring to? Knowing the SATA controller chip is important, because: If you don't use a SATA controller card, then the only possible way to connect the rear eSATA port to 4-5 HDDs is port multiplier (PM), and the (e)SATA controller must support PM and the PM card in the drive case must be compatible with the controller.

Hi, does the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H rear e-sata port support 4-5 hdd bay case?

Hi, does the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H rear e-sata port support 4-5 hdd bay case?
No. The rear eSATA port is connected to SB700 which does not support PM, hence eSATA does not support 4-5 HDDs.

hello everybody, what a great thread!

renethx, i have taken a look at your MicroATX System Feature Comparison and now I have a question:

Which one of the following two systems is better for post-processing of SD- and HD-contents (and deinterlacing 1080i material)?

a.) 780G + Phenom X3 8450
b.) 780G + Athlon X2 4850e + HD4350/HD4550/HD46XX

What do you think, will there be any differences?
I am not interested in the sound features of the HD4XXX series, because i am going to connect my htpc to my A/V Receiver via S/PDIF . I just wonder if the dGPU of system b.) would be worth the extra money.

I just want to have maximum picture quality on my SAMSUNG LE46A656.

Greetings,
CheckersAlfons

hello everybody, what a great thread!

renethx, i have taken a look at your MicroATX System Feature Comparison and now I have a question:

Which one of the following two systems is better for post-processing of SD- and HD-contents (and deinterlacing 1080i material)?

a.) 780G + Phenom X3 8450
b.) 780G + Athlon X2 4850e + HD4350/HD4550/HD46XX

What do you think, will there be any differences?
I am not interested in the sound features of the HD4XXX series, because i am going to connect my htpc to my A/V Receiver via S/PDIF . I just wonder if the dGPU of system b.) would be worth the extra money.

I just want to have maximum picture quality on my SAMSUNG LE46A656.
Assuming post-processing of HD 4650 is the same as HD 4850 (need to confirm), 4650+Athlon is better than 3200+Phenom. Post-processing of 4350/4550 is unknown, but is expected to be better than 3450.

Post 3

Hey everyone!

I did a quick search on the forum for this and couldn't find it. Y'all might like it.

http://www.antec.com/us/pro_en_Veris.php

Assuming post-processing of HD 4650 is the same as HD 4850 (need to confirm), 4650+Athlon is better than 3200+Phenom. Post-processing of 4350/4550 is unknown, but is expected to be better than 3450.

Renethx, thank you for your quick reply.

This is the list of all components I am going to buy:
Case: Antec Fusion Remote
PSU: Seasonic S12II 330W ATX 2.2
MB: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H, 780G
CPU: AMD Athlon X2 4850e Sockel-AM2 boxed, 2x 2.50GHz, 2x 512kB Cache
CPU-Cooler: Scythe Ninja mini
RAM: 2GB DDR2-800
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Green 1000GB SATA II
DVD: I have one at home
TV-Tuner: Technisat SkyStar HD2 PCI

I'll wait for some passive-cooled Versions of HD4650/4670, and if post-processing is the same as of HD4850, I will buy one additionally.

Renethx, according to your MicroATX System Feature Comparison, a Phenom X4 + 780G + HD4850 is excellent in post-processing of both SD and HD contents. What about my possible combo: Athlon X2 + 780G +HD46XX? Is the CPU to weak for excellent post-processing? By the way: What are HD HQV scores?

To be honest, my favorite combination would be a 45nm Intel CPU (E5200/E7200)+ AMD HD4650, but it seems that Intel mainboards are more expensive because I did not find a mainboard that costs about the same as the GA-MA78GM and also has optical audio out and is microATX.

A GA-MA78GM for Intel CPU's would be perfect :rolleyes:

Renethx, according to your MicroATX System Feature Comparison, a Phenom X4 + 780G + HD4850 is excellent in post-processing of both SD and HD contents. What about my possible combo: Athlon X2 + 780G +HD46XX? Is the CPU to weak for excellent post-processing? By the way: What are HD HQV scores?

To be honest, my favorite combination would be a 45nm Intel CPU (E5200/E7200)+ AMD HD4650, but it seems that Intel mainboards are more expensive because I did not find a mainboard that costs about the same as the GA-MA78GM and also has optical audio out and is microATX.

A GA-MA78GM for Intel CPU's would be perfect :rolleyes:
Athlon X2 + 780G +HD46XX should be equivalent to Phenom X4 + 780G + HD4850 in video playback, in particular post-processing. The latter high-end system is good for some gaming and CPU-intensive tasks such as transcoding. You will get near perfect HQV/HD HQV scores in either system.

Intel G45 chipset mb + E5200/E7300 is another good system. HQV/HD HQV scores are near perfect (except HD Denoise which does not work). G45 motherboards are surely expensive compared with 780G. Both P5Q-EM and DG45ID are good in particular in low power consumption.

"both boards have a rear e-SATA port": Which motherboards are you referring to? Knowing the SATA controller chip is important, because: If you don't use a SATA controller card, then the only possible way to connect the rear eSATA port to 4-5 HDDs is port multiplier (PM), and the (e)SATA controller must support PM and the PM card in the drive case must be compatible with the controller.

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=DKA790GX_Platinum&class=mb

MSI DKA790GX Platinum

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=DKA790GX_Platinum&class=mb

MSI DKA790GX Platinum
The eSATA port is connected to SB750 which does not support PM.

There might be a chance that SiI4726 (can be connected to a non-PM aware port) work with SB700/SB750 (compatibility list (http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/DOC-002000-451_SteelVineCompatibility_REV_10.pdf)). See my DAS - AMS DS-2350S (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=85#DAS). If it does not work, you can use the bundled SiI3132 SATA controller PCIe x1 card.

# OS: One of the following.

* Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 (either 32-bit or 64-bit edition), $110 (OEM), $220 (retail).
* Windows Vista Ultimate Service Pack 1 (either 32-bit or 64-bit edition), $170 (32-bit OEM), $190 (64-bit OEM), $295 (retail).

Lies. Vista is actually a worse choice for a HTPC than XP. Vista hogs all your resources. Please find me one thing you'd want a HTPC to do that XP Pro won't do.

Secondly,

I have a PC with a CPU well under your requirements and it does everything I need very well.

Lies. Vista is actually a worse choice for a HTPC than XP. Vista hogs all your resources. Please find me one thing you'd want a HTPC to do that XP Pro won't do.

Secondly,

I have a PC with a CPU well under your requirements and it does everything I need very well.

Please include the thread/user referenced in your quotes (you appear to have edited them out). I agree that Vista is a hog and don't know why anyone would want or need it. I am currently trying to see what it takes to allow my Windows 2K server (not 2003) to support Blu Ray playback so I am not even an XP fan myself...

Lies. Vista is actually a worse choice for a HTPC than XP. Vista hogs all your resources.

Really? Which resources?

Been away from this forum for about a month (new baby!) so naturally Im completely out of date.

Looking to build an HTPC and want the best quality blu ray and HDtv quality available for IGP. Last I heard the 760g + phenom had best all around picture but with only 2 channel audio over hdmi. 8200 had 7.1 LPCM but not as good interlacing. We were all anxiously awaiting the G45 which would hopefully have just as good video/interlacing as well as 7.1 LPCM goodness.

I see its out now, read the forum for one of them but havent heard anything definitive...Is the g45 the 760G 8200 killer?

Looking to build an HTPC and want the best quality blu ray and HDtv quality available for IGP. Last I heard the 760g + phenom had best all around picture but with only 2 channel audio over hdmi. 8200 had 7.1 LPCM but not as good interlacing. We were all anxiously awaiting the G45 which would hopefully have just as good video/interlacing as well as 7.1 LPCM goodness.

I see its out now, read the forum for one of them but havent heard anything definitive...Is the g45 the 760G 8200 killer?
G45 blows away both 780G (requires Phenom [power hungry] for good post-processing; 2 Ch. LPCM only) and 8200 (video is weak; no support for 5.1 Ch LPCM yet).

G45 blows away both 780G (requires Phenom [power hungry] for good post-processing; 2 Ch. LPCM only) and 8200 (video is weak; no support for 5.1 Ch LPCM yet).

Wow, thats a ringing endorsement! Can I ask if the recommended system will now change to the G45? I see the micro-atx is still 760G. What exactly is disadvantage (if any) to the G45? All I can see is that its a little more expensive.

Wow, thats a ringing endorsement! Can I ask if the recommended system will now change to the G45? I see the micro-atx is still 760G. What exactly is disadvantage (if any) to the G45? All I can see is that its a little more expensive.
See my signature for the latest recommendations.

Cons:

- Pricey
- Repeater problem (if you use AVR, you get HDCP error; direct connection to TV is no problem); this is a problem on the software player side. A patch for TMT will be released soon. PDVD will follow soon (hopefully). So this will not be a big problem.
- BD playback at 24Hz is not good yet.

renethx
In this Intel blog (http://softwareblogs.intel.com/2008/08/14/welcome-to-g45-better-but-still-imperfect/)
The conclusion has me a bit vexed.
Is he saying the G45 chipset cannot transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA?!

Thanks, O knowledgeable master!

renethx
In this Intel blog (http://softwareblogs.intel.com/2008/08/14/welcome-to-g45-better-but-still-imperfect/)
The conclusion has me a bit vexed.
Is he saying the G45 chipset cannot transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA?!
Yes. archibael also said at several posts that G45 chipset cannot transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA.

The eSATA port is connected to SB750 which does not support PM.

There might be a chance that SiI4726 (can be connected to a non-PM aware port) work with SB700/SB750 (compatibility list (http://www.siliconimage.com/docs/DOC-002000-451_SteelVineCompatibility_REV_10.pdf)). See my DAS - AMS DS-2350S (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=85#DAS). If it does not work, you can use the bundled SiI3132 SATA controller PCIe x1 card.

Of course I could use the PCIx1.....

Oh well just an idea.

Yes. archibael also said at several posts that G45 chipset cannot transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA.

Huh?

#1 - that blog, while recent, is using ancient drivers (15.8). Those were before the G45-specific stuff was even added, back in 15.9. We're up to 15.11 now.

#2 - The G45 does support PAP. So that means all it needs is a software player (like TMT), and you can bitstream TrueHD and DTS-MA. Unlike the 4850 which apparently has no PAP.

So this is just completely wrong. Right now there is no TrueHD/DTS-MA support for anything, but come later this week the Asus Xonar will support it, because TMT is being released to support it. The G45 shouldn't be far behind.

Don't trust bloggers, for goodness sake.

Yes. archibael also said at several posts that G45 chipset cannot transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA.

I don't think I said anything that categorical. It would result in a diminishment in my reputation for being vague and using weasel words to get around saying things plainly. :)

That blog puts it as bluntly as you'll probably get it, though: if it's not advertised as being able to bitstream, it probably doesn't bitstream. I'd think Marketing would have loved to be able to advertise that kind of capability (though they never said boo about HDMI multichannel audio, so what do I know?).

I don't think I said anything that categorical. It would result in a diminishment in my reputation for being vague and using weasel words to get around saying things plainly. :)

That blog puts it as bluntly as you'll probably get it, though: if it's not advertised as being able to bitstream, it probably doesn't bitstream. I'd think Marketing would have loved to be able to advertise that kind of capability (though they never said boo about HDMI multichannel audio, so what do I know?).

HDMI can bitstream, so the G45 can bitstream. It's simply about the PAVP, which the G45 advertises as having.

If Intel is too lazy to work with the software players to get them to support their G45 PAVP, then they will lose all credibility in the HTPC space. I'd be shocked, but not totally surprised, if they abandoned yet another platform.

But let's not pretend this has anything to do with a technical limitation of the G45, since it doesn't. This is entirely about Intel willing to form the right partnerships or not. If they can't get it done with the G45, they can't be trusted to ever get it done.

Fool me once (G35), shame on you... Fool me twice (G45), shame on you.

Let's see how this plays out. And later this week, I'm buying at least one Xonar. Perhaps I need to just do everything as a 4*50 + Xonar from here on out, and get non-IGP (non-Intel) motherboards.

Today's post in that blog highlights what we know--great work renethx!

Huh?
Please don't quote my post. I just answered the question if the blogger is saying that the G45 chipset cannot transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA or not. The answer is apparently 'yes'.

So this is just completely wrong.

It's not me who wrote this "completely wrong" blog. :) You quoted the wrong post.

I don't think I said anything that categorical.



Categorical or not, what you said in the past are (in the chronological order; all of them influenced my thinking, good or bad :)):

Having read the manual, and there being no mention of TrueHD and DTS HD MA (which I am pretty sure Marketing would be crowing about), I'm thinking bitstream will wait for the next generation.

http://softwarecommunity.intel.com/articles/eng/1488.htm

Lists all the G4x models as possessing PAVP.

No clue on bitstreaming, though I'm warning you: I wouldn't hold my breath. Everything I've seen in this generation talks about 8-channel LPCM.

I would bet against the G45 having bitstreaming; the Auzentech supposedly will.

PAVP means it should be able to pass >16bit,48kHz LPCM audio undownrezzed if the software allows.

Bitstream is yet another add-on which is not guaranteed by either PAVP or HDMI 1.3, contrary to popular belief. They are both necessary, but not sufficient, to guarantee that functionality.

The G45 supports PAVP, but I've seen no indication yet that it supports bitstreaming.

Not trying to be a wet blanket, but to minimize possible disappointment, I'd make my decisions based on what the motherboards actually do or are promised to do in the foreseeable future.

So, I am using the Asus 8200, and the DVD playback and SD playback in general is subpar. I am using a low power system running on a PicoPSU 120, so I don't have a ton of leeway. I was going to add a 9400GT or 9500gt if I could get away with it. Would using either of those to transmit the video portion to the TV improve the quality of the DVD's? I'd still run the audio from the board's HDMI to the Onkyo 606 receiver for the 8ch LPCM thats working flawlessly.

Would I see an improvment over the 8200's quality?

This is an update on my much older post. I did give up on the slot-A Athlon effort because of a number of complications. Here is what I now have and it appears to provide very good playback (no jitters, breaks, etc) but...
Previously Owned items (Zero cost):
ATX Case and 350W Power Supply
768MB of Kingston PC2700/333MHz DDR memory
189GB IDE HD
Floppy
37-inch LG 37LG50 (capable of native 1080p)
20-inch SONY MultiSync Monitor (native 1080p through VGA port)
Keyboard, Mouse, etc
Note: I am currently running these are dual displays but running
the LCD isolated by itself as the single display provides identical
results as outlined below so it appears that the GPU doesn't
particular "care" if it has to handle one display or spread the
video details across the two screens (in either mode, the BluRay
playback ONLY occurs on the 1080p LCD).

Purchased Items:
Goal3+ motherboard with Sempron 3000+ processor (~$45)
Radeon Sapphire HD 3650 with 512MB DDR2 (~$55)
Sony BDU-X10S BluRay player ($125 via promotions & credits)

So as you can see, the total cost is just over $200 and about 4 hours of time getting the right drivers loaded. I also had to move from Windows 2000 server to XP Home in order for the drivers to work (I have not been able to get the W2K drivers on the Radeon website to work...yet). So (for the meantime), I have set the W2K platform aside on a separate set of older SCSI RAID-5 drives if I want to continue to pursue that part of the effort again in the future.

It should be noted that I also use this platform to run a Cinemar HTPC operating platform that controls not only my Home Theater but also the Whole House audio, home intercom and telephone integration functions. For the purposes of these results Cinemar was not running.

I also have a front projector system in the Home Theater room that will also accept a component video input that I plan on routing this signal through once these details have been worked out. I plan to be able to select either the LG 1080p or the front projector depending on if I want the movie to show in either the office or the HT. Showing in both might be a neat idea but I am (fairly certain) that is not a capability of this video board at this time and choosing one of the other is really no problem as they are on separate interfaces anyway (LCD is connected via a DVI-to-HDMI cable).

Only the PowerDVD application was running along with XP Task Manager and the ATI Catalyst Control Center application. Windows Task Manager shows CPU usage between 77% and 95% with only periodic peaks hitting 100%. Catalyst ATI Overdrive monitor shows GPU actively only around 20% with GPU temp under 50-degrees with an optimized settings of 725/515 (GPU/Memory respectively) via the automated "auto-tune" feature in that software.

Here are my concerns:
1) The PowerDVD application has been "patched" (upgraded in ATI terminology) but I have not paid for any audio upgrades. I've read somewhere on here that we can download a foreign version for free that does this but then that same thread also clearly states "after you have paid for it..." so that has me concerned that the only way to get 5:1 audio for this application is by spending more $'s (which I would like to avoid because I feel that an application capable of playing BluRay's should NATIVELY support the accompanying audio and not be a "crippled" version designed to force the general public into buying what might otherwise be an inferior product). So my first question to this board is...Can I get the enhanced audio capabilities for the PowerDVD application without spending any more $'s on that application or if I HAVE to spend the $'s, which application would be the best to spend them on (Please keep in mind that I have a Yamaha RV-V2400 which has Coax and optical S/PDIF inputs only and can play 5.1 or 7.1 from that interface). Also please keep in mind that I don't need (nor want) any type of HDMI-embedded audio for this application.

2) Whenever the PowerDVD application starts, it states in a PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION pop-up window "For smooth high quality video play back, click Yes. Your display resolution will be temporarily lowered until you stop the video." Of course, I click NO because I do not want it lowered and it "appears" to play just fine and the resolution does appear to be 1080p. Why does PowerDVD give me this "apparently bogus" message? Is this another factor of it being a "crippled application" that comes with the Sony BD drive? Is there some 3rd-party "tool" application I should run to verify that 1080p IS being run when this movie plays?

3) This is probably the most important question out of all of these... I thought that the Radeon 3650 card was "suppose" to have the capacity to off-load the video demands from the motherboard's CPU. Seeing as how the GPU is only running about 20% and the motherboard CPU is nearly slammed, this does not appear to be occurring in my case. Rather, it appears that the Radeon's GPU is only "assisting" the motherboards own processor. Is this occurring due to my error in configuring the playback software? Is is occurring because of the crippled PowerDVD application? Is it occurring because a certain chipset (north or southbridge) is required on the motherboard that this motherboard doesn't posses? If so, I can understand that and could upgrade to one of the lower-end recommended systems on this thread but the last thing I would want to do would be to spend more $'s on a different MB/CPU solution and then STILL see the GPU itself not running any faster due to that additional cost. As I said, it "appears" to playback as it is at the required 1080p level.

Thanks in advance for your educated guidance.

renethx,

I can't tell if this is covered between this thread and the G45 mini-ITX thread. But will we be seeing a mini-ITX version in your recommended systems list? Or basically just take the micro-ATX G45 component list and pack it in a mini-ITX form factor?

i want to know if it matters or not if i plug hdmi cable to tv from the onboard hdmi. ( or just use dvi/hdmi cable ) i want to know which cable has more color if i want to watch tv with it.

So, I am using the Asus 8200, and the DVD playback and SD playback in general is subpar. I am using a low power system running on a PicoPSU 120, so I don't have a ton of leeway. I was going to add a 9400GT or 9500gt if I could get away with it. Would using either of those to transmit the video portion to the TV improve the quality of the DVD's? I'd still run the audio from the board's HDMI to the Onkyo 606 receiver for the 8ch LPCM thats working flawlessly.

Would I see an improvment over the 8200's quality?
Recently I ran HQV Benchmark. 8200 is surely not excellent in DVD playback (but AMD 780G is not either). Let me do more tests (Hybrid SLI, Hybrid CrossFire, and discrete cards) to find the best and cheapest SD solution.

Here are my concerns:
1) The PowerDVD application has been "patched" (upgraded in ATI terminology) but I have not paid for any audio upgrades. I've read somewhere on here that we can download a foreign version for free that does this but then that same thread also clearly states "after you have paid for it..." so that has me concerned that the only way to get 5:1 audio for this application is by spending more $'s (which I would like to avoid because I feel that an application capable of playing BluRay's should NATIVELY support the accompanying audio and not be a "crippled" version designed to force the general public into buying what might otherwise be an inferior product). So my first question to this board is...Can I get the enhanced audio capabilities for the PowerDVD application without spending any more $'s on that application or if I HAVE to spend the $'s, which application would be the best to spend them on (Please keep in mind that I have a Yamaha RV-V2400 which has Coax and optical S/PDIF inputs only and can play 5.1 or 7.1 from that interface). Also please keep in mind that I don't need (nor want) any type of HDMI-embedded audio for this application.

2) Whenever the PowerDVD application starts, it states in a PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION pop-up window "For smooth high quality video play back, click Yes. Your display resolution will be temporarily lowered until you stop the video." Of course, I click NO because I do not want it lowered and it "appears" to play just fine and the resolution does appear to be 1080p. Why does PowerDVD give me this "apparently bogus" message? Is this another factor of it being a "crippled application" that comes with the Sony BD drive? Is there some 3rd-party "tool" application I should run to verify that 1080p IS being run when this movie plays?

3) This is probably the most important question out of all of these... I thought that the Radeon 3650 card was "suppose" to have the capacity to off-load the video demands from the motherboard's CPU. Seeing as how the GPU is only running about 20% and the motherboard CPU is nearly slammed, this does not appear to be occurring in my case. Rather, it appears that the Radeon's GPU is only "assisting" the motherboards own processor. Is this occurring due to my error in configuring the playback software? Is is occurring because of the crippled PowerDVD application? Is it occurring because a certain chipset (north or southbridge) is required on the motherboard that this motherboard doesn't posses? If so, I can understand that and could upgrade to one of the lower-end recommended systems on this thread but the last thing I would want to do would be to spend more $'s on a different MB/CPU solution and then STILL see the GPU itself not running any faster due to that additional cost. As I said, it "appears" to playback as it is at the required 1080p level.
1) AFAIK, PowerDVD OEM supports 2 Ch. LPCM and DD/DTS pass-through. (It can't decode DD/DTS or any other HD audio format to multichannel LPCM.) So if you use S/PDIF and choose "S/PDIF" in PowerDVD, you can still get surround sounds (let RV-V2400 decode DD/DTS).

2) I haven't seen such a message (OEM or retail). Is your LCD HDCP-compliant?

3) A single-core 1.8GHz is slightly underpowered for BD playback even if HA by GPU works. 95% CPU usage is normal. 20% GPU usage is the usage of stream processors (3D engine). HA is done in a dedicated hardware decoder independent of stream processors. Do you see any stuttering? If no, you shouldn't care about CPU/GPU usage. If yes, you may want to overclock CPU or upgrade CPU/mb.

renethx,

I can't tell if this is covered between this thread and the G45 mini-ITX thread. But will we be seeing a mini-ITX version in your recommended systems list? Or basically just take the micro-ATX G45 component list and pack it in a mini-ITX form factor?
Not at this time. Mini-ITX HTPC is not a prime time yet (hard to find good mini-ITX cases, only three mbs with HA and for desktop processors).

If you want it, buy DG45FC and put it in a mini-ITX case (with at least 150W PSU).

i want to know if it matters or not if i plug hdmi cable to tv from the onboard hdmi. ( or just use dvi/hdmi cable ) i want to know which cable has more color if i want to watch tv with it.
Connecting the onboard HDMI port to TV is no problem. I don't think HDMI cable matters unless you extends it to more than 15 feet (5 m). But I could be wrong.

Not at this time. Mini-ITX HTPC is not a prime time yet (hard to find good mini-ITX cases, only three mbs with HA and for desktop processors).

If you want it, buy DG45FC and put it in a mini-ITX case (with at least 150W PSU).

Thanks for the feedback. While I really would like the small form factor of mini-ITX, it seems to me the G45 is only barely ready for prime time. Guess I'll wait and see what the 4650 delivers first.

Hi All,

First of all, this thread is an amazing source. Credit to all. Specially the updated advise on page 85 is very helpful and clear. (glad Google found it for me)

I am trying hard to go through all info and try to understand but every time i think i cracked it, i start doubting if i am looking at the correct motherboard for my intended purpose.
Can someone shed some light pls. and advise.

I want to build a itx based 24/7 system that i want to use for my HTPC activities:

1. playing divx, xvid, 720p material over HDMI with sound, to my 42" LCD TV 1080p native. (Currently i use a linksys extender but want dedicated htpc for livingroom.)
I prefer one HDMI line for sound and vision because i use a Pioneer HDMI switch (PDA-V100HD) for source selection into my TV, saves me a lot of hassle with running multiple cable from various equipment to my tv hanging on the wall. My tv is a philips 42pfl9703 and for sound i use a Philips soundbar HTS8140, nice and clean and easy solution.

2. run Vista and Media Center for playing music through onboard digital out compu into my digi in soundbar. basically play my mp3 playlists.

3. perform basic computer tasks like looking up email, webbrowsing etc. No heavy office work, i have a separate dedicated rig for that in my study.

4. In the same case i will build a secondary high end game computer for gaming only. This will be atx based. Component choice is sorted and ready for order.

5. itx board must have IR hookup capacity, will use MCE remote and gyration mouse.

6. processor no problem but prefer 45 Watt tech. for power and cooling reasons. I probably go for a strong processor with overcapacity.

7. ITX board must also be able to provide dual independent output through onboard to my 1080p LCD TV and a 800x600 native 10.4" touchscreen LCD. TV must have HDMI in and touchscreen has VGA connection only. I will use the touchscreen for navigation and display of info from the ITX computer like temps, fanspeeds, email and skype standby etc. while playing movies on TV.

8. I need at least 4 SATA HD to be controlled by the ITX, 3 will be used for media data storage and 1 disk for ops system and programs.

9. I will not record TV on the computer, i have a hd recorder for this.

10. the ITX must also have wake up on remote and shut down with remote.

I will control game rig, startup of games etc. with a remote desktop session from the itx. Game rig wake up on LAN. Both computers will be taken into the home network. The game rig will have its own dedicated HDMI connection to TV via the HDMI switch as well as its own dedicated keyboard and mouse.

My case is a Thermaltake Mozart XT, plenty of space for two rigs and room to play.
If the ITX solution is not feasible i will measure the mozart when it arrives this week, to see if i can modify for miniATX motherboard, but want to aim for an ITX solution first.

Can anyone advise which ITX boards can be used for above described wishlist.
Do i ask to much and should i look for mini ATX solution or is it possible with current available ITX mobo's.

I have no preference for AMD nor Intel at this stage.

I looked primarily at the DG45ID intel and the J&W 780 miniITX, couldn't find other itx with relative strong onboard graphics that could hold latest processors.

Best regards,

Danny

Recently I ran HQV Benchmark. 8200 is surely not excellent in DVD playback (but AMD 780G is not either). Let me do more tests (Hybrid SLI, Hybrid CrossFire, and discrete cards) to find the best and cheapest SD solution.

My 780G system was not good either, I certainly remember that. But I do recall the 8600GT system doing a good job. I think I am going to go pickup an 9400 or 9500gt and see if my little 120w PicoPSU can hack it. I'm running a notebook sata HD, BD sata notebook drive, 2 sticks of memory and two fans at 5 volts with the 45w X2 proc. I think it'll be close. Does anyone have power consumption numbers for either the 9400/9500gt?

Further, what is the component of the video card that makes DVD's, SD, HDTV, BD, look better or worse? Memory amount or type? Bandwith? Stream processors? Clock speed? Or Purevideo/UVD?

HDMI can bitstream, so the G45 can bitstream. It's simply about the PAVP, which the G45 advertises as having.


I respectfully disagree. Since the audio part of PAVP is so poorly documented outside of NDA it's hard for any of us to know precisely what is required for the software vendors to feel comfortable enabling bitstreaming. It might need AES encryption/decryption between the northbridge and southbridge... or something else entirely.


Fool me once (G35), shame on you... Fool me twice (G45), shame on you.


I don't really understand this sentiment about G45, since it was never advertised to do bitstreaming, but there's no reason to turn this into a tit-for-tat flamewar, so I'll just disagree with you and leave it at that.


Let's see how this plays out. And later this week, I'm buying at least one Xonar. Perhaps I need to just do everything as a 4*50 + Xonar from here on out, and get non-IGP (non-Intel) motherboards.

Fair enough. I hope you get it to work. I want the best solution, too, so I'll be watching what you buy and how well it seems to function.

Categorical or not, what you said in the past are (in the chronological order; all of them influenced my thinking, good or bad :)):

[a bunch of quotes by me deleted]


Yes, but see how much I struggled to not give a definitive answer? I do that when I don't have any facts I can reveal, just educated guesses. :D

Hi All,

Stumbled on this bmobo: Jetway NC62K, looks like this has all i need.

Does anyone have experience with this one for htpc or do i overlook something?

Regards, danny

I want to build a itx based 24/7 system that i want to use for my HTPC activities:


I looked primarily at the DG45ID intel and the J&W 780 miniITX, couldn't find other itx with relative strong onboard graphics that could hold latest processors.
DG45ID is microATX, J&W 780 mini-ITX. Which form factor are you looking for?

My 780G system was not good either, I certainly remember that. But I do recall the 8600GT system doing a good job. I think I am going to go pickup an 9400 or 9500gt and see if my little 120w PicoPSU can hack it. I'm running a notebook sata HD, BD sata notebook drive, 2 sticks of memory and two fans at 5 volts with the 45w X2 proc. I think it'll be close. Does anyone have power consumption numbers for either the 9400/9500gt?

Further, what is the component of the video card that makes DVD's, SD, HDTV, BD, look better or worse? Memory amount or type? Bandwith? Stream processors? Clock speed? Or Purevideo/UVD?

- 8500 GT -> 9400 GT (renamed)
- 8600 GT -> 9500 GT (renamed)

8500 GT in Hybrid SLI mode is better than 8200 but still not perfect for DVD; you can access full 8 channel LPCM audio, however.

8600 GT is as good as 8600 GTS for DVD playback. But it does not support Hybrid SLI. So if you want to multichannel LPCM, you have to wire video and audio separately. Please read my post Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).

120W is barely enough. During startup, I saw max power around 110W (4850e, 2 x 1GB, 8500 GT, 1 x 3.5" HDD, 1 x BD drive). IMO 150W is minimum for a desktop system (vs mobile system).

Important factors for good DVD/BD playback include: enough number of stream processors (where post-processing is done; 8200, 8400, 8500 are not enough), fast & large local frame buffer (IGP often struggles in this regard), and good driver, in addition to good video decoder. There are two excellent IGP solutions: Intel G45 and AMD 780G+Phenom (near perfect DVD/BD playback/HD deinterlacing).

The upcoming HD 4650 might be a better solution if you want near-perfect DVD/BD playback/HD deinterlacing and multichannel LPCM (with just one HDMI cable).

just one question,

what would be the best tv tuner (PQ wise also) for Vista Media Center if your only use is going to be analog svideo in from a Satellite STB?

Thanks :)

1) AFAIK, PowerDVD OEM supports 2 Ch. LPCM and DD/DTS pass-through. (It can't decode DD/DTS or any other HD audio format to multichannel LPCM.) So if you use S/PDIF and choose "S/PDIF" in PowerDVD, you can still get surround sounds (let RV-V2400 decode DD/DTS).

2) I haven't seen such a message (OEM or retail). Is your LCD HDCP-compliant?

3) A single-core 1.8GHz is slightly underpowered for BD playback even if HA by GPU works. 95% CPU usage is normal. 20% GPU usage is the usage of stream processors (3D engine). HA is done in a dedicated hardware decoder independent of stream processors. Do you see any stuttering? If no, you shouldn't care about CPU/GPU usage. If yes, you may want to overclock CPU or upgrade CPU/mb.

Thanks for the response. I will plan on leveraging the S/PDIF and leave the audio decoding to the receiver.

#2. The LCD is only 2 months old and is fully HDCP as is the 3650 board. I am more than willing to use any of the other players I have worked with in the past. Just figured I would tried to use a common platform this site uses).

#3. I don't see any stuttering unless I try to run other applications on the secondary VGA display at the same time I am running the BD playback on the LCD and since that will never happen under normal operating procedures, I guess I am good with it as is.

I see that I can also dump this Sempron chip and could pick up a 2.2GHz 754-socket Athlon 3200 for about $30 from about 200 vendors on fleebay. If the reason for the heavy load is inherent to the sempron (i.e. may not have separate video threading that the Athlon may posses) then I may consider those few additional $'s if it would (actually) reduce the CPU load. Any advice on that premise?

renethx
Yes. archibael also said at several posts that G45 chipset cannot transmit Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA.

archibael
Since the audio part of PAVP is so poorly documented outside of NDA it's hard for any of us to know precisely what is required for the software vendors to feel comfortable enabling bitstreaming. It might need AES encryption/decryption between the northbridge and southbridge... or something else entirely.

Thanks so much guys. It's obviously a confusing point because I think some of us were hopeful that since the G45 seemed to have everything necessary that it might support bitstreaming with a firmware or software fix, despite archibaels attempts to downgrade our hopes...
So it is up to the sound cards or wait for the next generation for Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA bitstreaming. Possible sound card issues are not exactly far fetched. I can certainly live with lpcm now since my current receiver only supports that, but I am loathe to build for now rather than the future. Of course by the time I need bitstream, surely sound or video cards will have the bugs worked out to do this reliably? Worst case scenario - If I build with this, and then the sound cards and video cards don't pan out as true reliable bitstream solutions that will work with the majority of receivers, etc, well, I would certainly feel hosed...
In any case, renethx and archibael please keep up the superlative work!

I see that I can also dump this Sempron chip and could pick up a 2.2GHz 754-socket Athlon 3200 for about $30 from about 200 vendors on fleebay. If the reason for the heavy load is inherent to the sempron (i.e. may not have separate video threading that the Athlon may posses) then I ma sink a few more dollars into that but only if it would reduce the CPU load. Any advice on that premise?
A 2.2GHz single-core could reduce CPU load to ~75%. But I would first try to overclock Sempron to 2.2GHz or higher (if the mb allows OC).

A 2.2GHz single-core could reduce CPU load to ~75%. But I would first try to overclock Sempron to 2.2GHz or higher (if the mb allows OC).

Thanks. After reading a bit more on the comparisons between the two I noticed that there are "threading" differences between the 754-chip Athlons vs. Semprons. So, I decided to pick up an Athlon 3200 for only another $25 which can take advantage of the southbridge in this motherboard (which the Sempron can't do). This Sempron does support the 64-bit processing so at this point it appears that this and four times more cache in the Athlon will make for a better solution.

"AMD uses HyperTransport 2.0 on all AMD64 CPUs based on sockets 939 and AM2 (except on Sempron CPUs, which continue to use HyperTransport 1.0), however supporting only the lower HT2 speed – in fact AMD was more interested in the PCI Express mapping feature than a higher transfer speed. So, even though these processors are based on HT2 the maximum transfer rate of their HT links are of 4,000 MB/s." Gabriel Torres in "Hardware Secrets"

Using the Gigabyte GA-MA78GPM-DS2H board. Possible to play TrueHD audio through the optical out with this board? I see it doesn't have DTS Connect but something called "Dolby Home Theater"

Using Vista x32 and latest Realtek HD Audio drivers, not the ones on the Gigabyte CD.

I guess a real sound card is the way to go, I'd probably want to go to a full height case first.

For now would like to hear better than 2.0 audio on the discs with TrueHD only.

DG45ID is microATX, J&W 780 mini-ITX. Which form factor are you looking for?

Hi, i am looking for ITX based system, mistake my side meant DG45FC.

The "MINIX™ 780G-SP128MB" from J&W looks promising to me, plenty connections.
Did you evaluate this one.

Regards, Danny

p.s. sound wise i am very easy, not looking for 5.1 or even 7.1 sound, i have no equipment for this anyway.

Using the Gigabyte GA-MA78GPM-DS2H board. Possible to play TrueHD audio through the optical out with this board? I see it doesn't have DTS Connect but something called "Dolby Home Theater"

Using Vista x32 and latest Realtek HD Audio drivers, not the ones on the Gigabyte CD.

I guess a real sound card is the way to go, I'd probably want to go to a full height case first.

For now would like to hear better than 2.0 audio on the discs with TrueHD only.
S/PDIF supports stereo LPCM and Dolby Digital/DTS bitstream. Multichannel LPCM and bistreaming other formats are not supported. Right now bistreaming Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD MA is not supported even through HDMI in the PC environment, you will need new sound cards (Xonar HDAV1.3 and X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1) for this purpose.

Dolby Home Theater includes Dolby Digital Live (real-time encoder to DD) and Dolby Pro Logic IIx (matrixing 2/5.1 channel to 7.1 channel). This is basically equivalent to DTS Connect (DTS Interactive + NEO:PC).

Hi, i am looking for ITX based system, mistake my side meant DG45FC.

The "MINIX™ 780G-SP128MB" from J&W looks promising to me, plenty connections.
Did you evaluate this one.

Regards, Danny

p.s. sound wise i am very easy, not looking for 5.1 or even 7.1 sound, i have no equipment for this anyway.
I recommend:

- Pentium Dual-Core E5200
- Intel DG45FC

that is better than

- Athlon X2 4850e
- J&W MINIX 780G-SP128MB

in terms of cost (where do you find MINIX?, not available in US) and PQ (in particular DVD).

@Renethx,

Thanks, i will focus on DG45FC with the E5200.

I know some people in hong kong i could persuade to buy me a minix if not available soon in europe. Price wise i read around 180-200 euro's. Expensive little bugger but oh so sweet.

Regards, Danny

- 8500 GT -> 9400 GT (renamed)
- 8600 GT -> 9500 GT (renamed)

8500 GT in Hybrid SLI mode is better than 8200 but still not perfect for DVD; you can access full 8 channel LPCM audio, however.

8600 GT is as good as 8600 GTS for DVD playback. But it does not support Hybrid SLI. So if you want to multichannel LPCM, you have to wire video and audio separately. Please read my post Any GeForce graphics card + GeForce 8200 HDMI audio work together perfectly! (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13897618#post13897618).

120W is barely enough. During startup, I saw max power around 110W (4850e, 2 x 1GB, 8500 GT, 1 x 3.5" HDD, 1 x BD drive). IMO 150W is minimum for a desktop system (vs mobile system).

Important factors for good DVD/BD playback include: enough number of stream processors (where post-processing is done; 8200, 8400, 8500 are not enough), fast & large local frame buffer (IGP often struggles in this regard), and good driver, in addition to good video decoder. There are two excellent IGP solutions: Intel G45 and AMD 780G+Phenom (near perfect DVD/BD playback/HD deinterlacing).

The upcoming HD 4650 might be a better solution if you want near-perfect DVD/BD playback/HD deinterlacing and multichannel LPCM (with just one HDMI cable).


I've read you're very helpful post that you cited to there, and I appreciate it very much! Here's the deal, I have the Silverstone ML02 case, which is really low profile and I would just use the G45, but no coolers will fit on any of the boards given the proximity of the capacitors to the cpu socket. So, I had to go AMD, which is fine with me, but I wanted better DVD playback. So, I'm limited to AMD and 120w due to the case and PicoPSU. It idles at 35w, so says my Kill-a-watt.

Is there an easy way to undervolt the 45wX2 from the Asus 8200 board?
In terms of power consumption and audio ease, is there much difference between an 8600Gt and a 9500Gt? What about 8500GT (I know this does Hybrid SLI) and 9400GT(this one does not?)? Given your last email, it appears that these are rebadged cards for the most part?

So, I think I may go to Best Buy, pick up an 8500gt and an 8600Gt, plug em in and see what the power consumption looks like at start up and then while playing a disc. If it works out in terms of power consumption, do you have recommendations for a brand or particular card for either chip? I was going to go either fanless or one with a larger aftermarket cooler that can be undervolted or would at least be quieter than the stock cooler.

I think this will work out, and DVD playback will be what I need it to be. I'll do a post on this after I get it all tuned. Its a really nice looking box, and am very pleased with almost everything so far.

Thanks, ren, you rock.

I recommend:

- Pentium Dual-Core E5200
- Intel DG45FC

that is better than

- Athlon X2 4850e
- J&W MINIX 780G-SP128MB

in terms of cost (where do you find MINIX?, not available in US) and PQ (in particular DVD).

Has anyone looked at using the Nexus Psile case with the mini-itx G45?
http://www.endpcnoise.com/cgi-bin/e/std/category=Psile_Case.html?id=B8VwkzRz

Its so nice looking and I think you have some room for the stock Intel cooler or a similarly sized aftermarket cooler. I think this is my next project. Plus, the PSU can be fanless.

My HTPC is on the other side of the wall from my television and when I want to play a dvd from a disc, I need to walk out of the room, open my equipment closet and insert the dvd. In this guide, there are several internal and external DVD drives listed, with the external ones costing about 2x what an internal DVD drive costs.

Is there any reason why I couldn't buy an internal drive and put it in my own USB or Firewire enclosure and get the same performance as if I bought an external drive? I will probably need about 10 feet if I locate the external drive next to my TV to reach the HTPC, so esata is out. Does firewire or usb 2.0 have any advantage over the other?

thanks,
Murray

Is there an easy way to undervolt the 45wX2 from the Asus 8200 board?
In terms of power consumption and audio ease, is there much difference between an 8600Gt and a 9500Gt? What about 8500GT (I know this does Hybrid SLI) and 9400GT(this one does not?)? Given your last email, it appears that these are rebadged cards for the most part?

So, I think I may go to Best Buy, pick up an 8500gt and an 8600Gt, plug em in and see what the power consumption looks like at start up and then while playing a disc. If it works out in terms of power consumption, do you have recommendations for a brand or particular card for either chip? I was going to go either fanless or one with a larger aftermarket cooler that can be undervolted or would at least be quieter than the stock cooler.
I don't think your ASUS 8200 board allows undervolt CPU (and 45W processor is already enough undervolted).

9500 GT is basically a 55 nm version of 8600 GT (80 nm) with different clock. Power consumption is almost identical. You should definitely avoid 8500 GT/9400 GT if you want good DVD PQ.

ASUS GeForce 8600 GT fanless model (used in my midrange mATX system recommendations) is a good one. However the case air flow is very important. If air stagnates around the heatsink, GPU could overheat. So I recommend 8600 GT/9500 GT with a fan for ML02 (if it fits). ASUS 2-slot models are usually very quiet.

If I build the system from the groundup, I would choose

- Pentium Dual-Core E5200
- Intel DG45ID or ASUS P5Q-EM

Recent Intel stock cooler is very small (check these pictures (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14487223#post14487223)). The onboard video is nearly perfect for DVD and HD deinterlacing, let alone smooth BD playback and multichannel LPCM. You don't have to worry about heat. The only concern would be the max power consumption, 120W could be fine.

My HTPC is on the other side of the wall from my television and when I want to play a dvd from a disc, I need to walk out of the room, open my equipment closet and insert the dvd. In this guide, there are several internal and external DVD drives listed, with the external ones costing about 2x what an internal DVD drive costs.

Is there any reason why I couldn't buy an internal drive and put it in my own USB or Firewire enclosure and get the same performance as if I bought an external drive? I will probably need about 10 feet if I locate the external drive next to my TV to reach the HTPC, so esata is out. Does firewire or usb 2.0 have any advantage over the other?
Somebody tested (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=979638) an external case + LG combo drive.

A few ATI 4650 reviews:
http://guru3d.com/news/ati-radeon-hd-4670-review-guru3d/
http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3405

Performance seems to be a little bit behind the 9600gt. They run at about 60W and cost about $70-$80.

Hi Folks,

I've been running my HTPC for a few months now, with picture noise on many of the channels. This is typically macroblocking, and other digital-type glitches. After much experimenting, I've found that using a separate video card, instead of the built-in motherboard graphics resolves the problem.

This is my current setup:
Cable QAM and ATSC 8VSB input. Exact same noise on both sources.
Mythbuntu 8.04. Exact same noise on WinXP MCE 2005.
Mobo: ABIT AN-M2HD AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 7050PV
CPU: AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 Brisbane 2.3GHz ADH2400DOBOX
RAM: A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800 ADQVE1A16K
Tuner: KWORLD PlusTV HD PCI-115 (Exact same noise with ATI HDTV Wonder)
PSU: Rosewill Stallion Series RD400-2-SB 400W ATX V2.2
HDD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA

The noise is much worse on two particular channels, when they're showing SD content at 720P. But most channels are noisy. As noted above, the source of the stream does not make any difference.

So the question is, why do I get this noise with the on-board video, but not with a separate card.

Apparently the 7050PV uses system RAM, and doesn't have its own. Is it the CPU? It's certainly not being taxed, but maybe the power-saving features are interfering.

Has anybody else seen anything like this?

Cheers
Bob

So the question is, why do I get this noise with the on-board video, but not with a separate card.
Better post-processing on the discrete graphics. The source is naturally noisy. The discrete graphics card just has the ability to reduce noise and give you an overall better picture.

This is what I am thinking about doing:


GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - 84.99


AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 Dual-Core Processor Model ADH2400IAA5DO - 39.99


LG Black LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD?R DVD Burner SATA Model GGC-H20LK - $139.99


Antec Aluminum Veris Fusion Black 430 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case with IR receiver 199.99
($50.00 mail-in rebate)

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model $42.99


Without the hard drives, comes out to Grand Total: $541.64 (shipped and with taxes).

A friend of mine at work is doing the same set up, actually already got most of his parts.

What do you guys think?

AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 Dual-Core Processor Model ADH2400IAA5DO - 39.99
From what I can see, you're missing a CPU cooler. Otherwise, looks good.

This is what I am thinking about doing:


GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - 84.99


AMD Athlon X2 BE-2400 Brisbane 2.3GHz Socket AM2 Dual-Core Processor Model ADH2400IAA5DO - 39.99


LG Black LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD?R DVD Burner SATA Model GGC-H20LK - $139.99


Antec Aluminum Veris Fusion Black 430 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case with IR receiver 199.99
($50.00 mail-in rebate)

G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model $42.99


Without the hard drives, comes out to Grand Total: $541.64 (shipped and with taxes).

A friend of mine at work is doing the same set up, actually already got most of his parts.

What do you guys think?

At a certain online retails store involving eggs, you can get 2x2GB of DDR2-800 ram for the same price as your 2x1GB... just FYI.

i just change my system from Intel to AMD?

previous pc:

ASus P5Q
e8400
DDR2-800 (2x2) 4 GB
ati 3450 video card

now:

Biostar 790gx mobo
Phenom 9850
4 GB (2x2) DDR2-800
onboard video (3300)

do i need to add a video card like 4650 or 4670 into my system?

i just change my system from Intel to AMD?

previous pc:

ASus P5Q
e8400
DDR2-800 (2x2) 4 GB
ati 3450 video card

now:

Biostar 790gx mobo
Phenom 9850
4 GB (2x2) DDR2-800
onboard video (3300)

do i need to add a video card like 4650 or 4670 into my system?
No, unless you want multichannel LPCM audio.

No, unless you want multichannel LPCM audio.

3450 vs. 4650 or 4670 vs. onboard 3300 ( AMD 9850 + 790GX)

which video card has great picture quality for recorded tv shows and HD movies?

since the new video card is out, are you going to update your recommendation or not?

Better post-processing on the discrete graphics. The source is naturally noisy. The discrete graphics card just has the ability to reduce noise and give you an overall better picture.

Yeah, I would have thought that too. But the noise also occurs when I play back the mpeg on a different PC, that also has a separate video card. This is a stream that's recorded by the backend, without the video being displayed at recording time.

So I don't see how the playback capabilities of the on-board video could affect the recording quality.

Here's an example of the noise:

http://pics.livejournal.com/udokeir/pic/0003bb38/s640x480

3450 vs. 4650 or 4670 vs. onboard 3300 ( AMD 9850 + 790GX)

which video card has great picture quality for recorded tv shows and HD movies?

since the new video card is out, are you going to update your recommendation or not?
I haven't tested 4650/4670, but perhaps HD 3300+Phenom is on a par with 4650/4670. 3450 is inferior.

Currently I am thinking of just replacing HD 3650 with HD 4650.

Hi,
after a long and exhausting trial period I have to give up with my P5Q3 Deluxe @wifi n mobo.
Tried tons of settings, posted on half Internet boards, re-cabled all the rig three times, performed huge tests of any kind (from memtest86+ to any benchmark tool), finally brought the mainboard to a pc assistance center and the response has been its a faulty mobo. It has big problems with certain type of RAM (or better with some kind of RAM's chipsets).
Anyway, now it's time to look forward, as quite 2 months after having bought my new rig and could not use it it's quite enough.
I'm here guys to ask you a suggestion. What do I have to go for?
The retailer proposed me a Gigabyte P35 DQ6 (the one with dd3 support).
The rig will be used mainly as media center (HD content streaming), BD encoding, HD home video encoding. No particular need to OC it.
Does it worth to go for an X38/X48 chipset? Don't want to fall again in this nightmare...

Thanks everyone

Specs:

cpu: q9450
mobo: p5q3 deluxe wifi @n rev 1.02G (to be replaced---> epic failure, at least for me :( )
gpu: hd4870
psu: enermax modu 82+
Case: silverstone cw02
cpu cooler: thermalright hr01 plus
fan: noctua s12
ram: corsair TW3x4g1333c9dhx
hdu: seagate 500gb (sata)

What do I have to go for?
The retailer proposed me a Gigabyte P35 DQ6 (the one with dd3 support).
Sounds like the retailer wants to sell a leftover mb. You should go with P45 or X38/X48. For example,

- GIGABYTE GA-EP45T-DS3R
- GIGABYTE GA-X38T-DQ6 or GA-X48T-DQ6
- Intel DX38BT (BOXDX38BT)
- Intel DX48BT2 (BOXDX48BT2)

Intel DX38BT is in the same price range as P5Q3 Deluxe and of good value. You still need to check the compatibility of RAM and mb.

No, unless you want multichannel LPCM audio.


I just purchased the Onkyo HT-6100. Which card would give me Multichannel LPCM audio? Would need to use two HDMI ports? One for the video and one for audio?

So I don't see how the playback capabilities of the on-board video could affect the recording quality.

Here's an example of the noise:

http://pics.livejournal.com/udokeir/pic/0003bb38/s640x480
That looks more like a signal strength issue than a video card one... Are you sure using a discrete graphics card eliminates the problem? What type of CPU load are you seeing during playback?

If you were using Windows, I would suggest a change of codecs. I'm not familiar with Mythbuntu so I don't know how you can do the same. Perhaps ask in the Linux subforum?

I just purchased the Onkyo HT-6100. Which card would give me Multichannel LPCM audio? Would need to use two HDMI ports? One for the video and one for audio?
Radeon HD 4870 X2/4870/4850/4670/4650. The two lowest-end cards are enough for HTPC. One HDMI cable carries both video and audio.

i want to know what is the difference between passive and active PFC power supply? and which one is more quieter?

Any opinions on this rig coming from Tigerdirect and Crytek? $699

Seems to be a good all around gaming and HD rig...just needs a tuner card.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/campaigns/campaigntemplate.asp?CampaignID=716

Radeon HD 4870 X2/4870/4850/4670/4650. The two lowest-end cards are enough for HTPC. One HDMI cable carries both video and audio.

Which is the least expensive one? From what I've been finding, most of those would need a DVI-HDMI adapter.

That looks more like a signal strength issue than a video card one... Are you sure using a discrete graphics card eliminates the problem? What type of CPU load are you seeing during playback?

If you were using Windows, I would suggest a change of codecs. I'm not familiar with Mythbuntu so I don't know how you can do the same. Perhaps ask in the Linux subforum?

The problem occurs in the same fashion whether I use cable or OTA signals. It also occurs in Windows or Linux. I've eliminated both of those causes of the noise.

Adding the card definitely fixes the problem. CPU load is at about 30% with and without the card.

Which is the least expensive one? From what I've been finding, most of those would need a DVI-HDMI adapter.

They will come packaged with the DVI-HDMI adapter which passes through your sound, no problem. The 4650 is the cheapest one, but is not out yet. The 4670 just got released yesterday and is available for about $80 MSRP.

Which is the least expensive one? From what I've been finding, most of those would need a DVI-HDMI adapter.
MSI HD 4650 is also available ($70 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127384)). I am not sure if a DVI-HDMI adapter is bundled. MSI global (http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1618&maincat_no=130&cat2_no=137) says the bundled accessories differ according to the region. If an adpater is not bundled, you have to buy it ($10 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999010)).

i want to know what is the difference between passive and active PFC power supply? and which one is more quieter?
Read this (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article28-page5.html). Quietness is a different factor.

Any opinions on this rig coming from Tigerdirect and Crytek? $699

Seems to be a good all around gaming and HD rig...just needs a tuner card.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/campaigns/campaigntemplate.asp?CampaignID=716
A good gaming machine as well as HTPC.

(If multichannel LPCM is your concern, you will need a Radeon 4xxx card instead of GeForce.)

is there any difference between ddr2-800 or ddr2-1066 with AMD Phenom 9850 cpu? is there any speed difference at all? is it recommend or not?

is there any difference between ddr2-800 or ddr2-1066 with AMD Phenom 9850 cpu? is there any speed difference at all? is it recommend or not?
Applications heavily depending on memory subsystem (in particular games) surely benefits from DDR2-1066. The following aricle compares 1066 with 533 (not so helpful as nobody uses 533 nowadays).

- AMD Phenom X4 In Real-Life Applications - How memory speed affects CPU performance (http://www.digit-life.com/articles3/cpu/amd-phenom-x4-9850-ddr2-533-p1.html)

The difference between 800 and 1066 will be even smaller so that perhaps you can't feel speed increase (except in some games).

Radeon HD 4870 X2/4870/4850/4670/4650. The two lowest-end cards are enough for HTPC. One HDMI cable carries both video and audio.

Would I need to get the verion with Dual HDMI connectors or Dual DVI's if I'm wanting to go with the Xonar card?

MSI HD 4650 is also available ($70 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127384)). I am not sure if a DVI-HDMI adapter is bundled. MSI global (http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func=proddesc&prod_no=1618&maincat_no=130&cat2_no=137) says the bundled accessories differ according to the region. If an adpater is not bundled, you have to buy it ($10 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999010)).

So, using that adapter, I would be able to use HDMI 1.3, with audio and sound in one?

A good gaming machine as well as HTPC.

(If multichannel LPCM is your concern, you will need a Radeon 4xxx card instead of GeForce.)

Thanks. Do you think the price is appropriate for the hardware? (No monitor/keyboard/mouse...optical drive is read only)

What's the limiting factor for BD@24 playback in the recommended low/mid-range G45 systems? Any suggestions on how to alleviate the limitations (without upgrading the whole config)?

Would I need to get the verion with Dual HDMI connectors or Dual DVI's if I'm wanting to go with the Xonar card?
I don't think there will be dual HDMI cards. One HDMI or DVI (with a ATI DVI-HDMI dongle) is enough.

So, using that adapter, I would be able to use HDMI 1.3, with audio and sound in one?
Video and audio in one cable. The supported audio is multichannel LPCM, DD, and DTS. So, for example, TrueHD must (and will) be decoded into LPCM by a software player.

Thanks. Do you think the price is appropriate for the hardware? (No monitor/keyboard/mouse...optical drive is read only)
Yes.

What's the limiting factor for BD@24 playback in the recommended low/mid-range G45 systems? Any suggestions on how to alleviate the limitations (without upgrading the whole config)?
I think Intel engineers have not identified the cause yet. Use a discrete card or be content with 60Hz.

What's the limiting factor for BD@24 playback in the recommended low/mid-range G45 systems? Any suggestions on how to alleviate the limitations (without upgrading the whole config)?

I set my VERY low-end single-processor AMD system to BD@24 and it seems to do "just fine". Maybe I am not getting 24 but I set the system to it and it does appear to deliver it to my 1080p screen with no hicups

where can one get the ati hdmi dongle? I am assuming my asus 3450 can use it..

Newegg was selling the dongle for about $7 a few weeks ago. Make sure you get the 3xxx version, not the older 2xxx version. The older one will allow video to pass, but not audio.

thanks.. found it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999010

I swore i did a search.. oh well.. looks like its hdmi only.. ie.. no hdmi with the optical digital spdif.. nice

I don't think there will be dual HDMI cards. One HDMI or DVI (with a ATI DVI-HDMI dongle) is enough.

Please see this card. It's actually the 4670.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/792/2/

I think I remember reading that you need to route the Video output into the sound and then out again. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thank you.

The Chenbro SR109 Case does not seem to include the two cages like your guide states. I have contacted multiple resellers and they seem pretty convinced it does not contain the drive cages. As it ships, it supports 1 3.5" drive, and has 9 empty 5.4 open bays. Where did you get the 10 hot swap drives by default information?

I desperately need a decent server case, that can be made decently quiet. Its either this, or the Lian-Li PC-V2000 Plus...


::Stuart

I'm in the planning phase for building my own mythtv. I was wondering what you would suggest for me, I want 2 HD tuners. HDMI, and VGA Output and basically hardware that will work with linux so i can run mythtv that will run me around $500 or so. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks