Guide to Building a HD HTPC [Text View] - Page 42

mwschneider

10-06-09, 01:30 PM

I am humbled by the sheer quantity of information in this thread!

I have speced and built hundreds (perhaps thousands) of PCs in my days, but that is not my job anymore and technology is always on the move...I am almost embarrassed to admit that I just haven't had the time to keep up to date. I could really use some help choosing an ideal component mix for my new HTPC. I see that there are a number of recommend systems described here, but my needs may be slightly unusual.

My current HTPC spends most of its time handling light server duties - some SQL Server applications by day and backups to NAS drives at night. It still does those jobs well enough, but when it comes to HTPC duties, with a single core 2.4GHz processor, it simply cannot handle HD video from sources like iTunes.

I would like to replace most/all of the hardware so that I can play any and all HD video or audio without any problems. I would also like to be sure that I have full HDCP compliance, and since the HDMI 1.4 spec is already out there, it would be nice to at least meet the 1.3 spec.

It looks like there are any number of combinations described here that can accomplish most or all of the above, but the 24/7 server duties make noise and power consumption important to me as well. My current OS is Windows XP Pro, and it seems to handle my "server" needs reasonably well, in that it can run SQL Server and QuickBooks Enterprise, and handles user access permissions well enough (if inelegantly). I mention this only because I am not familiar enough with Vista or Windows 7 to know if they would work as well in these regards. For example, I know that XP Home lacks some networking functionality that would prevent me from using it, but I do not know how XP Pro crosses over to Windows Vista and 7 sub-versions.

I have searched and read quite a bit in this thread, but there certainly are a lot of pages and I did not find a lot of information that related to optimizing for power consumption. The system will probably never be in standby or hibernate modes, so power consumption at idle is probably the most important to me. My current HTPC idles at about 71 watts and it would be nice if I could improve on that number.

I feel like any modern hardware mix will be vastly more powerful than what I have now, so it is hard to imagine that I would notice any performance problems with the server duties. So if it can handle all HD video and audio, I think it will be fine, performance-wise, on the rest.

I will need a horizontal case that will work well on a shelf. The front is exposed to my home theater, so it would be nice if it looked like a piece of A/V gear. The closet has good space/air flow at the front and rear and the sides are fairly open as well but the top is close to the shelf above. Ventilation in the closet is good enough that the current system has survived (since 2.4 GHz single-core processors were cool) in a horizontal ATX case with no fans other than the 120mm fan in the Seasonic power supply.

Noise is also a factor since the front is open to my home theater. The current system is almost silent, even when sitting in a chair that is only about 2 feet from the equipment closet/rack. About the only exception is the hard drive, so I would be interested in getting a very quiet drive. I noticed that a WD drive is recommended repeatedly here, but I don't know if that one is low power/quiet or not. I should probably also mention that I would like the new machine to support gigabit Ethernet.

I don't want to say that cost is no object, but I will say that reliability, HDCP compliance, power consumption and noise are more important than small differences in price.

Thanks very much for your time...I will be happy to support your efforts via PayPal.

-Mark

maxsteel

10-06-09, 01:36 PM

Tijs_Verwest

10-06-09, 02:39 PM

Picopsu is a brand of small psus? or is it a type of psu? cuz the only place i can buy them is mini-box.com , im confused :o

??

bmcent1

10-06-09, 05:37 PM

Renethx, or anyone... looking for suggestions for a case...

Looking for an ATX black desktop/shelf ready case with the following:
- 4-in-1 (aka 52-in-1) media card reader
- IR sensor (* optional)
- 1 optical drive
- quiet operation

* IR sensor is optional because it seems a cheap USB sensor can be picked up with a Media Center Remote ($25-ish). I have a Harmony 890 IR/RF universal remote so I might end up using the RF bridge and could plug the USB IR sensor in the back out of sight. But, an included IR sensor that works well and isn't over priced would be one less detail to worry about.

Neither of the recommended cases on p85 -- Antec Black Fusion Remote, Silverstone Lascala LC17 -- has a card reader included, and I don't see a way to add one to the front due to the shapes of their 5.25" external slots, unless one can be substituted in place of the 3.5" front panel on the Lascala LC17??
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163055

nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Steel HTPC 2000B ATX Media Center ($89, NewEgg) seems to have a card reader already. Any thoughts on this case?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811204032

SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum / Steel LC13B-E ATX Media Center ($89, NewEgg) has 2 external 5.25" and 2 external 3.5" bays, which seems to give lots of options for card reader and internal IR Sensor_
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163117

SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body GD01B-MXR ATX Media Center ($249, NewEgg) looks nice, has VFD w/ built-in IR sensor, built in card reader, but it's about 2.5x as expensive as the other three options.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163076

pestocat

10-06-09, 06:14 PM

I want to build my own Blu-ray recorder having given up that any commercial ones will ever be available in USA. First question is, has anyone built a Blu-ray recorder for playing and recording unencrypted TV programming. I will be using Windows 7, Ultimate OS.
MB: Asus P5Q-EM (is this the the latest or best Asus MB with HDMI)
What are your experiences with Blu-ray recording.

And I will be using the HDHR tuner. Was planning to use Q9550 CPU. Anyone recording to Blu-ray?

hottoq

10-06-09, 06:28 PM

Hi all, I ordered my new system on Monday and most of the parts actually came in today! Just waiting for the CPU and the PSU -- and Windows 7.

My question is, is there any reason I have to wait for Windows 7? I ordered 64bit Professional through the student offer, so I'll be able to d/l it on Oct 22nd. But I don't want to wait! I have an old copy of Vista 32bit that I could install now, and then once Win7 comes in I would do a clean install on top of that (since I'd be going from 32 -> 64 bit).

So could installing Vista 32 now and Win7 64 in a few weeks hurt my new system in any way? Or should I be fine to go ahead and do that?

Thanks!!!

bmcent1

10-06-09, 07:01 PM

So could installing Vista 32 now and Win7 64 in a few weeks hurt my new system in any way? Or should I be fine to go ahead and do that?

Thanks!!!

Not at all... go for it! It's not uncommon to have a few bugs to work out (like a bad part, faulty RAM... in my case, all the parts were okay but I needed to up the voltage of the RAM in the BIOS before the system was rock solid.) This will give you a head start on that so by the time you install Win 7 it goes very smoothly.

I'd say install anything you want now to give it a break in. I like to run 2 instances (or 4, depending on number of cores) of Prime95 in torture test mode for at least 12 hours without errors before I consider a system stable. Try out the Memtest86+ Bootable CD also, for testing RAM.

You could also try a bootable Live Linux CD like Knoppix if you want to try out all the components without doing an HD install.

drhankz

10-06-09, 10:30 PM

Isn't that different then the 5750 being discussed (you linked to the 5850)?

If anyone cares about the HD 5850 - it is back in STOCK (http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011258&prodlist=celebros)

I know it is NOT a 5750 - but it is available.

renethx

10-07-09, 01:39 AM

renethx

10-07-09, 01:52 AM

Motherboard question:
Which of the following three would you choose?

Foxconn Cinema Premium (What is that digital live wave board that comes with this board at newegg?!?!?)
Asus M4A785-M
or
Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H

Personally I do not like Gigabyte (past issues with boards and their customer support), but I am open to suggestions.

All boards will be going into a Antec Fusion Black/remote (the side sata ports aren't a factor because I have angled sata cables available).

BTW: I'm putting in an AMD X2 550 (Black Edition).. I figured the dual core and the 7mb cache seemed more logical for hd playback than a quad core (from my research anyway, but feel free to comment).
GIGABYTE is surely (one of) the most reliable 785G mb. Foxconn Cinema Premium is pointless for HTPC (why (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17138237#post17138237)).

Cache has little effect on HD video playback with or without GPU HA. It just lowers CPU usage by a couple of percent. More core is better (much lower CPU usage). For gaming, L3 cache matters (better fps; e.g. Phenom X2 720 is better than Athlon X4 630).

renethx

10-07-09, 01:58 AM

??
PicoPSU is a brand name.

renethx

10-07-09, 02:05 AM

Renethx, or anyone... looking for suggestions for a case...
There is a non-LCD version of GD01 (with card reader of course). $130 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163110).

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 07:26 AM

another couple of questions, please forgive my ignorance.

essentially my goal is to "cut the cord" as AMD blogger Jay Taylor puts it. i want to rid myself of pay tv service and get all of my content either via the internet or OTA. in addition to OTA HD (or SD for that matter), i would like to be able to tune clear QAM channels as well. and i'd like to be able to watch one program while recording another.

i understand this means i will need two tv tuners in the system.

question 1: what tuners should i be looking at?

question 2: in a microATX system, will i be able to fit the two tuners plus a BD-ROM/DVD-Rewriter? or will i need to bump up to the next form factor?

dbone1026

10-07-09, 07:36 AM

elongatedm

10-07-09, 08:28 AM

bmcent1

10-07-09, 09:14 AM

Awesome! Thanks for the case recommendation, I'm going with that.

Last question :-) ...

I've noticed Hulu videos expanded to full screen still look choppy on my other computer with an E7500 overclocked to 3.6 GHz. And I was spooked by how slow Media Portal felt on current 3.2 GHz Pentium 4 based HTPC.

I bought a LGA775 Mobo for the HTPC, but now I want to max out the CPU while staying under $250, preferably under $200 budget for new CPU.
I see recommended is Mid-Range is E7500 Core2 Duo, 2.93 GHz at $119

Was thinking of stepping up to either:
1) E8500 Core 2 Duo, 3.16 GHz at $189 or
2) E9400S Core2 Quad, 2.66 GHz at $259

There are cheaper (and faster) Quad cores, like the Q9400 ($189) or Q9550 ($219) but they draw 95W compared to 65W for all the others so I feared the extra heat might cause more noise.

Any suggestions for a "high end" LGA775 processor?

kevm14

10-07-09, 09:25 AM

I've noticed Hulu videos expanded to full screen still look choppy on my other computer with an E7500 overclocked to 3.6 GHz.

Yikes. Was this Hulu web or Hulu Desktop? I have an older Core Duo T2500 laptop and I tried 7MC plus Hulu Desktop. I don't recall any performance issues and it may have played HD content (like Legend of the Seeker). CPU usage was quite high, though, at 70-80%. But it worked. And that's an ancient T2500. The E7500 should be more than enough. And I was going to build my HTPC around that CPU. So I hope something else is going on, like the continually-problematic Hulu Desktop framerate issue, where CPU usage isn't really that high. My i7 920 Dell running VMC doesn't seem to have the problem and the Sony Vaio T2500 laptop running 7MC doesn't seem to have the problem, so I hope my HTPC won't, either.

bmcent1

10-07-09, 09:34 AM

kevm14

10-07-09, 09:47 AM

Hmmm Kevm14,
I just checked and it's even worse... it's actually an E8400 processor overclocked to 3.6 GHz (not an E7500 as I thought it was from memory.)

That's my Photoshop PC, it's a beast. Maybe the issue is the resolution though, which I run at 1600x1200. Maybe it wouldn't be a problem at 720p as I would typically run my HTPC. I'll try later and report back.

It was Hulu web... would Hulu desktop be expected to perform better?

When my i7 Dell was originally serving PC/photo editing duty I ran at 2048x1536 but I don't think I tried Hulu. Connected to my TV it runs at 1080i29 which is less taxing. Of course there isn't much that an i7 920 with 6 gigs of DDR3 doesn't do quickly.

And Hulu Desktop has always performed the same (if you are lucky) or worse than the web version. Since your issue is with the web content I am a little concerned. Have you tried a different browser such as Chrome? In any event, I suspect your CPU usage was well under control during the poor visual performance. Can you confirm this?

renethx

10-07-09, 09:55 AM

Renethx,

After looking over your guide and going through several dozen pages, I couldn't find what type of power consumption a system like your Mid Range M-ATX AMD/AMD would consume. Are we looking at a lot of power for idle operation? I noticed that the AMD chip is roughly 95w vs the 65w Intel. I have always heard that AMD ran more efficient but I am not sure if the comparisons are the same.
That's a good question. I am adding the total power consumption at idle/video playback/gaming/CPU load in the feature charts soon. As for the microATX mid-range AMD/AMD system, roughly

- Idle: 65W
- Video playback from a BD disc with PowerDVD: 85W
- CPU load: 170W.

Using Kill-A-Watt.

bmcent1

10-07-09, 10:23 AM

Have you tried a different browser such as Chrome? In any event, I suspect your CPU usage was well under control during the poor visual performance. Can you confirm this?

I just tried a few things. I'm confused by this issue now, so still curious about what Renethx has to recommend for a "high end" LGA 775 CPU. But here's what I found -

- On my E8400 based system (4 Gigs RAM, NVidia GeForce 8600 GT), it doesn't seem to matter whether my screen resolution is 1920 x 1200 or 800x600, when I view the video at full screen, it's a little choppy

* It's NOT as choppy as I remembered it, so maybe at this CPU speed, we're just seeing a limitation of the Hulu encoding. I also see the same choppy-ness when the video is not expanded to full screen (though it's harder to see with a smaller physical video size.)

- CPU usage on my Core2 Duo E8400 is under 50%, so after thinking about it, it doesn't look CPU bound.

- I am using Chrome (have since it came out, everything else doesn't feel as snappy.)

Take a look at this week's Flash Forward (Ep. 2) on Hulu, about 1 minute, 30 seconds in there is an overhead / fly over shot looking straight down at the street. There are details along the edges that just look jerky rather than smooth. Now I'm starting to wonder if this is just a limitation of Hulu/web video compared to what I'm accustomed to from watching broadcast TV.

renethx

10-07-09, 10:36 AM

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 supporting GPU acceleration will fix the issue (if you use a NVIDIA GPU). A good summary is here (http://pcper.com/comments.php?nid=7843).

clobber

10-07-09, 10:47 AM

The mb has a HD audio "front panel header" (it's also AC'97). The pinouts is standard and works with Antec Fusion. This is for front panel audio connectors. The volume knob is not connected to it.

Rene,

Just confirming because the pin outs in the manuals don't look compatible. Please can you verify from the two images that the HDA will work?

thanks!

renethx

10-07-09, 10:52 AM

Rene,

Just confirming because the pin outs in the manuals don't look compatible. Please can you verify from the two images that the HDA will work?

thanks!
For me the pin outs look the same except for pin 6 and 10. Perhaps you will lose "jack detection (JD)" for microphone and headphone.

bmcent1

10-07-09, 11:01 AM

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 supporting GPU acceleration will fix the issue (if you use a NVIDIA GPU). A good summary is here (http://pcper.com/comments.php?nid=7843).

Looks promising, can't wait for the release.

Can you comment on these CPUs (from my previous post):
- E7500 Core2 Duo, 2.93 GHz at $119
- E8500 Core 2 Duo, 3.16 GHz at $189 or
- E9400S Core2 Quad, 2.66 GHz at $259

There are cheaper (and faster) Quad cores, like the Q9400 ($189) or Q9550 ($219) but they draw 95W compared to 65W for all the others so I feared the extra heat might cause more noise.

Do you think the 95W vs 65W makes a considerable difference to cooling noise?

Would one of the bigger processors offer considerable improvements to ripping or running Media Portal? It's a big step up at 2x price for most of them. Maybe the best game plan is still go with the low priced E7500 and swap in a E9400S next year if the price drops significantly...

renethx

10-07-09, 11:10 AM

Looks promising, can't wait for the release.

Can you comment on these CPUs (from my previous post):
- E7500 Core2 Duo, 2.93 GHz at $119
- E8500 Core 2 Duo, 3.16 GHz at $189 or
- E9400S Core2 Quad, 2.66 GHz at $259

There are cheaper (and faster) Quad cores, like the Q9400 ($189) or Q9550 ($219) but they draw 95W compared to 65W for all the others so I feared the extra heat might cause more noise.

Do you think the 95W vs 65W makes a considerable difference to cooling noise?

Would one of the bigger processors offer considerable improvements to ripping or running Media Portal? It's a big step up at 2x price for most of them. Maybe the best game plan is still go with the low priced E7500 and swap in a E9400S next year if the price drops significantly...
Q9400 is the sweet spot if you do lots of CPU intensive tasks (e.g. video re-encoding). You should not worry about power consumption at idle and video playback (only +10W compared with a dual-core processor). For pure video playback, E7500 is the best choice.

Avoid Q9400S (IMO terribly overpriced, not so effective; check reviews like this (http://techgage.com/article/q9400s_q8200s_intels_65w_quad-cores/11)).

etcarroll

10-07-09, 12:43 PM

I just moved my E8400 VMC box with 2 gig ram to Win 7 Ultimate.

Hulu played fine with the E8400.

Now under Win 7 it's very jerky - I think it's a buffering issue. Regardless of cause, I would think the E8500 would serve you fine.

mwschneider

10-07-09, 01:30 PM

Either the microATX low-end Intel/Intel or AMD/AMD system should be good. The power consumption of the total system at idle and video playback is around 60W and 70W respectively.

I think I would probably go with an Intel processor if only because they seem to be doing a little better on power consumption and heat.

You can upgrade GPU to ATI HD 4670 with +5W (why (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17305031#post17305031)).

Looking at that comparison, I would certainly want vector adaptive deinterlacing, so I guess I'm up to 65 watts at idle.

Or wait for the upcoming HD 57xx (this month) or ATI HD 56xx/55xx/53xx (Q1 '10) that support HD audio bitstreaming.

I can wait a month if there is a chance of better performance and/or lower power consumption.

The quietness depends on the quality and speeds of the fans (CPU, case, PSU).

Well, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but in my experience, when it comes to silence, the best fan is no fan at all. Looking at that ATI HD 4670, I can't help but notice that it has a loud-looking fan on it.

When I built my current HTPC, I started out with a video card that had a very similar-looking fan. It turned out to be the loudest component in the system. Not only that, but the little fan failed twice in the length of time that I used it, each time getting even noisier as the bearings got worse. Not only was it the loudest component, but it was also the most frequent source of system failure. Ultimately, I wound up replacing it with a fanless video card, and of course, that has never made any noise and has never failed.

What are your thoughts on this?

A quiet combination is:

- CPU cooler: Cooler Master Geminii S (a bit overkill for E5300/Athlon II X2 240; good for Athlon II X3 620/630).
- Case and fan: Antec NSK2480 or Fusion Remote with Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm 800rpm fans.
- PSU: Corsair CMPSU-450VX. (or you could use your Seasonic.)
- WD is very quiet. SSD is better of course.
- Sapphire HD 4670 with Arctic Cooling cooler is very quiet.

That CPU cooler looks like it could be quiet, assuming that the fan speed is low enough. I found a review where it did well in terms of thermal performance.

I like the looks of the Antec NSK2480. The Fusion Remote case may be even nicer, although I don't fully understand how the display would be driven. And it looks smaller, which is aesthetically pleasing, but I would not want to sacrifice cooling, noise control or functionality just to have a slimmer profile.

The Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm 800 rpm fans look to be very quiet...but does the case not come with a fan...or does it come with inferior fan(s)? And how many fans do I need? I have only the PSU fan in the current system.

I guess I wouldn't mind using the Seasonic PSU, if it is powerful enough for the new system. Do I actually need 450 watts? Most power supplies seem to lose efficiency at lower power outputs, so I don't think I would want the power supply to be any bigger than it really needs to be. The Corsair CMPSU-450VX specs don't seem to show what happens to efficiency below 20 percent output, but one could guess that it would be around 80 percent. Can I do better than that?

If by "SSD" you mean solid state drive, I don't think I could get the storage space that I want...at least, not without an external enclosure and lots of money, so I think I'll stick with a regular hard drive. I will admit that I am not up on all of the fine details, but I know that there are "green" low-power drives and I have also listened to audio recordings/comparisons between some of the more modern drives, and some are essentially inaudible. For example, the Seagate ST3500321CS is 3 or 4 dB quieter than the WD6400AAKS and uses less power. The WD20EADS is even quieter, although I don't really need 2 TB in this machine.

A quick search did not turn up any Sapphire HD 4670 with Arctic Cooling, although I did see a picture of one that had a large fan that looked like it might be quieter than the smaller ducted fan version. Are any of the upcoming models likely to be quieter and/or more efficient?

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 02:15 PM

I have the hauppauge 2250 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116036) which is a dual tuner. I also have an HDHomerun which is a networked tuner. The good thing about the HDHR is that since it is a network tuner it doesn't take up any space in a PC.so with a setup such as this i would be able to tune SD, HD and QAM, and record the programs i'm tuning?

i get all of the other hardware issues involved with building an HTPC, but this tuner stuff throws me for a loop!

at the end of the day, i want my HTPC to work like my DirecTV HD DVR.

dual tuner
watch one live sd/hd show / record one live sd/hd show
record two live sd/hd shows / watch one recorded sd/hd show

bobby_t1

10-07-09, 02:16 PM

Well, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but in my experience, when it comes to silence, the best fan is no fan at all. Looking at that ATI HD 4670, I can't help but notice that it has a loud-looking fan on it.

When I built my current HTPC, I started out with a video card that had a very similar-looking fan. It turned out to be the loudest component in the system. Not only that, but the little fan failed twice in the length of time that I used it, each time getting even noisier as the bearings got worse. Not only was it the loudest component, but it was also the most frequent source of system failure. Ultimately, I wound up replacing it with a fanless video card, and of course, that has never made any noise and has never failed.

What are your thoughts on this?

The ongoing struggle for building an HTPC in a small form factor case is what video card to use. There are competing goals usually at play -- we all want the best performing one, but majority of the time, they need a fan because of the heat that comes off of them.

If you find a card that is fanless, the problems are either (1) you have a huge honkin' heat sync that limits what types of cases you can or want to use, or (2) you need an additional case fan to cool the system down because of the excess heat created by the passive cooling.

Usually #2 isan't that big of a deal -- seems you can always find a case that can not only fit a good case fan, but also the fans are usually larger and thus will be quieter.

I'm still holding my breath for the "best" video card that is recommended in this thread that (a) won't break the bank (b) has passive cooling (c) does vector adaptive de-interlacing well.

dbone1026

10-07-09, 02:19 PM

so with a setup such as this i would be able to tune SD, HD and QAM, and record the programs i'm tuning?

i get all of the other hardware issues involved with building an HTPC, but this tuner stuff throws me for a loop!

at the end of the day, i want my HTPC to work like my DirecTV HD DVR.

dual tuner
watch one live sd/hd show / record one live sd/hd show
record two live sd/hd shows / watch one recorded sd/hd show

The Hauppauge 2250 gets both analog and QAM (where I am there my cable company still braodcasts channels in analog like Disney, ESPN, etc..., don't know how long that will last), so with the 2250 you can either 2 QAM tuners, 2 analog tuners, or one of each. The HDHR is QAM only. In total that would give you 4 tuners to work with to record/watch (you can record one show while watching another, etc...)

varmatheone

10-07-09, 02:20 PM

I am building my first HTPC. I already have the following parts:

Intel E6600
2GB Corsair DDR2 800 Ram
Antec 300
500W OCZ PSU
Nvidia GTS 250
Lots of Harddisks (7200 RPM) laying around
LG 8x BD-ROM CH08LS10K (Ordered)

At a minimum, I still need the following to complete my build:

1. Motherboard
Trying to keep cost to a minimum, I am looking to overclock the E6600 to a decent level.
What should I look for in the motherboard to do for 7.1 Audio? (optical out?)
Is any MB with Realtek888 and Optical Out ok? or should it have onboard Graphics with HDMI?

I have a Onkyo 606 receiver.

Thanks in advance. Amazing thread renethx.

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 02:26 PM

dbone1026

10-07-09, 02:36 PM

@dbone1026:

again, pardon my ignorance. i just like to be absolutely sure i understand things.

so the hauppauge will do digital, analog and QAM
and the HDHR will do digital and QAM

so as long as i'm not worried about being able to watch and simultaneously record a ton of stuff at once, i should be okay with just the hauppauge then?

or is the QAM tuning on the HDHR better than that of the hauppauge?

one thing, for sure, is that i know i'll want the analog.

QAM is digital. The reason I got the Hauppauge is because I wanted the analog. I have seen no difference in quality between the QAM on the hauppauge and that of the HDHR. The nice thing about the Hauppauge is that it has an internal splitter (you only need to connect one coax to the tuner, it will split the signal among the 2 tuners internally). With the HDHR you need to have a coax line for each tuner.

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 02:40 PM

dbone1026

10-07-09, 02:42 PM

one last question to bother you with, kind sir!

in renethx's recommended systems he mentions the Hauppauge HD PVR model 1212 for HD capturing. what would one need this for?

won't the other hauppauge or the the HDHR be able to record what they are turning?

The HD PVR connects directly to a device like a cable box. It takes advantage of the analog hole so you can record ANYTHING that you can view on your cable box (i.e. premium channels like HBO, etc... any channel that is encrypted). The TV tuners can only capture unencrypted channels (typically only local channels with a few other channels possibly sprinkled in)

cableuser001

10-07-09, 02:50 PM

Did you look at DTV Pal DVR?

I am not aware of the space issues in µATX system,but you could have a USB ATSC Tuner. The cheapest I found was on Newegg for $30 each. The brand is Kworld.

another couple of questions, please forgive my ignorance.

essentially my goal is to "cut the cord" as AMD blogger Jay Taylor puts it. i want to rid myself of pay tv service and get all of my content either via the internet or OTA. in addition to OTA HD (or SD for that matter), i would like to be able to tune clear QAM channels as well. and i'd like to be able to watch one program while recording another.

i understand this means i will need two tv tuners in the system.

question 1: what tuners should i be looking at?

question 2: in a microATX system, will i be able to fit the two tuners plus a BD-ROM/DVD-Rewriter? or will i need to bump up to the next form factor?

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 03:13 PM

what is DTV Pal DVR?

edit: i'm just being lazy today. a quick search answered this question.

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 03:15 PM

The HD PVR connects directly to a device like a cable box. It takes advantage of the analog hole so you can record ANYTHING that you can view on your cable box (i.e. premium channels like HBO, etc... any channel that is encrypted). The TV tuners can only capture unencrypted channels (typically only local channels with a few other channels possibly sprinkled in)i assume one would still have to have a subscription to a pay service though, right? and if so, would you be, in effect, stealing encrypted channels, such as the premiums, if you weren't already paying for them?

dbone1026

10-07-09, 03:17 PM

i assume one would still have to have a subscription to a pay service though, right? and if so, would you be, in effect, stealing encrypted channels, such as the premiums, if you weren't already paying for them?

You are only able to access channels that you are paying for (i.e. if you did not subscribe to HBO the HD PVR would not be able to record HBO), so there is no stealing (it is not like cable theft).

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 03:27 PM

thank you so much, dbone. you've gone above and beyond the call.

i think i'll be alright with just the hauppauge 2250, and without your assistance, who knows how long it would have taken me to reach this decision.

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 03:48 PM

Start with the microATX low-end AMD/AMD system without the discrete graphics card. You can choose any case you like.

You don't need a receiver or expensive speakers if you are satisfied with your current audio system.

Browsing web in a HDTV is no problem, you may need to adjust font size, of course.may i ask why you recommended the amd/amd system as opposed to the other variants? are there advantages/disadvantages to each?

renethx

10-07-09, 03:55 PM

may i ask why you recommended the amd/amd system as opposed to the other variants? are there advantages/disadvantages to each?
"budget is my biggest concern": then there is no reason to choose Intel/Intel or Intel/NVIDIA.

"i presently do not have a receiver of any sort.": The AMD/AMD is the best choice.

mwschneider

10-07-09, 03:59 PM

The ongoing struggle for building an HTPC in a small form factor case is what video card to use. There are competing goals usually at play -- we all want the best performing one, but majority of the time, they need a fan because of the heat that comes off of them.

If you find a card that is fanless, the problems are either (1) you have a huge honkin' heat sync that limits what types of cases you can or want to use, or (2) you need an additional case fan to cool the system down because of the excess heat created by the passive cooling.

Usually #2 isan't that big of a deal -- seems you can always find a case that can not only fit a good case fan, but also the fans are usually larger and thus will be quieter.

I'm still holding my breath for the "best" video card that is recommended in this thread that (a) won't break the bank (b) has passive cooling (c) does vector adaptive de-interlacing well.

Indeed...it has always been so. But then again, I get the impression that modern PC hardware has gotten so powerful that there aren't really all that many modern components that can't manage HD content. So now it is starting to come down to whether we can find something like a video card that is not at the cutting edge in terms of gaming performance, but which still has more than enough power for HDTV.

I am actually surprised that they are not all over the place. For example, I have a fanless GeForce 7600GS video card in the PC I am using as I type this, and it is fully capable or rendering any HD content. It doesn't have a particularly large heatsink...probably no bigger then the ducted fan setup that I saw on the ATI HD 4670. The only caveat is that it does not support HDCP, so certain things just don't work. As an example, I downloaded DirecTV's DIRECTV2PC software, which seems like a great idea, but while I can navigate the menus, I can't actually play any of the content due to HDCP issues.

But if this card from a few years ago has enough power to play HD content without the need for a fan, I would think that it would be easy enough for a more modern card to do the same thing while adding HDCP and other updates.

Maybe those new cards will bring improvements other than gaming framerates...?

jsntrmn

10-07-09, 04:02 PM

"budget is my biggest concern": then there is no reason to choose Intel/Intel or Intel/NVIDIA.

"i presently do not have a receiver of any sort.": The AMD/AMD is the best choice.man, you are lightning quick with your responses. thank you.

Tijs_Verwest

10-07-09, 05:02 PM

PicoPSU is a brand name.

And how are those types of psu called? i wanna buy them in sites like newegg,amazon, i live in latin american and those are the sites i can buy from :o

corwiniii

10-07-09, 08:31 PM

I’m looking to update my home workstation and media streaming PC. This PC will be used as a general home PC and serve as the media streaming “base” system feeding SageTV HD Theater (HD100s & HD200s). It will not typically be used to view the media content and will not be hooked up to my home theater (so not exclusively an HTPC), nor for gaming at all.

I want enough CPU and memory to be able to simultaneously transcode and stream to two SageTV HD Theater boxes AND use the PC if needed. Much of the streaming content will be Hulu and Netflix using PlayOn Server to the SageTV HD Theater Boxes.

My main questions are:
1) Is there any conflict between the parts I want to keep (case, psu, gpu, DAS) and parts I’m adding (MB, cpu, RAM)?
2) Which socket type (1156 or 1366) would be best both today and given what is known about the near future? This is the single biggest struggle I am having. I am vacillating between the i7 860 and i7 920 which are roughly the same price.
3) Is this case and PSU enough for now? This will be a future upgrade.
4) Anything else I am missing or forgetting?

Current system:
Antec Performance TX640B ATX Mini Tower 400W Power Supply (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129157)

Intel BOXD945GTPLR LGA 775 Intel 945G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121293)

Intel Pentium D 920 Presler 2.8GHz LGA 775 95W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80553920 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116237)

Kingston 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model KVR800D2K2/2GR
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134488)
EVGA 256-P2-N553-AX GeForce 7600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 SLI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130283)

Hauppauge Dual TV Recorder Tuner Card with Media Center Remote Control WinTV-PVR-500MCE 253 PCI Interface
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815116632)
SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152052)

AMS DS-2350S eSATA 5 bay Aluminum Enclosure (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817332017)

5 X SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152102)

1366 Upgrade
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131365) – $289

OR

MSI X58 Platinum SLI LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130220) (leaning toward this) – $229

Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202) – $279

CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Triple Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TR3X6G1600C9 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145222) – $110

XIGMATEK Intel Core i7 compatible Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029) – $45

I haven't thought about a socket 1156 build yet, but it would be a Mobo and the i7 860 with 4GB or 8GB memory. I don't game so I don't care about the all the GPU stuff. However future upgrades may include a GPU that can output 1080p and HD Audio via HDMI.

Thanks in advance for any help or opinions.

renethx

10-08-09, 04:40 AM

Well, you can correct me if I'm wrong, but in my experience, when it comes to silence, the best fan is no fan at all. Looking at that ATI HD 4670, I can't help but notice that it has a loud-looking fan on it.

I like the looks of the Antec NSK2480. The Fusion Remote case may be even nicer, although I don't fully understand how the display would be driven. And it looks smaller, which is aesthetically pleasing, but I would not want to sacrifice cooling, noise control or functionality just to have a slimmer profile.

The Scythe S-FLEX SFF21D 120mm 800 rpm fans look to be very quiet...but does the case not come with a fan...or does it come with inferior fan(s)? And how many fans do I need? I have only the PSU fan in the current system.

I guess I wouldn't mind using the Seasonic PSU, if it is powerful enough for the new system. Do I actually need 450 watts? Most power supplies seem to lose efficiency at lower power outputs, so I don't think I would want the power supply to be any bigger than it really needs to be. The Corsair CMPSU-450VX specs don't seem to show what happens to efficiency below 20 percent output, but one could guess that it would be around 80 percent. Can I do better than that?

If by "SSD" you mean solid state drive, I don't think I could get the storage space that I want...at least, not without an external enclosure and lots of money, so I think I'll stick with a regular hard drive. I will admit that I am not up on all of the fine details, but I know that there are "green" low-power drives and I have also listened to audio recordings/comparisons between some of the more modern drives, and some are essentially inaudible. For example, the Seagate ST3500321CS is 3 or 4 dB quieter than the WD6400AAKS and uses less power. The WD20EADS is even quieter, although I don't really need 2 TB in this machine.
Graphics card: Check this Sapphire HD 4670 card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102855). Perhaps it is hard for most people to hear fan noise outside the case. If you prefer a fanless, HIS H467PS1GH (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161288) is for you (this card occupies the expansion slot on the the other side, usually a PCI Express x1 slot). If HD audio (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio) bitstreaming matters, you have to wait for HD 57xx (soon) or HD 55xx/53xx (Q1 2010).

Antec NSK2480/Fusion Remote is the best in cooling. The case supports two 120mm fans. The bundled fans (Antec TriCool 1200/1600/2000 rpm) are a bit loud in my taste even at 1200 rpm. One SFF21D 120mm 800 rpm should be enough for a system < 200W. Well, the max power of the system will be well below 200W.

LCD in Fusion Remote works with several applications. But if it is practically useful or not (in particular at a distant place from the case) is another matter. LCD also includes a IR receiver so that you don't need an external USB IR receiver.

PSU: Perhaps you don't need a new one.

Storage: the case supports up to three HDDs. Seagate Pipeline HD (5900 rpm) is listed in

- For Business > Consumer Electronics Storage (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/consumer_electronics/)

This is good for media storage rather than a system drive, equivalent to WD Green 5400 rpm or Samsung EcoGreen 5400 rpm. Actually nothing is wrong in using a low rpm drive for OS; it just performs slightly worse than a normal 7200 rpm drive that many users don't care about.

renethx

10-08-09, 04:56 AM

And how are those types of psu called? i wanna buy them in sites like newegg,amazon, i live in latin american and those are the sites i can buy from :o
I don't think you can find a similar product from other manufacturers.

Check Google Product Search (http://www.google.com/products?q=PicoPSU).

renethx

10-08-09, 05:11 AM

tsanga

10-08-09, 10:25 AM

Storage: the case supports up to three HDDs. Seagate Pipeline HD (5900 rpm) is listed in

- For Business > Consumer Electronics Storage (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/consumer_electronics/)

This is good for media storage rather than a system drive, equivalent to WD Green 5400 rpm or Samsung EcoGreen 5400 rpm. Actually nothing is wrong in using a low rpm drive for OS; it just performs slightly worse than a normal 7200 rpm drive that many users don't care about.

Barracuda LP (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/desktops/barracuda_hard_drives/barracuda_lp/) is pretty much the same drive as Pipeline HD, with fewer capacity offerings (and minor differences in seek profiles, firmware, etc.). It's more readily available than Pipeline and usually cheaper.

corwiniii

10-08-09, 11:20 AM

Thanks renethx. I've read most of what you've posted here and a lot on line about the two socket types. I think I'll go with the socket 1366 and hope for the best in the future after reading most of your posts on here and a lot on the internet about the two.

LGA1366 vs LGA1156: A good summary is here (http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.aspx?i=3649&p=7):

Check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1172451#P55%20Chipset%20Motherboards) for a couple of good LGA1156 mb. For example,

- CPU: Core i7 860
- MB: ASUS P7P55D PRO or EVO
- RAM: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit

The other components including the PSU should work fine with the above.

mwschneider

10-08-09, 11:31 AM

Barracuda LP (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/desktops/barracuda_hard_drives/barracuda_lp/) is pretty much the same drive as Pipeline HD, with fewer capacity offerings (and minor differences in seek profiles, firmware, etc.). It's more readily available than Pipeline and usually cheaper.

Thanks for the reply. The ST3500321CS seems to be readily available and at ~$70, it doesn't seem particularly expensive to me. But I'm not saying that I think it's the best drive in the world...just that it has very low heat/power/noise specs and that those characteristics seem desirable to me. I guess I was hoping to learn if there were any opinions about other/better options that have similar (or even better) qualities.

mwschneider

10-08-09, 12:48 PM

Graphics card: Check this Sapphire HD 4670 card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102855).

Thanks very much for that link. That's the one I found pictured, but my quick search didn't turn one up for sale.

Perhaps it is hard for most people to hear fan noise outside the case.

I guess that would depend upon the fan...it sure wasn't hard to hear the small high-speed fan on my mine, but I can see where that big fan could be pretty quiet.

If you prefer a fanless, HIS H467PS1GH (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161288) is for you (this card occupies the expansion slot on the the other side, usually a PCI Express x1 slot).

That one looks very nice...but is there enough room in the Fusion case to make it work?

If HD audio (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio) bitstreaming matters, you have to wait for HD 57xx (soon) or HD 55xx/53xx (Q1 2010).

Well, being in the business that I am, I think it probably makes sense for me to embrace the newest technologies. I have little doubt that I will entertain clients with this system, and I think it is likely that they would be jazzed at the idea of advanced audio format...even if that can't hear any difference. So yeah, I guess I want that. And no problem to wait for "soon", but Q1 might be longer than I want to wait. Is there any advance information available on the HD 57xx?

Antec NSK2480/Fusion Remote is the best in cooling. The case supports two 120mm fans. The bundled fans (Antec TriCool 1200/1600/2000 rpm) are a bit loud in my taste even at 1200 rpm. One SFF21D 120mm 800 rpm should be enough for a system < 200W. Well, the max power of the system will be well below 200W.

Well, that's a nice-looking case, so if it has the best cooling, that won't be a difficult choice!

LCD in Fusion Remote works with several applications. But if it is practically useful or not (in particular at a distant place from the case) is another matter. LCD also includes a IR receiver so that you don't need an external USB IR receiver.

Well, if the display can easily be made to show something relevant, I don't think it hurts anything to have it. Strictly speaking, I can't read the displays on any of my equipment from my usual viewing position, but A/V gear is expected to have such displays, so it could be a nice touch.

As for the IR receiver, I have been happy enough using an external one because it needs to interface to my IR repeater system anyway, but if it's in there, that's fine too...just means I would have to move the emitter from the back to the front.

PSU: Perhaps you don't need a new one.
I just need to know how much power supply I actually need. The specs for the HD 4670 say, "400 Watt or greater power supply (550 Watt for ATI CrossFireX technology in dual mode) is recommended". That sounds like an awful lot for a video card, but maybe they are trying to guess what the whole system will need. Your experience on this part would be greatly appreciated.

Storage: the case supports up to three HDDs. Seagate Pipeline HD (5900 rpm) is listed in

- For Business > Consumer Electronics Storage (http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/consumer_electronics/)

This is good for media storage rather than a system drive, equivalent to WD Green 5400 rpm or Samsung EcoGreen 5400 rpm. Actually nothing is wrong in using a low rpm drive for OS; it just performs slightly worse than a normal 7200 rpm drive that many users don't care about.

Well, I know nothing about the models you linked, but they do seem to be in the same family as the model I mentioned. I did not mean to say that I wanted to use any particular drive - I would much rather know your favorites among low power/heat/noise drives.

This new wave of drives has very high data density, so 5400/5900 RPM produces more throughput than one might imagine. I have little doubt that they can blow the doors off of anything that I have right now. And again, I don't need this to be the fastest machine - I just need it to be fast enough to do what it is intended to do and I have no problem with making small performance sacrifices in order to achieve low power and noise.

For what it's worth, I also have no problem spending a few extra dollars up front for something that will save me money in the long run. For example, if I could spend an extra $50 on a PSU and get 20 percent more efficiency at idle, that would save me 122 kWh per year. If my power cost averages 0.15 per kWh, that upgrade would pay for itself in 2.7 years in direct power savings alone, not to mention the reduced heat load on the AC system. In my area, air conditioning cost is far more significant than heating cost, so anything that reduces heat is good.

renethx

10-08-09, 01:08 PM

I guess that would depend upon the fan...it sure wasn't hard to hear the small high-speed fan on my mine, but I can see where that big fan could be pretty quiet.

Not just guess, but the fact. :) There are lots of noisy HD 4670 cards there. That's the reason why I specifically mentioned Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 cooler. Many (?) people in this forum are using Sapphire HD 4670 GDDR4 Accelero L2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102818) (now discontinued) and testified it's near silent at idle and video playback.

That one looks very nice...but is there enough room in the Fusion case to make it work?

Yes, it fits Antec Fusion/NSK2480. Just note that the heatsink occupies the upper adjacent slot (usually PCI Express x1 slot).

Well, being in the business that I am, I think it probably makes sense for me to embrace the newest technologies. I have little doubt that I will entertain clients with this system, and I think it is likely that they would be jazzed at the idea of advanced audio format...even if that can't hear any difference. So yeah, I guess I want that. And no problem to wait for "soon", but Q1 might be longer than I want to wait. Is there any advance information available on the HD 57xx?

Check the official HD 5xxx thread (in my signature).

I just need to know how much power supply I actually need. The specs for the HD 4670 say, "400 Watt or greater power supply (550 Watt for ATI CrossFireX technology in dual mode) is recommended". That sounds like an awful lot for a video card, but maybe they are trying to guess what the whole system will need. Your experience on this part would be greatly appreciated.

The power consumption of the microATX mid-range AMD/AMD system on page 85 is

- Idle: 65W
- Video playback from a BD disc with PowerDVD: 85W
- CPU load: 170W (because of the quad core).

Using Kill-A-Watt.

dbone1026

10-08-09, 01:15 PM

dabl

10-08-09, 01:25 PM

bobby_t1

10-08-09, 01:52 PM

The Antec NSK2480 looks nice but too big for my application. I really want to go with a Mini-ITX setup with the Zotac.

Will the mentioned Sapphire HD 4670 fit OK in a Silverstone SG05/06 case?

bmcent1

10-08-09, 02:18 PM

Just FYI, I'm using a fanless Sapphire 4670 and it's working great (and totally quiet.)

renethx

10-08-09, 02:18 PM

Will the mentioned Sapphire HD 4670 fit OK in a Silverstone SG05/06 case?
Yes. SG05/06 supports a 2-slot 9.5 (officially 9) inch long card. HD 4670 is only 6.6 inch long.

renethx

10-08-09, 02:25 PM

Just FYI, I'm using a fanless Sapphire 4670 and it's working great (and totally quiet.)
Which case are you using? AFAIK there is just one fanless Sapphire HD 4670 card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102816) and it

- NSK2480/Fusion Remote: does not fit.
- Most ATX cases: fits.
- SilverStone SG05/06: fits?

corwiniii

10-08-09, 02:27 PM

Additionally I found this post (http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=28&threadid=2338838)useful on the subject.

Nice, thank you. I still can't decide - I'm back on 1156 now. Keep going back and fourth. There's no rush I guess.

bmcent1

10-08-09, 03:20 PM

Which case are you using? AFAIK there is just one fanless Sapphire HD 4670 card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102816) and it

- NSK2480/Fusion Remote: does not fit.
- Most ATX cases: fits.
- SilverStone SG05/06: fits?

It is that card you linked. Right now, it's just in a generic ATX tower case.

I have the "SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8mm SECC body GD01B-R ATX Media Center / HTPC Case" on it's way. I hope it fits! I'll try to post back when the case arrives.

I've had video cards with loud whiny fans, and one that died because the fan died, so now I like to go fanless (by design) whenever possible.

mwschneider

10-08-09, 04:23 PM

Not just guess, but the fact. :) There are lots of noisy HD 4670 cards there. That's the reason why I specifically mentioned Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 cooler. Many (?) people in this forum are using Sapphire HD 4670 GDDR4 Accelero L2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102818) (now discontinued) and testified it's near silent at idle and video playback.

It's starting to sound like I need to wait for the 5xxxx card...hopefully I will be able to use the same cooler(?) Would you care to guess about how power consumption and heat on the new cards will compare to the 4670?

Check the official HD 5xxx thread (in my signature).

I did just that - thank you. It does still leave a lot of questions though...

The power consumption of the microATX mid-range AMD/AMD system on page 85 is

- Idle: 65W
- Video playback from a BD disc with PowerDVD: 85W
- CPU load: 170W (because of the quad core).

Well, I appreciate that info, but as I mentioned in my previous post, I think I would be more interested an Intel system. Do you have any data on that combination?

Any comments on my other questions?

kevm14

10-08-09, 06:12 PM

Adobe Flash Player 10.1 supporting GPU acceleration will fix the issue (if you use a NVIDIA GPU). A good summary is here (http://pcper.com/comments.php?nid=7843).

Apparently it's not going to be NVIDIA exclusive! This is great as I am going with the ATI 4670 for my HTPC.

While NVIDIA is the one sending out the press release this morning, it should be noted that this Flash acceleration uses the DXVA protocols - not CUDA or anything NVIDIA-specific. That means that AMD GPUs will also benefit from Flash acceleration so users of low-cost 785G platforms, for example, will also see great performance improvement.

RaydenEG

10-08-09, 10:53 PM

First of all renethx I want to thank you for this incredible thread it has been very informative and eliminated many of my questions. Like most people before making any sort of investment (and for me $300+ is an investment) I like a little hand holding and reassurance.

After looking into the various media players/extenders and not being entirely please I am now looking into HTPC. I have the same desires most people have when it comes to a HTPC. Play almost anything I throw at it (bluray, 1080p), be VERY quiet, HDMI out and be relatively cheap.(under $400)

Here are a few questions and comments I have after reading your post on Page 85. This is long and wordy so please bare with me.

1) Other than size is there any reason to go with Mini-ITX? How do the Mini-ITX systems perform compared to the LowEnd MicroATX systems? My priorities which are pretty much 1 and 1a are performance and noise. btw It will take me a while to get used to the fact that Micro is bigger than Mini, that is just silly.

2) In the image you have comparing the MiniITX systems you have SD and HDTV only moderate/partially supported under the AMD systems. How is it possible that these systems can't handle SD let alone HD? Is it because HQV (I don't know what that is) can't properly benchmark it?

3) How will I know if I am watching at 6Hz or 24Hz? IS 24Hz the same as 24p which I thought was the frame rate (24 a second) Is this a setting on most players or is it a function of media?

4) Do all of the suggested systems have HDMI out? I have heard issues with HDMI Audio do you have any suggestions of how to avoid them? (My setup will plug HDMI directly from the PC to the TV. No receiver)

5) On the AMD/AMD Mini-ITX I can't find the J&W MINIX 780G-SP128MB on Newegg.com, are there any alternatives?

6) Recording HDTV: I see that the HD PVR model 1212 is very highly recommended. Is it pretty much the only option to record in HD off of a STB? It can only record from one source at a time correct?
Is my only real limit for how many sources I can record from how many USB Ports I have. Could I theoretically have the Cable from the wall -> 4 way splitter -> 4 Cable Boxes -> 4 HD PVR and record them all simultaneously? If this was setup on a server would I be able to watch a different Live TV source on each HTPC (box1 in the living room and box3 in the bedroom while box2 is recording for example)

Once again I thank you very much for your wonderful topic in this forum which is already filled with an incredible amount of information.

kevm14

10-08-09, 10:59 PM

I am getting very close here.
Since I've discussed my plans before (especially video solutions) I'll try to be brief.

HTPC uses:
Win 7 x64 Media Center
ATSC OTA (Avermedia Duet (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815100041))
Component 1080i output (Sapphire 4670 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102855))
Hulu Desktop
Netflix plug-in
Upscaling DVD player (so I'll have to use AnyDVD)
S/PDIF to surround receiver AND analog 2 channel to a music system
MKV Bluray rips
Maybe add Bluray playback later

I have a bunch of stuff in my cart at Newegg, including the above links, and I kinda wanted to ask some last minute questions.

1. For a board, I have an ASUS G41 P5QPL (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131387). Seems like a G31 would actually do fine since I have the 4670 but they don't have enough features for me, like S/PDIF. So I figured I have to step up to this. The Duet is PCIe x1 and the slot is on the back side of the PCIe x16 slot, which is good because it looks like the heatsink of the 4670 would interfere with a card on the other side. But I feel like I might want to add another PCIe x1 card down the road, something for a CableCARD, should I one day get a fancy cable package. Then again I guess I wouldn't need the Duet any more so I could use that same slot. Just looking for thoughts on this. I don't want to have to be spending a lot more money in only a year just to upgrade my system to support another slot, if something like this comes up.

2. Hard drives. Logic dictates that I get a 7200rpm drive to boot from and a ~1.5TB drive for storage. I picked a WD 160GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075) and a Samsung 1.5TB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152175) based on good reviews at Newegg. But is this really necessary? I don't think there would even be a performance benefit because I suspect a 1.5TB 5400rpm drive has so much more data density than a 160GB drive that it would generally have a much higher transfer rate, even though the 160 is 7200rpm. Therefore, the real benefit would be separation of the OS from the storage drive, from a logistics perspective. Seems like it might make things easier if the OS goes T/U or something bad happens. Should I just go with a single large drive for now? The case I chose will hold up to 4. I have deemed SDD out of the budget, unless something like this PQI 32GB (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820141419) is any good (picked for price). I don't really intend on having the HTPC shut down or go in and out of standby and with 4 gigs of ram (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231122) it shouldn't be swapping to the hard drive much. So maybe it doesn't matter, but I am looking for input in this department, at least within my budget.

So overall, in addition to the items I have mentioned, I am probably going with the nMedia 5000B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811204035) case and the CPU I chose is the E7500 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115056). I will run the stock heatsink and fan unless it turns out to be too noisy.

Oh yeah and I already bought the PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003) ahead of time for some reason. It looks like a quality unit so I think it'll be fine.

renethx

10-09-09, 05:29 AM

It's starting to sound like I need to wait for the 5xxxx card...hopefully I will be able to use the same cooler(?) Would you care to guess about how power consumption and heat on the new cards will compare to the 4670?

Well, I appreciate that info, but as I mentioned in my previous post, I think I would be more interested an Intel system. Do you have any data on that combination?
At first only the reference cooler HD 5770/5750 cards are available (I don't know the noise level, but probably noisier than Accelero L2). Max power consumption is ~100W, 40W more than HD 4670.

The power consumption of the microATX mid-range Intel/Intel system on page 85 is roughly

- At idle: 80W
- Video playback: 100W
- CPU load: 120W (because of the dual-core)

Marc_G

10-09-09, 06:24 AM

I am getting very close here.
...snip...
So overall, in addition to the items I have mentioned, I am probably going with the nMedia 5000B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811204035) case and the CPU I chose is the E7500 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115056). I will run the stock heatsink and fan unless it turns out to be too noisy.

...snip...

I have the nMedia 1000B case which is nearly identical to the one you chose (mine doesn't have the volume control). I love the case but did have to replace the side fan with a quieter one. I got this Kama one. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185069) I sort of wish I bought two, one for each side.

Good luck with your build.

btordini

10-09-09, 08:48 AM

I will bild the Intel/Intel ATX High end described on page 85, but was thinking of using the Intel DP55KG mobo and the HIS H585F1GDG Radeon HD 5850 (Cypress Pro) corresponding to the Premium model. Would it be any installation or power supply problem in the Zalman HD 160 plus?

Thank you very much in advance

rlewis1

10-09-09, 08:56 AM

Hello, I have been scoping out this form but havent been able to locate the info i'm searching for. I will pre apologize if these questions have been asked before, and if so would you kindly point me to the correct link.

Recently i purchased a pioneer vsx 1019ah-k and the energy rc-micro speaker system. The reason for buying this system was primarily to use it as a stereo but perhaps in the near future expand my system to include a projector and htpc. Now i am considering that prospect and have a few questions on how to proceed.

My ideal setup would be an htpc w/ blueray drive (no tv tuner necessary) that outputs a/v through hdmi to my receiver. the receiver would decode the audio and pass the hdmi video feed onto the projector (optomax hd20 is what i was thinking)

So my questions are:
what build do i use to maximize audio and visual quality in this setup?
Is there a way to directly pass the audio source from comp to be decoded by the pioneer?
Does it matter if the source is mp3, mp4, flac or a blue ray?
Would i be better off buying a sound card and passing decoded audio to the pio?
Can i use linux for this?
What is the cheapest build that gets me these results?
Is there anything else i should be aware of before going forward?

Thanks in advance for the assistance.
Ryan Lewis

blueroomelectro

10-09-09, 10:10 AM

Since you're not using a tuner / DVR have you considered a PS3?

hottoq

10-09-09, 10:29 AM

Got all the components in, put them all together, and installed Win7 RTM this morning. Surprisingly, it seems to work. Everything seems to be running fine, just haven't tried to set up the TV tuner yet.

One question: what's a good antivirus program to use nowadays? Preferably something that isn't a system hog and - if possible - free.

Thanks!

mwschneider

10-09-09, 10:36 AM

At first only the reference cooler HD 5770/5750 cards are available (I don't know the noise level, but probably noisier than Accelero L2). Max power consumption is ~100W, 40W more than HD 4670.

The power consumption of the microATX mid-range Intel/Intel system on page 85 is roughly

- At idle: 80W
- Video playback: 100W
- CPU load: 120W (because of the dual-core)

Uh-oh. 40 Watts more doesn't sound very promising...but perhaps the idle power could still be lower than the 4670...(?)

In one of your earlier replies you wrote, "Either the microATX low-end Intel/Intel or AMD/AMD system should be good. The power consumption of the total system at idle and video playback is around 60W and 70W respectively."

That would have put the Intel system at 60 Watts and the AMD system at 70 Watts. But now you are saying 80 Watts for the Intel system. Did I miss something?

renethx

10-09-09, 11:10 AM

Here are a few questions and comments I have after reading your post on Page 85. This is long and wordy so please bare with me.

1) Other than size is there any reason to go with Mini-ITX? How do the Mini-ITX systems perform compared to the LowEnd MicroATX systems? My priorities which are pretty much 1 and 1a are performance and noise. btw It will take me a while to get used to the fact that Micro is bigger than Mini, that is just silly.

2) In the image you have comparing the MiniITX systems you have SD and HDTV only moderate/partially supported under the AMD systems. How is it possible that these systems can't handle SD let alone HD? Is it because HQV (I don't know what that is) can't properly benchmark it?

3) How will I know if I am watching at 6Hz or 24Hz? IS 24Hz the same as 24p which I thought was the frame rate (24 a second) Is this a setting on most players or is it a function of media?

4) Do all of the suggested systems have HDMI out? I have heard issues with HDMI Audio do you have any suggestions of how to avoid them? (My setup will plug HDMI directly from the PC to the TV. No receiver)

5) On the AMD/AMD Mini-ITX I can't find the J&W MINIX 780G-SP128MB on Newegg.com, are there any alternatives?

6) Recording HDTV: I see that the HD PVR model 1212 is very highly recommended. Is it pretty much the only option to record in HD off of a STB? It can only record from one source at a time correct?
Is my only real limit for how many sources I can record from how many USB Ports I have. Could I theoretically have the Cable from the wall -> 4 way splitter -> 4 Cable Boxes -> 4 HD PVR and record them all simultaneously? If this was setup on a server would I be able to watch a different Live TV source on each HTPC (box1 in the living room and box3 in the bedroom while box2 is recording for example)

Once again I thank you very much for your wonderful topic in this forum which is already filled with an incredible amount of information.
1) The performance is the same. Mini-ITX just lacks expandability.
2) Not "partially supported" but "Moderate". IGP is weak in deinterlacing and various post-processing (denoise, edge enhancement etc.).
3) 24Hz (precisely 23.976Hz) is the native frame rate of movies. If your display supports this input refresh rate and if you select 24 or 23 Hz in your PC's desktop resolution, you will get that frame rate.
4) Yes. There is no native HDMI issue in any of the recommended systems, although there is no guarantee that HDMI audio works with your TV.
5) You just can't build a good mini-ITX AMD/AMD system if you live in US.
6) I am not sure. Ask in Hauppauge WinTV HD PVR (H.264) screenshot (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1015617)?

rlewis1

10-09-09, 11:40 AM

I want to be able to rip and burn, and use it as a media center. so hd space and an operating system are important im guessing.

renethx

10-09-09, 11:55 AM

renethx

10-09-09, 12:03 PM

fixit100

10-09-09, 12:10 PM

AVG Free - get it via www.download.com

dbone1026

10-09-09, 12:17 PM

A suggested system is:

- GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5750 (released on Oct 13th) supporting HD audio bitstreaming

Until support is buillt in for bitstreaming via a media player (such as the default WMC player) there would be no need to upgrade yet to the 5xxx series (i.e. I use WMCs default player with a 4670, no intentions of using separate software like TMT)?

renethx

10-09-09, 12:22 PM

One question: what's a good antivirus program to use nowadays? Preferably something that isn't a system hog and - if possible - free.
AntiVir (the best free antivirus program) or Avast!

renethx

10-09-09, 12:26 PM

Until support is buillt in for bitstreaming via a media player (such as the default WMC player) there would be no need to upgrade yet to the 5xxx series (i.e. I use WMCs default player with a 4670, no intentions of using separate software like TMT)?
If you want to access the full contents of a BD with menus, you still need PowerDVD or TMT (both will support HD audio bistreaming for HD 5xxx). HD 5750 is $109, not that bad.

renethx

10-09-09, 12:30 PM

Uh-oh. 40 Watts more doesn't sound very promising...but perhaps the idle power could still be lower than the 4670...(?)

In one of your earlier replies you wrote, "Either the microATX low-end Intel/Intel or AMD/AMD system should be good. The power consumption of the total system at idle and video playback is around 60W and 70W respectively."

That would have put the Intel system at 60 Watts and the AMD system at 70 Watts. But now you are saying 80 Watts for the Intel system. Did I miss something?
Yup. The mid-range system has a discrete graphics card.

dbone1026

10-09-09, 12:33 PM

If you want to access the full contents of a BD with menus, you still need PowerDVD or TMT (both will support HD audio bistreaming for HD 5xxx). HD 5750 is $109, not that bad.

It would be for BD Rips (I save as .ts with the TrueHD/DTS-MA audio tracks).

renethx

10-09-09, 12:58 PM

Soon (?) you will be able to get HD audio bitstreams from any container (MKV, M2TS etc.) with a TrueHD/DTS-HD MA track hopefully with any HDMI solution (except for those limited to stereo PCM) (ffdshow (http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?p=1332817#post1332817)).

For BD menus, TMT and PDVD (and SlyPlayer) will be the only solution. "Hopefully"

- TMT and PDVD: supports ATI HD 5xxx and Intel Core i5/i3 (Clarkdale) for HD audio bitstreaming
- SlyPlayer: supports every HDMI solution for HD audio bitstreaming.

rogue409

10-09-09, 01:54 PM

My ideal setup would be an htpc w/ blueray drive (no tv tuner necessary) that outputs a/v through hdmi to my receiver. the receiver would decode the audio and pass the hdmi video feed onto the projector (optomax hd20 is what i was thinking)

Does it matter if the source is mp3, mp4, flac or a blue ray?
Can i use linux for this?

Linux and Blu Ray do not play nicely together. You will have to rip, then play.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RestrictedFormats/BluRayAndHDDVD

RaydenEG

10-09-09, 02:14 PM

1) The performance is the same. Mini-ITX just lacks expandability.
2) Not "partially supported" but "Moderate". IGP is weak in deinterlacing and various post-processing (denoise, edge enhancement etc.).
3) 24Hz (precisely 23.976Hz) is the native frame rate of movies. If your display supports this input refresh rate and if you select 24 or 23 Hz in your PC's desktop resolution, you will get that frame rate.
4) Yes. There is no native HDMI issue in any of the recommended systems, although there is no guarantee that HDMI audio works with your TV.
5) You just can't build a good mini-ITX AMD/AMD system if you live in US.
6) I am not sure. Ask in Hauppauge WinTV HD PVR (H.264) screenshot (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1015617)?

Thank you very much for your swift reply. I am highly considering purchasing the Intel/Nvidia Mini-ITX system. One review of the motherboard on NewEgg has me slightly apprehensive though:

"Big problem for HTPC people is the absence of Powered USB ports when in S3 Standby. Without this the only way to come out of S3 standby is thru the Power button. Means you can't use a MCE remote to do it."

Is this reviewer correct? Do you know if this issue has been resolved? Is it really not as big an issue as it seems? Would all the suggested systems have this issue?

As for item #4 HDMI audio and my TV. If my TV currently works with HDMI Audio for other input devices (cable box, ps3, etc) then it should work fine with any of these setups I assume.

Thanks so much again for your help!

renethx

10-09-09, 02:21 PM

Thank you very much for your swift reply. I am highly considering purchasing the Intel/Nvidia Mini-ITX system. One review of the motherboard on NewEgg has me slightly apprehensive though:

"Big problem for HTPC people is the absence of Powered USB ports when in S3 Standby. Without this the only way to come out of S3 standby is thru the Power button. Means you can't use a MCE remote to do it."

Is this reviewer correct? Do you know if this issue has been resolved? Is it really not as big an issue as it seems? Would all the suggested systems have this issue?

As for item #4 HDMI audio and my TV. If my TV currently works with HDMI Audio for other input devices (cable box, ps3, etc) then it should work fine with any of these setups I assume.

Thanks so much again for your help!
Yup, true. A new PCB revision (rev. 3/4) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17158748#post17158748) should be available soon (not sure how soon :)), that fixes the issue.

mwschneider

10-09-09, 03:03 PM

Yup. The mid-range system has a discrete graphics card.

I'll bet you already know my next question...can we get an integrated HD 4670 (or better) solution?

If not, is there some particular motherboard that is known for lower power consumption?

tsanga

10-09-09, 03:58 PM

One question: what's a good antivirus program to use nowadays? Preferably something that isn't a system hog and - if possible - free.

Thanks!

My two current favorites that are free: Avira Antivir and Avast!

tsanga

10-09-09, 04:10 PM

RaydenEG

10-09-09, 04:41 PM

Yup, true. A new PCB revision (rev. 3/4) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17158748#post17158748) should be available soon (not sure how soon :)), that fixes the issue.

That's a shame. I am not really familiar with the different versions of sleep mode. The only other one that appears to be used is S1. Do you know if it wakes from this mode on USB? The issue with sleep mode for me is mostly noise related, not power consumption. In S1 will the fans still be running?

Thanks again!

kevm14

10-09-09, 04:48 PM

1. You could try GIGABYTE GA-EG41M-US2H. Use Bing or Google shopping to search. Also, IIRC, some Intel boards have two PCIe x1 slots, but you'll have to look somewhere besides Newegg.

2. I'd pick WD or Seagate over Samsung. I always find it easier for upgrades/OS swapping to keep data/video/media completely decoupled from the OS drive.

Ok I'll consider going outside one vendor to get a good board. And I trust Gigabyte more than Asus. I looked at the board and it looks almost identical to the Asus.

I chose the Samsung because it had top ratings for the 1.5TB size in this speed class. The WD Green was lower rated...

Briands

10-09-09, 05:21 PM

TroubleMan

10-09-09, 05:35 PM

That's a shame. I am not really familiar with the different versions of sleep mode. The only other one that appears to be used is S1. Do you know if it wakes from this mode on USB? The issue with sleep mode for me is mostly noise related, not power consumption. In S1 will the fans still be running?

Thanks again!I found this site helpful when explaining the different standby modes: Standby Explained (S1, S3) (http://blogs.msdn.com/omars/archive/2004/05/11/129553.aspx)
S0 - Working State

In this state, your PC is awake and working

S1 - CPU Stopped

In this state, your PC is technically in standby and this is the default standby state if S3 is not supported. Power consumption is Five Watts to Thirty Watts of Power.

S3 - Suspend to RAM (context saved to RAM)

In this state, your PC in standby and all fans, hard drivers and other devices are powered down into a sleep state. Power consumption is less than Five Watts.

S4 - Suspend to Disk(Context saved to HDD)

Otherwise known as Hibernate, your PC has saved the contents of RAM to the hard disk and is pretty much tuned off. Power consumption is less than Five Watts. This isn’t very useful for desktop PCees and is mostly used in Laptops where battery drainage is far better than if you are in S3.

btordini

10-09-09, 05:48 PM

There should be no problem.
Thank you renethx for your usual quick reply!!

RaydenEG

10-09-09, 07:48 PM

I found this site helpful when explaining the different standby modes: Standby Explained (S1, S3) (http://blogs.msdn.com/omars/archive/2004/05/11/129553.aspx)

Thanks for the reply. the question was 2 part: What is the difference between S1 and S3 and Can the Mobo in question wake on USB in S1.

dbone1026

10-09-09, 09:23 PM

Sounds like you have some inside info... anything you can share?

You can follow talk about the SlyPlayer here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1155650) or over on the slysoft forums

hottoq

10-09-09, 10:06 PM

Hi all, I recently installed this board and noticed issues with sleep. When I come back from sleep everything seems to be fine, but Windows Media Center locks up when I try to go to live TV/recorded TV.

If I reboot, Media Center works just fine -- until I come back from sleep again.

Anyone have ideas on where to start? Could it be the BIOS drivers?

Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H Motherboard
AMD Athlon II x4
4 GB RAM
Win7 Professional x64 RTM

kevm14

10-09-09, 10:37 PM

I have the nMedia 1000B case which is nearly identical to the one you chose (mine doesn't have the volume control). I love the case but did have to replace the side fan with a quieter one. I got this Kama one. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185069) I sort of wish I bought two, one for each side.

Good luck with your build.

You know that big knob is just a power button and reset is behind the door. I assume that was to make the case blend in with other A/V equipment. It seems a little hokey but I think I'll still go with the 5000B.

renethx

10-10-09, 01:55 AM

I'll bet you already know my next question...can we get an integrated HD 4670 (or better) solution?

If not, is there some particular motherboard that is known for lower power consumption?
There is (and will be in near future) no IGP solution equivalent to HD 4670.

CPU and GPU are the two main sources of power consumption. Surely the power consumption of the mb varies from brand to brand, but the difference is much smaller.

You may be interested in this CPU power consumption comparison (http://www.hardware.fr/html/articles/lire.php3?article=762&page=3) at BeHardware and GPU power consumption (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/powercolor-pcshd4670-512mb_5.html#sect0) at x-bit labs. If you search more, you will find the power consumption of other CPUs at BeHardware and other GPUs at x-bit labs.

Personally I wouldn't care about slight power increase (for whatever reason), say, by 20W-50W. This does not necessarily mean a noisier environment. Just make the fan speed the same as before. Extra heat (that can't be handled by the case fans) will be emitted from the surface of the case. The only negative effect by this is usually slight increase of the system temperature and this could decrease the longevity of electronic components (say, 15 year longevity at a good temperature decreases to 12 year longevity by slight temperature increase).

clobber

10-10-09, 01:56 AM

Rene,

You use Mediaportal right? I just built the Midrange AMD/AMD system (except I chose the 705e processor) and I am currently using the IGP instead of a discrete card. Anyway, everything is nice and quiet. A mediaportal specific question (which I have posted there, but have not had a response yet):

I can't get my videos (xvid or h.264) to play using VMR. It works with EVR but the quality is not great and there is some tearing. All videos play just fine using VMR in Windows Media Player and also with VLC (but I don't think that uses directshow). I'm on XP SP3. The symptoms are that the video actually plays and I can hear the audio, but the video portion is just static colored blocks on the screen. The logs don't show much since the file is actually playing. Any thoughts on how to get VMR working?

renethx

10-10-09, 02:13 AM

renethx

10-10-09, 02:22 AM

renethx

10-10-09, 07:50 AM

Sounds like you have some inside info... anything you can share?
The information is public as dbone1026 pointed out. However I saw this (http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?p=222724#post222724):

First one will likely only play titles - no menus. Certainly no Java menus. I'll be very happy if it plays smooth and with audio in sync. ;)

and this (http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?p=222772#post222772)

We'll probably get there over the years.... ;)

So at the initial release SlyPlayer is almost no different from MPC HomeCinema + the upcoming ffdshow with HD audio bitstreaming capability?? This is a huge disappointment (in that it can't replace TMT/PDVD).

They also shifted the focus from bit-perfect LPCM to bitstreaming. I suspect they have difficulty in writing a DTS-HD MA decoder.

rmmeli

10-10-09, 12:23 PM

Marc_G

10-10-09, 12:58 PM

Maybe someone here has come across this problem and has a solution. I have built me htpc essentially following the AMD/AMD midrange system. Everything works great driving a Panasonic HDTV. However I have a problem when I try and use a USB wireless keyboard/mouse. I have tried a Logitech and Adesso wireless keyboard and they both show the same problem. Every now and again, the keyboard and mouse become unresponsive and the cursor stops and keyboard keystrokes are lost. This can last for about 30 seconds and then it start working again. It is entirely random. I have disabled the onboard ethernet driver and things have got a lot better but it is still happens but a lot less frequently. I tried updating the ethernet driver but that did nothing. Anyone got any suggestions of what to try? I am using 64-bit Vista Home Premium and GA-MA790GP-DS4H motherboard.

Sorry, I don't have a solution but I can share my experiences with the Adesso wireless keyboard with trackball. Essentially, it has worked fine for me under Vista HP x64, Vista HP x32, and W7RC x32. Most of the time was on the Vista 32 and W7RC 32 platforms. When I first got it, it took be a little while to get used to it timing out after a certain amount of time and having to hit a key to wake it up (was surprised the trackball wouldn't wake it up).

I did modify the keyboard case just a bit to reduce the likelihood of hitting the reset button. I glued a washer over it so I don't reset the keyboard by accident.

Marc

clobber

10-10-09, 05:32 PM

What other filters are you using? You can check with GraphStudio: File > Connect to Remote Graph.

Rene, thanks. First time I have used ATI drivers and did not realize that version 9.9 actually means you'll get driver version 8.65 (when you check display properties in Device Manager). Got it sorted by reinstalling drivers.

GraphStudio has helped me sort out playing flash (flv) files. Now working on mp4/mov

pestocat

10-10-09, 07:03 PM

For a HTPC application I was thinking of using the Asus P5QL-EM MoBo. I see this has built-in graphics card. Is there any reason not to use this graphics feature and then add a drop-in graphics card.

djsunyc

10-10-09, 10:09 PM

hey - just put together my htpc.

i have the asus p5q-em motherboard. using the integrated video card and no extra sound card.

i have the LG 8x BD-Rom.

i can't get 5.1 sound out of the S/PDIF jack. video is being sent to my projector with my HDMI wire but the S/PDIF is just sending it out in stereo.

i plugged in the HDAUDIO wire from my front panel to the motheboard (and not the PC'07 connector). is that the correct connection?

what should i do to get 5.1 sound with windows 7 (86x)?

and #2 - i am using windows 7 professional (86x) and when i put in the p5q-em intel G45 chipset support dvd, it says the motherboard dvd is not supported with that operating system.

thanks for the help in advance.

djsunyc

10-11-09, 12:09 AM

renethx

10-11-09, 01:44 AM

For a HTPC application I was thinking of using the Asus P5QL-EM MoBo. I see this has built-in graphics card. Is there any reason not to use this graphics feature and then add a drop-in graphics card.
G43 lacks full hardware decode acceleration of MPEG2, VC1, and AVC. That means high CPU usage in playing back HD contents and poor HD deinterlacing. If you are fine with these limitations, P5QL-EM without a discrete graphic is a good choice.

Danielson99

10-11-09, 02:23 AM

renethx

10-11-09, 02:49 AM

Here's a quick question. I'm running an AM2 mobo with a lil 3600 dual core cpu with Win XP. I'd love to be able to play dvd's and blurays from my computer that I have downloaded. I have a PS3 for playing them also but I do download alot.

So here's what I need to know.
Is my lil 1.8ghz dual core cpu good enough?
What would be a decent low-cost hdmi video card? (I don't game)
What would be the best software to play the files? (VLC?)

I came across the Asus Geforce 9600GSO HERE (http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42599&vpn=EN9600GSO%2FDI%2F512MD3%2FV2&manufacture=ASUS) and thought what a score it would be if it's capable of filling my needs.

For some reason I have this fantasy that a $50 HDMI video card and an $85 1 terrabyte HD is gonna have me all hooked up to play DVD and Bluray from my HD to the Panny PZ85! :o

Could someone just tell me I'm high and then let me know what I need to get it all going?:cool: I'm obviously trying to do this on a budget...my DIY subwoofers and other hobbies already have me in enough trouble with the old lady :o TIA!!!
You just need to add a good graphics card. A couple of recommended cards are:

- SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4550 DDR3 512MB HDMI, $45.
- SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4670 DDR3 1GB (with a black Arctic Cooling cooler), $60.
- GeForce GT 220, ~$80, to be released on Oct 12.

All of these cards support multichannel LPCM over HDMI with integrated HD audio controller (although you may not need it). Differences are:

- GeForce supports hardware acceleration for H.264 of higher levels than Radeon (this matters for downloaded H.264 contents encoded by people ignorant of the basics).
- HD 4550 is slightly weak in HD deinterlacing (some Blu-ray movies and HDTV contents; check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17305031#post17305031)).

As for software, avoid VLC (not suitable for HD contents). MPC HomeCinema is one of the best media players. You may want to use ffdshow tryouts audio decoder instead of the internal ones. For BD movies with full menus, TotalMedia Theater 3 Platimum or PowerDVD 9 Ultra are the only choices.

Danielson99

10-11-09, 05:06 AM

you just need to add a good graphics card. A couple of recommended cards are:

- sapphire radeon hd 4550 ddr3 512mb hdmi, $45.
- sapphire radeon hd 4670 ddr3 1gb (with a black arctic cooling cooler), $60.
- geforce gt 220, ~$80, to be released on oct 12.

All of these cards support multichannel lpcm over hdmi with integrated hd audio controller (although you may not need it). Differences are:

- geforce supports hardware acceleration for h.264 of higher levels than radeon (this matters for downloaded h.264 contents encoded by people ignorant of the basics).
- hd 4550 is slightly weak in hd deinterlacing (some blu-ray movies and hdtv contents; check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17305031#post17305031)).

As for software, avoid vlc (not suitable for hd contents). Mpc homecinema is one of the best media players. You may want to use ffdshow tryouts audio decoder instead of the internal ones. For bd movies with full menus, totalmedia theater 3 platimum or powerdvd 9 ultra are the only choices.

tyvm

b_rubenstein

10-11-09, 12:58 PM

In S1 will the fans still be running?

Case fans will continue to run if S1 is set in the BIOS.

pestocat

10-11-09, 04:22 PM

G43 lacks full hardware decode acceleration of MPEG2, VC1, and AVC. That means high CPU usage in playing back HD contents and poor HD deinterlacing. If you are fine with these limitations, P5QL-EM without a discrete graphic is a good choice.
renethx,
Thank you for the suggestion. I was taking your suggestion of graphics card of Asus EN9600GT/DI/512MD3. One more question, can one use a graphics card with an Antec Fusion Remote Black case. I'm not familiar with what can be used this low height case. I would think there is not enough height for a graphics card. The Antec description doesn't any information on the rear view of the case. Does the rear have openings for the normal BoBo rear interface.
Thank you,

djsunyc

10-11-09, 05:40 PM

djsunyc

10-11-09, 06:36 PM

ok...seem to be ok except for one very annoying thing:

setup:

asus p5q-em mobo
using the integrated graphics chip
windows 7 (32 bit)

i installed with a monitor using a vga connection
i then hooked up by projector via hdmi cable
i made my projector the main display
i then disconnected by monitor

at this point, i can't reboot the machine with the hdmi connection

it only reboots with the monitor (via vga) and only the monitor connected. any try with the hdmi wire doesn't boot (by itself or in conjuction with the monitor) - don't even get to the BIOS screen...

any ideas?

ok - a slight workaround that i'm not too happy about b/c i want to ditch the monitor altogether...

but if i hook up both monitor to vga and projector to hdmi and use both as the same display (no extend desktop but both to look the same) - i am able to reboot w/o a problem. looks like for some reason, the BIOS and stuff won't come up with hdmi at all...b/c even with this setup, i only see the BIOS and POST on the monitor...but when windows comes up, it's on both.

jim97219

10-11-09, 10:28 PM

I'm contemplating putting together an HTPC based around Ceton's Multi-Channel Cable TV Card (http://www.cetoncorp.com/pdfs/CetonMultiChannelCableTVCard.pdf). The idea of being able to watch or record any combination of four shows--encrypted or not--simultaneously intrigues me quite a bit. My primary goal would be to set up a whole-house DVR with it, a nice perk for my two housemates and me and also a way to get rid of a box or two around the house.

As a newbie, I'm overwhelmed by the array of sound cards, video cards and everything needed to put this together. I have the ethernet wiring in place so that's not an issue. The TV would be connected to my Onkyo TX-SR605 receiver and my wide-screen TV. In addition, I'd like to use it to do some websurfing, some Hulu and maybe some light gaming. A Blu-ray player for it might be in the mix someday but not right now. And I'm not going to be doing any video editing or anything on that line.

The minimum system requirements are:
Windows 7 Premium
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5400 or AMD Athlon II X2 240 processor
4 Gigabytes of RAM
HDPC compliant graphics
HDMI out or DVI out with sound card.

What advice might you offer me? I have a near-term need for a new system but it's not urgent. Are there advantages to waiting until the card comes out (1st quarter 2010) or would I be okay getting a Windows 7 system and adding the card once it becomes available? Would something on the low end do what I'm trying to do? Or would this be more of a demanding system and I should be looking at the high end?

Thanks in advance

Jim

kevm14

10-11-09, 11:02 PM

renethx

10-12-09, 03:11 AM

renethx,
Thank you for the suggestion. I was taking your suggestion of graphics card of Asus EN9600GT/DI/512MD3. One more question, can one use a graphics card with an Antec Fusion Remote Black case. I'm not familiar with what can be used this low height case. I would think there is not enough height for a graphics card. The Antec description doesn't any information on the rear view of the case. Does the rear have openings for the normal BoBo rear interface.
Thank you,
A note on graphics card: The new GeForce GT 220 was released today. This is ideal for HTPC in that it has enough processing power for video playback and supports multichannel LPCM (if you use a HDMI AVR).

Antec Fusion Remote is a full-height case.

renethx

10-12-09, 03:17 AM

willm

10-12-09, 06:36 AM

kevm14

10-12-09, 09:30 AM

A note on graphics card: The new GeForce GT 220 was released today. This is ideal for HTPC in that it has enough processing power for video playback and supports multichannel LPCM (if you use a HDMI AVR).

Antec Fusion Remote is a full-height case.

Looks like the 4670 beats it easily in game benchmarks, but do you have reason to believe that the overall video performance or HDMI compatibility make it a better HTPC GPU? A friend wants to throw a system together with HDMI and he knows I went with the 4670, but then this came out.

renethx

10-12-09, 09:51 AM

I'd like to build an Intel / Nvidia Micro ATX HTPC and would like to follow the recommendations on page 85 as much as possible. I am having problems finding the recommended GIGABYTE GA-E7AUM-DS2H LGA775 GeForce 9400 mGPU microATX motherboard at my usual suppliers (newegg etc) and was wondering what would be a recommended substitute? I'm only seeing one other 9400 board and there seems to be a lot of luke warm reviews of the 9300 boards.

I'm looking for Nvidia because I have been able to get them running at native 1366 x 768. Looking for 1080p off the motherboard graphics for when I upgrade my screen.
Right now there is no good alternative for GA-E7AUM-DS2H. (Stay away from ASUS GeForce 9300.) GIGABYTE could release a successor, something like "GA-E7AUM-UD2H", but I am not sure (read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17179521#post17179521)).

If you prefer NVIDIA GPU, you can add a good discrete graphics card such as the latest GeForce GT 220 to any system. The video playback performance is better than any IGP, while it supports multichannel LPCM.

renethx

10-12-09, 09:52 AM

Looks like the 4670 beats it easily in game benchmarks, but do you have reason to believe that the overall video performance or HDMI compatibility make it a better HTPC GPU? A friend wants to throw a system together with HDMI and he knows I went with the 4670, but then this came out.
Some prefer NVIDIA to ATI. GT 220 is an ideal for such people.

rhancock1972

10-12-09, 10:04 AM

I see a lot of posts with various configurations in this thread. I thought I would share my experience with Drobopro and seagate 1.5tb drives versus the wd 2.0tb drives.

The drobopro has some faults (very slow recognition within windows, but once it's up and running it works fairly smooth).

I have about 10.5 tb filled with SD (all vobs) and HD (all iso) movies. I first started out with 8 WD 2 TB drives. I had noticed a significant amount of stuttering with the play back. I re-installed everything, changed video cards, updated bios/drivers. The stuttering improved, but it is still there. I then switched over to all 1.5 tb seagate drives. I haven't noticed any problems with the playback. The only problem i had with the seagate drives was reliability. I had to replace three drives. Once they had been replaced...no problem (however, I have only been using them for about three weeks).

Has anyone had similar issues?

BTW, I have no playback issues with the WD 2tb drives connected to rocketraid card (RAID 5 setup).

TroubleMan

10-12-09, 01:11 PM

Are there any other mini-ITX motherboards with a wake-on-USB feature from S3 besides the forthcoming Zotac GF9300-G-E? I'm feeling as if the board won't be released, so I would like to see what my other options are.

eddyE

10-12-09, 01:31 PM

Maybe someone here has come across this problem and has a solution. I have built me htpc essentially following the AMD/AMD midrange system. Everything works great driving a Panasonic HDTV. However I have a problem when I try and use a USB wireless keyboard/mouse. I have tried a Logitech and Adesso wireless keyboard and they both show the same problem. Every now and again, the keyboard and mouse become unresponsive and the cursor stops and keyboard keystrokes are lost. This can last for about 30 seconds and then it start working again. It is entirely random. I have disabled the onboard ethernet driver and things have got a lot better but it is still happens but a lot less frequently. I tried updating the ethernet driver but that did nothing. Anyone got any suggestions of what to try? I am using 64-bit Vista Home Premium and GA-MA790GP-DS4H motherboard.
@rmmeli

I started experiencing the same problem when I bought the Adesso keyboard (Mobo ASUS P5Q-EM). However, after reading another poster who suggested adding a short USB cable extension for the USB keyboard transmitter on the HTPC the keyboard performed much better.

If the keyboard becomes unresponsive I just hit the escape key and it starts working fine again immediately. I have come to like it very much, though I wish the trackball sensitivity was adjustable.

ed

renethx

10-12-09, 01:53 PM

are there any other mini-itx motherboards with a wake-on-usb feature from s3 besides the forthcoming zotac gf9300-g-e? I'm feeling as if the board won't be released, so i would like to see what my other options are.
dg45fc.

TroubleMan

10-12-09, 02:47 PM

dg45fc.Thanks for the info, I will have to do a side by side comparison of the two.

Edit:
....bah, it's missing the one feature I needed, a PCI Express Slot for a video card (I need component out). I guess I'll have to wait for Zotac to release their board.

bmcent1

10-12-09, 07:35 PM

Got my Silverstone case today. It has a front audio connection. That cable has two choices for plugging into the motherboard (which is a GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P), they are "HD Audio" and "AC '97" ... which should I use?

bmcent1

10-12-09, 08:29 PM

Other thing... system won't boot after moving to new case. During POST it give's 1 beep, signaling a good self test, but then doesn't progress beyond the Gigabyte splash screen.

Video works. So I thought that would mean CPU and Mem are okay or it wouldn't have gotten to this point.

When I plug a keyboard in (PS/2) the scroll/num/caps lights will blink once, but after that I can't toggle the lock lights. So I think keyboard input isn't working to allow me to go into the BIOS. I tried clearing the CMOS but it didn't solve this.

Everything other than case, power supply, and Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 were working parts in my HTPC up until today.

Any ideas?

bmcent1

10-12-09, 08:53 PM

I swapped in the old CPU and the system works with new case and PSU... maybe I just got a bad CPU from New Egg? But I'm surprised about the POST seeming okay.

- I'm going to check Gigabyte's website now to see if I need a firmware update to support the Core2 Quad Q9400.

- Also wondering if my PC2-5400 RAM is incompatible with the newer CPU? I'd ordered new memory but did something wrong because it isn't keyed right for my Gigabit motherboard. Plan B was hoping the old RAM would hold me over until new RAM arrives.

UPDATE:
I do have the latest rev of the Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P motherboard (rev 1.6) and the latest BIOS (v6.00PG FB) which they also show supporting the Q9400 CPU in their CPU support list.

So, does this seem like a bad CPU or could PC2-5400 memory cause the system to boot no further than POST?

bmcent1

10-12-09, 09:50 PM

My last post, just filling in some details and then looking for some advice.

I plugged my old P4 3.2 GHz CPU back in and the system booted and ran Memtest from CD. While the system was up, I loaded Optimized BIOS defaults and disabled the Boot Splash screen so I could see more info during boot. Keyboard was working fine.

I put the Core2 Quad Q9400 CPU back in and the system posted and 1 beep from the speaker and I could see the CPU recognized by the BIOS and listed as Quad Core Q9400 2666 MHz (333x8) but then it would not load the CD ROM and wouldn't accept input from the keyboard.

I would guess the DDR2-667 memory should be fine, so my best guess is I need to return the CPU and try another.

Any suggestions?

Marc_G

10-12-09, 10:04 PM

Rene and other knowledgeable folks,

In short, I'm wondering whether to upgrade my HTPC from a Sapphire 4550 (fanless) to a 4670 (probably this one) (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161288) in the near future or whether to wait for the 5670 or similar model early next year.

The 4550 won't go to waste; it will go upstairs to my desktop replacing a truly horrendous HD3450.

The only reason I would spend good money to replace an otherwise excellently-performing card is that I've apparently got the "judder bug" (http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/t/64226.aspx?PageIndex=39) when watching some live/recorded HD OTA content. I only see it on one channel, but that's CBS and I watch CSI and CSI-NY, and it bugs the crap out of me.

There are some reports that the 4670 reduces the severity of the problem. And other reports that it doesn't... and other reports that it's strictly a MS bug, and others that it's a video decoder issue...

Frankly I never saw the issue until I switched from Vista HP/Radeon3200HD to W7RC/HD4550. I swapped OS and video card at the same time otherwise no changes.

I understand the 4670 will have better SD rendering (Vector Adaptive) but I probably wouldn't notice the difference on my 1080i plasma.

Will the 5670 (or whatever number) have any seriously beneficial improvements over the 4670? Note that I'm not into the high end sound stuff... my receiver is strictly DTS/DD and I'm unlikely to change it within the horizon of interest here; I'm strictly interested in video handling on a single screen.

Frustration with this judder bug would lead me to spending the ~80 bucks for the fanless 4670 card if there's a reasonable chance it will cure the judder or give me any real benefits in quality of rendering either HD or SD content onto a 50" 1080i plasma (via HDMI). Or I can wait until the new crop of HTPC tailored cards is available...

Any comments appreciated.

Thanks
Marc

cableuser001

10-12-09, 10:19 PM

I have some generic questions, as I am building my cheap desktop PC.

1. Can I use a 2.5" SATA HDD(from laptop) in desktop. I haven't opened the laptop yet, so don't know if it has the same SATA connections as a desktop SATA cable and the power supply.

2. I have MTS (AVCHD) files from my camcorder. My minimum requirement is that the files have to be playable with k-lite codec on a PC. What AMD processor/Motherboard combination has worked for you to achieve this?

3. Eventually I want to be able to add dual tuners to record OTA transmissions. Any suggestions of the minimum specs on the processor.

Thanks.

drhankz

10-12-09, 10:21 PM

I have a generic question, as I am building my cheap desktop PC.

1. Can I use a 2.5" SATA HDD(from laptop) in desktop. I haven't opened the laptop yet, so don't know if it has the same SATA connections as a desktop SATA cable and the power supply.

Thanks.

Same - I have TWO OLD 2.5" laptop Drives in my Desktop.

ONE THING to note is the RPM - I had high-perf laptop
drives - 7200RPM - in my laptop. Those are fine for a
desktop. If you have lower performance drives - the desktop
performance will suffer.

cableuser001

10-12-09, 10:25 PM

Thanks. I was aware of the performance issues. I just want to use it for booting.

So, no issues with connectors and powersupply?
Thanks

Same - I have TWO OLD 2.5" laptop Drives in my Desktop.

ONE THING to note is the RPM - I had high-perf laptop
drives - 7200RPM - in my laptop. Those are fine for a
desktop. If you have lower performance drives - the desktop
performance will suffer.

cableuser001

10-12-09, 11:02 PM

I have old HP desktop with XP on it. If I take the hdd with OS on it and put it in another PC, would it work?

Marc_G

10-13-09, 06:23 AM

I have old HP desktop with XP on it. If I take the hdd with OS on it and put it in another PC, would it work?

License issues aside, this might work. I have, for fun, done this kind of thing in the past just to see what happens. Sometimes it works and the thing boots, detects new hardware, installs drivers, and usually asks to reboot. Then you're good. Other times, it will bluescreen somewhere during the boot. It's never as good as doing a fresh installation, however. Take an image backup before trying this, so you can restore the hard drive if needed.

But the OS gets crudded up over time anyway... why install an old messy system into the new PC?

If you insist on using the old copy of XP, do you have the ability to "refresh" it by restoring the original image the PC shipped with, from restoration disks or a recovery partition first? This would improve chances of success.

For HTPC I strongly recommend W7 over XP. There are various deals out there to get W7 for relatively low cost, such as the "student deal" that folks with a .edu address can use.

Good luck!

Marc

renethx

10-13-09, 06:53 AM

Will the 5670 (or whatever number) have any seriously beneficial improvements over the 4670? Note that I'm not into the high end sound stuff... my receiver is strictly DTS/DD and I'm unlikely to change it within the horizon of interest here; I'm strictly interested in video handling on a single screen.

Frustration with this judder bug would lead me to spending the ~80 bucks for the fanless 4670 card if there's a reasonable chance it will cure the judder or give me any real benefits in quality of rendering either HD or SD content onto a 50" 1080i plasma (via HDMI). Or I can wait until the new crop of HTPC tailored cards is available...
Here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1179134#Video%20and%20Audio%20Features) are new video and audio features of HD 5xxx. I am not sure of judder. Tried 7 RTM and/or CyberLink Video/SP decoder? The RTM H.264/MPEG-2 decoder improved.

tajoo

10-13-09, 09:19 AM

Nice info here thank you.

kevm14

10-13-09, 09:22 AM

Frustration with this judder bug would lead me to spending the ~80 bucks for the fanless 4670 card if there's a reasonable chance it will cure the judder or give me any real benefits in quality of rendering either HD or SD content onto a 50" 1080i plasma (via HDMI). Or I can wait until the new crop of HTPC tailored cards is available...

My $0.02 would be that with Vista Ultimate x64, a 512MB 4670, Core i7 920 and 1080i component output, I have yet to see anything like that described here. I am about to build a Win 7 HTPC using the 4670, however, and I will be irritated beyond belief if this new machine has the issue.

dbone1026

10-13-09, 12:43 PM

In another thread Renethx had put together a guide on how to set up W7 for playback of your m2ts files in WPM12/7MC. I have confirmed that I now have this working on both of my HD HTPCs (previously I would get audio/no video for my m2ts VC-1 movies in W7). I was able to set this up on both my x32 and x64 systems. You can see Rene's guide here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16951614#post16951614). I also did a quick writeup on my blog here (http://dbone1026.blogspot.com/2009/10/setting-up-codecs-for-7mc.html). Hope this helps for anyone having problems with playback on their W7 HTPCs

pestocat

10-13-09, 01:03 PM

A note on graphics card: The new GeForce GT 220 was released today. This is ideal for HTPC in that it has enough processing power for video playback and supports multichannel LPCM (if you use a HDMI AVR).

Antec Fusion Remote is a full-height case.

renethx, Thank you for the heads up on the GeForce GT 220.

Ok, here is my complete part list now, any suggestions anyone.

1. Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black
2. Mobo: Asus P5QL-EM
3. Graphics Card: Asus GT220
4. Blu-ray drive: LG BH08LS20
5. Memory: C499-5 4GB
6. HDD: WD-1001FALS 1 TB
7. CPU: Intel Q9550
8. Power supply: Corsair VX450
9. OS: Windows Ultimate 64 bit

TV Tuner: HDHomerun

Fidelity Castro

10-13-09, 01:22 PM

renethx

10-13-09, 01:47 PM

Hi,

I´m searching a good relyable S.775 Board for my new low profile bedroom HTPC.

I need at least an Firewire Port ( Floppy DTV TV Card ) and optical spdif audio out because my AVR lacks HDMI . Checking some pricecompare sites i found those two boards, the Intel DG43GT and the Gigabyte EG41MF-US2H.

http://www.intel.com/cd/channel/reseller/apac/eng/products/desktop/bdb/DG43GT/feature/index.htm

http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=3090

I´ve planned to use a Intel e3200 CPU and Sapphire 4550 lowprofile and a Pico PSU 120w.

I hope that this combination is strong enough for 1080i deinterlacing using Mediaportal or DVB Viewer :rolleyes:

The Intel DG43GT board only costs 15 bucks more than the Gigabyte where i live and same as the DG35EC, wich mobo should i buy of these two ? Honestly i´m a bit unsure about early Gigabyte Bios Revisions... :eek:
HD 4550 is good for HD deinterlacing but not perfect. Check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17305031#post17305031). But HD 4550 is the best "low-profile" ATI card. (If you don't mind NVIDIA, there are a couple of low-profile cards with perfect deinterlacing; choose 9500 GT or higher, or GT 220.)

In general I prefer GIGABYTE to Intel. If GA-EG41MF-US2H has all the features you need, go for it.

bmcent1

10-13-09, 02:03 PM

Renethx -
Any ideas on this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17343815#post17343815)? CPU makes it through post but system locks (and won't even toggle keyboard lights) before it will boot anything.

Sounds like a bad CPU? Or is there something else to try? When I popped my old CPU back in, everything works fine.

Fidelity Castro

10-13-09, 02:51 PM

HD 4550 is good for HD deinterlacing but not perfect. Check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17305031#post17305031). But HD 4550 is the best "low-profile" ATI card. (If you don't mind NVIDIA, there are a couple of low-profile cards with perfect deinterlacing; choose 9500 GT or higher, or GT 220.)

In general I prefer GIGABYTE to Intel. If GA-EG41MF-US2H has all the features you need, go for it.

Thank you, i´m a bit confused about you mentioning in that linked post Ati Cards below 4670 don´t support VA deinterlacing...

i read the original cheeseslices thread in the german DVB Viewer forum up and down, there are quite a few people in the 4550 thread there running VA with the 4550, how can that be possible if its not possible.. :confused:

I change from a POV ION 330-1 Sys to the new Intel - Ati combo, better deinterlacing in mind. I´m really mad now cause my Ati 4550 is already here... :eek:

So the bottom line is that a 4550´s videoperformance isn´t superior to a 785g onboard card... :(

I had a 8800GT 512mb g92 in my other Sys before, i didn´t see better HW deinterlacing than the ION GF 9400 was able to. So i suspected NV cards are not capacitated for that. Further i remember a post where somebody statet that he successfully runs VA deinterlacing with a 9600gt and nobody from this forum believed him...

So where is the deinterlacing optioned hided in the NV driver ?

renethx

10-13-09, 03:36 PM

Thank you, i´m a bit confused about you mentioning in that linked post Ati Cards below 4670 don´t support VA deinterlacing...

i read the original cheeseslices thread in the german DVB Viewer forum up and down, there are quite a few people in the 4550 thread there running VA with the 4550, how can that be possible if its not possible.. :confused:

I change from a POV ION 330-1 Sys to the new Intel - Ati combo, better deinterlacing in mind. I´m really mad now cause my Ati 4550 is already here... :eek:

So the bottom line is that a 4550´s videoperformance isn´t superior to a 785g onboard card... :(

I had a 8800GT 512mb g92 in my other Sys before, i didn´t see better HW deinterlacing than the ION GF 9400 was able to. So i suspected NV cards are not capacitated for that. Further i remember a post where somebody statet that he successfully runs VA deinterlacing with a 9600gt and nobody from this forum believed him...

So where is the deinterlacing optioned hided in the NV driver ?
I am not sure how these people achieved VA with HD 4550. Links to those posts?

My test setup was

- Windows Vista/7
- CyberLink Video/SP Decoder and Windows' built-in MPEG-2 decoder
- EVR
- Sapphire HD 4550 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102799)

As for NVIDIA

- GeForce 9500 GT or above: VA
- GeForce 9400 GT/9300/9400 IGP or below: A (not MA).

VA is ATI's term. Unlike CCC, you can't choose deinterlacing method in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

renethx

10-13-09, 03:43 PM

vinha916

10-13-09, 04:37 PM

Hi renethx,
i just build high end system when i tried install vista it give me blue screen but it work on xp , do you have any idea?

* CPU: Core i5 750 2.66GHz LGA1156, $196.
* CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP, $32. Perhaps you have to buy a retention bracket set for LGA1156 which is not released yet. Meanwhile you can use the stock cooler.
* Motherboard: ASRock P55M Pro LGA1156 Intel P55 chipset microATX, $100.
* Memory: G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit, $85.
* Graphics Card: HIS H485Q1GH Radeon HD 4850 GDDR3 1GB, $133.
* HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps, $70.
* Corsair VX550W CMPSU-550VX 550W, $87.
* Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote, $140.

bmcent1

10-13-09, 04:40 PM

Or could be memory or even motherboard. Did you run Memtest86?

It's PC-5400 (DDR 2, 667 I think) memory that's been working fine with the P4 3.2 GHz chip that this Q9400 is supposed to replace. I did run Memtest again recently on the RAM and it's okay, but I can only run memtest when the P4 chip is installed. When the Q9400 chip is installed, I see a POST and the CPU properly identified but then everything hangs, before I can enter BIOS or before Memtest will boot.

I can RMA the CPU, I just want to make sure there isn't something obvious I should try first.

Fidelity Castro

10-13-09, 05:41 PM

I am not sure how these people achieved VA with HD 4550. Links to those posts?

Sure, here you go http://www.dvbviewer.info/forum/index.php?showtopic=31899

It seems that the linked Gigabyte 4550 Model from the thread definitively does VA @ 1080i ;)

My test setup was

- Windows Vista/7
- CyberLink Video/SP Decoder and Windows' built-in MPEG-2 decoder
- EVR
- Sapphire HD 4550 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102799)

I own the passive one http://geizhals.at/deutschland/a394634.html

I´ll try it out, if it don´t work i´m not sure if i should buy the gigabyte one, a gt220 ( if VA works ) or wait for the new 5xxx low end models. Power consumption is very important for me as well, my pico psu can´t handle more than 120w permanent...

As for NVIDIA

- GeForce 9500 GT or above: VA
- GeForce 9400 GT/9300/9400 IGP or below: A (not MA).

VA is ATI's term. Unlike CCC, you can't choose deinterlacing method in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

I had the 8800 GT wich afaik is identical with the 9800gt and didn´t noticed any deinterlacing improval over the ION Graphics, tried alot with graphstudio, dxva tools etc., codec was power dvd8 before i switched comlpletely to ffd show...

Then they might have improved the cards newer than 8800gt g92.... or is it a driver thing ?

Is the NV equivalent of VA named temporal - spatial perhaps ?

Btw, thx for your pacience, great Thread here ;)

Marc_G

10-13-09, 07:09 PM

Here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1179134#Video%20and%20Audio%20Features) are new video and audio features of HD 5xxx. I am not sure of judder. Tried 7 RTM and/or CyberLink Video/SP decoder? The RTM H.264/MPEG-2 decoder improved.

My $0.02 would be that with Vista Ultimate x64, a 512MB 4670, Core i7 920 and 1080i component output, I have yet to see anything like that described here. I am about to build a Win 7 HTPC using the 4670, however, and I will be irritated beyond belief if this new machine has the issue.

Guys,

Thanks for the responses. It looks like the 5670 might have enough new stuff to be worthwhile so I'll hold off my purchase for now. I can report back once I get W7 RTM and updated everything on my HTPC (week of 10/26 is when I should have time to do it).

Kevm14- I wouldn't worry TOO much about the Judder. I understand that it is not specifically introduced in W7 but has existed for a while. If you aren't seeing it in Vista you probably won't see it in W7. I think my graphics card swap and a few other things might have brought it on. Perhaps the HD3200 I was using before wasn't prone to the issue.

While highly irritating, it only effects 2-3 hours of viewing for me per week. Enough to fix, but not enough to make me go insane, knowing I can try a different graphics card and hope for the best in a few months when the 5670 rolls out.

Marc

rmmeli

10-13-09, 08:06 PM

@rmmeli

I started experiencing the same problem when I bought the Adesso keyboard (Mobo ASUS P5Q-EM). However, after reading another poster who suggested adding a short USB cable extension for the USB keyboard transmitter on the HTPC the keyboard performed much better.

If the keyboard becomes unresponsive I just hit the escape key and it starts working fine again immediately. I have come to like it very much, though I wish the trackball sensitivity was adjustable.

ed
Thanks for the suggestion of the USB extender cable. That seems to have fixed it. All of a sudden all my keystrokes are being read and the cursor is completely responsive, no stutters or waits! Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

Ambywahwah

10-13-09, 09:08 PM

Great info.

Deepsky4565

10-13-09, 10:00 PM

I'm in the process of buying the parts for the Premium Intel/Intel system, but am having trouble locating the Xigmatek Crossbow ACK-I5361 for the 1156 CPU. Any ideas where I can buy one? I have tried all of the retailers listed on the Xigmatek web site.

This became available a couple of days ago in some Asian countries but it looks like it has not been imported in US. You can use the stock cooler for a while.

Any news on this bracket? Thanks

cableuser001

10-14-09, 01:21 AM

Thanks, yes, for HTPC I am building another system and will get win7. I just had that question about swapping HDDs.

Thanks.
License issues aside, this might work. I have, for fun, done this kind of thing in the past just to see what happens. Sometimes it works and the thing boots, detects new hardware, installs drivers, and usually asks to reboot. Then you're good. Other times, it will bluescreen somewhere during the boot. It's never as good as doing a fresh installation, however. Take an image backup before trying this, so you can restore the hard drive if needed.

But the OS gets crudded up over time anyway... why install an old messy system into the new PC?

If you insist on using the old copy of XP, do you have the ability to "refresh" it by restoring the original image the PC shipped with, from restoration disks or a recovery partition first? This would improve chances of success.

For HTPC I strongly recommend W7 over XP. There are various deals out there to get W7 for relatively low cost, such as the "student deal" that folks with a .edu address can use.

Good luck!

Marc

renethx

10-14-09, 02:42 AM

Sure, here you go http://www.dvbviewer.info/forum/index.php?showtopic=31899

It seems that the linked Gigabyte 4550 Model from the thread definitively does VA @ 1080i ;)

I own the passive one http://geizhals.at/deutschland/a394634.html

I´ll try it out, if it don´t work i´m not sure if i should buy the gigabyte one, a gt220 ( if VA works ) or wait for the new 5xxx low end models. Power consumption is very important for me as well, my pico psu can´t handle more than 120w permanent...

I had the 8800 GT wich afaik is identical with the 9800gt and didn´t noticed any deinterlacing improval over the ION Graphics, tried alot with graphstudio, dxva tools etc., codec was power dvd8 before i switched comlpletely to ffd show...

Then they might have improved the cards newer than 8800gt g92.... or is it a driver thing ?

Is the NV equivalent of VA named temporal - spatial perhaps ?

Btw, thx for your pacience, great Thread here ;)
Here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16749668#post16749668) is another user who claims VA works with GIGABYTE HD 4550. It looks like GIGABYTE is a special card. :) A related thead is A severe bug in ATI display driver in Windows Vista and Windows 7 for deinterlacing 1 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1136909). BTW a workaround is disable Aero. Then VA will work with HD 4550.

ffdshow does not support DXVA at all, meaing very poor software deinterlacing (except for yadif; but yadif is still inferior to good hardware deinterlacing).

Here are my own test results of a couple of NVIDIA cards with Cheese Slices (1080i59.94 MPEG-2) and W6RZ vertrezmotion.ts (1080i59.94 MPEG-2).

- Win 7 RTM x86 (Aero ON or OFF does not affect the results, unlike ATI)
- NIVIDIA 191.07
- CyberLink/MS decoders
- EVR

|Cheese Slices|W6RZ|SP
8600 GT|MA|Pass|32
9300/9400|A|Fail|16
9400 GT|A|Fail|16
9500 GT|VA|Pass|32
9600 GT|VA|Pass|64
9800 GT|VA|Pass|112

Clearly the number of stream processors (SP) is crucial: 32 is the minimum for the perfect HD deinterlacing (this [a sufficient number of SP] is also true for ATI). That's all I can say right now. A GT 220 DDR3 card will arrive tomorrow. (There is a DDR2 version too, but I won't test it [I don't have enough money to test all cards].)

Yup VA = temporal-spatial.

renethx

10-14-09, 02:48 AM

r4wj4

10-14-09, 04:38 AM

Hi guys, I have been thinking of building a HTPC for a while and I found this thread which has been very helpful in understanding all of the different options and components. I was thinking of going with the Intel/Nvidia mini-ITX setup but then as reading other forums I found out the the new Intel processor i3 is due soon and will have an integrated GPU. My question is this, is it worth it to wait or go with the setup I mentioned above? I can afford to wait a few months.

renethx

10-14-09, 10:05 AM

My question is this, is it worth it to wait or go with the setup I mentioned above? I can afford to wait a few months.
If you want HD audio bitstreams over HDMI, wait for Clarkdale. Otherwise you could go for GeForce 9300 now (you can add a Radeon HD 5xxx card later for bitstreams).

dabl

10-14-09, 10:58 AM

I'm in the process of buying the parts for the Premium Intel/Intel system, but am having trouble locating the Xigmatek Crossbow ACK-I5361 for the 1156 CPU. Any ideas where I can buy one? I have tried all of the retailers listed on the Xigmatek web site.
...
Any news on this bracket? Thanks

Here. (http://www.google.com/products?q=ACK-I5361)

also saw a post here (http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/267709-28-where-xigmatek-i5361-crossbow-mounting) that indicates newegg should be getting them soon.

JayisunJ

10-14-09, 11:14 AM

Guys,

I am having a strange problem after building one of the recommended systems. My computer goes into and comes out of S3 sleep just fine. However, when I come out of S3 sleep, I can get into Windows Media Center, but cannot watch live or recorded video. It freezes up my mouse (though I can move it and there is a ten second delay before it matches up on the screen) almost completely, and nothing will play. I have to shutdown media center to get my mouse fully reponding again. If I restart the computer, everything works fine again until the next time it sleeps. I have the latest ATI video drivers from the website (9/11/09 drivers) including the southbridge driver and audio driver. Thanks for any help.

Here is my HTPC:

AMD Phenom II 545 (Stock)
4 GB Corsair RAM (2 x 2GB)
GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H (Using onboard video and audio)
ASUS PE9600 Combo ATSC/ClearQAM Tuner Card
Rosewill Wireless PCI Card
nMediaPC 1000B Case
WD "Black" 640 HD
Seagate 160 HD for backup
Windows Vista 32-bit OS

mwschneider

10-14-09, 12:17 PM

There is (and will be in near future) no IGP solution equivalent to HD 4670.

CPU and GPU are the two main sources of power consumption. Surely the power consumption of the mb varies from brand to brand, but the difference is much smaller.

You may be interested in this CPU power consumption comparison (http://www.hardware.fr/html/articles/lire.php3?article=762&page=3) at BeHardware and GPU power consumption (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/powercolor-pcshd4670-512mb_5.html#sect0) at x-bit labs. If you search more, you will find the power consumption of other CPUs at BeHardware and other GPUs at x-bit labs.

Personally I wouldn't care about slight power increase (for whatever reason), say, by 20W-50W. This does not necessarily mean a noisier environment. Just make the fan speed the same as before. Extra heat (that can't be handled by the case fans) will be emitted from the surface of the case. The only negative effect by this is usually slight increase of the system temperature and this could decrease the longevity of electronic components (say, 15 year longevity at a good temperature decreases to 12 year longevity by slight temperature increase).

I will certainly check out those links - thank you.

EDIT: I just followed those links. I don't read French, but after I found the English version of the page, all I can say is, man! They have some genuinely awful idle power numbers (measured at the wall) in those CPU comparisons!

I think you may be missing part of my motivation for seeking a low-power configuration. Sure, I want low heat because heat translates to fan noise required to control the heat. I'm not really all that concerned about a 15 year lifespan for a PC, although I do have some clients who are still running servers that I built for them over 15 years ago, so at some level, long life is a good thing.

But if I am building the machine, then temperature will not necessarily go up because of lower efficiency...I would adjust air movement to keep temperatures within acceptable limits. It would just get nosier.

But beyond low noise and long life, I actually want to use less power. I am concerned in terms of environmental responsibility, to some extent, but we buy 100 percent renewable energy, so that shifts my concern to energy cost. If we only had one PC, it might not be worth thinking about, but the reality is that we have multiple machines.

And it's not just their primary power consumption that matters. If we have 10 machines using a total of 1500 watts, that also translates to an additional 5118 BTU heat load for our air conditioner to overcome. That is a consideration for us here in Texas.

I used to support a servers for a global corporation, so I realize that my numbers are not huge, but I like to do what I can to help.

renethx

10-14-09, 12:25 PM

@mwschneider

So ... please feel free to ask any other question you may have.

mwschneider

10-14-09, 01:02 PM

@mwschneider

So ... please feel free to ask any other question you may have.

Well thanks for the invitation, but I have already asked all of the questions I can think of. Until I see your replies to those questions, I'm not sure what else to ask.

cableuser001

10-14-09, 02:53 PM

renethx

10-14-09, 03:34 PM

Hi, someone I know is giving this processor to me for free (AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103773)). I am searching for a compatible motherboard on www.newegg.com and I am a bit lost (first time building a PC). What all do I need to look for, in a motherboard?

a. Socket type (this one is AM2)?
b. Processors supported?
c. FSB?

My primary purpose is to play AVCHD files (MTS/M2TS) and be able to record OTA broadcasts.

Any suggestions and recommendations?

Thanks.
Almost every AM2/AM2+ mb supports Athlon 64 X2 6000+. For example GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394).

Buy I recommend you to sell this 125W processor ($50-$60) and buy Athlon II X2 240/245/250 65W processor ($60, $66, $87 respectively) instead (overall performance as well as power consumption is much better). Check the microATX low-end AMD/AMD system on page 85.

cableuser001

10-14-09, 03:37 PM

Almost every AM2/AM2+ mb supports Athlon 64 X2 6000+. For example GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394).

Buy I recommend you to sell this 125W processor ($50-$60) and buy Athlon II X2 240/245/250 65W processor ($60, $66, $87 respectively) instead (overall performance as well as power consumption is much better). Check the microATX low-end AMD/AMD system on page 85.
Thanks for the quick response. I see your point; I learnt that this runs hot.

renethx

10-14-09, 03:43 PM

Not just power consumption. If you use IGP, the video playback performance difference is large (mainly due to HyperTransport 3.0 vs 2.x).

kevm14

10-14-09, 04:01 PM

Got my parts from Newegg. Assembled the system last night after work and even had enough time to install Win 7. Here (http://kevinallenmoore.com/photo/v/F40fd/HTPC/) are pictures I took during the build. The last time I built a computer completely from scratch (as opposed to upgrading or overhauling) was literally like 10+ years ago. This went fairly smoothly except for two main obstacles: the back plate and the CPU heatsink. The back plate was just being royally annoying with the little metal fingers. On 3 seperate occasions I had the motherboard screwed down only to find that the fingers were poking into the ethernet port, a usb port, or the DVI port. The Intel heatsink design is also kinda weird where the plastic reusable rivets hold it into the board. In fact the board is slightly bent under the CPU due to the strain of the heatsink clamping itself to the CPU.

I used Arctic Silver and cleaned off the stock stuff. I have no idea if that really matters. I know what people say but I've never seen anything conclusive. I never used to go out of my way to get fancy thermal paste but this is the first time I bought a CPU/heatsink that came with any factory applied compound (am I dating myself?).

Here's what I put together:
E7500 w/ Intel cooler
Asus P5QPL-VM (G41)
4GB DDR2
Sapphire 1GB 4670 (100296)
Avermedia Duet
WDC 320GB 7200rpm boot
Samsung 1.5TB 5400rpm storage
nMEDIAPC 5000B HTPC case
Using an IDE DVD burner from my old MythTV box

I think I like the case. Yes they definitely cut costs to get the price down to $80 but mine arrived undamaged and looks nice. I like that I still have room for 2 more hard drives. The DVD burner even lined up perfectly with the eject button, requiring zero jury rigging. I expected worse.

The front flip door fits poorly when you close it or open it, but I actually think I can use a dremel to trim down the edge of the door (it is metal) which might make it work rather well, considering.

The rubber grommets for hard drive mounting worked well. I thought I read that people complained about them but I had no issues at all. I put the drives in the two lower slots, which means I'll have to remove them to install drives in the upper slots. I can handle that.

I put everything together and sealed up the case even before the first POST. I guess I was feeling optimistic. Well, it went just fine. No DOA parts for me! Got Win 7 64 on there which went very well and even was able to find drivers for everything on its own. Yes I had to install CCC but that didn't even require a reboot! I was about to install the Duet drivers when I noticed the drivers MS installed were the EXACT same version that Avermedia had on their website. Wow Microsoft, you've come a long way. The overall performance of the machine is also VERY snappy. The experience score was 6.5 for CPU and memory, 6.7 for the 2 graphics items and 5.9 for my boot drive. Very nice.

I haven't put the machine into actual HTPC duty yet but I did install Hulu Desktop and it seems to run as well as I'd expect with about 20-25% CPU usage. Oh, one other thing. Aside from a slight buzz, I noticed this thing is totally quiet! Then I leaned forward and realized my Sony 21" CRT was actually emitting the slight buzz. Yes, that's how quiet this HTPC is. The subtle CRT buzz was overpowering the noise of my HTPC. I am very impressed.

I studied nMEDIAPC's case design and initially was critical of it, noticing the fact that the fans don't put out much air, and the PSU fan can intake mostly from the vented cover. But then I realized that quality commercial A/V gear is mostly passively cooled, so rather than seal this thing off and duct airflow all over the place like a regular PC I think their very open design with vents everywhere actually makes sense for this application.

The only thing left is to determine if this 4670 can actually work with the DVI to component video adapter. Kind of a big deal, because if it doesn't I'll have to go on a rampage finding a card that does. I will try to find out tonight. I am also VERY interested in the ATSC tuning performance of the Duet. I have some marginal channels that I hope it improves.

cableuser001

10-14-09, 05:34 PM

How did you get Win 7 early? Technet/MSDN?
Got Win 7 64 on there which went very well and
even was able to find drivers for everything on its own.

dbone1026

10-14-09, 05:38 PM

How did you get Win 7 early? Technet/MSDN?

I just subscribed to Technet, I think for $269 for a year with coupon code. You get 10 W7 licenses, I have already used up 4 of them (all running W7 ultimate)

cableuser001

10-14-09, 06:25 PM

Hi, I have another question. I had bad experience with using a Intel dual core 1.6GHz processor on a laptop. It wouldn't play my MTS files. It would play them slowly. On the low end machines you mentioned, you have specified dual core processors (desktop). Do you think the desktop versions would be able to play my files? I would need this for playing my camcorder files + record OTA broadcasts. The laptop didn't have any discrete graphics card. Would that have been the reason?

Thanks.

Almost every AM2/AM2+ mb supports Athlon 64 X2 6000+. For example GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128394).

Buy I recommend you to sell this 125W processor ($50-$60) and buy Athlon II X2 240/245/250 65W processor ($60, $66, $87 respectively) instead (overall performance as well as power consumption is much better). Check the microATX low-end AMD/AMD system on page 85.

tsanga

10-14-09, 06:37 PM

Yes I had to install CCC but that didn't even require a reboot! I was about to install the Duet drivers when I noticed the drivers MS installed were the EXACT same version that Avermedia had on their website.

I found that while it doesn't ask you for a reboot, sometimes settings don't stick unless you do a reboot. (And sometimes elements of the display are messed up - e.g. wallpaper disappeared - until the reboot.)

BTW, disable Windows Update! Usually, driver updates show up in "recommended" updates so don't get installed automatically (if that's how you've configured Windows Update). But I made the mistake of telling Windows to install "important" updates by itself, and at least once the ATI driver went from "recommended" to "important", installed itself and broke CCC.

This also happened when my Realtek network driver got installed over by Windows.

The experience score was 6.5 for CPU and memory, 6.7 for the 2 graphics items and 5.9 for my boot drive.

Wow, I had a very similar build (same mobo but Gigabyte version, E7400, same GPU but HIS version, 1GB DDR3) and my WEI for graphics registered only 5.9. Can faster CPU clock boost graphics score that much? My E7400 scored 6.4, not much different. Or is it the Sapphire 4670, or Asus mobo? Or does resolution figure into WEI score? (I ran mine at 1920x1080.)

I haven't put the machine into actual HTPC duty yet but I did install Hulu Desktop and it seems to run as well as I'd expect with about 20-25% CPU usage.

That seems pretty low, are you running 1920x1080?

The only thing left is to determine if this 4670 can actually work with the DVI to component video adapter. Kind of a big deal, because if it doesn't I'll have to go on a rampage finding a card that does. I will try to find out tonight.

Yes, anxiously waiting to hear on this.

r4wj4

10-14-09, 06:47 PM

If you want HD audio bitstreams over HDMI, wait for Clarkdale. Otherwise you could go for GeForce 9300 now (you can add a Radeon HD 5xxx card later for bitstreams).

Thanks for the reply renethx. I want a small form factor but like you mentioned earlier for longevity sake you said the most important factor for HTPC is the video card. So would it be wiser to go for a ATX or MiniATX mobo/case so that in the future the option is there to accommodate a video card so I won't be limited to choice by going with a mini-ITX.

kevm14

10-14-09, 09:40 PM

I found that while it doesn't ask you for a reboot, sometimes settings don't stick unless you do a reboot. (And sometimes elements of the display are messed up - e.g. wallpaper disappeared - until the reboot.)

BTW, disable Windows Update! Usually, driver updates show up in "recommended" updates so don't get installed automatically (if that's how you've configured Windows Update). But I made the mistake of telling Windows to install "important" updates by itself, and at least once the ATI driver went from "recommended" to "important", installed itself and broke CCC.

This also happened when my Realtek network driver got installed over by Windows.

I think you have a good point here and I'll likely take your advice. I remember trying to decide between those choices at install time.

Wow, I had a very similar build (same mobo but Gigabyte version, E7400, same GPU but HIS version, 1GB DDR3) and my WEI for graphics registered only 5.9. Can faster CPU clock boost graphics score that much? My E7400 scored 6.4, not much different. Or is it the Sapphire 4670, or Asus mobo? Or does resolution figure into WEI score? (I ran mine at 1920x1080.)

Mine was running through the VGA @ 1280x1024 at the time but as you know it never shows anything while running so I always assumed it was resolution agnostic. I assume it's the Sapphire card, unless resolution does figure into the score. But that would be really stupid.

That seems pretty low, are you running 1920x1080?

Again, all of my testing so far has been through that monitor @ 1280x1024.

Yes, anxiously waiting to hear on this.

See my other thread...I am about to flip out. Scratch that. Already done.

renethx

10-14-09, 10:43 PM

Hi, I have another question. I had bad experience with using a Intel dual core 1.6GHz processor on a laptop. It wouldn't play my MTS files. It would play them slowly. On the low end machines you mentioned, you have specified dual core processors (desktop). Do you think the desktop versions would be able to play my files?
No problem at all. Decoding HD contents is done by either CPU (easy for a dual-core) or GPU (much easier). For GPU decoding, you just need to use a correct player (a set of filters). (The software application bundled with your camcorder may not support it.)

If GPU supports hardware decode acceleration, even a single-core processor can handle HD contents easily. Which laptop and player are you using?

renethx

10-14-09, 10:58 PM

Thanks for the reply renethx. I want a small form factor but like you mentioned earlier for longevity sake you said the most important factor for HTPC is the video card. So would it be wiser to go for a ATX or MiniATX mobo/case so that in the future the option is there to accommodate a video card so I won't be limited to choice by going with a mini-ITX.
If you are going to add a graphics card later, ZOTAC GeForce 9300 is practically the only choice because only it has a PCIe x16 slot (at x16). Another limitation comes from the case. Many mini-ITX case supports only a low-profile, 1-slot card. SilverStone SG05/06 is an exception. So you need to choose components carefully.

Kingcac

10-15-09, 05:43 AM

renethx

10-15-09, 06:33 AM

I've been on this thread for the past 2 weeks or so. A lot of late nights. I'm in the process of building my first HTPC. It will mainly be used for storage and movies viewing (dvd/blu ray/hulu etc..)-no gaming.

I'm a newbie at this so all inputs are greatly appreciated.
Let me know if I'm missing anything or if there are things I can get for a cheaper price.
For storage and movies viewing a low-end system on page 85 is enough.

Marc_G

10-15-09, 06:34 AM

I've been on this thread for the past 2 weeks or so. A lot of late nights. I'm in the process of building my first HTPC. It will mainly be used for storage and movies viewing (dvd/blu ray/hulu etc..)-no gaming. Well, after all the reading here's what I'm planning to get.

-SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body LC17-B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
-MSI X58 Pro-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
-Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
-LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
-3 Thermaltake A2376 Aluminum HDD Cooling Fan
-SILVERSTONE FN121 120mm Case Fan
-GeIL EVO ONE 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model GE38GB2000C9QC
-SILVERSTONE ST400 400W ATX 12V 2.2 Power Supply
-MSI R5870-PM2D1G Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
- LINKSYS WMP300N-RM PCI Wireless Adapter
-(3x2TB=6TB total) Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Total cost around $2100 (definitely over my budget :eek:)

I'm a newbie at this so all inputs are greatly appreciated.
Let me know if I'm missing anything or if there are things I can get for a cheaper price.

thnx

Dude, no wonder you're over budget. You should be looking at the lower-end systems + bigger storage if you want to store lots of stuff. Instead, you've tricked out a Lexus-level system when a Camry would do fine.

That graphics card alone is almost $400. It's the high-end gaming card. Your processor is nearly $300. With that $700 you could configure your whole system, minus storage!
Go back to the page 85 recommendations and think more modestly. Think about a 4670 graphics card and a much more modest processor. Dual core is fine if you are not doing a lot of encoding from one resolution to another. And 8 GB memory won't help you. Think 4 GB.

Oh-plan on a wired ethernet connection if you are going to be streaming HD video. Lots people have reported even the fastest wireless connections are flaky for this purpose.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

Marc

etcarroll

10-15-09, 08:45 AM

Kingcac -

I do all you want to do with a dual core e8400 and a Sapphire 4670, 2 gig ram on an open box Gigabyte P35 mobo I grabbed on sale.

I do off-load my storage to a server in my office, and have a gigE switch between server and htpc.

genod

10-15-09, 10:21 AM

kevm14,

Nice case! I am going to use that one on my build as well. We have a similar build with 2 hdds and the avermedia duet...although I am bit weaker, contemplating using the Intel IGP board (G45ID), E5300 cpu and skipping the video card for now.

My biggest worry was going to be the case fan noise and volume. Seems like it is not an issue.

What power supply are you using?

kevm14

10-15-09, 12:27 PM

I am using a Corsair VX450. It apparently is probably the best power supply under 500W according to a review I read. I found that out after I received it.

The system isn't totally silent but you would never hear it during a quiet passage in a movie, which is really what matters.

cableuser001

10-15-09, 12:29 PM

Hi, there is a good deal on Celeron E3200 and motherboard on newegg @ $74.

How does Celeron E3200 compare to AMD II X2 240?

I am building something which is capable of recording OTA broadcasts and playing AVCHD files.

Check attached comparison.

Not just power consumption. If you use IGP, the video playback performance difference is large (mainly due to HyperTransport 3.0 vs 2.x).

renethx

10-15-09, 01:00 PM

Hi, there is a good deal on Celeron E3200 and motherboard on newegg @ $74.

How does Celeron E3200 compare to AMD II X2 240?

I am building something which is capable of recording OTA broadcasts and playing AVCHD files.

Check attached comparison.
E3200 is weaker than Athlon II X2 240. But the point is what GPU you use. If GPU support hardware decode acceleration for HD contents, E3200 is enough. But IGP of a cheaper mb may lack it...

cableuser001

10-15-09, 01:14 PM

Thanks. I am leaning on buying AMD Regor, but want to buy a motherboard with onboard video/HDMI out (to save space). Are any of them good enough to play blu-ray/MTS files? I am considering one which has ATI Radeon HD 3200. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

E3200 is weaker than Athlon II X2 240. But the point is what GPU you use. If GPU support hardware decode acceleration for HD contents, E3200 is enough. But IGP of a cheaper mb may lack it...

renethx

10-15-09, 01:22 PM

Thanks. I am leaning on buying AMD Regor, but want to buy a motherboard with onboard video/HDMI out (to save space). Are any of them good enough to play blu-ray/MTS files? I am considering one which has ATI Radeon HD 3200. Any suggestions?

Thanks.
If you are willing to pay $80, I recommend GA-MA785GM-US2H. A good cheaper microATX mb is ASUS M3A78-EM, $65 AR.

cableuser001

10-15-09, 01:29 PM

Thank you. But the ASUS M3A78-EM has a AM2+/AM2 socket? What are the assumptions?

If you are willing to pay $80, I recommend GA-MA785GM-US2H. A good cheaper microATX mb is ASUS M3A78-EM, $65 AR.

cableuser001

10-15-09, 01:36 PM

Ok. I found two of them here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=Property&N=2010200022&PropertyCodeValue=709%3A47010%2C709%3A46434%2C709%3A46178%2C 710%3A46435%2C710%3A48571%2C710%3A46743%2C710%3A46489%2C710% 3A48377%2C1256%3A37464%2C1256%3A29273%2C1256%3A42105%2C1256% 3A32373%2C1256%3A48912%2C1256%3A37157%2C1256%3A28449%2C1256% 3A48720%2C1256%3A18123%2C1256%3A49255%2C1256%3A18575%2C4103% 3A30297&bop=And&ActiveSearchResult=False&CompareItemList=N82E16813131384R%2CN82E16813135235)

Any experience with 'open box' items from newegg. The worst I am expecting is a missing backplate.

Thank you. But the ASUS M3A78-EM has a AM2+/AM2 socket? What are the assumptions?

renethx

10-15-09, 01:39 PM

Thank you. But the ASUS M3A78-EM has a AM2+/AM2 socket? What are the assumptions?
Currently every AM3 processor works with almost every AM2+/AM2 mb (because an AM3 processor has both DDR3 and DDR2 memory controller).

The best way is check the CPU Support List (http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=KjpYqzmAd9vsTM2D&templete=2).

etcarroll

10-15-09, 01:42 PM

Any experience with 'open box' items from newegg. The worst I am expecting is a missing backplate.

I bought a few open box items, got an ASUS board that worked fine, but no accessories, and a Gigabyte board that had everything, it's a crapshoot.

But, you only have 30 days to return it if a problem, and only for another one, read the open box policy at;

http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx#29

pmaisn

10-15-09, 02:17 PM

cableuser001

10-15-09, 02:23 PM

Interesting... Thanks.
Currently every AM3 processor works with almost every AM2+/AM2 mb (because an AM3 processor has both DDR3 and DDR2 memory controller).

The best way is check the CPU Support List (http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=KjpYqzmAd9vsTM2D&templete=2).

renethx

10-15-09, 02:30 PM

New member!!

I've been reading this thread, and there's a ton of valuable information herein!!! I'm considering the following build. Is this a good build or not? What changes/recommendations do you have?

This is a HTPC build, absolutely no gaming!!!

MB: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
CPU: AMD Athlon II x2 240 Regor 2.8GHz
CPU Fan: Scythe Shuriken Rev. B
Memory: G-Skill F3-8500CL7D-2GBNQ
Video (along with IGP): Auzentech Auzen X-Fi Home Theater 7.1
PS: Corsair CMPSU-550VX
HD: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB
DVD: Pioneer BDC-202BK
OS: Vista Ultimate
Case: Lian Li PC-C32B
Case Fan: Nexus 120mm D12SL-12 Case Fan
LCD Display: nMedia PRO-LCD-B
Basically good except for a couple of points:

- CPU cooler: Cooler Master Geminii S is a better choice.
- Memory: Go for F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ (faster, the same price)
- IGP+Sound card: I recommend Radeon HD 5750 instead if you are thinking of HD audio bitstreaming.
- BD drive: Go for LG CH08LS10 (four times faster than BDC-202BK for dual-layer BD-ROM)
- Case: Do you need that big case? Depth is 530mm! If you want front LCD, check Antec Fusion Remote.

rmmeli

10-15-09, 02:32 PM

I have a question about HDMI and my HTPC. I was listening to a radio station over the internet. My HTPC is directly connected to my HDTV.I lost the sound when my power options kicked in to turn the display off. The TV was still on. I found that I could not get the sound back without turning my HTPC off and then back on. (I didn't try switching off and on the TV, which may have had the same effect). Is this a handshaking problem between the HTPC and the TV or is this supposed to happen?

pmaisn

10-15-09, 02:37 PM

Renethx,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I will definitely take you suggestions into consideration. Yes!! I'm definitely in love with the Lian Li case...lol

Thanks again

renethx

10-15-09, 02:38 PM

pmaisn

10-15-09, 03:17 PM

Basically good except for a couple of points:

- CPU cooler: Cooler Master Geminii S is a better choice.
- Memory: Go for F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ (faster, the same price)
- IGP+Sound card: I recommend Radeon HD 5750 instead if you are thinking of HD audio bitstreaming.
- BD drive: Go for LG CH08LS10 (four times faster than BDC-202BK for dual-layer BD-ROM)
- Case: Do you need that big case? Depth is 530mm! If you want front LCD, check Antec Fusion Remote.

What software would you recommend I use?

Kingcac

10-15-09, 03:20 PM

Dude, no wonder you're over budget. You should be looking at the lower-end systems + bigger storage if you want to store lots of stuff. Instead, you've tricked out a Lexus-level system when a Camry would do fine.

That graphics card alone is almost $400. It's the high-end gaming card. Your processor is nearly $300. With that $700 you could configure your whole system, minus storage!
Go back to the page 85 recommendations and think more modestly. Think about a 4670 graphics card and a much more modest processor. Dual core is fine if you are not doing a lot of encoding from one resolution to another. And 8 GB memory won't help you. Think 4 GB.

Oh-plan on a wired ethernet connection if you are going to be streaming HD video. Lots people have reported even the fastest wireless connections are flaky for this purpose.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide.

Marc

Thanks Marc for you inputs.

I guess I have to go back and ease up a little bit and start over.
quick questions: I'm using the HTPC for watching HDTV/blu-ray using a 1080 TV and projector...I'm planning to rip dvd/blu to the HDD and downloading movies from the web. Don't I need a good graphic card for this setup to produce good video quality? and what do you think of the mother board that I chose?

Thnks
-nick

renethx

10-15-09, 03:21 PM

What software would you recommend I use?
Windows Media Center is a good front end. You can play most video files and DVD movies from there. Media Player Classic HomeCinema for a standalone media player. Add PowerDVD for BD movies (9 Ultra will support HD audio bitstreaming with Radeon HD 5xxx) or ArcSoft TotalMedia Theater 3.

rmmeli

10-15-09, 04:01 PM

Where do sounds come from? TV speaker (via HDMI or analog), or AVR+speakers (via S/PDIF, analog)? The graphics card/HDTV model numbers will be helpful.
Thanks renethx. Sound comes from TV speakers at the moment. Connection between TV and HTPC is HDMI only. The TV is a Panasonic TC-P50S1. Graphics card is HIS Hightech H467QT512P.

Fidelity Castro

10-15-09, 05:16 PM

Here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=16749668#post16749668) is another user who claims VA works with GIGABYTE HD 4550. It looks like GIGABYTE is a special card. :) A related thead is A severe bug in ATI display driver in Windows Vista and Windows 7 for deinterlacing 1 (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1136909). BTW a workaround is disable Aero. Then VA will work with HD 4550.

ffdshow does not support DXVA at all, meaing very poor software deinterlacing (except for yadif; but yadif is still inferior to good hardware deinterlacing).

Here are my own test results of a couple of NVIDIA cards with Cheese Slices (1080i59.94 MPEG-2) and W6RZ vertrezmotion.ts (1080i59.94 MPEG-2).

- Win 7 RTM x86 (Aero ON or OFF does not affect the results, unlike ATI)
- NIVIDIA 191.07
- CyberLink/MS decoders
- EVR

|Cheese Slices|W6RZ|SP
8600 GT|MA|Pass|32
9300/9400|A|Fail|16
9400 GT|A|Fail|16
9500 GT|VA|Pass|32
9600 GT|VA|Pass|64
9800 GT|VA|Pass|112

Clearly the number of stream processors (SP) is crucial: 32 is the minimum for the perfect HD deinterlacing (this [a sufficient number of SP] is also true for ATI). That's all I can say right now. A GT 220 DDR3 card will arrive tomorrow. (There is a DDR2 version too, but I won't test it [I don't have enough money to test all cards].)

Yup VA = temporal-spatial.

I noticed today that the sapphire 4550 won´t fit into my Case because it hits the top with it´s passive cooler on the back of the card ( Riser mount )... :eek:

Wich ddr3 gt220 did you get ?

Here in Germany there are two versions availiable..

http://geizhals.at/deutschland/a472421.html
http://geizhals.at/deutschland/a466972.html

I´m thinking of purchasing one of these gt220 cards as well but i´m not sure wich one to buy. 512mb / 1024mb, ddr2 or gddr3.... does this matter picture quality wise ? any results yet ?

Another thing is that i´m not sure if my pico psu 120w. ( 120w. permanent, 154w. combined ) can handle the extra amount of power consumption.

The gt220 cards are announced with 56w. max, but in a german review i read that the standard clock models consume about 10w. in 2D, 30 - 35w. in gaming mode and about 40w. in furmark maxed out.

The rest of the system ist this :

e3200 ( 20w. max load )
S.775 mATX Board probably Intel dg45id, i can get it quite cheap and the Features ist just what i need :)

Floppy DTV TV card ( ca. 5w. )
1 x 1 tb WD Greenpower EADS ( ? )
1 Samsung 2,5" Notebook HDD ( ? )
Fan on CPU Cooler @ 5 - 7v. ( ? )
50mm exhaust Fan, the Case is only about 53mm high, PCIe Riser mounted ... ( Hiper )
Wireless Keyboard and MCE Remote plugged in USB ( ? )
Origenae VFD ( In the Future ) ( ? )

No optical Drive, for installation stuff i will use my external DVD burner ;)

Do you think a gt220 is possible related to the consumption and the strength of the PSU ?

kcsims

10-15-09, 10:58 PM

New member!!

I've been reading this thread, and there's a ton of valuable information herein!!! I'm considering the following build. Is this a good build or not? What changes/recommendations do you have? Also, what software would you recommend?

This is a HTPC build, absolutely no gaming, with the expectation to play Blu-Ray dics/dowloads (w/full HD audio bitstreaming) along with regular audio and video.

MB: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
CPU: AMD Athlon II x2 240 Regor 2.8GHz
CPU Fan: Scythe Shuriken Rev. B
Memory: G-Skill F3-8500CL7D-2GBNQ
Video (along with IGP): Auzentech Auzen X-Fi Home Theater 7.1
PS: Corsair CMPSU-550VX
HD: Western Digital Caviar Green 1.5TB
DVD: Pioneer BDC-202BK
OS: Vista Ultimate
Case: Lian Li PC-C32B
Case Fan: Nexus 120mm D12SL-12 Case Fan
LCD Display: nMedia PRO-LCD-B

Thanks

Basically good except for a couple of points:

- CPU cooler: Cooler Master Geminii S is a better choice.
- Memory: Go for F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ (faster, the same price)
- IGP+Sound card: I recommend Radeon HD 5750 instead if you are thinking of HD audio bitstreaming.
- BD drive: Go for LG CH08LS10 (four times faster than BDC-202BK for dual-layer BD-ROM)
- Case: Do you need that big case? Depth is 530mm! If you want front LCD, check Antec Fusion Remote.

I have question about this as well. I am new to building HTPC as well. Is the video card on board able to run 1080P content? I am not looking to play any games as all on my HTPC, just that it be able to run all SD and HD content from a hard drive / NAS. Is the card you recommended here one of the lower cost solution? I'm just not looking for overkill here, but no bare min either as I don't want any problems. Can anyone recommend a setup....I'm in over my head. Thanks.

htwaits

10-15-09, 11:56 PM

I'm just not looking for overkill here, but no bare min either as I don't want any problems. Can anyone recommend a setup....I'm in over my head. Thanks.You can get recommendations for several levels of power by reading this post.

Recommended Systems – September 2009 Edition (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14239742#post14239742)

cableuser001

10-16-09, 12:07 AM

renethx

10-16-09, 12:54 AM

I noticed today that the sapphire 4550 won´t fit into my Case because it hits the top with it´s passive cooler on the back of the card ( Riser mount )... :eek:

Wich ddr3 gt220 did you get ?

Here in Germany there are two versions availiable..

http://geizhals.at/deutschland/a472421.html
http://geizhals.at/deutschland/a466972.html

I´m thinking of purchasing one of these gt220 cards as well but i´m not sure wich one to buy. 512mb / 1024mb, ddr2 or gddr3.... does this matter picture quality wise ? any results yet ?

Another thing is that i´m not sure if my pico psu 120w. ( 120w. permanent, 154w. combined ) can handle the extra amount of power consumption.

The gt220 cards are announced with 56w. max, but in a german review i read that the standard clock models consume about 10w. in 2D, 30 - 35w. in gaming mode and about 40w. in furmark maxed out.

The rest of the system ist this :

e3200 ( 20w. max load )
S.775 mATX Board probably Intel dg45id, i can get it quite cheap and the Features ist just what i need :)

Floppy DTV TV card ( ca. 5w. )
1 x 1 tb WD Greenpower EADS ( ? )
1 Samsung 2,5" Notebook HDD ( ? )
Fan on CPU Cooler @ 5 - 7v. ( ? )
50mm exhaust Fan, the Case is only about 53mm high, PCIe Riser mounted ... ( Hiper )
Wireless Keyboard and MCE Remote plugged in USB ( ? )
Origenae VFD ( In the Future ) ( ? )

No optical Drive, for installation stuff i will use my external DVD burner ;)

Do you think a gt220 is possible related to the consumption and the strength of the PSU ?
Mine is GIGAYTE (2-slot, DDR3, 1GB). You'd better choose (G)DDR3. 512MB is enough.

Update

I got the XFX DDR2 card. The performance of video playback is exactly identical with the GIGABYTE DDR3 version and the fan is noticeably quieter. Highly recommended.

renethx

10-16-09, 12:56 AM

I have question about this as well. I am new to building HTPC as well. Is the video card on board able to run 1080P content? I am not looking to play any games as all on my HTPC, just that it be able to run all SD and HD content from a hard drive / NAS. Is the card you recommended here one of the lower cost solution? I'm just not looking for overkill here, but no bare min either as I don't want any problems. Can anyone recommend a setup....I'm in over my head. Thanks.
785G/780G is good for 1080p contents. I still recommend a HT 3.0 processor.

Farruh

10-16-09, 10:27 AM

renethx

10-16-09, 11:18 AM

hi renethx,

I was thinking about to my first (HT)PC build. I stopped on the following configuration (mostly based on your suggestions):

CPU: Core 2 Duo Q8400 or Core 2 Duo E7500
CPU Cooler: for the moment stock cooler, later if necessary I will buy.
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q-EM or Intel DG45ID
Memory: CFD ELEXIR W2U800CQ-2GL5J (DDR2 PC2-6400 2GBx2).
Graphics Card: ASUS EN9600GT/DI/512MD3.
HDD: Western Digital 1TB SATA 3.0Gbps
PSU: OWLTECH S6 SS-350SFE/S microATX (This is the only one I could find here in Japan)
Case: 3R SYSTEM HT-2000

I have two questions: would a PC in this configuration work without major problems? And is 350 PSU enough?

thanks,
Farruh
Yes. Yes.

You could try onboard graphics first. In general GMA X4500HD is very good for video playback.

Another good GPU is GeForce GT 220. This one supports multichannel LPCM over HDMI and runs cooler.

OWLTECH (actually Seasonic) is a bit overpriced (￥9,980 (http://www.coneco.net/PriceList/1080112014/order/MONEY/)). Check Seasonic SS-300SFD 300W (300W is enough for the above system) (￥5,420 (http://www.coneco.net/PriceList/1050331047/order/MONEY/)). More SFX PSU available in Japan here (http://www.coneco.net/SpecList/01506030/op2/SFX+%28S-ATA%29/spec_order/PRICE/).

tsanga

10-16-09, 02:12 PM

Hi, I am playing with this USB ATSC tuner (Encore) and the supplied antenna doesn't work for me. I wanted to connect it to a regular antenna cable, but found that the USB device doesn't have any threads. The connector which came with the device just press fits (like an RCA device, but this is not an RCA connector).

My question: I am looking for something which goes between the RCA like socket and the screwable Coaxial cable. What do I search for. Any ideas? What is the specific type of socket/plug called?

Thanks.

EDIT: May be I found it. Please confirm this.. Is it called "Push-On Connector" and I searched for something like a "Male F Push-On Connector to F Female connector"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00061UIFK

Perhaps you're looking for a RCA to F connector adapter. Look near the bottom of the page here (http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=104&cp_id=10401&cs_id=1040117). You'll have to sort out which end you want female, which end male.

But isn't the "RF converter (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?CurImage=15-153-008-10.jpg&Image=15-153-008-12.jpg,15-153-008-09.jpg,15-153-008-04.jpg,15-153-008-05.jpg,15-153-008-06.jpg,15-153-008-07.jpg,15-153-008-10.jpg,15-153-008-11.jpg,15-153-008-02.jpg&S7ImageFlag=0&WaterMark=1&Item=N82E16815153008&Depa=1&Description=ENCORE%20ATSC%20Digital%20TV%20USB%20Stick%20w/%20Remote%20ENUTV-DAT)" what you need?

Kingcac

10-16-09, 04:25 PM

I've been on this thread for the past 2 weeks or so. A lot of late nights. I'm in the process of building my first HTPC. It will mainly be used for storage and movies viewing (dvd/blu ray/hulu etc..)-no gaming. Well, after all the reading here's what I'm planning to get.

-SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8 mm SECC body LC17-B ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
-MSI X58 Pro-E LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
-Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80601920
-LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
-3 Thermaltake A2376 Aluminum HDD Cooling Fan
-SILVERSTONE FN121 120mm Case Fan
-GeIL EVO ONE 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Desktop Memory Model GE38GB2000C9QC
-SILVERSTONE ST400 400W ATX 12V 2.2 Power Supply
-MSI R5870-PM2D1G Radeon HD 5870 (Cypress XT) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
- LINKSYS WMP300N-RM PCI Wireless Adapter
-(3x2TB=6TB total) Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Total cost around $2100 (definitely over my budget :eek:)

I'm a newbie at this so all inputs are greatly appreciated.
Let me know if I'm missing anything or if there are things I can get for a cheaper price.

thnx

After many inputs suggesting that I don't need this much just to watch movies and streaming videos...Here's my revised system....let me know what you guys thing. It's still too much?...thanks

-Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
-LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
-EVERCOOL HD-F117 Aluminum HDD Cooling Device (3)
-COOLER MASTER GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
-Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7500
-ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
-A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K
-CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
-SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
-Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (I got 3 of these for a total of 6TB)
cost= $1300

is there anything else I should get that will best with blu-ray viewing? I will be using the HTPC to view movies through my plasma and projector.

-Nick

genod

10-16-09, 04:38 PM

After many inputs suggesting that I don't need this much just to watch movies and streaming videos...Here's my revised system....let me know what you guys thing. It's still too much?...thanks

-Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
-LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
-EVERCOOL HD-F117 Aluminum HDD Cooling Device (3)
-COOLER MASTER GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
-Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7500
-ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
-A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K
-CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
-SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
-Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (I got 3 of these for a total of 6TB)
cost= $1300

is there anything else I should get that will best with blu-ray viewing? I will be using the HTPC to view movies through my plasma and projector.

-Nick

With your choice of video card, and if you are still looking to trim $$, could you go with an E5300 processor? (save $50)

Marc_G

10-16-09, 05:41 PM

After many inputs suggesting that I don't need this much just to watch movies and streaming videos...Here's my revised system....let me know what you guys thing. It's still too much?...thanks

-Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
-LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
-EVERCOOL HD-F117 Aluminum HDD Cooling Device (3)
-COOLER MASTER GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
-Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7500
-ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
-A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K
-CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
-SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
-Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (I got 3 of these for a total of 6TB)
cost= $1300

is there anything else I should get that will best with blu-ray viewing? I will be using the HTPC to view movies through my plasma and projector.

-Nick

Are you sure you need the three HD coolers? If it were me, I would check temps of the assembled system in place, and add the coolers only if one or more of the drives was running outside of nominal specifications. Don't get me wrong, I like to over-engineer things, but I doubt you will need these, certainly not all three of them. I also think you are overdoing the processor, but not by so much that it's a big deal. Sometimes a little added oomph is a good thing.

Enjoy your build. Let us know how it goes. Congrats on taking $800 out of the build.

Marc

gsr

10-16-09, 06:09 PM

Help! I'm stumped...

I assembled a system earlier today with the following:

- Asus P7P55D EVO Motherboard
- G.Skill F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ Memory
- Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66GHz 8MB L3 Cache LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
- Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 Sound Card
- Sapphire HD 3870 "Toxic" Video Card (will be upgrading this at some point)
- Areca ARC-1300ix-16 PCI Express x4 Low Profile Ready SATA / SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) Controller Card
- Seasonic power supply
- Lian Li Black Aluminum PC-C32B

Problem is it won't boot. The "MemOK!" light comes on - I tried pushing the "MemOK!" switch and it just goes through an endless cycle of blinking and rebooting.

I've taken the Asus Xonar and Areca SAS cards out and still have the same problem. The system is pretty much down to the minimum hardware to boot at this point, so not sure where to go from here. The memory and CPU were working fine in an Intel motherboard earlier today (I'm switching motherboards because the Intel wouldn't recognize the USB RF receiver for my wireless keyboard), so unless I did something really stupid while handling them they should still be working.

Based on the recommended system configurations, this is a hardware combination that ought to work. Any suggestions???

Edit:

The memory is in the blue slots (DIMM_A1 / DIMM_B1) and the DRAM Overvoltage setting switch is in the default position (the red light for it is off).

cableuser001

10-16-09, 06:41 PM

Hi,
1. What are the downsides of using an AM3 processor in AM2+ motherboard?
2. I am trying to be within certain budget. AM2+ to AM3 is about $40 difference for me. Does spending $40 extra make it worthwhile for future upgrades?

Any thoughts.

Thanks.

Currently every AM3 processor works with almost every AM2+/AM2 mb (because an AM3 processor has both DDR3 and DDR2 memory controller).

The best way is check the CPU Support List (http://www.asus.com/product.aspx?P_ID=KjpYqzmAd9vsTM2D&templete=2).

tsanga

10-16-09, 07:30 PM

After many inputs suggesting that I don't need this much just to watch movies and streaming videos...Here's my revised system....let me know what you guys thing. It's still too much?...thanks

-Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
-LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
-EVERCOOL HD-F117 Aluminum HDD Cooling Device (3)
-COOLER MASTER GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
-Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7500
-ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
-A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K
-CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
-SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
-Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (I got 3 of these for a total of 6TB)
cost= $1300

is there anything else I should get that will best with blu-ray viewing? I will be using the HTPC to view movies through my plasma and projector.

-Nick

To save money:
1. Ditch the HDD coolers. WD Green are low RPM drives and run quiet and cool already.
2. Ditch the GeminII S CPU cooler. The stock Intel cooler is as quiet as they come, and provides very adequate cooling unless you're overclocking.

Also, your selected motherboard is ATX (bigger) and your case is microATX (smaller), so it won't fit in the selected case.

gsr

10-16-09, 08:34 PM

Kingcac

10-16-09, 08:56 PM

To save money:
1. Ditch the HDD coolers. WD Green are low RPM drives and run quiet and cool already.
2. Ditch the GeminII S CPU cooler. The stock Intel cooler is as quiet as they come, and provides very adequate cooling unless you're overclocking.

Also, your selected motherboard is ATX (bigger) and your case is microATX (smaller), so it won't fit in the selected case.

tsanga,
thanks for pointing out the case sizing. I didn't even realized.
I'll be stuffing the HTPC inside a closed compartment rack with other AV equipments, that's why I'm a little itchy about the heat issue.

-nick

tsanga

10-16-09, 09:15 PM

tsanga,
thanks for pointing out the case sizing. I didn't even realized.
I'll be stuffing the HTPC inside a closed compartment rack with other AV equipments, that's why I'm a little itchy about the heat issue.

-nick

Your case is well known for excellent ventilation. You could start with stock everything, put it in your rack, and see how it goes first. You can always add aftermarket cooling.

EDIT: If you're less concerned with noise, but more concerned with heat, this version (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161287) of video card will help exhaust hot air out of the case.

renethx

10-17-09, 02:59 AM

After many inputs suggesting that I don't need this much just to watch movies and streaming videos...Here's my revised system....let me know what you guys thing. It's still too much?...thanks

-Antec Black Aluminum / Steel Fusion Remote Black Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
-LG Black 8X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 40X CD-ROM SATA Internal Combo LG Blu-ray Reader & 16X LightScribe DVD±R DVD Burner
-EVERCOOL HD-F117 Aluminum HDD Cooling Device (3)
-COOLER MASTER GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler
-Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80571E7500
-ASUS P5Q Pro Turbo LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
-A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model ADQVE1A16K
-CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
-SAPPHIRE 100296HDMI Radeon HD 4670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
-Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EADS 2TB SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (I got 3 of these for a total of 6TB)
cost= $1300

is there anything else I should get that will best with blu-ray viewing? I will be using the HTPC to view movies through my plasma and projector.

-Nick
One conflict: Fusion Remote is a microATX case, while P5Q Pro is an ATX mb.

renethx

10-17-09, 03:06 AM

Hi,
1. What are the downsides of using an AM3 processor in AM2+ motherboard?
2. I am trying to be within certain budget. AM2+ to AM3 is about $40 difference for me. Does spending $40 extra make it worthwhile for future upgrades?

Any thoughts.

Thanks.
1. None.
2. If you are talking about the total cost of AM3 mb+DDR3 memory vs AM2+ mb+DDR2 memory, and if you see $40 price difference, then you'd better choose AM2+ mb+DDR2 memory. When you upgrade the system, say, three years later, DDR3 memory could be (much) cheaper and you *could* sell DDR2 memory at a higher price (because of the shortage of DDR2 memory in the market).

cableuser001

10-17-09, 03:46 PM

Hi, I built a PC with the following components

GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 ATX Motherboard (ATI HD4200)
Athlon II X4 620 Quad-Core Processor
2x2GB Ram
Older case with 350w PSU.
OS: Ubuntu 9.04

This is my first build. My way of testing was to try to play my camcorder files (.MTS) and VLC doesn't play them well. I installed drivers from ATI's website but didn't see a difference.

What am I missing? Any suggestions.

Thanks.

1. None.
2. If you are talking about the total cost of AM3 mb+DDR3 memory vs AM2+ mb+DDR2 memory, and if you see $40 price difference, then you'd better choose AM2+ mb+DDR2 memory. When you upgrade the system, say, three years later, DDR3 memory could be (much) cheaper and you *could* sell DDR2 memory at a higher price (because of the shortage of DDR2 memory in the market).

dbone1026

10-17-09, 08:02 PM

Zapper97

10-17-09, 08:50 PM

This is an AWESOME guide... I have never seen such a larger thread maintained like this...

Thank you

bobby_t1

10-17-09, 09:55 PM

Renethx, thanks for keeping this thread up to date and answering so many questions. I've sent you a small donation in paypal.

RaydenEG

10-17-09, 11:23 PM

Thanks once again for this incredible thread. I decided to go with the Micro-ATX AMD/AMD system but with a different case.

I also purchased the Anyware GP-IR01BK Windows Vista MCE Remote Control for the system but I can't get it to work correctly. It works perfectly out of the box with Windows 7 Media Center. I tested it out and thought it was nice but I really intended on using MediaPortal.

I assume you are familiar with the remote. Only the middle buttons seem to work. OK and the surrounding arrows. play/plause/stop/FF/RW/etc don't function. The back button does but not for all screens. What does happen when I try to use the Windows button or the music/tv buttons is that Media Center opens up!

I tried checking logs to see what was up but I am unable to find any! I do not have a mediaportal/logs folder. I changed the log verbosity option in mediaportal, same with enabling watchdog.

Not sure what else to do at this point so I decided to post. Thanks again. I appreciate any responses.

lostcase

10-17-09, 11:55 PM

I have an Acer AX1200 as my HTPC. I've been talking it over with the wife and we are thinking about getting rid of our Comcast cable and use our HTPC for everything. Now with Hulu Desktop and Netflix readily available, all I am missing is a OTA card with PVR capabilities.

I am using this site for referrence:
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/diy-hd-htpc-extravaganza-part3,review-657-5.html

Anyone else doing something similar?

cableuser001

10-18-09, 01:13 AM

MPC- HC for linux? I am trying to find one but cannot. Any other alternative?

Thanks.
Don't use VLC, instead use MPC HC

cableuser001

10-18-09, 04:03 AM

SOLUTION:
I could get VLC play the files properly. I did the following things
1. My RAM wasn't seated properly, so it was only 2GB earlier.
2. I had a 32-bit OS installed. Installed 64-bit Ubuntu/Jaunty
3. Did the following tweak in VLC (Found elsewhere)
----------
Open the preferences
On the lower right corner, under "Show Settings", check the radio button "All"
Expand the "Input codecs" menu on the top left corner (3rd item)
Expand "Other codecs" and select "FFmpeg"
Under "Decoding", go to "Skip the loop filter for H.264 decoding" and change the option from "None" to "All".
Restart VLC
---------

Now, AVCHD files play flawlessly (so far) on Ubuntu/Linux.

However, surprisingly, the 64-bit version of Ubuntu is not recognizing the on-board graphics processor. The 32-bit one did recognize one and offered proprietary drivers, but the 64-bit one didn't. So, I am not sure what is going on. Any thoughts?(probably for a different forum , may be)

After building the PC, I came across the "unganged" RAM issue. As far as I could sum, "Unganged" is good for multi-threaded processes and "Ganged" is good for single-threaded processes. So, how does Ubuntu, or VLC player does it? Single-threaded or multi-threaded.

Hi, I built a PC with the following components

GA-MA770T-UD3P AM3 ATX Motherboard (ATI HD4200)
Athlon II X4 620 Quad-Core Processor
2x2GB Ram
Older case with 350w PSU.
OS: Ubuntu 9.04

This is my first build. My way of testing was to try to play my camcorder files (.MTS) and VLC doesn't play them well. I installed drivers from ATI's website but didn't see a difference.

What am I missing? Any suggestions.

Thanks.

renethx

10-18-09, 04:37 AM

Bruach

10-18-09, 06:38 AM

renethx

10-18-09, 06:59 AM

Hi,

I'm thinking of purchasing the Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX case as recommended but wandering about the 350W what power supply that it comes with. Is this enough or should I replace it with something better?

Thanx
"Antec Fusion Remote Black" does not come with a PSU. Are you referring to "Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350"?

Bruach

10-18-09, 07:42 AM

"Antec Fusion Remote Black" does not come with a PSU. Are you referring to "Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350"?

yeah my bad that's what I meant...I should have been more clear about what I'm putting in it too...

I'm going with this recommendation but have a few queries

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

I can only find the mentioned Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 and I'm wandering if this will be sufficient? Also why wouldn't i go with ddr3 as its cheaper?

Thanx again.

dbone1026

10-18-09, 08:57 AM

MPC- HC for linux? I am trying to find one but cannot. Any other alternative?

Thanks.

Crap sorry, I missed you mentioned Ubuntu

renethx

10-18-09, 09:31 AM

yeah my bad that's what I meant...I should have been more clear about what I'm putting in it too...

I'm going with this recommendation but have a few queries

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

I can only find the mentioned Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 and I'm wandering if this will be sufficient? Also why wouldn't i go with ddr3 as its cheaper?

Thanx again.
Where can't you find "Antec Fusion Remote Black"? In US you can buy it from numerous sellers (http://www.google.com/products?q=Antec+Fusion+Remote+Black).

Component price changes everyday. If you find DDR3 cheaper, there is no reason for not going with it. The transition to DDR3 is going on quickly (DDR2 contract prices surpass DDR3 in 1H October (http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20091009PD220.html)).

onyxbfly

10-18-09, 10:38 AM

Hello Renethx,

First and foremost thank you for maintaining a wonderful thread. Here is my current HTPC set up: Of course this came about prior to reading and studying your thread.

Case: NSK2480Power Supply: 350w antec (came with the case)
Motherboard: Intel DG33BU
Processor: Q6600
Optical: GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo drive
Video Card: XFX 9500gt 1GB
Ram: 4GB OCZ SLI ready DDR2 1066
Hard Drive: WD Caviar Green 1TB Sata 7200 rpm 32mb
Sound Card: X-fi Xtrememusic
AVerTV Combo PCI-E
D-Link Wireless G desktop adapter WDA-1320

I have a couple of questions: do you think my gear will fit in a Antec Black M Fusion Remote 350?

I know the mother board will fit I am concerned about the video and the sound card.

My system is used solely as a HTPC no gaming. The video card I had from a leftover system. What card do you recommend that will provide hdmi with hd audio for future use with a avr? I currently have it hooked up via dvi/hdmi and run reg speakers through the sound card. I know that I can run optical out from the sound card into the avr if needed.

Where do you think my htpc would rank in your opinion, low mid high ?

Thanks for your time and patience with this matter.

Best Regards,

Touré

renethx

10-18-09, 11:00 AM

Hello Renethx,

First and foremost thank you for maintaining a wonderful thread. Here is my current HTPC set up: Of course this came about prior to reading and studying your thread.

Case: NSK2480Power Supply: 350w antec (came with the case)
Motherboard: Intel DG33BU
Processor: Q6600
Optical: GGC-H20L Blu-ray/HD-DVD combo drive
Video Card: XFX 9500gt 1GB
Ram: 4GB OCZ SLI ready DDR2 1066
Hard Drive: WD Caviar Green 1TB Sata 7200 rpm 32mb
Sound Card: X-fi Xtrememusic
AVerTV Combo PCI-E
D-Link Wireless G desktop adapter WDA-1320

I have a couple of questions: do you think my gear will fit in a Antec Black M Fusion Remote 350?

I know the mother board will fit I am concerned about the video and the sound card.

My system is used solely as a HTPC no gaming. The video card I had from a leftover system. What card do you recommend that will provide hdmi with hd audio for future use with a avr? I currently have it hooked up via dvi/hdmi and run reg speakers through the sound card. I know that I can run optical out from the sound card into the avr if needed.

Where do you think my htpc would rank in your opinion, low mid high ?
If you mean Antec "Micro Fusion Remote 350" (http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=MTE2OQ==), it's a low-profile case. All the expansion cards must be low-profile. X-Fi XtremeMusic won't fit it.

Currently the best low-profile card supporting multichannel PCM HDMI audio is ATI HD 4550 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102819) or GeForce GT 220
(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121347).