Guide to Building a HD HTPC [Text View] - Page 47

In2Photos

12-22-09, 11:58 AM

rene this is such an awesome resource. Thanks for all your time and hard work. I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

I'm considering a new build as my current rig is not powerful enough for HD (Athlon 3000+ 1.8GHz, 2GB DDR400 RAM, GeForce 6150). It will converted into a file server instead. Here is what I am contemplating (pretty much direct from your AMD/AMD low range mATX build:

CoolerMaster 341 case (I have an entertainment center that will fit a microATX mid tower) with one additional 120mm fan.
Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
G Skill F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ RAM
AMD Athlon II X2 240
Corsair CMPSU-400CX PSU

I plan to use a 160GB Sata drive for the boot disc, but all storage will be in the server upstairs. I will also use a LiteOn BD drive already purchased for ripping. So my questions are:

- Is this good enough for 1080p playback on a 46" LCD over a 10/100 network? Will likely use Media Portal.
- I will be using the HDMI out to the TV, but the SPDIF out to my older receiver. I assume this will work fine.
- Is it worth the extra $5 to get the mobo with the 128MB side port memory?
- Is the 245 or 250 a better option for only $4 or $9 respectively? Pass Mark rates the 245 the best of the three.
- Any video re-encoding will be done by my i7 photo machine (I may rip from here as well).
- Will this be good enough to eventually add a Ceton cable card tuner?

Rocka2

12-22-09, 03:09 PM

Check your manual. BIOS Setup Utility > AI Tweaker > DRAM Frequency: Auto means DDR3-1333. Unless you choose DDR3-1600 manually, it runs at DDR3-1333.

Thank you.

skeets

12-22-09, 05:38 PM

alright I got my HDMI working but I am using a dual boot and when I switch from one OS(XP) to the other(W7) I get nothing? should I be changing any other settings?

shftup

12-22-09, 06:01 PM

renethx :
i am building a media server
Suggested mobo is Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
Is it there value to the get the 240e proc instead of the 240 (as the 240e is a more efficient chip)?

thanks
S

Marc_G

12-22-09, 07:27 PM

rene this is such an awesome resource. Thanks for all your time and hard work. I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

...
CoolerMaster 341 case (I have an entertainment center that will fit a microATX mid tower) with one additional 120mm fan.
Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
G Skill F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ RAM
AMD Athlon II X2 240
Corsair CMPSU-400CX PSU
...
- Is this good enough for 1080p playback on a 46" LCD over a 10/100 network? Will likely use Media Portal....

My own experiences with integrated GPU (on the MA78 series boards, not the MA785) were less than stellar (feeding my 1080i plasma via HDMI). HD content was adequate (not great, but what's the definition of good enough?) but SD content truly was poor. Upgrading to a cheap fanless HD4550 card (~$35-45) was worth every penny, as about 50% of my content is SD. SD content was greatly improved, and HD content was better too.

If you are picky video-wise you should consider a discrete GPU. On the other hand, it's a relatively cheap add-on later if you decide onboard isn't good enough for your tastes, as long as you can spare the slot.

Marc

renethx

12-22-09, 09:16 PM

renethx :
i am building a media server
Suggested mobo is Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
Is it there value to the get the 240e proc instead of the 240 (as the 240e is a more efficient chip)?

thanks
S
240e consumes ~5W less at idle, ~10W less at load.

shftup

12-22-09, 10:38 PM

240e consumes ~5W less at idle, ~10W less at load.

Thanks! Much appreciated
S

In2Photos

12-23-09, 08:15 AM

My own experiences with integrated GPU (on the MA78 series boards, not the MA785) were less than stellar (feeding my 1080i plasma via HDMI). HD content was adequate (not great, but what's the definition of good enough?) but SD content truly was poor. Upgrading to a cheap fanless HD4550 card (~$35-45) was worth every penny, as about 50% of my content is SD. SD content was greatly improved, and HD content was better too.

If you are picky video-wise you should consider a discrete GPU. On the other hand, it's a relatively cheap add-on later if you decide onboard isn't good enough for your tastes, as long as you can spare the slot.

Marc
Thanks for the info Marc!

Renethx

Can you comment on the rest of this?

rene this is such an awesome resource. Thanks for all your time and hard work. I have a couple of questions if you don't mind.

I'm considering a new build as my current rig is not powerful enough for HD (Athlon 3000+ 1.8GHz, 2GB DDR400 RAM, GeForce 6150). It will converted into a file server instead. Here is what I am contemplating (pretty much direct from your AMD/AMD low range mATX build:

CoolerMaster 341 case (I have an entertainment center that will fit a microATX mid tower) with one additional 120mm fan.
Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
G Skill F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ RAM
AMD Athlon II X2 240
Corsair CMPSU-400CX PSU

I plan to use a 160GB Sata drive for the boot disc, but all storage will be in the server upstairs. I will also use a LiteOn BD drive already purchased for ripping. So my questions are:

- Is this good enough for 1080p playback on a 46" LCD over a 10/100 network? Will likely use Media Portal.
- I will be using the HDMI out to the TV, but the SPDIF out to my older receiver. I assume this will work fine.
- Is it worth the extra $5 to get the mobo with the 128MB side port memory?
- Is the 245 or 250 a better option for only $4 or $9 respectively? Pass Mark rates the 245 the best of the three.
- Any video re-encoding will be done by my i7 photo machine (I may rip from here as well).
- Will this be good enough to eventually add a Ceton cable card tuner?

renethx

12-23-09, 07:16 PM

Renethx

Can you comment on the rest of this?
Yes, it works fine. SidePort memory has no effect on video playback. 240 is enough (or go for Athlon II X3 425, $76, X3 435, $87, or X4 620, $99 if you want better processing power).

shftup

12-23-09, 10:24 PM

Renethx
If i wanted an Intel based media server, which mobo/proc combo would be best?
thanks
S

renethx

12-23-09, 10:50 PM

Renethx
If i wanted an Intel based media server, which mobo/proc combo would be best?
thanks
S
For SAT2, any mb with IGP, six SATA ports and two PCI slots is good. For example, Intel DG43NB (BOXDG43NB), ASUS P5G43T-M Pro. You can use any LGA 775 processor, Celeron E3200, Pentium E5200 etc.

For SASLP, you will need a P45 mb with two PCI Express x16 slots > ~$75 and a PCI graphics card > ~$40. Or go for a server mb. (So I chose AMD.)

thomasamiller

12-24-09, 03:28 AM

I have a dedicated PC in my home theater, I use it for checking emails, browsing web, desktop applications like MS Word, etc. I have the video card on the PC set to output 1080i to my 65 inch plasma. The desktop looks fantastic, the only problem is that the fonts are very small and hard to read from ten feet away. I have changed the Win XP theme to "High Contrast" and "Extra Large", and set the mouse pointer to be "extra large", and this helped alot. But I was wondering if there is a special theme or software application I can install on the PC to fine tune it so it will look even better and be easier to use. Please advise. Thank you.

kainers

12-24-09, 08:20 AM

Hello all,

I was wondering if anyone had any input on using either of these

Athlon II X2 250 or the Intel Core 2 Duo E7500.

This system will have 4 gigs of ram,9800gt, win7 and be used for mostly playback.

Also, would it generate a lot of heat if I OC'd the Athlon to about 3.6 ghz...?
Cooled with a mini ninja sycthe

Thanks.

rsmclay

12-24-09, 12:51 PM

renethx,

I am hoping you can help me. I built the mid range amd/amd withthe 4670. I have been struggling the last 2 days where I get windows 7 installed update via windows update, then update the 4670 software and then the directx stuff. Each time something happens, it goes into sleep then when I try to wake it, it says that windows was shut down inappropriately or something like that, and then goes into the perpetual reboot. I tried restoring and recovering but doesn't work. started over, and then found a windows hotfix for 32 bit windows 7 and sleep mode. I installed it, and things seemed to be going well.

I was working on food for today, and it went into sleep, and did it again. Except this time, when it went to reboot, nothing happened. And now it won't even bring up the bios splash screen or anything. I really saw this going much smoother than this ;-) I know it will be worth it, but I am worried at this point.

Any ideas????

rsmclay

12-24-09, 01:43 PM

Update:

I took out the video card, same thing. Took out of one the RAM sticks and the BIOS started to POST and was saying recovering BIOS or something like that. It would re-boot a few times. I shut it down and swapped the one stick for the other stick and it would do the bios trying to recover. Stuck back in both sticks and nothing, no BIOS.

I am not sure if it means the RAM is bad or is the motherboard bad - since both sticks would work in the one slot.

Also, this last time I just let it do it thing and it finally came back with the following after trying to recover the BIOS:

The file is possibly corrupt. The file header checksum does not match the computed checksum.

Is this because I only have one of the sticks in the RAM? Do I have to purchase another set of RAM to effectively see if it is the RAM or the motherboard? What the easiest way to diagnose.

Thank!!!

b_rubenstein

12-24-09, 03:14 PM

I don't know which MB you have, but it sounds like it has dual BIOS chips. This is to prevent the computer from not being able to boot if one version gets corrupted, but sometimes it can't tell which is a valid BIOS file (the check sums are different) and you run into your problem.

About the only way I can think of is to reflash the BIOS. If it boots far enough to be able to see an external device like a USB or floppy drive then you'll be able to reflash the BIOS. (check the BIOS flashing directions in the MB manual).

I would suggest trying to do this with the simplest hardware configuration possible: 1 stick of RAM, no un-needed cards and just a wired keyboard connected. It could also prove helpful to have a speaker connected to the speaker pins on the MB so you can hear the diagnostic beeps.

eatapeach

12-24-09, 07:03 PM

What would be the best option for a small form factor HTPC? As of right now I dont have any more room to fit a receiver sized component until I get into my new house. So, my plan is to build something small that I can use now and later move it into the bedroom and build a bigger unit for the media room. I will use it mainly to play backed up DVDs/Blu Rays from a server. Thank you for the help.

rsmclay

12-24-09, 10:59 PM

b_rubenstein,

I do have dual bios, because that is what shows when I boot it. I have the following motherboard: GA-MA785GMT-UD2H.

Do you think the RAM is bad or is the motherboard bad, since I can only see the bios screen if I have one stick and not both. I would hate to run to best buy and grab new ram to only find out that it's the mb and not be able to return it. But maybe that's what I'll need to do.

I'll try and reflash the bios to see if that works. Maybe neither are bad and it's just the bios. Here's hoping.

maccardi

12-25-09, 12:06 PM

shelbycsx

12-25-09, 01:06 PM

I'm considering building a HTPC but I am wondering how the Win 7 interface actually works/looks. I initially would start out using it as a replacement for my much hated TWC DVR. I would need HD and DD5.1 via HDMI cable.

My curiosity is, how does the interface look/feel? does it have that windowsy look? If I simply want to watch live HD movie on HBO, would i have to penetrate through various icons to get to that feature. Does live tv have that windows media player look? Will it give me a program guide?

I guess what I am asking is, will it or can it act like a cable box with the standard channel up/dn buttons, full screen picture etc

I am also considering Tivo or Moxi but I personally would prefer the advanced features of windows media. My concern is my young children, that may not be able to operate it if it is too complex.

Personally, I think Win7 Media Center is the best computer based interface for regular TV available. The interface is very intuitive and I think your kids would have no problem understanding how to navigate it with a Media Center remote. For a tour of the interface check out Engadget HD's Review. (I would post a link but I don't have enough posts yet since I'm new to this site).

One thing I am not sure about, however, is how it would handle HBO. I am a novice as far as cable signals go but I have read that premium channels are usually encrypted and most tuner cards can only interpret clear (unencrypted) QAM signals. Some else might be able to shed more light on this but something to look into before abandoning your cable provider's box.

Another site that has good info on W7MC is hack7mc.com which helps you understand how to customize it somewhat with tweaks ranging from mild to wild.

Hope this helps.

Jake Bauer

biker19

12-25-09, 03:51 PM

If you ever want to get encrypted QAM channels, you'll want to get a Tivo - wait for a few weeks for an announcement about a new model. For clear QAM and OTA channels W7 MC is fine if you don't mind having issues now and then. If you want an appliance like reliability - get the Tivo. If you don't mind fiddling once in a while, you can set up an HTPC.

maccardi

12-25-09, 04:45 PM

gsr

12-25-09, 10:17 PM

I was under the impression that with a cablecard you can get access to all of the channels available except VOD. Is this correct, I also thought that Windows could access the SDV channels. I think this is the case will all of the 3rd party DVR's. The thing I don't like about Tivo is the monthly subscription.

Please correct any misconceptions that I have. My main reason for the post was to determine if I could have similar remote control functions like "list", channel up/dn, number key channel entry etc.,
You assumption is correct as long as you have a Cable Card tuner (I believe ATI is the only game in town for the moment, but Ceton will be coming out with a 4 tuner Cable Card PCIe card expected Q1 2010).

I haven't used WMC extensively yet (I will once the Ceton card is available), but I believe you'll have the functionality you're looking for.

kevinqian

12-25-09, 11:35 PM

Has it been established that the ATI HD 4550 is not powerful enough for HD deinterlacing in all applications? Is the limiting factor the 80 stream processors, 64bit memory bandwidth or a combo of both?

I have an old AGP HD2600Pro that seems to do mpg2 1080i deinterlacing just fine. That seems to be the baseline.

So what is the equivalent of the baseline on the Nvidia side? GT220 or GT 240?

renethx

12-26-09, 01:44 AM

kevinqian

12-26-09, 02:18 AM

renethx

12-26-09, 03:25 AM

maccardi

12-26-09, 09:58 AM

rsmclay

12-26-09, 10:16 AM

Well I think I figured out it is the MB. When I have only one stick of RAM in slot one, doesn't matter which, everything boots up fine. As soon as I put the second stick in the second slot, it doesn't even POST to the BIOS. Also, even with one stick in, every once in a while it will just throw an error and BSOD and restart and want to go through the recovery process. I will be calling newegg on monday, but it looks as if they will not ship a new one while the other is in transit. Looks like it is going to be up to a 2 week process to get a replacement, so I am going to see if they will just refund it, and order another one while on the phone with them. We'll see.

Thanks!!!

renethx

12-26-09, 10:19 AM

I see no mention of the ati all-in-wonder cards in the recommended builds. Are these cards considered unacceptable for a good quality htpc?

My biggest concern is video/sound quality since this will be hooked up to a 65" 1080P plasma and full blown DD5.1 audio system via HDMI. I see eventually ati will release the cablecard tuner version of that card. Is it worth the wait or should I rethink my thinking?
All-in-Wonder HD is based on the two-generation-old HD 3650. Video is good, but audio is limited to stereo LPCM (and DD/DTS). But if DD is enough for you, this could be a good choice. In general two cards are easier in upgrading in future.

maccardi

12-26-09, 10:48 AM

All-in-Wonder HD is based on the two-generation-old HD 3650. Video is good, but audio is limited to stereo LPCM (and DD/DTS). But if DD is enough for you, this could be a good choice. In general two cards are easier in upgrading in future.

What would you recommend for a cablecard tuner? My newegg cart has the ATI 5750 Vid card currently and I really need cablecard access or for me, it isn't worth building a htpc. Are there any cablecard tuners (preferably internal) available for purchase yet?

One other question; Does anyone know what the Windows 7 hardware requirements are for media center TV? I read somewhere that you are required to do some sort of compatibility test before it will allow you to use the TV feature. Do/will the recommend builds pass this test?

gsr

12-26-09, 11:33 AM

What would you recommend for a cablecard tuner? My newegg cart has the ATI 5750 Vid card currently and I really need cablecard access or for me, it isn't worth building a htpc. Are there any cablecard tuners (preferably internal) available for purchase yet?
My recommendation would be to wait for Ceton's 4 tuner card to ship. I'm pretty sure the only other option that's currently available is ATI's single tuner card (available as internal or external versions).

Marc_G

12-26-09, 12:34 PM

So why is the 4550 still recommended on most of your midrange builds? I think having decent deinterlacing is a paramount consideration for general purpose HTPC use. The 4670 is only like $20 more right?

4550 is decent in deinterlacing. The difference is MA vs VA.

4350: poor
4550, 4650: MA
4670 or higher: VA

Hi Kevin,

For what it's worth, I've got a 4550 and the output looks quite fine to me (on a 50" 1080i plasma, via HDMI). I watch about 50/50 SD/HD content. I've never noticed any deinterlacing problems in actual content, though as Rene says, it doesn't have VA to the extent that the 4670 card does. There was a thread a while back about getting VA on the 4550 in some circumstances (might have been on The Green Button), but the bottom line is that for most things the 4550 does just fine. It has never balked at any content, and if the quality could be better with a 4670 for some things... I haven't noticed the lack. I bought the 4550 at a time when the "right" 4670 card was in short supply. Very happy with it.

That all being said, I'm likely to upgrade to a 5670 or whatever the final number is, in Q1. I have another PC with a TRULY AWFUL 3650 card and I'm going to swap the new 56xx card into my htpc and put the 4550 into the other PC (A desktop), according to my current plans. I noted the 3650 mentioned above in this thread... I very respectfully disagree with Rene that the "video is good" on this card. It plays, but frankly lots of content just looks crappy compared to the 4550. To me it looked worse than the HD3200 I had integrated to my HTPC motherboard and used for a while. It could be something specific about my monitor for that PC (it's an LCD with slowish refresh), but I tried the 4550 briefly there and it looked great comparatively.

Just my thoughts. YMMV.

Marc

kevinqian

12-26-09, 01:49 PM

maccardi

12-26-09, 04:39 PM

Has anyone used the Thermaltake DH101 case in a build? Any comments?

renethx

12-26-09, 08:16 PM

Thanks for the replies. So I guess I was wrong about my old 2600Pro AGP having the ability to VA deinterlace. It has 128bit DDR2 at 400mhz. Here is a screenshot of Dxva checker, notice VectorAdaptiveDevice only goes up to 720x480. Is that confirmation?

Also Renethx, I read here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17451064)you said that the 3650 is able to do VA deinterlacing with Aero ON. So the 4650 is actually a step backwards from the 3650 for deinterlacing? All specs point to 4650 being more powerful than 3650, so i wonder why. Also since the 3650 is simply a die shrink of the 2600 pro, wouldn't that suggest my 2600 Pro is capable of VA deinterlacing?

Thanks
The majority of HD 4650 cards com with crappy DDR2 400MHz video memory that's the cause of the non-support for VA (confirmed by Sapphire engineers).

Here is a quick test pattern Cheese Slices (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1157287). You have to use a MPEG-2 video decoder supporting DXVA (Microsoft or CyberLink). Check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17721629#post17721629) to see how VA is different from MA.

blockofwood

12-26-09, 08:17 PM

I picked up the Zalman HD503 and the LCD comes with iMON and iMEDIAN software. I believe this software runs the LCD and the IR for the remote.

This software is crashing more than I care to describe. I have also found that the LCD is really useless. It serves no real purpose.

So my question is;
I want to keep using my Harmony 880 remote. Can I just unplug the front LCD board, and delete the iMON crapware? Then buy one of these from newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16880121001&cm_re=ir_receiver_for_media_center-_-80-121-001-_-Product) and just use the IR receiver and not the remote it came with?

Will I be able to use the Harmony if I choose not to use WMC and use XBMC?

Renethx,

Any advice on this?

dbone1026

12-26-09, 08:24 PM

Renethx,

Any advice on this?

I have the Antec Fusion. I have the LCD screen unplugged, and use the IR Receiver you linked with my Harmony 890, no problems at all.

misenlai

12-27-09, 02:34 AM

renethx

12-27-09, 02:45 AM

I recently got my HTPC up running. But i"m bit confused about the audio/video connection. What should I do with the S/PDIF port on the mobo? Is there a use for it now that I can just connect my HDMI cable from 5770 (support bitstream) to my onykia 670 receiver, which in turn connect to my 46" inch TV using HDMI cable as well? I'm using a tv tuner as well. Do I need to use this S/PDIF to be able to play highest quality video/sound?

I would like to play blu-ray at the highest quaility.

Thanks
Audio requirement depends on your receiver. What is "onykia 670"?

htwaits

12-27-09, 03:31 AM

What should I do with the S/PDIF port on the mobo?Nothing if you have an Onkyo 607. You should double check your post. It seems to have some typos.

Just bit stream to your receiver and it will process all the lossless sound tracks for you.

kainers

12-27-09, 04:11 AM

renethx

12-27-09, 05:18 AM

Im still on the fence between an athlon ii 240/250 and an intel e7500. What is it the pushes the e7500 into the mid-range suggestion, vs the 240/250's.

Not much encoding going on with this rig, just want it for playing my dvd library, media center stuff.

I actually have an athlon x2 6000+ that I could use... or should I spend the 200-300 dollars to move to a 250 or e7500. Could probably sell off the mobo/6000+ for a little bit to supplement the purchase.

Using a 9800gt for the video card.
Price. "Range" is price range.

If you own Athlon X2 6000+ and GeForce 9800 GT, then is there a reason for a new system? Possible reasons would be lower power consumption, multichannel LPCM/HD audio bitstreaming...

kainers

12-27-09, 05:58 AM

Price. "Range" is price range.

If you own Athlon X2 6000+ and GeForce 9800 GT, then is there a reason for a new system? Possible reasons would be lower power consumption, multichannel LPCM/HD audio bitstreaming...

Hello,
Thanks for the feedback.

I thought I read somewhere that the 6000+ didn't do as well as the 250, or someone suggesting to dump it because of the power consumption. I was also concerned that it would heat up the case too much and cause too much noise from fans.

Also, the move to an AM3 board would allow installation of a stronger chip down the road if I needed it. But if there wouldn't be much a performance gain then I probably won't bother.

renethx

12-27-09, 06:21 AM

Hello,
Thanks for the feedback.

I thought I read somewhere that the 6000+ didn't do as well as the 250, or someone suggesting to dump it because of the power consumption. I was also concerned that it would heat up the case too much and cause too much noise from fans.

Also, the move to an AM3 board would allow installation of a stronger chip down the road if I needed it. But if there wouldn't be much a performance gain then I probably won't bother.
Here (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/06/30/amd-athlon-ii-x2-250-cpu-review/10) is a comparison between Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (3.1GHz, 89W, Brisbane) and Athlon II X2 250. There won't be much difference in power consumption between them at video playback (usually CPU usage < 30%).

kainers

12-27-09, 08:07 AM

Here (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2009/06/30/amd-athlon-ii-x2-250-cpu-review/10) is a comparison between Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (3.1GHz, 89W, Brisbane) and Athlon II X2 250. There won't be much difference in power consumption between them at video playback (usually CPU usage < 30%).

Nice link,

I have the older 125W model. But if the use of the cpu is around 30% while playing, that shouldn't be much to worry about...

Thanks again.

misenlai

12-27-09, 11:54 AM

Yea it's ONKYO 7.2-Channel Black Home Theater Receiver TX-SR607 . Sorry for the typo.

So the HDMI cable will take care of everything I assume since this receiver can decode everything?

I have another concern..
Since i'm using tv tuner that my htpc will be my TV pretty much (connect to the 46" TV) and since i'm connecting from the HTPC to the receiver through HDMI and from the receiver to my TV through HDMI, all sound will go through my receiver.

Is it possible to choose let say when I watch TV channel I want my TV speaker sound and that my receiver doesn't have to be on. Likewise when I listen to HD audio/video from my HTPC, it will utilize the receiver/and reciever's speaker? Cuz the reciever is running freaking hot i don't want it to run all the time when i'm just surfing the web for example or watching TV news.

How can I set this up?

renethx

12-27-09, 12:02 PM

I recently got my HTPC up running. But i"m bit confused about the audio/video connection. What should I do with the S/PDIF port on the mobo? Is there a use for it now that I can just connect my HDMI cable from 5770 (support bitstream) to my onykia 670 receiver, which in turn connect to my 46" inch TV using HDMI cable as well? I'm using a tv tuner as well. Do I need to use this S/PDIF to be able to play highest quality video/sound?

I would like to play blu-ray at the highest quaility.

Thanks
S/PDIF is of lower quality. HDMI supports all the formats S/PDIF supports, so you can ignore onboard S/PDIF (unless you want to play two media files simultaneously, one with HDMI video/audio and the other with another video/SPDIF audio).

renethx

12-27-09, 12:07 PM

Is it possible to choose let say when I watch TV channel I want my TV speaker sound and that my receiver doesn't have to be on. Likewise when I listen to HD audio/video from my HTPC, it will utilize the receiver/and reciever's speaker? Cuz the reciever is running freaking hot i don't want it to run all the time when i'm just surfing the web for example or watching TV news.

How can I set this up?
Just make sure to set up ONKYO 607 in pass-through mode (Audio TV Out: Auto, Control: Enable, Power Control: Enable). If you turn off the receiver, HDMI will send stereo PCM to your TV.

Trynet

12-27-09, 09:15 PM

I'm having a hard time choosing between the AMD 785G chipset and the Intel P55 (with a Core i5 750), so I need some advice.

It's important that the system runs quiet (especially for the wife). This leads me towards the AMD Athlon II X2 240e for 785G. With only 45 W, it shouldn't generate too much noise. On the other hand, I'm afraid it doesn't have enough processing power to decode HD video without assistance of the GPU. I watch some movies with subtitles, and none of the user friendly front-ends support subtitles in combination with DXVA, so it's important that the CPU can handle the task alone.

The Core i5 750 certainly has the power needed to decode HD content. But I'm concerned about the 95 W power consumption, and that the cooling will generate too much noise.

I really hope someone can give me some advice here. The price tag is not very important to me, but if the two options are more or less equal, I'll obviously choose the cheaper one.

renethx

12-27-09, 09:31 PM

@Trynet

Athlon II X2 240e 2.8GHz is powerful enough to decode HD contents. Check this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=85#MATXSys) (CPU utilization by Pentium Dual-Core E5200 2.5GHz).

Z0p

12-27-09, 11:15 PM

Has anyone used the Thermaltake DH101 case in a build? Any comments?

Yes. Always glad to comment...

The case is a good value and is nice looking in my opinion. Lots of room inside.

What I don't like about it is the 2 small, noisy fans at the back. I replaced mine with 2 80mm fans with some modifications. I don't use iMon, the display or the remote.

Other than that I'm happy with the case.

b_rubenstein

12-28-09, 01:02 PM

The Core i5 750 certainly has the power needed to decode HD content. But I'm concerned about the 95 W power consumption, and that the cooling will generate too much noise.

The TDP is a rather useless number for anything other than estimating the maximum power consumption of a CPU. The only condition where the CPU will approach its TDP is when running a CPU stress test such as CPU Burn (not Prime 95). For a finite processing task, such as decoding HD video, the amount of power used by the CPU will change little across a family of CPUs, because they are all doing the same amount of work.

For instance, I have a PC with a P45 MB. I recently up graded CPUs from an E5200 to a Q9550. In both cases a set the CPU voltage to [Normal] (this locks the voltage to VID of the CPU), enable C1E and EIST and tweak the FSB and CPU multiplier so that both CPUs ran at 2.4 Ghz at idle and 3.2 Ghz under load. The Q9550 is a more recent stepping and the CPU voltage at idle is .94v and 1.2v under load. The E5200 was 1.04v/1.22v. The difference in system power draw between the two CPUs at idle is 2W. The difference while decoding is the same. If I transcode a file the power draw goes way up, but the time needed is cut by over half.

SPCR has a good overview of the power used by 1156 socket systems here (http://www.silentpcreview.com/intel_LGA1156_launch).

Bottom line is that for decoding HD video, power usage is more dependent on system components other than the CPU.

kevinqian

12-28-09, 01:55 PM

tsanga

12-28-09, 05:22 PM

You will not get VA deinterlacing with any IGP (see here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17785100#post17785100) and here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17716648#post17716648)). If you want VA deinterlacing, you must buy a discrete GPU, or stay with Windows XP.

Speaking from experience here....

maccardi

12-28-09, 05:33 PM

Yes. Always glad to comment...

The case is a good value and is nice looking in my opinion. Lots of room inside.

What I don't like about it is the 2 small, noisy fans at the back. I replaced mine with 2 80mm fans with some modifications. I don't use iMon, the display or the remote.

Other than that I'm happy with the case.

Does the iMon cause any problems with WMC7? What don't you like about it? I would like to have a display on the box so it looks like a piece of audio equipment in my rack.

I"m thinking of the DH202 instead, I like the the slanted top/bottom of the front panel and the card reader. One of my concerns with the dh202 is the amount of internal USB headers it requires. The mobo I want to use only has 4 total internal USB headers and there is no documentation on the dh202 as to how many are needed. I downloaded the manual and it shows a double header for the front usb's and a single header for the display, but doesn't even mention the card reader. If anyone has used this case please let me know.

fattbank

12-28-09, 05:51 PM

renethx

12-28-09, 08:28 PM

Renethx, How do IGP solutions handle VA deinterlacing? Particularly, I'm interested in the GF9400m. Since onboard gpu do not have memory of their own, does the choice of mobo ram affect deinterlacing performance? If I get a GF9400m with DDR3-1066 mobo, is that sufficient?
There is no IGP that supports VA. The best is 780G/785G/790GX IGP and G45 (MA). The upcoming Core i3/i5 (Clarkdale) may or may not support it.

GeForce 9400 is subtle. It supports (an equivalent of) VA when HD HQV is running with PDVD/TMT (so Aero is disabled), but outside these players, ony Adaptive works.

Trynet

12-28-09, 10:43 PM

Thanks for the reply, renethx!

As I'm looking for a system with good performance (me), but yet quiet (wife), would you recommend the 240e or X4 630?

renethx

12-28-09, 10:53 PM

Thanks for the reply, renethx!

As I'm looking for a system with good performance (me), but yet quiet (wife), would you recommend the 240e or X4 630?
You shouldn't worry about TDP. Selecting a good, quiet CPU cooler is the most important. Athlon II X3 435, X4 620 or X4 630 (the best bang for your buck in performance) with Cooler Master Geminii S (quiet and effective for these processors) is my preferred choice.

Little_Mike

12-28-09, 10:55 PM

I came across an E2160 chip recently.

Could I build a HTPC around this that would handle Win 7, and TotalMedia 3 Platinum (to play network blu-rays)?

I probably will be playing 90% of my stuff from an ISO format.

Thanks!

Trynet

12-28-09, 10:56 PM

The TDP is a rather useless number for anything other than estimating the maximum power consumption of a CPU. The only condition where the CPU will approach its TDP is when running a CPU stress test such as CPU Burn (not Prime 95). For a finite processing task, such as decoding HD video, the amount of power used by the CPU will change little across a family of CPUs, because they are all doing the same amount of work.

For instance, I have a PC with a P45 MB. I recently up graded CPUs from an E5200 to a Q9550. In both cases a set the CPU voltage to [Normal] (this locks the voltage to VID of the CPU), enable C1E and EIST and tweak the FSB and CPU multiplier so that both CPUs ran at 2.4 Ghz at idle and 3.2 Ghz under load. The Q9550 is a more recent stepping and the CPU voltage at idle is .94v and 1.2v under load. The E5200 was 1.04v/1.22v. The difference in system power draw between the two CPUs at idle is 2W. The difference while decoding is the same. If I transcode a file the power draw goes way up, but the time needed is cut by over half.

SPCR has a good overview of the power used by 1156 socket systems here (http://www.silentpcreview.com/intel_LGA1156_launch).

Bottom line is that for decoding HD video, power usage is more dependent on system components other than the CPU.

Thanks for the info and the link. I learned something today, but I'm not sure that I'm closer to picking my HTPC hardware :) If TDP doesn't matter at all for video decoding: are you saying that "energy efficient" CPUs, like the 240e are a waste of money for a HTPC?

renethx

12-28-09, 10:57 PM

Trynet

12-28-09, 11:05 PM

You shouldn't worry about TDP. Selecting a good, quiet CPU cooler is the most important. Athlon II X3 435, X4 620 or X4 630 (the best bang for your buck in performance) with Cooler Master Geminii S (quiet and effective for these processors) is my preferred choice.

Thanks again, renethx! Then it's a X4 630 for me.

But for the cooling: Cooler Master Geminii is very hard to get in my country. Do you have a good alterative? I've been recommended Scythe Ninja Mini. Any thoughts?

Little_Mike

12-28-09, 11:08 PM

If you select a graphics card supporting hardware decode acceleration, E2160 is enough.

Thanks Rene, as always.

On your November issue, what part should I look at to best use this chip, while also keeping a mid-level budget?

edit: long overdue, but i finally sent you a donation. I haven't been here in months, and here you are, still dedicated as always.

renethx

12-28-09, 11:08 PM

Thanks again, renethx! Then it's a X4 630 for me.

But for the cooling: Cooler Master Geminii is very hard to get in my country. Do you have a good alterative? I've been recommended Scythe Ninja Mini. Any thoughts?
What is your chassis (model number)? (Where are you living?)

renethx

12-28-09, 11:14 PM

Thanks Rene, as always.

On your November issue, what part should I look at to best use this chip, while also keeping a mid-level budget?

edit: long overdue, but i finally sent you a donation. I haven't been here in months, and here you are, still dedicated as always.
Low-end Intel-Intel (dGPU) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=370#MicroATX%20System:%20Low-End%20System:%20Intel-Intel%20%28dGPU%29) or Mid-range Intel-Intel (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=370#MicroATX%20System:%20Mid-Range%20System:%20Intel-Intel). If you want to get TrueHD/DTS-HD bitstreams, you'd better wait for HD 56xx/55xx in January-February.

I just got a donation from MS (initial); if it's you, thank you!

Little_Mike

12-28-09, 11:21 PM

Low-end Intel-Intel (dGPU) (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=370#MicroATX%20System:%20Low-End%20System:%20Intel-Intel%20%28dGPU%29) or Mid-range Intel-Intel (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=370#MicroATX%20System:%20Mid-Range%20System:%20Intel-Intel). If you want to get TrueHD/DTS-HD bitstreams, you'd better wait for HD 56xx/55xx in January-February.

I don't think my surround sound supports TrueHD right now. Think I should hold out anyways (Is trueHD the next standard for bluray?)

Edit: Yes, that was me with the MS donation.

renethx

12-28-09, 11:37 PM

I don't think my surround sound supports TrueHD right now. Think I should hold out anyways (Is trueHD the next standard for bluray?)
TrueHD/DTS-HD MA are lossless audio compression formats widely used in BD movies. HD 5xxx can send these formats over HDMI. Of course you receiver must support these formats. Otherwise multichannel LPCM or DD/DTS (lossy compressed) bitstreams are alternative formats.

- HD 4xxx: supports multichannel LPCM and DD/DTS bitstreams
- HD 5xxx: supports multichannel LPCM and DD/DTS/TrueHD/DTS-HD bitstreams

Little_Mike

12-28-09, 11:40 PM

TrueHD/DTS-HD MA are lossless audio compression formats widely used in BD movies. HD 5xxx can send these formats over HDMI. Of course you receiver must support these formats. Otherwise multichannel LPCM or DD/DTS (lossy compressed) bitstreams are alternative formats.

- HD 4xxx: supports multichannel LPCM and DD/DTS bitstreams
- HD 5xxx: supports multichannel LPCM and DD/DTS/TrueHD/DTS-HD bitstreams

Maybe i will hold out for now, so when i upgrade my surround sound, the TrueHD will be supported.
Thanks!

misenlai

12-29-09, 12:27 AM

I'm running into a few problems. I've been looking all day and still couldnt' get it work if anyone plz could help

At the moment this is my set up, HTPC (5770 ATI radeon card) is running. HDMI cable from HTPC's card connecting to Onkyo 607 receiver (port 3 SAT/CBL) an HDMI cable from the receiver's HDMI out to 46" LCD. I'm also using the pass-through renex is suggesting so that when receiver is not on, it will use tv speaker. My problems are:

1. No matter what I play in my HTPC, avi or mkv (blu-ray ripped i think), it always display MLT PCM when I hit the Display on the onkyo607 receiver. I would think that the mkv should produce DTS HD or somewhere around there. The video is damn good, but the audio stinks. I have tried it in both PowerDVD 7.1 and Windows 7 Media Center. I have the FFDShow and Matrostra codec to get MKV working. I have tried every configuration ... changing the HD Realtek on my computer to HDMI, set 5.1 speaker and changing seting in media player and dvdpower without any success.

2. The sound are bad. Worse than TV's speakers I think. I'm using the following speakers/sub: Energy Take 5 Pack 5CH and Polk Audio PSW10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882290034
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882269004

I also ran Audyssey on the Onkyo607 and below are the results i'm getting:
Front: 150hz
center: 80hz
rear: 40hz
front L/R: -1db
back L/R: ~-3db
sub: -15db

It seems like my rear speakers are really low I can barely hear anything. I have turned it up manually to 80hz and 0db and it kinda helps a little, but overall sound still bad. The sub I can't hear anything unless I turn it on real loud.

Also, my avi file I only hear the 2 front speakers? is this a bad avi file maybe?

Anyways, am I missing something here that I don't know? I don't think the speakers are that bad. Maybe there's a setting on the PC to bitstream or is this automatically done by the graphic card I would think?

Plz help

renethx

12-29-09, 01:38 AM

misenlai

12-29-09, 01:59 AM

renethx

12-29-09, 02:13 AM

Looks like the mkv file i'm using is DTS. I got the receiver to show DTS finally. But it's odd. If I play the file as an mkv extension, it show MLT 5.1. If I just rename the file to .avi extension without actually changing its content and have media center play it, the receiver then show DTS and I could hear noticeable improvement. Why is this?...

Can you clarifiy? I'm not sure what you mean/how to do this.

Thanks for the help so far on this.
DTS can be sent over HDMI in two forms:

- Bitstreams, i.e. unmolested DTS audio data, and the DTS indicator lights up in your receiver in this case.
- 5.1 LPCM decoded from DTS by a player (audio decoder) in your PC. "MULTI CH HDMI" indicator lights up in this case.

It looks like your player is configured so that DTS is bitstreamed for AVI and DTS is decoded to LPCM for MKV. In general I recommend DTS bitstreams because Windows audio engine can't *degrade* the audio quality of bitstreams; it's PCM that Windows audio engine processes and degrade the quality of.

WASAPI exclusive mode bypasses Windows audio engine so that you will get bit-perfect LPCM (if your player decodes bit-perfect).

misenlai

12-29-09, 02:24 AM

mariomp

12-29-09, 02:32 AM

My friend is asking me to help him build HTPC. He wants a single chassis solution, vs. my Norco 2040 server and separate HTPC.
What case(s) do you guys like that can store many HDDs?
I'm hoping for something that can handle 8-10 drives, to give him 16Tb+ of storage plus the OS Drive.
Or do you guys just go with NAS cases for extra HDD capacity?

Thanks,
Mario

renethx

12-29-09, 02:50 AM

I think u r right. bitstream sounds much better i could tell from the 5.1 PCM decoded. Just curious tho, wouldn't bitstream make the receiver work a lot harder :) (doing the converting itself) instead of the PC doing it? man that receiver is hot :)

Btw, is it possible to config. media center to bitstream mkv then instead of avi..? or is this something set in stone
Decoding AC3/DTS uses the receiver's DSP. That's one of DSP's purposes.

I recommend ffdshow Audio Decoder (http://xvidvideo.ru/). This is an all-in-one solution. This is also the only free decoder that supports TrueHD/DTS-HD bitstreams.

blockofwood

12-29-09, 02:51 AM

Does the iMon cause any problems with WMC7? What don't you like about it? I would like to have a display on the box so it looks like a piece of audio equipment in my rack.

I"m thinking of the DH202 instead, I like the the slanted top/bottom of the front panel and the card reader. One of my concerns with the dh202 is the amount of internal USB headers it requires. The mobo I want to use only has 4 total internal USB headers and there is no documentation on the dh202 as to how many are needed. I downloaded the manual and it shows a double header for the front usb's and a single header for the display, but doesn't even mention the card reader. If anyone has used this case please let me know.

I just picked up the Zalman HD503. with Windows 7 32bit. All in all, this is a good case. I had to remove the Hot Swap because it would not eject my ODD. Also had to re-route some internal wires, but that was very easy. The biggest problem /drawback is the iMON software. This software, in my opinion, was written very poorly. The install disc would not install. I had to go to their website to DL. After I installed it, that piece of crapware crashed every time I loaded windows. And I do mean everytime. I removed it, cleaned the registry, installed again and again. Two days of icrap was enough for me. I would rather use the wireless keyboard I bought. I also just picked up an IR remote receiver from newegg, installed powerdvd 9 ulltra and XBMC Aeon. So in a few days when I get the new receiver, I'll run my Harmony 880.

Long story short.... imon sucks in windows

renethx

12-29-09, 02:56 AM

Trynet

12-29-09, 09:40 AM

What is your chassis (model number)? (Where are you living?)
I live in Norway. The model number of the chassis is 0761345-08770-4 (this chassis (http://www.dustinhome.no/pd_5010189521.aspx?)).

renethx

12-29-09, 10:25 AM

I live in Norway. The model number of the chassis is 0761345-08770-4 (this chassis (http://www.dustinhome.no/pd_5010189521.aspx?)).
Nexus LOW-7000
Scythe BIG SHURIKEN
Thermaltake ISGC-400 (a bit taller [100mm] for Fusion)

Z0p

12-29-09, 11:30 AM

fattbank

12-29-09, 04:01 PM

I"m thinking of the DH202 instead, I like the the slanted top/bottom of the front panel and the card reader. One of my concerns with the dh202 is the amount of internal USB headers it requires. The mobo I want to use only has 4 total internal USB headers and there is no documentation on the dh202 as to how many are needed. I downloaded the manual and it shows a double header for the front usb's and a single header for the display, but doesn't even mention the card reader. If anyone has used this case please let me know.
Two internal USB headers are required.

hellerbrewing

12-29-09, 04:37 PM

I am planning my next HTPC build, I am waiting for the clarkdale processors/graphics to be released and reviewed. In the meantime I have been trying to put together a list of what I am going to put in the new build. I have a 640GB western digital black drive sitting around that I was planning on using as the only drive for the machine. Recently I have seen more and more solid state drives coming close to the $100 mark after rebates. I am just wondering if I bought a 64GB SSD for the primary OS drive, leaving the 640 for recordings, if I would see a marked increase in performance/responsiveness in mediacenter as opposed to the single black drive?

grittree

12-29-09, 07:02 PM

I am just wondering if I bought a 64GB SSD for the primary OS drive, leaving the 640 for recordings, if I would see a marked increase in performance/responsiveness in mediacenter as opposed to the single black drive?

Not really. I can see a slight benefit when doing multiple FF skips quickly. Very slight. No other changes.

I put the SSD in my desktop and see a vast difference.

maccardi

12-29-09, 07:44 PM

mariomp

12-29-09, 08:05 PM

Most HTPC cases support up to 6 HDDs. OrigenAE S21T (http://www.origenae.co.kr/en/htpc_s21t.htm) supports 10 HDDs.

Thanks, I was hoping to get something plain-Jane that won't set him back a grand.
Just a regular desktop case should do as budget is always an issue.
Also, since he'll be connecting it to a TV in same room, the touchscreen or any sort of built-in display won't be needed.

Thanks for suggestions.

Mario

gsr

12-29-09, 08:10 PM

Most HTPC cases support up to 6 HDDs. OrigenAE S21T (http://www.origenae.co.kr/en/htpc_s21t.htm) supports 10 HDDs.
I really wish they had a version of this case without the front panel touchscreen. It's something I have no need for, but the rest of the case is almost ideal. For me the ideal case would probably be the S21T with the following changes:

1 - Get rid of the expensive display on the front.
2 - Make the case a few inches deeper so there aren't any physical conflicts between long expansion cards (typically video cards) and the hard drive bays.
3 - Use only 120mm or larger fans (this case has 2 80mm and 1 120mm fans).

At least for my needs, nobody is making the perfect case. This include ATech Fabrication where one of my big concerns is the special CPU and video card heat sink config.

At the moment I'm living with a Lian Li PC-C32B. It too isn't too far off - it's nice and deep which makes it easy to work on. Unfortunately noise management isn't exactly ideal. The hard drive setup is fine (though I'd like room for more drives in the case), but the optical drive setup really isn't as the case makes a lot of noise if the drive is spinning fast (not usually a problem for watching movies since the drive spins slower, but it's not the best of designs). The top cover also doesn't meet the front panel quite perfectly and tends to rattle a bit from time to time. At the price though, it's tough to complain too much.

I had been using a Zalman HD-160 (the original design from several years ago), but new motherboards with the SATA connectors that are rotated 90 degrees so the cables run parallel instead of perpendicular to the motherboard are really tough to work with as the hard drive cage is in the way.

Prior to that I was using a limited production case by a projector company (CRT Projectors, IIRC) that took a stab at building HTPC cases about 7 years ago that I still have kicking around. I may actually switch back to that case - it's really nice looking and easy to work on, but is also limited in hard drive capacity (3) and weighs a ton as it's made of steel.

Sorry about turning this into a bit of a case rant :).

dbone1026

12-30-09, 04:19 AM

As I browse the web looking for WMC7 extenders, I'm finding that pretty much all that is out there now is the Xbox360. It appears that the other manufacturers have left the game. Can anyone post some links if there are any for extenders?

Pretty much HTPCs are the only "WMC" extenders aside from the Xbox these days. If you want a true server/extender solution you could take a look at SageTV.

maccardi

12-30-09, 12:36 PM

Pretty much HTPCs are the only "WMC" extenders aside from the Xbox these days. If you want a true server/extender solution you could take a look at SageTV.

Looks like at $179 each for the Sage, the Xbox is a better deal being you can get an arcade version for $200 plus it's a game console. I wonder if any manufacturers with start making extenders again.

As I understand it, you cannot use another Windows 7 PC/Laptop as an extender, is this correct?

stimcity

12-30-09, 12:45 PM

Hello everyone,

I'm about to upgrade my current set-up, but wish to do as little as possible to get the best possible result (saving for new receiver / speakers).

Firstly, I do not need to game on my HTPC, I have another PC for that.

Current system:

MB: Gigabyte MA78GPM-DS2H (Currently using IGP, HD3200 + 128MB sideport RAM)
Ram: 2GB DDR 800
CPU: Athlon x2 4850e
Case: Antec Veris Fusion
HDD's: Internal 2x 1TB Hitachi Green Drives, 1x 2.5" 320GB Western Digital (System Drive, mounted on-top of the optical drive, External 1x 1.5TB Toshiba

I've had various issues with 1080i & 1080p (and 720i) playback on this system, but it's been mainly used as a media repository and media player for my daughters film collection (SD), it currently has Windows 7 Ultimate 32 on it but has had both XP and Vista (briefly) in the past.

I've played around with AVCHD over the last few months and I've never been able to decode and hear Dolby Digital Real HD either over spdif to my old pioneer 5.1 receiver (Dolby Digital / DTS) or via stereo to my Panasonic Plasma TV (42PX80BA) over HDMI.

I was hoping that adding a Sapphire Radeon 4650/4670 would solve my video problems (and allow me to pass LPCM over HDMI to a receiver upgrade at some point) but not decode HD audio on the current set-up (Realtek ALC889A).

Do you think that just adding the discreet card will be enough for full HD glory?

I potentially have an alternate route forward, but it would involve replacing my interim desktop set-up (which was planned to be a media server):

MB: Asus P5Q-EM
CPU: Core 2 Duo E6750 @ 2.66ghz
RAM: 2GB DDR 800
Case: Antec P180 mini
GFX: Nividia 8800GT 512MB
HDD's: Lots

I have no audio issues with this board at all, but couldn't comment on the HD playback as I didn't experiment much with it.

I was hoping to replace the above with a P55 based i5 set-up but am nearly in the position of being able to upgrade my amp and speakers...

I have a Gigabyte P35-DS3R (ATX) kicking around, but that was marked for being used for my daughters first PC at some point.

In summary, and I apologise for the lengthy post can I get away with putting a decent discreet card into my existing set-up or do I need to push the boat out and replace it?

Thanks for your time!

dbone1026

12-30-09, 12:51 PM

Looks like at $179 each for the Sage, the Xbox is a better deal being you can get an arcade version for $200 plus it's a game console. I wonder if any manufacturers with start making extenders again.

As I understand it, you cannot use another Windows 7 PC/Laptop as an extender, is this correct?

If by extender you mean stuff such as sharing tv tuners, etc... then no.

maccardi

12-30-09, 01:16 PM

If by extender you mean stuff such as sharing tv tuners, etc... then no.

Yup, thats what I meant. I'm going to start purchasing hardware over the next month or two to build my HTPC (money is tight, Xmas was expensive this year). If it takes me till Feb. to get all the parts and pieces together, perhaps there may be a cheaper alternative to the Xbox by then. I'm waiting on the Ceton Cablecard tuner anyway so it could be a while before my box is ready to go.

MurrayW

12-30-09, 01:48 PM

Yup, thats what I meant. I'm going to start purchasing hardware over the next month or two to build my HTPC (money is tight, Xmas was expensive this year). If it takes me till Feb. to get all the parts and pieces together, perhaps there may be a cheaper alternative to the Xbox by then. I'm waiting on the Ceton Cablecard tuner anyway so it could be a while before my box is ready to go.I have learned this the hard way. Unless you find a killer deal right now, you will be better off putting away your money that you are planning to spend between now and Feb and buy all your parts at once rather than buying a few now and then others later. You will almost always be able to find parts that are less expensive or better for the same price later than you can now. If you are going to wait anyway, you might as well wait for everything.

Just my $0.02 cents.

Murray

maccardi

12-30-09, 02:44 PM

I have learned this the hard way. Unless you find a killer deal right now, you will be better off putting away your money that you are planning to spend between now and Feb and buy all your parts at once rather than buying a few now and then others later. You will almost always be able to find parts that are less expensive or better for the same price later than you can now. If you are going to wait anyway, you might as well wait for everything.

Just my $0.02 cents.

Murray

Very good point, But I suffer from that "wow this new product has this great new feature and it only $20 more" syndrome as i would suspect every reader on these forums does. We've all been there, You buy the latest and greatest product and it's obsolete 1 month later. It is just the nature of PC world

I have (so far) decided on the Gigabyte GA-790FXTA-UD5 motherboard which is relatively new and I would estimate that the cost will not fluctuate too much in the coming months. I'm still deciding on a case, Thermaltake DH202 seems to top my list but that changes hourly. I would probably buy these items first as well as the OS. My Video card pick is currently an ATI 5750 but I will probably buy that last as prices will most likely go down and I may be able to snatch a 58xx or 56xx in the same price range in two months, the same goes with memory, PSU, and Bluray burners.

I'm not very good at saving money and if I don't buy as I can afford, I will probably never get the system. I'd hate to spend my HTPC money on something trivial like food or heat. I fully understand and appreciate your suggestion but with my money habits, it wont work for me.

Iteki

12-30-09, 02:57 PM

I'm not very good at saving money and if I don't buy as I can afford, I will probably never get the system. I'd hate to spend my HTPC money on something trivial like food or heat. I fully understand and appreciate your suggestion but with my money habits, it wont work for me.

LOL I was the same way. Was easier to buy over the course of 2 months than to try and do it all in one shot. Besides smaller purchases are easier to sell the wife on (or hide lol :-) )

hellerbrewing

12-30-09, 05:07 PM

As I browse the web looking for WMC7 extenders, I'm finding that pretty much all that is out there now is the Xbox360. It appears that the other manufacturers have left the game. Can anyone post some links if there are any for extenders?

You can still get the linksys extenders on ebay. Probably the cheapest option at this point.

foginthecity

12-31-09, 04:35 AM

Hi!
I am in the process of building an HTPC. I have the Gigabyte-GA-MA785GMT-UD2H mobo (AM3 socket), and an amd athlon II X2 240 processor. I have a low profile case (Lian Li PC-C36) and so have less than 70 mm of space for a heatsink and fan. I was hoping to find something quieter than the stock fan. Any recommendations would be great. Are the AM2 and AM3 different in the heatsinks that will fit on the motherboard?
Thanks a lot!
--f

renethx

12-31-09, 05:18 AM

Raymond_B

12-31-09, 11:03 AM

Does this announcement over at xbmc.org have any bearing on hardware choices being made here?

http://xbmc.org/davilla/2009/12/29/broadcom-crystal-hd-its-magic/

foginthecity

12-31-09, 11:21 AM

AM2, AM2+ and AM3 are physically identical. How about Scythe BIG SHURIKEN (58mm tall)? It fits the mb fine.
Thanks! I'll measure the available room more precisely; hopefully this one should work. My case has holes right above the cpu; does one need to leave some room between the cpu fan and the top of the case for better airflow in the case?
--f

hellerbrewing

12-31-09, 11:25 AM

....so you can ignore onboard S/PDIF (unless you want to play two media files simultaneously, one with HDMI video/audio and the other with another video/SPDIF audio).

I guess I had not thought of this before, could you output music over SPDIF or even analog while running mediacenter over HDMI? I have aspirations of installing my own whole house audio system when I remodel the main floor of our house. I have been trying wrap my head around how to get it to work. It would be nice (cheaper) if I could run the system off of the HTPC as it will need to be on 24/7 anyway. I would like to be able to select songs or playlists, possibly even control zones from a touchscreen or even an HP touchsmart PC in the kitchen. It could connect to a background process on the HTPC in the basement. Is there a good software program that will let me do this?

Iteki

12-31-09, 11:58 AM

Does this announcement over at xbmc.org have any bearing on hardware choices being made here?

http://xbmc.org/davilla/2009/12/29/broadcom-crystal-hd-its-magic/

Pretty sweet.

renethx

12-31-09, 12:17 PM

Does this announcement over at xbmc.org have any bearing on hardware choices being made here?

http://xbmc.org/davilla/2009/12/29/broadcom-crystal-hd-its-magic/
Perhaps none at all. Broadcom chip is for a system whose GPU lacks hardware decode acceleration (e.g. Atom Pineview; my opinion on Atom is close to this poll (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=7214)).

renethx

12-31-09, 12:21 PM

Thanks! I'll measure the available room more precisely; hopefully this one should work. My case has holes right above the cpu; does one need to leave some room between the cpu fan and the top of the case for better airflow in the case?
--f
12 mm is enough if there is an intake hole.

renethx

12-31-09, 12:25 PM

I guess I had not thought of this before, could you output music over SPDIF or even analog while running mediacenter over HDMI?
Yes. Just select SPDIF (or analog) as your music player's audio device. You can use any sound playback device for a player and another for another player, another for another player... all simultaneously (but the players must support this user cutomization; e.g. MPC-HC, ZP, foobar2000).

starbudder

12-31-09, 01:04 PM

I live in Norway. The model number of the chassis is 0761345-08770-4 (this chassis (http://www.dustinhome.no/pd_5010189521.aspx?)).

Another case to consider is the Antec Titan http://www.antec.com/Believe_it/product.php?id=Mjc=

mcravenufo

12-31-09, 01:06 PM

I've got the OPPO BDP-83 for Disc play. I want to build an HTPC where its only function will be to play my DVD and Blu-ray rips. I've started ripping my discs onto my server and will be streaming the files from there so I don't really need an optical drive for my HTPC. I don't want to compromise any picture or sound quality. However, since the only function of this PC will be to play saved media I don't think I need an expensive system. I've done a lot of reading and so far came up with 2 systems:
(Cheaper)
Mobo: ASUS M3N78-VM
Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-400CX 400W
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core
Memory: G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2

OR

(More $)
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
Video: Fanless HIS H467PS1GH Radeon HD 4670 iSilence4 1GB
Power: CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz
Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3

Any suggestions for me?

renethx

12-31-09, 01:14 PM

mcravenufo

12-31-09, 01:18 PM

If your receiver supports TrueHD/DTS-HD, you'd better wait for HD 5670 (January-February), or go for HD 5750 now.

I see. Are you saying the better option for me is the more expensive build? (GIGABYTE board)
I want to keep it as quiet as possible. Are 5750 fans noisy?

renethx

12-31-09, 01:25 PM

I see. Are you saying the better option for me is the more expensive build? (GIGABYTE board)
I want to keep it as quiet as possible. Are 5750 fans noisy?
Or the upcoming Core i3 (Clarkdale), January 7th. 5750 is very quiet.

Hunter68

12-31-09, 03:20 PM

I have a big issue, I'm trying to connect my HDMI from my new HIS video card to my Pioneer Plasma tv. I get video but no audio....:mad: Any ideas?

I have a new Toshiba LCD down in the basement and i took the same computer and hooked it up the exact same way as the plasma and the audio and video work. The only thing that didn't work was the bluray through powerdvd but I think that was because I was using the trial version. I did get video.

So to recap, I get no audio from the plasma throught the HIS 5700 video card connnected via HDMI. The plasma is a Pioneer 5070HD

Thanks

gsr

01-01-10, 09:33 PM

I don't have any experience with the options you've listed, but I have been very happy with my Interlink Electronics VersaPoint RF keyboards (I've got one on my HTPC system and one on my bedroom system) with 1 exception. The exception is that when I upgraded my motherboard recently to an Intel DP55WG, the RF USB dongle isn't recognized by Windows when plugged into any of the motherboard USB ports (no message announcing that a new device was found and the keyboard doesn't work).

I tried replacing the motherboard with an Asus P7P55D and had the exact same problem, so it appears that it's some sort of chipset compatibility issue.

It's weird because the keyboard functions fine to change BIOS settings prior to booting into Windows. I've gotten around the problem by installing a PCI USB card in the computer, but that eats up an expansion slot.

Up until this problem, the keyboard had worked flawlessly through several motherboard replacements and XP / Vista, so I highly recommend it with the caveat that you may run into an issue with some motherboards.

If anyone has any idea of what I could do to resolve the problem, I'd be happy to hear it.
I've got an update to this problem which may prove useful to others....

I was reading another forum where the same basic subject regarding keyboard incompatibilities with P55 chipset motherboards came up. A poster indicated that the issue is that each USB device has an identifier associated with it that has to be recognized by the BIOS in order to work, but if a hub that's supported by the motherboard is inserted in the middle, the problem will essentially go away. Sure enough, a few other posters indicated that connecting their keyboard to the USB hub on their monitor (which is then connected to a USB port on the motherboard) works while connecting the keyboard directly doesn't. I had a Belkin USB hub kicking around unused, so I figured there's no harm in trying it. I figured I had a 50/50 chance of it working, but I'm happy to report that my Interlink Electronics Versapoint RF keyboard is now recognized by Windows through the Belkin hub. I haven't tried rebooting yet to see if the keyboard is also recognized during boot for changing BIOS settings, etc. but it wouldn't be all that inconvenient to switch the connections around occasionally if needed.

Hopefully this info is useful to someone other than myself :D.

Lachlan

01-02-10, 12:08 AM

Quick question -- I'm running a low-profile system, so my choices of dVGA cards are limited. Right now I'm running an HD 4350, but I'm not satisfied with its performance. Is moving up to the HD 4550 going to make a big difference? I see newegg also offers a low-profile 4650, but it's still 64-bit interface, and has a fan (boo).

kevinqian

01-02-10, 12:15 AM

What do you need by performance? Gaming: minor difference. 1080i deinterlacing: no difference i think. video acceleration: no difference at all. same UVD2.

Lachlan

01-02-10, 12:20 AM

What do you need by performance? Gaming: minor difference. 1080i deinterlacing: no difference i think. video acceleration: no difference at all. same UVD2.

This is just for an HTPC, so 1080i/p stuff max. No 3D.

renethx

01-02-10, 12:29 AM

kevinqian

01-02-10, 01:39 AM

This is just for an HTPC, so 1080i/p stuff max. No 3D.
so your only handicap right now is 1080i deinterlacing. I don't think the 4550 will do you any better. correct me if im wrong renethx, both do MA?

renethx

01-02-10, 05:25 AM

so your only handicap right now is 1080i deinterlacing. I don't think the 4550 will do you any better. correct me if im wrong renethx, both do MA?
4350 supports Adaptive at best.

kevinqian

01-02-10, 10:49 AM

That's funny that the 780G integrated HD 3200 supports MA, while the discrete HD 4350 only does Adaptive.

StupidHead

01-02-10, 10:18 PM

I'm trying to keep a WMC7 HTPC going without doing a major overhaul. It's an older AMD socket 939 system with an Athlon 3800+ in it. I've been using a Nvidia 7300GT for years, and it's worked fine for most 720p stuff up until now. We got a new Sony V-Series TV a month ago, and the HTPC just can't handle 1080p nor audio over HDMI. I'm going direct to the TV via HDMI, so I don't need to send all kinds of audio formats. I just need the HTPC to be able to process DTS and AC3 and who knows what else, and send it to the TV in Stereo (the main reason for wanting audio over HDMI is because an HDMI cable is hidden in the wall so I can use that).

Any recommendation on the cheapest fanless (for noise reasons) PCIExpress video card that I can use with a AMD 3800 for Windows 7 Media Center at 1080p that supports stereo audio over HDMI?

Lachlan

01-02-10, 11:23 PM

4350 supports Adaptive at best.

So would that make a big difference for 1080i?

davedelite

01-03-10, 12:42 AM

post deleted

bestco

01-03-10, 09:39 AM

great guide!

p40whk

01-04-10, 09:26 AM

Hi all,

I was hoping someone could critique my set up since I'm fairly new to building a system. I started my research into building an HTPC long before I found this forum and have made many changes based on the recommendations here.

I plan on using the iGPU until I can figure out what video card I want to put in the system. My primary purpose of this system will be streaming media, DVR from my HD antenna, Music Jukebox, and possible gaming. My HT system is primarily Panasonic with the TV being the Viera 50" plasma 720P.

Here's My final system:

Operating System - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64BIT

Micro-ATX Case - AeroCool M40 Cube Computer Case (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ool-_-11196028) - The case was a bit bigger than I thought but I really like it. It has a nice LED panel on the front that shows fan and HD activity plus shows the internal temperature of the case (Averages.between 24-28 degrees C).

Hard Drive - Western Digital WD15EADS Caviar Green Hard Drive 1.5TB, 32MB, SATA-3G (http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.asp?driveid=575) - For now!

Processor - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor - 3.20GHz - I chose this processor based on recommendations here, price (I'm already over my budget!), the reviews it got and performance specs.

Motherboard - Gigabyte MA785GMT-UD2H Motherboard - I sent the MA785GMT-UDH2 motherboard back based on upgradability recommendations here.

Memory - G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Memory.

Power Supply - CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V Power Supply I sent my first power supply back and still ended up getting the wrong one! I didn't realize this until I opened the box but I thought I was buying a 550W PSU. Must have clicked the wrong button when I added it to my cart! I didn't want to hassle with sending this one back so I'm using it. The Graphics card only requires 420W but the motherboard suggests 500W or higher. I hope this will not be a problem later.

MCE Remote - Antec Mult-Station Basic Internal IR receiver and remote - Until my Gyration remote comes in, I'm using the remote provided with the Hauppauge TV tuner.

I have the Gyration Media Center Remote and keyboard on order. I really had a hard time deciding what remote I wanted and was leaning towards the Harmoney 700. The HTPC replaces my DVD/VCR so I really only have the PC, TV, and Stereo to control so this should be fine for that plus it gets rid of the mouse. Will post a write up in the remotes section once I get a chance to play with it.

CPU Cooler - COOLER MASTER GeminII S RR-CCH-PBU1-GP 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler - This sucker is huge! I had to do some thinking to get my power supply cables routed around this thing. The documentation that came with the CPU said using any other CPU Cooler would void the warrantee! Hmm, let's hope I wont need warrantee service!

TV Tuner Card - Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 - Works as advertised.

Optical Drive - PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-K05 (cannibalized from a current system) - Already have a PS3 for playing BluRay

Graphics Card - Visiontek Radeon HD 5750 GDDR5 1

Thanks everyone for your help and especially renethx for creating this guide!

lunar

01-04-10, 09:37 AM

I read your guild to building a HD HTPC. My solution I don't have an HDTV yet, I won't be getting an HDTV till this spring or summer. I have a regular tube television. I wrote a thread already: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1212458. To summarize
I want to build an HTPC using using Windows 7 Home Premium and the upcoming Ceton CableCard tuner. The purpose of the HTPC to use it as a DVR using Media Center, and maybe to rip standard DVD's. I have revised my specs, I'm new to building htpc. I looking to build something that is mid-range and is upgradable for future use, i.e. a regular tube TV -> HDTV(display). I digital cable(broadcast station: fox, NBC, ABC, etc and encrypted channels: FX, TNT, Disney channel, ect) but no premium channels like HBO.

revised spec:

MB:Intel BOXDP43TF LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU's:

Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Or
Intel Pentium E5300 Wolfdale 2.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

VideoCards:

EVGA 512-P3-1220-LR GeForce GT 220 512MB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card, Or
EVGA 01G-P3-1225-LR GeForce GT 220 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card, Or
Galaxy 96GGF6HMFEXX GeForce 9600 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card(all in one, HDMI, DVI, and S-video)

I'm I in the right direction in building a custom HTPC for my needs?

renethx

01-04-10, 11:15 AM

@p40whk

Phenom II X4 955 may be overkill. Check Phenom II X2 550, $102.

A reason to select DDR3 SDRAM is that it can be reused in future upgrade (DDR4 comes 2012 or later).

The standard depth of ATX PSU is 140mm. Perhaps you'd better spend more money on PSU, e.g. CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX.

biker19

01-04-10, 11:41 AM

Processor - AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor - 3.20GHz - I chose this processor based on recommendations here, price (I'm already over my budget!), the reviews it got and performance specs.

MCE Remote - Antec Mult-Station Basic Internal IR receiver and remote - I'm thinking about using the Gyration Media Center Remote with this, anyone have any experience with these?

TV Tuner Card - Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250

I agree with previous feedback that the CPU doesn't need to be that powerful.

The Gyration remote is great but you'll still need a keyboard.

I'm using the AverMedia dual tuner card and found it easy to setup and pulls in all the stations. If you don't need analog tuners this is 1/2 the price of the Happauge tuner card.

p40whk

01-04-10, 12:04 PM

Thanks for the feedback gentleman :)

I went with the better CPU in case I wanted to do some gaming. I was playing WOW on my MAC for a while which isn't that CPU intensive but wanted the option just in case. I may drop that down if it's not necessary.

I'll look to see if the CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX is available locally before I return the one I have. I got most of my stuff from Tiger Direct and they don't carry the MA785GMT-UDH2 motherboard so I may have to go with Newegg for that. Sucks that I couldn't find everything in one location to save on shipping but I guess I'll have to bite the bullet on that.

I do currently have a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse and will use that in the interim but I definitely want a good remote. It would be nice to have the logitech Harmony features in the Gyration remote (or vise verse). I only have a few components that I need to control so the Gyration may be all I need as long as it can communicate with the Antec Multi-Station.

Ric_Margiotta

01-04-10, 12:33 PM

The Gyration remote comes with its own dongle, which is RF rather than IR. It's a great remote, but I don't think you'll be able to get it working with the station.

mingus

01-04-10, 01:41 PM

As far as 1080P playback, will the i3/H55 be in the same league as say my HD 4670? too soon to tell maybe?

KalicoKid

01-04-10, 03:17 PM

Hi guys,

Any bit of advice would be much appreciated. I built the "Low-End MicroATX AMD-AMD (iGPU) System" (see below) and my playback skips in VLC player on the infamous bird scene in Planet Earth 1080p. Any upgrade(s) that would resolve this? Thanks!!

CPU: Athlon II X2 240 ADX240OCGQBOX 2.8GHz AM3.
CPU Cooler: Stock cooler.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G chipset microATX.
Memory: G.SKILL F3-10600CL9D-2GBNQ DDR3-1333 2 x 1GB Kit.
Graphics Card: Radeon HD 4200 (integrated in the chipset).
HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA 3.0Gbps.
PSU: 80 PLUS 350W ATX PSU (included in the case).
Case: Antec NSK1480 microATX.

dbone1026

01-04-10, 03:23 PM

Iteki

01-04-10, 03:50 PM

Try using MPC HC instead of VLC

+1. VLC is not so hot with HA.

kevinqian

01-04-10, 04:13 PM

hwilker

01-04-10, 07:40 PM

I have been quietly reading much of this thread and a few other threads over the past month, with the intention of building a home media server, based upon WHS. Though competent technically my experience is totally software related and my meager hardware experience is limited to installing PCI cards and internal disk drives. Nonetheless I am now about to attempt this build with some help from a friend. I wish to thank all the folks who have contributed to these threads, particularly, of course, renethx, without whose insights and recommendations I would never have even considered this undertaking.

My intent to is build a tower system. I had originally intended to build using the one of the two Norco cases, but abandoned that idea based upon too many concerns I've read about noise, questionable quality, difficulty in routing connecting wires, excessive heat, etc. That, plus I rather doubt I'll need to fill more than 15 drives worth of data in any reasonable time frame. My concerns may well be overstated, and I'm sure others have had great success using the Norco cases, but in the end I decided it was a little too ambitious for me.

Here is my hardware build list. It pretty well follows the build recommended by renethx for his 15 HDD Tower System, though it makes a few changes that I will further highlight below. I would much appreciate any and all comments regarding anything I may have conceptualized incorrectly or anything that would improve the resulting system.

Case: Cool Master Centurion RC 590-KKN1-GP
HDD Cage: Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane
HDD Cage: Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane
HDD Cage: Athena Power BP-SATA3051B 5-in-3 backplane
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-750X
CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 240 ADX24OCGQBOX 2.8 GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H AM2+ AMD 785G chipset ATX
Memory: A-DATA ADQVE1A26K DDR2-800 2x1GB Kit
SATA Card: Promise SATA300 TX4 PCI SATA II 4-Port Adapter
SATA Card: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8-Port SAS/SATA
SAS-SATA Cable: LSI/3Ware CBL-SSF8087OCF-10M SFF-8087 to Discrete Forward Breakout
SAS-SATA Cable: LSI/3Ware CBL-SSF8087OCF-10M SFF-8087 to Discrete Forward Breakout
OS Disk: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD6400AAKS 640 GB

Here are the deviations from the proposed build that I made and my reasons/prejudices for doing so.

Power supply: I decided to use a different power supply due to a preference for a modular power supply which would make it easier for me - a novice - to deal with routing all the wires in a clean fashion. I also moved up a step to a 750W power supply. It was only $20 more than the Corsair CMPSU-650TX, though I could be convinced to go for the 650 if the consensus is that it is a waste of money and power and would add nothing in such a build.

SATA Cards: Renethx's 15 HDD build suggessted using 5 2-port cards. I preferred to go with two cards that leave several of the SATA ports on the motherboard free, and some PCI slots free so that others things can be added later, such as a card to convert SATA ports to eSATA ports so that eSATA drives could be added externally if needed at some time.

SAS-SATA cable: Here I was flying on my own since the only mention of SAS type cables involve the Norco 4220 which contains both SAS-SAS cables and SATA-SAS cables. I need to go from SAS to SATA. My question: Is this the proper cable for the job?

Thanks again to all who have contributed to making this thread such a great source of info.

renethx

01-04-10, 08:41 PM

I read your guild to building a HD HTPC. My solution I don't have an HDTV yet, I won't be getting an HDTV till this spring or summer. I have a regular tube television. I wrote a thread already: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1212458. To summarize
I want to build an HTPC using using Windows 7 Home Premium and the upcoming Ceton CableCard tuner. The purpose of the HTPC to use it as a DVR using Media Center, and maybe to rip standard DVD's. I have revised my specs, I'm new to building htpc. I looking to build something that is mid-range and is upgradable for future use, i.e. a regular tube TV -> HDTV(display). I digital cable(broadcast station: fox, NBC, ABC, etc and encrypted channels: FX, TNT, Disney channel, ect) but no premium channels like HBO.

revised spec:

MB:Intel BOXDP43TF LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard

CPU's:

Intel Pentium E5200 2.5GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Or
Intel Pentium E5300 Wolfdale 2.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor

VideoCards:

EVGA 512-P3-1220-LR GeForce GT 220 512MB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card, Or
EVGA 01G-P3-1225-LR GeForce GT 220 1GB 128-bit DDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card, Or
Galaxy 96GGF6HMFEXX GeForce 9600 GT 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card(all in one, HDMI, DVI, and S-video)

You have to buy a graphics card with a 7-pin mini-DIN connector to use for S-video (or composite or component video). Among the card you listed, only Galaxy supports it.

The processor and the mb you chose are pretty standard (I mean good).

renethx

01-04-10, 09:00 PM

lunar

01-04-10, 09:15 PM

You have to buy a graphics card with a 7-pin mini-DIN connector to use for S-video (or composite or component video). Among the card you listed, only Galaxy supports it.

The processor and the mb you chose are pretty standard (I mean good).

Is the Galaxy GPU good, or should I look for another graphic card? Also to connect my pc the tv I would need a cable like this:
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/videoware_2088_633730

renethx

01-04-10, 09:33 PM

Is the Galaxy GPU good, or should I look for another graphic card? Also to connect my pc the tv I would need a cable like this:
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/videoware_2088_633730
As for video quality, GeForce 9500 GT or higher, or Radeon HD 4670 or higher is good. Fan noise could be an issue, however.

- EVGA GeForce 9500 GT 01G-P3-N959-TR or 512-P3-N954-TR

is known to be quiet.

The cable you cited perhaps works. Others are here (http://www.google.com/products?q=composite+7-pin+cable).

KalicoKid

01-04-10, 09:49 PM

Try using MPC HC instead of VLC

That almost did it. MPC-HC gets through the Planet Earth bird scene except for one little blip on playback of the .mkv file. Any last tips to help it get that extra little bit all the way through? Is there anything I can tweak in MPC-HC?

Thanks again.

hwilker

01-04-10, 10:05 PM

@hwilker

First note that AOC-SASLP-MV8 selects OS. Windows is good, but unRAID is no good.

SFF-8087 to Serial ATA breakout cable, "forward", should work. ("Reverse is used to connect, for example, AOC-SAT2-MV8 to Norco RPC-4220.)

Thanks for the confirmation on the SAS-SATA cable.

As to the selection of the AOC-SASLP-MV8 card, I saw the info, I forget where on this thread, that this card was incompatible with unRAID. I did give a lot of consideration to using unRAID, having no great love for Windows (I find it almost always bloated, over-designed and intrusive in operation) but having never used any form of Linux, I decided to go with WHS instead in the interest of using an OS with which I was at least somewhat familiar.

rolls375

01-04-10, 11:25 PM

First of all, thanks to all the contributors and especially to renethx for the incredible amount of time and dedication you have given to this thread. I have been following the thread for over a year and I am finally ready to build my first htpc. My current setup includes a NEC PX-50XR6A 50" 720p and a Yamaha RX-V2300. Future uprades include a new 1080p display and an Onkyo TX-SR607 or TX-NR807.

The htpc will mainly be used for ripping and watching blurays (iso). No gaming. I currently have 5TB of storage, expandable to 8TB. I will be using Windows7 Ultimate (haven't decided between 32 or 64), AnyDVDHD, TMT3, MyMovies, and WMC.

I am leaning toward the mATX mid-range AMD-AMD build with a few changes (in bold):

CPU: Athlon II X4 630 ADX630WFGIBOX 2.8GHz AM3
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master 風神鍛 (Geminii S) RR-CCH-PBU1-GP
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H AM3 AMD 785G chipset
Memory: G.SKILL F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1333 2 x 2GB Kit
The A-DATA HY63I1B16K is getting hard to find
Graphics Card (ATI): HIS H575Q1GD IceQ+ Radeon HD 5750 GDDR5 1GB
or HIS H575FN1GD iCooler IV Radeon HD 5750 GDDR5 1GB
I can't find the dimensions for these cards, but the H575Q1GD looks like it may take up 2 slots. Any thoughts?
HDD: already have
PSU: Corsair VX450W CMPSU-450VX 450W
Case: Antec Fusion Remote Black microATX, with LCD/IR receiver/remote
BD-ROM: LG CH08LS10 Super Multi Blue BD-ROM/DVD Rewriter

Should I consider a bigger PSU? Any other thoughts, considerations, objections?

Thanks.

lunar

01-04-10, 11:25 PM

As for video quality, GeForce 9500 GT or higher, or Radeon HD 4670 is good. Fan noise could be an issue, however.

- EVGA GeForce 9500 GT 01G-P3-N959-TR or 512-P3-N954-TR

is known to be quiet.

The cable you cited perhaps works. Others are here (http://www.google.com/products?q=composite+7-pin+cable).

I thinking of getting the EVGA GeForce 9500 GT(EVGA 01G-P3-N958-LR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB) but, if I wanted to use the card for future use i.e. HDTV. Would the card be able to support it(dvi to hdmi). Also online people have reported that it would work an others say it doesn't.

renethx

01-05-10, 12:04 AM

@rolls375

Or F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ (only +$3). (This will be used in place of HY63I1B16K in the January edition.)

HIS card occupies two slots. BTW TMT is not supporting HD audio bitstreaming from this card right now.

450W PSU is plenty enough.

StardogChampion

01-05-10, 12:05 AM

renethx

01-05-10, 12:15 AM

I thinking of getting the EVGA GeForce 9500 GT(EVGA 01G-P3-N958-LR GeForce 9500 GT 1GB) but, if I wanted to use the card for future use i.e. HDTV. Would the card be able to support it(dvi to hdmi). Also online people have reported that it would work an others say it doesn't.
A DVI-HDMI adapter works just fine. (DVI and HDMI are basically identical, with 1-1 pin correspondence.)

renethx

01-05-10, 01:10 AM

On 12/31 I ordered a bunch of stuff for a new HTPC build: 785G mobo, Phenom 705E processor, etc. etc. Then, what happens today? All this stuff about Clarkdale i5-661. I feel like everytime I put something together, the next day the best stuff gets released!

http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3704

etc...
What's wrong with Phenom II X3 705e + 785G? :) Core i5 661 is very expensive ($196) and slower than even a much cheaper Athlon II X4 620 ($99) in x264 video encoding (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3704&p=11) (one of the major CPU intensive tasks in HTPC). (705e is slower than 661, of course, because it's only three cores and clock is slower.) Even the conclusion of Anand's article says:

The other issue is that its pricing at the high end just doesn't make any sense. There isn't a single Core i5 I'd recommend

Perhaps you need to make it clear:

- What do you want to do with your machine?
- What's your budget?
- Audio requirement? HD audio bitstreaming? etc.

For pure video playback, Athlon II X2 240 ($60) + 780G/785G + upcoming HD 5570 ($50-$60) is a cheap, but excellent solution. How about Core i3 530 ($123)? Well, the processor part of Core i3 is much better, but HD 5570 will surpass Intel HD Graphics in every respect (if it works as expected).

CynicalCS84

01-05-10, 03:26 AM

Hello renethx. My thanks to you and everyone who's contributed to this thread. I'll be building an HTPC from scratch within the next couple weeks. Not my first build but certainly different from any desktop I've ever built, so it'll be a bit of a learning experience. Main question at this point is whether the recommended build from November is still your pick, or (being Q1 now) would you suggest to wait on the i3 / new hd 54xx / 56xx or any other up and coming hardware. I would love to be able to keep this build under $500ish excluding operating system and other software. This will only be used for playing dvd and blu-ray rips, streaming netflix, hulu, etc, and as a tuner (comcast) and maybe some oldschool emulators, no serious gaming or encoding going on here. For now audio will be going right into the tv (lg 47lh50 via hdmi) since I need to upgrade my surround sound anyway, but I'd like to be able to make that as painless as possible when the time comes. Gonna put together a quick build on newegg tomorrow (later today) but just wanted to get some input on the above. Donation will be sent too! This is such a great resource.

(Edit: reading the above post tells me that the i3 probably won't be the most cost effective option for my needs)

renethx

01-05-10, 05:09 AM

KLund1

01-05-10, 05:26 AM

Current build list, pls review & advise :)

EVGA 680i A1 motherboard*
E8500 CPU*
HIS H575FN1GD Radeon HD 5750 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
Kingston Hyperx 8500 Ram 4GB*
Antec Black Fusion Remote ATX case (this is a bit extreme, but is there a better value to performance case?)
XIGMATEK nepartak s983 92mm HYPRO Bearing CPU Cooler
LITE-ON Black 4X SATA Blu-ray Disc Reader Model iHOS104-08
Antec 550w True Power PSU*
Audio - on motherboard*
Vista Ultimate x64*
HITACHI Deskstar HD32000 IDK/7K 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s HD ( I have a lot of dvd's, may need another of these next year)

* - from an old build I'm upgrading.

Anyone see any problems with the case and cpu heatsink not fitting? maybe a little better audio card? Is BD drive fast for backing up dvd's? My current samsungs backup a dvd in about 6 minutes. Enough power? I do not see a need to OC this setup. Maybe a lesser wattage psu?

I welcome your input on this build!!! The more replies, the better.. Keep them coming to me. Tell me what you think and suggestions to make it better, but for the similar cost.
Much thanks in advance for you help!!!

oyvirei

01-05-10, 05:47 AM

renethx

01-05-10, 06:41 AM

renethx

01-05-10, 06:57 AM

Thanks for an excellent guide! I bought the best christmas present for myself with this build:
-Case: Chieftec hm-02b
-Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H
-CPU: AMD X2 240
-CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER GEMIN II
-Memory: Corsair 4GB DDR3
-PSU: Corsair 450VX
-HDD: Seagate 1.5TB

Everything is working perfect and I look forward to expand it later with TV tuner, Bluray, video card and SSD disk. The case looks excellent, and the iMon display also works perfectly. Together with my 46" Sony W4500 and a Sony RHT-G950 TV stand I'm now Full HD!

However I have two questions:
-The CPU Cooler did not have a fan in the package. Do you have any recommendations of what fan to use with it?
-The case has two 60mm fans at the back, but I can only find one connector on the motherboard. Are there any solutions for this?

Will be happy to donate if you could help me with this.

Thanks,
Oyvind
CPU cooler: Cooler Master Geminii (non-S)? You could try passive cooling. Gelid 120mm PWM fan (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426015) is not so expensive and quiet. You can use Gelid PWM Y-cable (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812718001) to connect two fans to one mb fan connector. This supports both voltage and PWM fan control: one for two CPU PWM fans, one for two 60mm case fans.

nalooti

01-05-10, 07:45 AM

Hi renethx, all

I finally built my backup station/HTPC in one chenbro box with Core 2 Duo E7500, 4G RAM Corsair, 2xHDD WD green 1TB.

I'm overall satisfied but I'd like to have more control in the Intel BIOS. The system does some small noise but from 1/2 meters I can't really hear it. However, seems like the fans are constantly running at the same speed and I'm unable even to find at how many rpm they're spinning.

1/ Do you know any soft able to show fan speeds in this motherboard ?
I already tried speedfan, HDmonitor. They just show the temperature, nothing on the fans!

2/ I set HDMI as the default playback device (with Intel IDT) but it switches too often back to the PC speakers and specially whenever I connect a USB key or each time I reboot!
Is it any way to set the default output sound to HDMI for ever without it getting back to PC speakers ? Is this a bug ?

3/ I have my C: system drive (Windows 7pro) which is on an Intel SSD connected via the eSATA port; all my 4 SATA ports are reserved for hard disks. (I know I should have put the C: on internal SATA port 0 but I'm too lazy to disconnect everything and do it now!).
Sometimes, the bios doesn't detect the SSD (on eSATA port) and I see this more often after I connect or boot from a USB key.
So, I turn off the PC, disconnect and reconnect the eSATA connector (while the PC is off!!!) and then I reboot; this time the BIOS recognizes the SSD.

I don't see it that often but anyway, this scare me. Any idea what happens ?
I just don't understand how disconnecting and reconnecting the eSATA cable while the PC is off can change anything!!!

many thanks in advance for your help
nalooti

p40whk

01-05-10, 08:09 AM

Any reason to go with the HIS Brand Radeon HD 5750 over say a Diamond, Sapphire or Visiontek brand?

I can get the HIS from Newegg but I have a credit from Tiger Direct and they don't carry it. Just wondering if there was much of a difference between the brands.

renethx

01-05-10, 08:18 AM

lunar

01-05-10, 09:51 AM

This is my final draft of what I wanted to include in my htpc system. I'm not such much watts the system should have. I would to use a Modular power supply if possible.

Motherboard--Intel BOXDP43TF LGA 775 Intel P43 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU:Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz 2MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
EVGA 512-P3-N954-TR GeForce 9500 GT 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Rosewill Black / Silver SECC Steel FE-H010 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
windows 7 Home Premium: either retail version or OEM
Hard Drive: WD 500 GB

oyvirei

01-05-10, 10:12 AM

CPU cooler: Cooler Master Geminii (non-S)? You could try passive cooling. Gelid 120mm PWM fan is not so expensive and quiet. You can use Gelid PWM Y-cableto connect two fans to one mb fan connector. This supports both voltage and PWM fan control: one for two CPU PWM fans, one for two 60mm case fans.

Thanks! It was the only version of Cooler Master Geminii I could find in Norway. It was pictures of fans on the web page, but when I got it there was no fans included. I think passive colling is enough for now, it doesn't produce a lot of heat. But with my future expansions, it might be necesary.

Donation on the way(when I can get this paypal thingy to work)!

hellerbrewing

01-05-10, 10:31 AM

renethx, (or anyone else) have you ever tried using the noisemagic NMT-3 (http://www.frozencpu.com/search.html?mv_profile=keyword_search&mv_session_id=JQUgWFHq&searchspec=Noisemagic+NMT-3&go.x=11&go.y=12) or something similar to conrol fan speeds in the case? I was thinking I'd replace the antec fans in my fusion remote with something better and I came across these little fan controllers. Thought they might be worth trying.

hagro

01-05-10, 11:11 AM

Hi all,

over the last several years I spent a lot of time to implement really silent HTPCs (MCE, Vista x86, now Win7 x64). I managed to get my system to an absolute minimum of noise in terms of fans and disks.

That said, so far I have not been able to find a Bluray drive (combo or writer) that deserves to be called "silent".
Currently I am using an LG GGC-H20L with 1.03 firmware. When playing BD the drive spins at 2x speed and in silent scenes is audible even in 4m distance. Unfortunately tools like AnyDVD HD speed management do not really seem to work with this drive.

Renethx, you are suggesting the newer LG drives, but are these really dead silent for BD and DVD replay?
Prior to BD Plextor used to have DVD Writers that had a Silent Mode feature (1x speed for replay, slow tray, ...) , but I have not been able to find something similar for recent BD drives.

If anyone could point me to a truly silent drive that is not louder than a standalone BD player, I would very much appreciate!

Thanks!

KLund1

01-05-10, 03:14 PM

NEPARTAK fits the Antec Fusion Remote Max fine.

What's your audio equipment? AV receiver+speakers (HDMI?), amplifier+speakers or powered speakers?

iHOS104: DVD read is 8x. Compare with your Samsung drive.

Max power consumption of your system is roughly 200W, typically 100W at video playback. So 550W is plenty enough.

Thanks for the reply. I have a 4yr old 50" DLP Samsung, with 1 HDMI input. Same age for my mid level 7.1 A/V Yamaha 100w Receiver (no HDMI), Klipsch heresy's (1979) mains, Advent powered 12" sub, Bose center, and surrounds.

For the dvd drive (iHOS104), DVD back up will take a few minutes longer. I can deal with that, and also get BD.

Any see any aother thing I might want to look at, or adjust?

sspeace

01-05-10, 06:13 PM

With the I3 around the corner. What micro-ATX Motherboard would be recommended to pair with it. Really want to utilize just the motherboard/CPU, don't want a graphics card... Going to use a small case this time.

On the case, I like the Moneual LAB MonCaso 312B - but don't like the orange power light. Got something else here very similar?

Marc_G

01-05-10, 06:22 PM

That almost did it. MPC-HC gets through the Planet Earth bird scene except for one little blip on playback of the .mkv file. Any last tips to help it get that extra little bit all the way through? Is there anything I can tweak in MPC-HC?

Thanks again.

@KalicoKid

Which bird scene? Could you be more specific? I'd be interested to try this out on my system once I get home from a trip.

Marc

aromato

01-05-10, 06:27 PM

Help!?

My HTPC (less than a month old) is unresponsive right now and I just wanted to talk to you guys before I started pulling it apart or digging deeper. I was using it and everything seemed relatively fine. I used my Harmony remote to switch to my Verizon STB, which seemed to put the HTPC to sleep - the LCD backlight turned off, but the blue power light stayed on. No matter what I do though, I can't get my desktop back. I switched back to my HTPC input but the screen is black. I tried a hard reboot, but the screen stays black. If it matters, the HD light doesn't appear to come on - but I'm hesitant to label this a HD issue since I never get a POST/BIOS screen of any kind. The power lights up and I can open/close the DVD drive, but that seems to be about it.

I can go dig up a "normal" monitor to hook up, but that will mean yanking the entertainment center out and mucking around, so I wanted to get any ideas from you guys before I resorted to that.

I really hope that my motherboard hasn't died after 20 days. The computer still seems to turn on when using the Harmony remote, so that gives me some small hope.

Specs:

Antec Fusion Remote Black Case
Antec Earthwatts 430 PSU
ASUS P5N7A-VM
Intel E8400
LG BluRay/DVD Drive
OCZ Vertex 30GB SSD (OS Drive)
WD 2TB HDD (Storage)
4GB Crucial DDR2

Help!

EDIT: OK, I pulled it out and took the top off the case, letting it sit powered down for awhile. It seems to be running OK now. I am using a Scythe Ninja Mini cooler, could my CPU have overheated? Are there any utilities built-in to Win7 to check on temps or alert you of something bad happening?

dougnliz

01-05-10, 08:30 PM

Hi Renethx,

I'm building a new HTPC using your recommended Midrange ATX AMD-AMD components. Thanks by the way for the work you do here, it saves a ton of time researching all the components.

I ordered the Sapphire 4670 you recommended after checking the ATI website and seeing that the chipset still supports component output. (I'm still using a Rear Projection TV that only has Component in.) But when I got the card I see that it does NOT come with that connection. As a matter of fact even though ATI says they support it I can't find any 4670 and up cards that have the connector. So I'll have to return it. Any suggestions for a card that still supports this ancient technology. ;)

I've found a couple of GTS 250's that have the adapter, but I wanted to see if you have any other recommendations.

Thanks again,

Doug

Iteki

01-05-10, 08:45 PM

renethx

01-05-10, 09:19 PM

dougnliz

01-05-10, 09:26 PM

prettty sure you can get that dongle adapter cheap on the web. search this forum for 4670 component adapter and it should steer you the right way.

LOL I should have thought of that. Thanks for the tip. After doing the search I just remembered that I still have the DVI -> Component adapter that came with my Radeon 9800 that was in my old HTPC. That would be awesome if it will work with this card. That way I'll still have the HDMI port if I upgrade my TV in the future.

I'll let you guys know if it works. Unfortunately my power supply doesn't get here until Thursday... :(

Thanks again!

Doug

jim tressler

01-05-10, 10:28 PM

try

http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

for monitoring temps

Help!?

My HTPC (less than a month old) is unresponsive right now and I just wanted to talk to you guys before I started pulling it apart or digging deeper. I was using it and everything seemed relatively fine. I used my Harmony remote to switch to my Verizon STB, which seemed to put the HTPC to sleep - the LCD backlight turned off, but the blue power light stayed on. No matter what I do though, I can't get my desktop back. I switched back to my HTPC input but the screen is black. I tried a hard reboot, but the screen stays black. If it matters, the HD light doesn't appear to come on - but I'm hesitant to label this a HD issue since I never get a POST/BIOS screen of any kind. The power lights up and I can open/close the DVD drive, but that seems to be about it.

I can go dig up a "normal" monitor to hook up, but that will mean yanking the entertainment center out and mucking around, so I wanted to get any ideas from you guys before I resorted to that.

I really hope that my motherboard hasn't died after 20 days. The computer still seems to turn on when using the Harmony remote, so that gives me some small hope.

Specs:

Antec Fusion Remote Black Case
Antec Earthwatts 430 PSU
ASUS P5N7A-VM
Intel E8400
LG BluRay/DVD Drive
OCZ Vertex 30GB SSD (OS Drive)
WD 2TB HDD (Storage)
4GB Crucial DDR2

Help!

EDIT: OK, I pulled it out and took the top off the case, letting it sit powered down for awhile. It seems to be running OK now. I am using a Scythe Ninja Mini cooler, could my CPU have overheated? Are there any utilities built-in to Win7 to check on temps or alert you of something bad happening?

gsr

01-05-10, 10:39 PM

Probably a bit off topic, but does anyone have a recommendation for a cooling fan that will mount in the space of 2 5.25" drive bays? I'm considering getting a rack mount case to relocate my HTPC system into. One of the cases I'm considering (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811165065) has 6 5.25" bays - 3 on each side of center. The right bays will get a SATA hot swap backplane cage. The top left bay will get the Bluray drive and I'd like to use the bottom 2 bays to install an intake fan to blow cool air on the motherboard, but I can't find anything that uses a decent size fan (I'd rather use 1 reasonably large fan than 2 small fans to keep noise down).

renethx

01-05-10, 10:58 PM

With the I3 around the corner. What micro-ATX Motherboard would be recommended to pair with it.
Perhaps I will choose one (or two) from:

- ASUS P7H55-M PRO, ~$140
- ASRock H55M Pro, ~$110
- GIGABYTE GA-H55M-S2H
- GIGABYTE GA-H55M-UD2H

ASRock H55M Pro may be the best choice not only for a general-purpose PC but HTPC in terms of features/performance/price.

KalicoKid

01-05-10, 11:15 PM

@KalicoKid

Which bird scene? Could you be more specific? I'd be interested to try this out on my system once I get home from a trip.

Marc

The bird scene is near the beginning of the first episode (Pole to Pole) of Planet Earth at time 1:33.

My CPU usage while playing the .mkv file typically ranges from 50% to 70%, but at the bird scene it spikes as high as 90%. Perhaps the Athlon II X2 240 isn't up to playing this demanding scene. It almost makes it through on MPC-HC except for one brief blip.

CynicalCS84

01-06-10, 12:43 AM

The motherboards you suggest are discontinued on newegg. Which would you suggest between these 3?

ASUS P5KPL-CM LGA 775 Intel G31 $68 shipped (free shipping)

GIGABYTE GA-G31M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G31 $58 shipped

GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2L LGA 775 Intel G41 $60 shipped

CynicalCS84

01-06-10, 12:44 AM

Won't let me post links until I have 3 posts :P
these three (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&CompareItemList=N82E16813128357%2CN82E16813131288%2CN82E1681 3128388)?

renethx

01-06-10, 01:02 AM

GA-G31M-ES2L, supporting these CPUs (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/CPUSupport_Model.aspx?ProductID=3134#anchor_os).

CynicalCS84

01-06-10, 01:08 AM

GA-G31M-ES2L, supporting these CPUs (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/CPUSupport_Model.aspx?ProductID=3134#anchor_os).

Not worth having the g41 for another $2? (corrected the price in my earlier post, sorry)

renethx

01-06-10, 01:15 AM

Not worth having the g41 for another $2? (corrected the price in my earlier post, sorry)
Either one is good. G41 is the current replacement of G31. There won't be much difference in performance.

kevinqian

01-06-10, 02:58 AM

What type of gpu are you using? From what I know, no ATI gpu's will play that file because it's encoded in H.264 L5.1 profile. Unless you are playing it direct from BD disc.

hagro

01-06-10, 03:50 AM

Since nobody seem to have noticed my post, trying again: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17853319#post17853319

Really desperately looking for some input.

Thanks!

Duszolap

01-06-10, 04:37 AM

renethx

01-06-10, 04:47 AM

I really hope that some of you will be able to help me. I'd like to buy Zalman HD503 for my HTPC and my priority is performance for games.

Because unfortunately I have no possibility to check this case myself I am afraid of few possible issues:

- will modern GPU's like ATI's 5870 or Geforce GTX 295 fit in this case?
- is it possible to effectively dispose of heat problems considering use of above GPU's?

If anwser on above is NO please reccomend me some other HTPC case I could use for gaming purposes.
Yes, if the PCI Express x16 slot is placed in the first position (the source of the picture (http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&u=http://www.kbench.com/hardware/%3Fno%3D76303%26pg%3D1&ei=E_EIS8O0A8-HkAXCrtjCCQ&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBkQ7gEwAzgK&prev=/search%3Fq%3DZalman%2BHD503%2B%2522HD%2B5870%2522%26hl%3Den% 26sa%3DN%26start%3D10)).

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=162810&stc=1&d=1262771306.

Compare with this picture (http://shopping.naver.com/detail/detail.nhn?cat_id=01021210&nv_mid=5475577483&ani=0&tc=3) (near bottom of the page). Another good case is Antec Fusion Remote MAX.

Choose a graphics card with a cooler that exhausts hot air outside the expansion slots.

Duszolap

01-06-10, 05:01 AM

Thank you, renethx!

Yes, if the PCI Express x16 slot is placed in the first position

In my old rig I have gigabyte P35-DS3R - unfortunately x16 is NOT in the first position - well maybe time for mobo change then....
It's really important tip with this x16 placement - thanks again.

Joseph Tura

01-06-10, 05:52 AM

Hi,

I have largely followed the advice on a mid-range micro-ATX, but made some minor modifications.

Maybe one of you can advise me on whether

a) it is still a good setup

b) it will be fairly silent (I don't want another noisy thing in my living room)

Here goes:

Mainboard|GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H 785G AM3 mATX
MB Cooler|NEXUS XIR-3500 S775, 1366, AM2, AM3
CPU|AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.80GHz AM3 2MB 95W BOX
RAM|2x2048MB Kit G.Skill Ripjaws PC3-10666 1333MHz CL8
GPU|1024MB Powercolor Radeon HD5750 SCS Passiv PCIe
Case|µATX Media Antec Fusion Remote Black Media Center
HD|32GB SSD Transcend IDE 2, 5" Transcend MLC (don't need a large disk, have a NAS)
PSU|don't know, something very quiet
WLAN|D-Link DWA-556 WirelessN PCIe Desktop

Any help is greatly appreciated.
jt

hagro

01-06-10, 09:31 AM

KalicoKid

01-06-10, 09:39 AM

What type of gpu are you using? From what I know, no ATI gpu's will play that file because it's encoded in H.264 L5.1 profile. Unless you are playing it direct from BD disc.

I am using the onboard GPU (Radeon HD 4200), which is integrated into the motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H). I am not sure how much work the GPU is actually doing during the Planet Earth bird scene, but the CPU usage gets up to 90% during it.

My system is the MicroATX Low-End AMD-AMD (iGPU) one and almost makes it through this crazy bird scene except for a brief, 1 second hiccup. FYI - the .mkv file is being played off of an internal hard drive in MPC-HC.

Maybe a system with the Athlon II X2 240 slightly overclocked or one using a CPU that is the next step up in CPU power would manage the bird scene in MPC-HC.

renethx

01-06-10, 09:40 AM

@Joseph Tura

PowerColor does not fit the Antec Fusion mATX case (too tall). I recommend the HIS card as in my list (close to silent).

Enermax MODU82+/PRO82+/ECO80+, Nexus Value 430 are quiet PSU.

PandreoL

01-06-10, 09:45 AM

Hi there,

i am going to replace my old HTPC with a new HD HTPC.

I thought about this kind of configuration:

Case: Chenbro ES34069
Mobo: ZOTAC GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi - Socket 775 - (GF9300-G-E)
CPU: Intel - CORE 2 QUAD Q9550
RAM: Kingston 4GB 800MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL6 DIMM KVR800D2N6
HDD: HD SEAGATE BAR. 2 TB 32MB SATA II
DVD: LG - GT20N DVDLGGST20N

Whad do you think? I would really appreciate your feedbacks on the matter because i am new on this.

Do you guys think they will all fit togher?

The Chenbro case comes with 4 3.5 HDD Slots and 1 2.5 HDD Slot but the Mobo has only 3 SATA II connectors but it has a PCI Express slot available, therefore i was thinkng to put a BELKIN SATA II RAID 2-Port PCI Express Card F5U251 in order to have those extra sata connection i would need.

Do you think it will work?

Thank You, PandreoL

hellerbrewing

01-06-10, 10:06 AM

Since nobody seem to have noticed my post, trying again: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=17853319#post17853319

Really desperately looking for some input.

Thanks!

I wasn't going to say anything because I really don't know that much but maybe something is better than nothing! Most of my experience has been with DVD burners in my main rigs. I have had experience with Sony, LG and plextor drives. The plextor I had sounded like an airplane taking off. I have never noticed any noise whatsoever from the LG drives I have had. I currently have both the GGC-H20L and the GGW-H20L. Have not gotten a ton of use out of them but they seem to be pretty quiet. The sony I have at work is very quiet as well. If noise is that much of a problem, maybe you should consider ripping your movies to a hard drive and playing with something like mymovies (http://www.mymovies.dk). Mymovies has it set up, at least with the server version, where you can just pop the disk in a drive and it pops it out when it is ripped and added to you collection.

renethx

01-06-10, 10:08 AM

@PandreoL

Some components are overkill/overpriced (otherwise good).

- Q9550: If you do lots of video encoding, this is good. Otherwise dual-core is enough (e.g. Pentium E5300, Core 2 Duo E7500).
- Kingston RAM: Check A-DATA ADQVE1B16K, $86.
- F5U251: MonoPrice 2530 2-port SATA RAID Controller PCI Express x1 Card, $14, is enough.

Or go for the upcoming Core i3 530 + Intel DH57JG (supporting HD audio bitstreaming).

dbone1026

01-06-10, 10:11 AM

@ Renethx,

Have you got your hands on any i3/i5 systems to test out? This is probably on my list to build a mini-itx i3 system in the near future.

PandreoL

01-06-10, 10:32 AM

@ Renethx,

thanks mate, so do you think that a SATA RAID Controller PCI Express will do the trick?
And in your opinion will it fit into the case i chose?

Thanks again, Pier Paolo.

kevinqian

01-06-10, 10:47 AM

I am using the onboard GPU (Radeon HD 4200), which is integrated into the motherboard (GIGABYTE GA-MA785GMT-UD2H). I am not sure how much work the GPU is actually doing during the Planet Earth bird scene, but the CPU usage gets up to 90% during it.

My system is the MicroATX Low-End AMD-AMD (iGPU) one and almost makes it through this crazy bird scene except for a brief, 1 second hiccup. FYI - the .mkv file is being played off of an internal hard drive in MPC-HC.

Maybe a system with the Athlon II X2 240 slightly overclocked or one using a CPU that is the next step up in CPU power would manage the bird scene in MPC-HC.
Seems like the cpu is doing all the work, so i suspect the gpu isn't accelerating at all. If DXVA is enabled, you should only see around 10-20% cpu usage.

Get this official tool from AMD to see UVD status during playback. (Link (http://downloads.guru3d.com/AMD-GPU-Clock-Tool-v0.9.26.0-For-HD-5870-download-2383.html))

Also download DXVA Checker and post a screenshot of the first page.

renethx

01-06-10, 11:07 AM

@ Renethx,

thanks mate, so do you think that a SATA RAID Controller PCI Express will do the trick?
And in your opinion will it fit into the case i chose?

Thanks again, Pier Paolo.
OK, here is a potential issue. ES34069 supports one low-profile expansion card. But you have to buy a rise card separately. The manual mentions only "PCI" 32-bit riser card. Maybe this PCI Express x16 riser card (http://usa.chenbro.com/corporatesite/products_accessory_detail.php?serno=59) works. You have to contact Chenbro about this point. If you can use this riser card, you are done.

BTW (assuming the PCI Express riser card works) you can use all six SATA devices (four 3.5" HDD, one 2.5" SSD/HDD, one slim ODD) if you choose a mb with four SATA ports (the Core i3 system I mentioned above or the AMD-AMD system in my list).

wingzz

01-06-10, 11:15 AM

I wasn't going to say anything because I really don't know that much but maybe something is better than nothing! Most of my experience has been with DVD burners in my main rigs. I have had experience with Sony, LG and plextor drives. The plextor I had sounded like an airplane taking off. I have never noticed any noise whatsoever from the LG drives I have had. I currently have both the GGC-H20L and the GGW-H20L. Have not gotten a ton of use out of them but they seem to be pretty quiet. The sony I have at work is very quiet as well. If noise is that much of a problem, maybe you should consider ripping your movies to a hard drive and playing with something like mymovies (http://www.mymovies.dk). Mymovies has it set up, at least with the server version, where you can just pop the disk in a drive and it pops it out when it is ripped and added to you collection.

Does this work with BR disks or just DVD's

hellerbrewing

01-06-10, 11:25 AM

Works with both, you need to purchase AnyDVD HD and of course have a BR drive.

Joseph Tura

01-06-10, 11:25 AM

@Joseph Tura

PowerColor does not fit the Antec Fusion mATX case (too tall). I recommend the HIS card as in my list (close to silent).

Enermax MODU82+/PRO82+/ECO80+, Nexus Value 430 are quiet PSU.

Great, thanks for that. I was afraid the PowerColor might too high for the case. Now i know :)

wingzz

01-06-10, 11:28 AM

Works with both, you need to purchase AnyDVD HD and of course have a BR drive.

I already own MyMovies so would I just have to reinstall using the server option??
This is nice because it will add the movie to MyMovies when it rips them, no need to manually add them

Thanks forthe tip

hellerbrewing

01-06-10, 11:41 AM

Yeah, you need to be running windows home server. You install it as an add-in on the WHS machine. You then reinstall the appropriate version on your HTPC and specify it as a client only. Make sure you back up your current collection database first though.

Edit: I am pretty sure the HTPC version will rip both as well. I have no experience with that yet. The upside to the server version is that you can have up to 5 drives connected to the server all ripping at once.

StupidHead

01-06-10, 04:47 PM

Any experience with the ASUS EAH4350 SILENT/DI/512MD2(LP) Radeon HD (http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121310&cm_re=silent-_-14-121-310-_-Product) 4350, or another recommendation? I'm looking for:

- passively cooled (or very very quiet)
- NO gaming at all (Windows Media Center only)
- easy on the power consumption
- paired with an AMD 3800+ CPU
- must support audio over HDMI (straight to the TV, no receiver in between)
- 720p/1080p MKV movies/TV, 1080i OTA HDTV (Hauppage 150MCE)

kevinqian

01-06-10, 05:20 PM

renethx

01-06-10, 08:46 PM

renethx

01-06-10, 08:49 PM

I am building my 1st htpc and have a question. I want to use the gigabye ga-31m-ES2L motherboard with the msiN95GT geforce 9400 gt graphics card. it says the graphics card supports audio through its hdmi port but are there the correct headers on my motherboard to connect to my card to get audio through hdmi? thanks
Yes, it's "SPDIF_O".

Makaveli6103

01-06-10, 09:20 PM

I am waiting for the ATI HD 5500/5600 serious to come out before I buy a video card for my first htpc. Until then will ASUS P5QPL-VM EPU LGA 775 Intel G41 HDMI suffice for watching Hulu, mkv and OTA recorded HD channels?

renethx

01-06-10, 09:43 PM

Kind of...

Makaveli6103

01-06-10, 09:47 PM

Kind of...

im guessing the MKV movies will have the worst quality? if so i can use my macbook pro for the time being. I guess im more concerned with hulu and ota hd recordings.

renethx

01-06-10, 09:57 PM

im guessing the MKV movies will have the worst quality? if so i can use my macbook pro for the time being. I guess im more concerned with hulu and ota hd recordings.
G41 just lacks necessary hardware for HD contents, progressive or interlaced. Progressive contents (most MKV files) are good if you choose a software playback solution (e.g. ffdshow Video Decoder; you may want to use Overlay Mixer video renderer). Hulu HD requires hardware acceleration for smooth playback. OTA 1080i may be the worst.

Makaveli6103

01-06-10, 10:05 PM

G41 just lacks necessary hardware for HD contents, progressive or interlaced. Progressive contents (most MKV files) are good if you choose a software playback solution (e.g. ffdshow Video Decoder; you may want to use Overlay Mixer video renderer). Hulu HD requires hardware acceleration for smooth playback. OTA 1080i may be the worst.

OH alright thanks. I am going to wait until the hd 55** series comes out then. Hopefully it is sometime this month.

StupidHead

01-06-10, 10:14 PM

That card is barely better than integrated graphics. What chipset do you have now? If you have the 780G with HD 3200, then getting this thing would be essentially useless. If you watch a lot of 1080i TV, get a card with proper VA deinterlacing like the 4670. If you can live with MA deinterlacing, then the integrated HD 3200 should be sufficient. This card acutally has worse deinterlacing performance than the HD 3200, believe it or not. Everything else is feature parity.
I have an ASUS M2N-E mobo. No integrated graphcs. I've currently got a 7300GT that chugs with 1080p anything. The CPU is only a 3800+ (single core), but I don't think it's the limiting factor at this point.

This MA vs VA thing, it's time to do a little research - but I assume from your post that VA is better. I'll look around for a passively cooled 4670.

StupidHead

01-06-10, 10:32 PM

OK, what about a HIS H467PS1GH Radeon HD 4670 iSilence4 1GB instead?

I assume it's the chipset that determines the VA/MA thing? So I guess this has VA, passive, 1080i OTA, 720p/1080p H264 MKV's, audio over HDMI. Looks like a winner for my HTPC MCE application.

Any idea on the power draw, or power issues with this card?

kevinqian

01-06-10, 10:37 PM

yeah that card will do just fine for ya. Power draw will obviously be higher than 4350 but still good. VA is a combo of gpu and memory speed.

Makaveli6103

01-06-10, 10:44 PM

sillywilly

01-07-10, 01:08 AM

PandreoL

01-07-10, 02:29 AM

OK, here is a potential issue. ES34069 supports one low-profile expansion card. But you have to buy a rise card separately. The manual mentions only "PCI" 32-bit riser card. Maybe this PCI Express x16 riser card (http://usa.chenbro.com/corporatesite/products_accessory_detail.php?serno=59) works. You have to contact Chenbro about this point. If you can use this riser card, you are done.

BTW (assuming the PCI Express riser card works) you can use all six SATA devices (four 3.5" HDD, one 2.5" SSD/HDD, one slim ODD) if you choose a mb with four SATA ports (the Core i3 system I mentioned above or the AMD-AMD system in my list).

Thanks again man, i ll contact the Chenbro to confirm the Card Riser solution, but in the meantime you really made interested in different solution (first reason why i posted here ehehe).

The Mobo you where suggesting is a Mirco-Atx and looking on you comments and some reviews online it looks like to be a Top Notch Mobo...my question is (now) what kind of Case can i get (that has the same 4 3.5 slots + 1 DVD)? because as far as i understood the Chenbro is mini-atx.

Is this correct?

Thanks again Mate.

renethx

01-07-10, 02:51 AM

Thanks again man, i ll contact the Chenbro to confirm the Card Riser solution, but in the meantime you really made interested in different solution (first reason why i posted here ehehe).

The Mobo you where suggesting is a Mirco-Atx and looking on you comments and some reviews online it looks like to be a Top Notch Mobo...my question is (now) what kind of Case can i get (that has the same 4 3.5 slots + 1 DVD)? because as far as i understood the Chenbro is mini-atx.

Is this correct?

Thanks again Mate.
The Chenbro case supports Mini-ITX and Mini-DTX (slightly larger than Mini-ITX) and I have been talking about Mini-ITX.

- Intel DH57JG (Jet Geyser) Intel H57 chipset Mini-ITX motherboard (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1172451#H55/H57%20Chipset%20Motherboards)
- J&W MINIX 780G-SP128MB AM2+ AMD 780G chipset Mini-ITX motherboard (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=370#Mini-ITX%20System:%20Standard%20System:%20AMD-AMD%20%28iGPU%29) or its successor J&W MINIX 785G-SP128MB (http://www.jwele.com/motherboard_detail.php?792) (if you can find it).

The first one should be available soon along with Core i3 530 (supporting HD audio bitstreaming). These mbs support four SATA ports.

PandreoL

01-07-10, 03:46 AM

The Chenbro case supports Mini-ITX and Mini-DTX (slightly larger than Mini-ITX) and I have been talking about Mini-ITX.

- Intel DH57JG (Jet Geyser) Intel H57 chipset Mini-ITX motherboard (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1172451#H55/H57%20Chipset%20Motherboards)
- J&W MINIX 780G-SP128MB AM2+ AMD 780G chipset Mini-ITX motherboard (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972&page=370#Mini-ITX%20System:%20Standard%20System:%20AMD-AMD%20%28iGPU%29) or its successor J&W MINIX 785G-SP128MB (http://www.jwele.com/motherboard_detail.php?792) (if you can find it).

The first one should be available soon along with Core i3 530 (supporting HD audio bitstreaming). These mbs support four SATA ports.

Sorry mate my bad i though you were directing me to the Asus Card (posts above mine).

First of all Thanks For you Help you do are the Man here! :_)

the first mobe you linked (the Intel One) is it out? cause i cannot find it anywhere :_(

I ll look on the AMD-AMD Solution now...may i ask your preference (AMD or Intel)?

Edit: I also had an Intel Configuration in mind using the mobo Intel® Desktop Board DG45FC it has 5 Sata II Connectors (1 external tHough), but this kind of mobo supports only 65W CPU and they are indeed much more expensive. In your Opinion which Mobo is best between the 2 (Zotac and Intel)? I might spend some extra bucks and go for the Intel so i wont have to worry about this Card Riser-PCI Express Issue.

Thanks Again.

CynicalCS84

01-07-10, 04:21 AM

Any definitive info on what the quietest hard drives are for htpcs? Are the 640s quieter than the 1tbs? greens or blacks or blues - is one better than the other? Excluding ssd.

nalooti

01-07-10, 06:25 AM

In case someone has an answer but missed my post: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=17852154&postcount=11686

I'm looking for a soft to monitor the fans of my motherboard DG45FC (so far I've tested speedfan or HWmonitor but they don't work).

Also is it a way in this MB to set default output for audio to HDMI so that it doesn't switch back to the PC speakers each time I boot or I connect a USB key ?

thanks a lot
nalooti

kevinqian

01-07-10, 07:48 AM

Renethx, is high quality deinterlacing an exclusive domain of gpu power? Is there any software algorithms out there able to utilize the CPU for 1080i deinterlacing?

StupidHead

01-07-10, 07:49 AM

what motherboard are you using and processor with this card?
Hey Makaveli, I've got an Asus M2N-E with an AMD 3800+. Will that change things?

renethx

01-07-10, 08:10 AM

Renethx, is high quality deinterlacing an exclusive domain of gpu power? Is there any software algorithms out there able to utilize the CPU for 1080i deinterlacing?
There is no satisfactory software solution. yadif (included in ffdshow) is modestly good for 480i.

gsr

01-07-10, 09:39 AM

I'm finishing my basement and am making a dedicated theater room with a HTPC.

I would prefer to have all my components and the HTPC located in the mechanical room across the hall (furthest distance would be 50 feet maximum by measured cable run) and be able to access them remotely so the theater room has a "clean" look to it. I would also like to run something like XBMC remotely as my platform from the HTPC. I asked a neighbor who does CE / Home Theaters professionally about the possibility of doing this and he told me, "it is impossible". I think he is wrong about it being impossible to do (mostly because I don't think he liked the fact I was wanting to do this as a DIY project instead of hiring him at an outrageous cost).

Questions:
1. Can that be done? (I assume it would have to be through RF)

2. If so, what type of components/hardware, etc. would you recommend for the HTPC to have RF capabilities?

3. If it cannot be done or would be better placing all of the equipment in the theater room (which was my original plan and has room to do if needed), are there HTPC cases that are "silent"?
First off - this is mostly off topic for this thread, so it would be best to take much in the way of further discussion to a new thread in the appropriate forum, but...

You don't state any sort of a budget, but irregardless of that, the installer is full of it.

For remote control you can either use an RF remote that talks to a base station that sends out IR to the various components you're controlling or an IR repeater system (install an IR receiver in the room, run a wire to a repeater in the other room, run IR emitters from the repeater to the various devices).

RF will cost more but has the upside of not needing line of site. There is a potential downside in that you can have range / reception problems in some situations - not usually a problem but something you should be aware of (make sure anything you buy has a decent return policy just in case). Logitech Harmony, Philips Pronto, RTI, AMX, Crestron, etc. all have products that would accomplish what you need and are listed roughly in order of cost (AMX and Crestron are MUCH more expensive than the rest but can also do just about anything you can imagine). Figure a minimum cost of around $200 or so to get a programmable RF remote. On the high end, AMX / Crestron would start at around $3000 or so for the equipment and programming fees (generally speaking, you can't get access to the tools to program these yourself).

IR costs less, but requires line of site between the remote control and the IR receiver. Companies like Xantech and Niles make products that would work. With this option you could continue to use the original remotes for your equipment or switch to a universal remote (Logitech Harmony, Philips Pronto, etc.). Other than lower cost, the advantage over RF is that the wired connection doesn't have any issues with the signal not reaching the destination as long as you point your remote at the IR receiver you install in the media room. If you have no desire to replace your remote controls, you could get yourself a basic IR repeater setup for under $100 - something like Xantech IR repeater kit (http://www.smarthome.com/8165/Xantech-IR-Hidden-Link-Kit-291-KIT-RP/p.aspx) would do the job (exactly what you need depends on how many components you need to control).

For the PC, get yourself a wireless keyboard for the times when you just need a keyboard to accomplish what you want. If you're going with RF remote control for everything else, get a RF wireless keyboard (I've been very happy with my Interlink Electronics VersaPoint, but there are other options). If you're going with an IR repeater setup, you could use an IR keyboard or a RF keyboard.

Also for the PC a MCE remote and receiver will allow you to accomplish much of what you want with relatively minimal effort - just program the MCE remote codes into the remote control you end up using. If you want to get more complex, get an IRTrans and buy a copy of Girder and go to town - you'll have a lot of work to do but will have lots of control over the PC. If you want to get REALLY complex, get an AMX or Crestron system and integrate it with your PC over your home network in conjunction with Girder and a few other pieces of software as needed (just be prepared to open the wallet a lot wider...).

Some places to look for additional info include the AVS Remote Control Area forum (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=93) and Remote Central (http://www.remotecentral.com).

Hopefully this helps - and if you can come up with a way to show this info (minus this last comment :D) to your neighbor without being confrontational it might help him do his job better. IMO, there's not much worse than a "professional" who doesn't know what is possible (even if he doesn't actually know how to do it). Maybe just invite him over when you're done to show him how your system came out.

hellerbrewing

01-07-10, 10:41 AM

WOW, great post GSR. It has given me lots of ideas for future use. I am going to have to bookmark it. I just wanted to sillywilly that I am using a harmony 890 with the RF/IR repeater sitting on top of one of my surround speakers. It blasts my entire rack, makes my setup much easier to use since my rack is directly to the left of the seating position. I am sure putting the repeater in proximity of your HTPC would do the trick as long as you had an ir receiver of some type. I have seen the 890 refurbed on amazon for a little over 100. You just have to keep watching for it.

This brings to mind a question I have had for a while; Is there any way to hardwire a minipin IR jack into a HTPC, kind of like the ones on a receiver? I am guessing this would take some sort of programming/process to interpret the commands but I was just wondering if anyone knew of a product out there for this. It would allow you to not have to run an receiver/emitter setup.

StupidHead

01-07-10, 12:28 PM

darekd

01-07-10, 02:21 PM

I just built a new HTPC based on GA-MA785GM-UD2H and Athlon II X2 250 and I noticed that the picture quality is not as good as the one coming from Sagetv extender. The picture is slightly less detailed and blacks are not as good. This applies mostly to recorded shows (HDhomerun). I was wondering if putting like Nvidia GT220 card instead of using built in ATI 4200 would make any difference?

PC is connected to my tv using HDMI. I turned overscan adjustment to zero and set card to 1080p and 60Hz (which tv can support). Running most recent ATI drivers 9.12.

CynicalCS84

01-07-10, 06:44 PM

Any definitive info on what the quietest hard drives are for htpcs? Are the 640s quieter than the 1tbs? greens or blacks or blues - is one better than the other? Excluding ssd.

Anyone? I checked silent pc reviews and they haven't been keeping their recommended hd list up to date for like 2 years. The forums aren't much help either.

The wd10ears has 2 500g platters (and 64mb cache, no more head parking) instead of the eads with 3 333s... which would be quieter?

kevinqian

01-07-10, 08:01 PM

Is there a primer or description of MA vs VA? I'm confused if it's an option you turn on on a card, or something built into a card? Some cards support it, some don't - how do I tell?

From some of my inquiries it sounds like VA is better for interlaced sources, like some OTA. If I'm connected to my TV at 1080p, and the source is from an OTA card that receives the OTA signal at 1080i, some conversion has to take place to output the signal at 1080p - is this where VA comes into play?

Update: Like usual, I stumbled on the answer after I posted this. Can someone validate this? If I wasn't using OTA (1080i), then I would be fine with a 4350. But for VA (which is recommended for interlaced sources), I'd need a card higher than a 4550. Correct?

If you don't watch TV or interlaced content, 4350 will do. Funny that 1080i takes more hp than 1080p to process, dunnit?

4550=MA.
4670=VA.
The truth=I can't tell the difference between the two (VA vs. MA) on live TV content. So it's matter of money vs. perceived quality. Like everything else in life, you get suckered into a bit of marketing and a bit of technological superiority. Whether that translates into real world benefits is entirely up to your perception.

But yeah i would recommend at least a card with MA (4550) for 1080i deinterlacing. Of course this is entirely my perception between balancing cost vs. benefit.

The Nvidia cards get a little fuzzy as they don't specify the deinterlacing method in their drivers. But general consensus is GT220 and 9500GT will produce VA equivalent deinterlacing.

dougnliz

01-07-10, 09:44 PM

LOL I should have thought of that. Thanks for the tip. After doing the search I just remembered that I still have the DVI -> Component adapter that came with my Radeon 9800 that was in my old HTPC. That would be awesome if it will work with this card. That way I'll still have the HDMI port if I upgrade my TV in the future.

I'll let you guys know if it works. Unfortunately my power supply doesn't get here until Thursday... :(

Thanks again!

Doug

Well it looks like the DVI - Component adapter doesn't work with this card. I can get a display up at 640x480 but the color is all off. But when I go into the ATI display settings I can't get to any of the HDTV options, which according to ATI's help screens means this card doesn't support Component Out. So I guess I get to RMA this card and try another.

Thanks for the help guys.

Doug

dougnliz

01-07-10, 11:24 PM

Check EVGA 01G-P3-N958-LR GeForce 9500 GT (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130501).

For HTPC use will there be any difference between this card and something newer like a GTS 250 in Picture Quality over the component output? I just want to make sure I'm getting the best card for the money. I don't mind spending upto $150 or so, but at the same time if it's not going to make a difference then the ~$70 price is attractive.

I don't plan to do any gaming on this, just watch HD content and some DVDs.

Thanks again,

Doug

renethx

01-08-10, 12:05 AM

For HTPC use will there be any difference between this card and something newer like a GTS 250 in Picture Quality over the component output? I just want to make sure I'm getting the best card for the money. I don't mind spending upto $150 or so, but at the same time if it's not going to make a difference then the ~$70 price is attractive.

I don't plan to do any gaming on this, just watch HD content and some DVDs.

Thanks again,

Doug
There is no PQ difference between 9500 GT and GTS 250. A card higher than 9500 GT has just more stream processors (and 3D units). (CUDA applications like more stream processors, however.)

StupidHead

01-08-10, 12:56 AM

kevinqian: Thanks for the concise answer. I got sick of looking at cards and just got a $100 4670. I was looking at the 4350 for $25, but I've gone the cheapo route before and end up kicking myself later. The 4550's were in between those two, but i just decided to bite the bullet.

You're spot on about the marketing, what a bunch of sucker's we are. And we love it. :)

CynicalCS84

01-08-10, 03:16 AM

Last motherboard CPU question - this combo is available for about $125 shipped which would make it about the same as the GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2L and e5300 combo from newegg.

It's the GIGABYTE GA-G41M-ES2H with an e6300 which would support virtualization. The only difference I can see between the motherboards is that the H has hdmi out, though I still wouldn't use the onboard video. And it has 3 pci slots instead of 2. But on the gigabyte website it says in parenthesis pci express 16x (run in 4x mode) and I'm confused about what that means.

Is there any downside to this mobo CPU combo? It just seems like an attractive price.

Thanks again! And I promise I'll get that donation to you when I'm not posting from my phone! >_<

nalooti

01-08-10, 08:29 AM

Anyone? I checked silent pc reviews and they haven't been keeping their recommended hd list up to date for like 2 years. The forums aren't much help either.

The wd10ears has 2 500g platters (and 64mb cache, no more head parking) instead of the eads with 3 333s... which would be quieter?

GO for Western Digital Green 1TB.

I built an HTPC/BackupStation using a Chenbro case with 4 3.5" HDD. I have 2 WDgreen 1TB inside. Overall, I can hear the noise under I meter distance but above I can't hear anything. And the noise I hear is just the fan not the HDD.

Usually, less heat means less fan thus less noise. I used to use only 2.5" HDD because of their lower rpm (5400 instead of 7200 for mainstream 3.5" HDD) and less heat (something guys at silentpcreviews didn't appreciate when I had an occasion to discuss with them). Well, hopefully seems like the Green wave has caught the HDD also so manufacturers now build 3.5" disk with 5400 rpm (quite enough for HD decoding).
This is exactly what I was looking for and bonus: more spaces with 3.5" disks.

I think the 1TB size uses 2 platters. Obviously, more platters means more heat and more mechanical part and noise. So you may find a green one (5400rpm) with 1 platter and less space to compromise.

However, frankly, the 1TB disk is near silent for me.

nalooti

renethx

01-08-10, 10:15 AM

the first mobe you linked (the Intel One) is it out? cause i cannot find it anywhere :_(
It looks like this mb is not coming soon. Check also this Mini-ITX mb: ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi H55ITX-A-E (http://www.zotac.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=100026&lang=un). This one has six SATA ports. So you don't need a SATA controller card.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=163050&stc=1&d=1262963716

hellerbrewing

01-08-10, 10:57 AM

rene, I have noticed that you have not commented on the clarkdale thread in a while. Have you lost interest in this platform?

renethx

01-08-10, 11:45 AM

rene, I have noticed that you have not commented on the clarkdale thread in a while. Have you lost interest in this platform?
Whether I am interested in Clarkdale or not, I have to test it with a couple of mbs to update my recommendations. I may be able to post the January edition by Monday along with quick test results (hopefully :)).

hellerbrewing

01-08-10, 12:13 PM

I am looking forward to it!

Makaveli6103

01-08-10, 12:32 PM

So, I keep changing my mind on what kind of set up I want. Initially I was going to wait for the Radeon HD 55** series of cards do I can burn blu rays and have bitstream audio but decided not to because I have netflix and a blu ray play and that will suffice for now until I am out of school. But currently below is my set up

nMEDIAPC HTPC 5000B
Gigabye GA-G41M-ES2L
HIS H467PS1GH Radeon HD 4670 iSilence4 1GB
Corsrair 450VX
Intel E6300 2.8GHZ
2GB DDR 800 (1 stick)
Western digital Caviar green WD10EADS

My question is will this set up suffice for playing OTA HD channels, mkv (720p or 1080p) and whatever HD tv shows over the internet from Hulu, ABC, NBC, etc? Is the iSilence4 worth the premium over the non-iSilence version? Also I will be doing a little video decoding but no HD content currently. Thanks

MikeZ06

01-08-10, 05:56 PM

Whether I am interested in Clarkdale or not, I have to test it with a couple of mbs to update my recommendations. I may be able to post the January edition by Monday along with quick test results (hopefully :)).

Sweet! Will be looking forward to this test. I am ready to build and not sure if I should go the Intel Clarksdale route or just go with your recommended mid AMD/AMD build.

I like the idea of the Intel route but my main concern is blu ray picture quality and hoping its just as good if not better than discrete cards.

Thanks for all your insight renethx!

renethx

01-08-10, 08:52 PM

Makaveli6103

01-08-10, 11:23 PM

Yes. HIS is expensive just because of a passive cooler.

OK great. I will be ordering all of the parts this weekend.

Ingram

01-08-10, 11:56 PM

Can I please have a HSF recommendation?

My CPU is a AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350, inside an Antec 2480, with a Gigabyte 780G mobo.

The HSF has started to annoy me with a whirl/rattling noise. Looking to replace it with a cheap but decent (aka quieter) HSF.

Thank you :)

EDIT: Looking at the Cooler Master TX3 i5, not sure if it would fit in my case?

renethx

01-09-10, 12:18 AM

Can I please have a HSF recommendation?

My CPU is a AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350, inside an Antec 2480, with a Gigabyte 780G mobo.

The HSF has started to annoy me with a whirl/rattling noise. Looking to replace it with a cheap but decent (aka quieter) HSF.

Thank you :)
Cooler Master Geminii S is one of the best for NSK2480, but not that cheap (~ $30). Check ARCTIC COOLING Alpine 64 Pro (~$10) (http://www.google.com/products?q=arctic+cooling+%22alpine+64%22&scoring=p).

Most of side-flow coolers won't fit NSK2480 (too tall). Scythe Ninja Mini is an exception.

Ingram

01-09-10, 12:26 AM

Yea, the Tx3 is just under 140MM tall, I don't think that's going to fit in the NSK2480 :(

tceh

01-09-10, 10:10 AM

http://www.shrani.si/f/U/kW/2pNu122P/predracun.jpg
Hello. Is this htpc good for 1080p movies? Any comments on configuration?

cableuser001

01-09-10, 10:33 AM

Hi, I built a PC recently and have a problem

Motherboard: GA-MA78GM-US2H
RAM: PNQ 2x2GB DDR2 800
Processor : AMD Athlon II X4 620
HDD: Fujitsu 120GB (5400RPM).. from old laptop
OS: Win7 Home

Problem:
1. When I start a program (say I open a browser and start browsing), after a few minutes, the system doesn't respond. No blue screen, but the program doesn't respond. The circular mouse icon rotates and I can move the mouse, but the program itself doesn't respond. Many times this happened as I was scrolling the page, or trying to open a page in a new tab, but within the first 2-3 minutes. I tried to see if the components are hot, but the cpu heat sink, RAM, graphics processor's sink are all at normal temperature.

When I try to open another program (since mouse moves), I can click, but it takes time. Say, after opening notepad, and I type something, the words appear after a few minutes (after about a minute).

Any ideas why? What do I need to change?

Thanks.