My set is one of those that overscans (by scaling) substantially when you feed it DVI from a PC into one of the HDMI inputs. I can set my desktop to true 720p and I get much cropping. Nvidia will allow me to shrink my desktop to some smaller oddball resolution to compensate, but some games and apps will only work in more standard resolutions, so that puts me back in the same situation.

Are there any true HDMI video cards out there that will prevent this; i.e. will appear, to the TV, just like 720p from my Playstation 3? Can a PC over HDMI appear to be just some other component instead of a PC?

I've been told it can and read that it can - but I did try to get it to work on our study PC (the one I'm typing on now), and I simply could not get it to create any DD5.1 out of other multi-channel audio (WMV-HD movies specifically).

I haven't tried it in over a year so maybe it works a little better now...?

I couldn't get it working, either -- until last night! I'm using AC3Filter version 1.46, and can confirm it works to transcode various multichannel codecs to DD5.1 and send them via S/PDIF (on my Gigabyte -DS4) to the receiver.

I couldn't get AC3Filter to pass DTS from an .mkv with DTS muxed in (yet, anyway), but I had it transcode to DD5.1 and have that sent to my receiver successfully.

I also had it send the multichannel (5.1?) audio from a WMV successfully. Previous attempts without AC3Filter only gave me the left and right channels (not stereo; the centre channel went missing). Last night I confirmed I had all the channels properly.

I don't know if it matters that the WMV-HD file I was using was muxed by some user, rather than one of the "store boughten" discs like T2. I doubt it.

My set is one of those that overscans (by scaling) substantially when you feed it DVI from a PC into one of the HDMI inputs. I can set my desktop to true 720p and I get much cropping. Nvidia will allow me to shrink my desktop to some smaller oddball resolution to compensate, but some games and apps will only work in more standard resolutions, so that puts me back in the same situation.

Are there any true HDMI video cards out there that will prevent this; i.e. will appear, to the TV, just like 720p from my Playstation 3? Can a PC over HDMI appear to be just some other component instead of a PC?

This is an issue with the video driver and Nvidia cards simply can't do it yet.

ATI on the other hand does a great job of handling overscan and they do it exactly the way it should be done:

- If you want a 1:1 pixel mapped custom resolution that perfectly fills the screen, you create one using the Catalyst Control Center. This will essentially use one of the standard TV format (like 720p, 1080i/p, etc.) and only make use of the visible pixels. Overscanned pixels will be blanked out and the custom resolution will perfectly fill the screen. You need to create one of these for each standard TV format that your HDTV supports. Nvidia drivers can also do this (overscan compensation).

- If you want to play a video game or use any of the standard PC resolutions, the video card knows you are still using the same HDTV, so it rescales the standard resolution into the most appropriate custom resolution that you created above. For example if your game uses 800x600 and your custom 720p resolution is 1180x688, the video card will rescale the 800x600 image into the 1180x688 and then display it on your screen - again perfectly filling the screen. Nvidia drivers cannot do this at all.

- If you want to watch TV and use one of the standard HDTV formats like 720p or 1080i, the video drive knows that you are asking for a standard format and in order to get a 1:1 pixel mapping, it needs to output a spec compliant 720p/1080i/etc. format - so it does. In this case there will be overscan, but the overscan is intentional and by design within your HDTV. When playing video, TV, or movies, the produces always keep out of the overscan stayout regions so you don't loose anything important. This way you get the absolute best image quality (1:1 pixel mapping). Last time I checked, Nvidia drivers only allowed overscan compensation to be either on or off, so you couln't display spec compliant 720p or 1080i/p if you had overscan compensation turned on.

- If you want to play a video game or use any of the standard PC resolutions, the video card knows you are still using the same HDTV, so it rescales the standard resolution into the most appropriate custom resolution that you created above. For example if your game uses 800x600 and your custom 720p resolution is 1180x688, the video card will rescale the 800x600 image into the 1180x688 and then display it on your screen - again perfectly filling the screen. Nvidia drivers cannot do this at all.

- If you want to watch TV and use one of the standard HDTV formats like 720p or 1080i, the video drive knows that you are asking for a standard format and in order to get a 1:1 pixel mapping, it needs to output a spec compliant 720p/1080i/etc. format - so it does. In this case there will be overscan, but the overscan is intentional and by design within your HDTV. When playing video, TV, or movies, the produces always keep out of the overscan stayout regions so you don't loose anything important. This way you get the absolute best image quality (1:1 pixel mapping). Last time I checked, Nvidia drivers only allowed overscan compensation to be either on or off, so you couln't display spec compliant 720p or 1080i/p if you had overscan compensation turned on.

OK, this makes sense to me, but why is it that I can output 1280x720p from the PS3 or my cable box (both by hdmi) and not have overscan, and it isn't even possible for me to do this with the HTPC? Surely there's a way to have an HTPC output the exact same spec of signal so that the set doesn't overscan. If I put up a test pattern from another HDMI source, I'm getting no overscan at all.

OK, this makes sense to me, but why is it that I can output 1280x720p from the PS3 or my cable box (both by hdmi) and not have overscan, and it isn't even possible for me to do this with the HTPC? Surely there's a way to have an HTPC output the exact same spec of signal so that the set doesn't overscan. If I put up a test pattern from another HDMI source, I'm getting no overscan at all.

I don't have a PS3, but most likely the games and software are all designed to work with a standard amount of overscan. There is probably a stay out region around the perimeter that is spec'd by Sony that all software developers must adhere to (for all GUI features).

If your TV has overscan (and most do), then it will always have overscan when fed a spec compliant 720p signal.

For those of you just spec'ing out your HTPC, Dell is now offering a couple of Omaura cases here: http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?s=gen&c=us&l=en&cs=&k=omaura&cat=all

OK, just got back from a business trip and read the last 4 pages of posts - what are the latest announcements from CeBit for the "best next gen" mATX mobo for Intel for our next HTPC build ??

I will be reading the THG article about the 780G announcements, but prefer NVIDIA.

I should add shipping "soon" so we can proceed.

I should qualify, with IGP, HDMI, etc. ... I am assuming this means the 8300 as the comparable to the 780G but we are still novices in this fast paced HTPC environment ... which is why we love this thread ?

OK, just got back from a business trip and read the last 4 pages of posts - what are the latest announcements from CeBit for the "best next gen" mATX mobo for Intel for our next HTPC build ??

I will be reading the THG article about the 780G announcements, but prefer NVIDIA.

I should add shipping "soon" so we can proceed.

I should qualify, with IGP, HDMI, etc. ... I am assuming this means the 8300 as the comparable to the 780G but we are still novices in this fast paced HTPC environment ... which is why we love this thread ?

You need to go on another trip - for about 3 more weeks, at least. Rumors say Nvidia boards (8200) will be in retail channels around the end of the month, with the 8300 possibly in April (or may be delayed due to 8200 delay?) :(

OK, just got back from a business trip and read the last 4 pages of posts - what are the latest announcements from CeBit for the "best next gen" mATX mobo for Intel for our next HTPC build ??
- MCP7A - A Chipset for the Intel Platform Featuring Hybrid SLI
- GeForce 8300 Motherboards Exhibited - The Upper Model of MCP78
- GeForce 8200 Motherboards

I've been watching/reading this thread for a long time. Thanks for taking the time to manage it....spectacular info.

What I ended up with:
# CPU: Core 2 Duo E8400 3.00GHz Socket 775
# CPU Cooler: OEM
# Motherboard: eVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 nForce 780i SLI ATX
# Memory: Corsair 4GB
# Graphics Card: EVGA 8800 GTS G92
# HDD: Samsung 250GB + WD 750GB
# PSU: Corsair 620W
# OS: Vista 32-bit
# Drive: Sony BDUX10S
# Tuner: Silicondust HDHomerun
# Case: Thermaltake DH-101
# Television: Samsung LNT-5265F 1080p

Works great...looks nice.
Excellent thread! Thanks again.
Scott

For those of you just spec'ing out your HTPC, Dell is now offering a couple of Omaura cases here: http://search.dell.com/results.aspx?s=gen&c=us&l=en&cs=&k=omaura&cat=all

Finally! They are starting to arrive. Can't wait! I'm a bit dissapointed in the price however.

- MCP7A - A Chipset for the Intel Platform Featuring Hybrid SLI
- GeForce 8300 Motherboards Exhibited - The Upper Model of MCP78
- GeForce 8200 Motherboards

THANKS, renethx ... you are great. I know that you have answered this before, but "when" might the 8300 series be available ?

I believe that you have previously stated that the 780G is superior to the 8200 - did I get that right - but the 8300 series will be on par - or even better ?

THANKS, renethx ... you are great. I know that you have answered this before, but "when" might the 8300 series be available ?

I believe that you have previously stated that the 780G is superior to the 8200 - did I get that right - but the 8300 series will be on par - or even better ?
Gary Key's blog - NVIDIA GeForce 8200 Supply Update (March 5, 2008) (http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/showpost.aspx?i=405)
We are finally receiving some decent delivery information about the upcoming GeForce 8200 product that will feature Hybrid SLI (GeForce Boost), HybridPower, and DX10 capable graphics performance similar (so we are being told with the latest drivers) to the AMD 780G series that has been shipping since late January.

According to our sources, the delays have been primarily caused by severe chipset shortages that are unlikely to improve until the latter part of March. We expect to see retail boards shipping (in small quantities) in early April from a select few suppliers. It appears supply will increase substantially by the later part of April with widespread availability from NVIDIA's board partners at that time.

In fact, Gigabyte just confirmed that their GA-M78SM-S2H will not be widely available until early May, a pattern we expect to see from the vast majority of suppliers. We also understand that final drivers and BIOS code are still not available, so the initial availability of product shortly might not show the chipset's performance up to its full potential, or maybe not. We expect production level boards in-house shortly and will provide an early first look as soon as possible.

Basically 8300 is a higher graphics core version of 8200. I always think 8200/8300 is better than 780G because of multichannel LPCM over HDMI and HybridPower.

Finally! They are starting to arrive. Can't wait! I'm a bit dissapointed in the price however. Especially without the VFD. :eek: I'm ordering one anyways. :D

Thanks renethx ... from what I am reading, the GA-M78SM-S2H is AMD based and we prefer the Intel Quad?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

UPDATE >>> Perhaps I have confused myself, since this article clearly says that the 8200 series is AMD.

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=6&id=2494

So, if I have gotten confused ... my question should be any CeBit announcement for an Intel based mATX mobo with the latest NVIDIA IGP "for Intel" which is called the _____ ????

Which of these for the Quad cores ??

http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce4_intel_cpu_support.html

Thanks renethx ... from what I am reading, the GA-M78SM-S2H is AMD based and we prefer the Intel Quad?

Are there any mATX mobos that were announced for 8200 + Intel Quad (socket 775) - is it the 8200 Intel CPU mobos that are farther out, channel delivery wise - or, is this the April reference?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

UPDATE >>> Perhaps I have confused myself, since this article clearly says that the 8200 series is AMD.

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=6&id=2494

So, if I have gotten confused ... my question should be any CeBit announcement for an Intel based mATX mobo with the latest NVIDIA 8200 IGP "for Intel" which is called the _____ ????


Last I saw, the AMD ones wiill be released first, probably no earlier than mid- to late-April, and the Intel ones 2-4 months later, so you're looking at Q3 or Q4 for those.

Last I saw, the AMD ones wiill be released first, probably no earlier than mid- to late-April, and the Intel ones 2-4 months later, so you're looking at Q3 or Q4 for those.

So, assuming we want Intel Quad, mATX, the latest IGP, HDMI, etc. - and based on any CeBit announcements - what are the choices over the next 30 days both currently shipping ... and/or shipping soon ??

So, assuming we want Intel Quad, mATX, the latest IGP, HDMI, etc. - and based on any CeBit announcements - what are the choices over the next 30 days both currently shipping ... and/or shipping soon ??

The G35 is it I think.

That's why I bought one. I already have a C2D, so I just bought the MB, swapped it in, and it works great. A couple of very minor annoyances, but I've finally got 8-channel LPCM over HDMI from my HTPC, and playing BD/HDDVD/SDDVD.

The G35 is it I think.

That's why I bought one. I already have a C2D, so I just bought the MB, swapped it in, and it works great. A couple of very minor annoyances, but I've finally got 8-channel LPCM over HDMI from my HTPC, and playing BD/HDDVD/SDDVD.

Thanks, which MB do you have ??

Thanks, which MB do you have ??

The ASUS on newegg (I think it's the only G35 up there):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131237

Works great if you don't have a Denon, and if you are stripping copy protection (there is some repeater/HDCP issue). I have an Onkyo, and don't care about HDCP, so it's perfect.

Thanks renethx ... from what I am reading, the GA-M78SM-S2H is AMD based and we prefer the Intel Quad?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

UPDATE >>> Perhaps I have confused myself, since this article clearly says that the 8200 series is AMD.

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?cid=6&id=2494

So, if I have gotten confused ... my question should be any CeBit announcement for an Intel based mATX mobo with the latest NVIDIA IGP "for Intel" which is called the _____ ????

Which of these for the Quad cores ??

http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce4_intel_cpu_support.html
AMD: GeForce 8200/GeForce 8300 (formerly 9200), codenamed MCP78

Intel: GeForce 8200/GeForce 9200, codenamed MCP7A. Summary of MCP7A is MCP79/MCP7A and NVIDIA MCP7A Line-Up; Hybrid SLI For Intel. Expected in April. The CPU chart at NVIDIA site does not include MCP7A yet (as it is not officially released yet).

I expect Wolfdale (and Yorkfield)/MCP7A to be the best chip/chipset for HTPC and gaming. MCP78 is OK, but AMD chips are very weak right now.

Expected in April.

How can you say/type that with a straight face?

The AMD one has already been delayed at least a month. Do you seriously think the Intel one won't be delayed at least as long?

Good luck seeing the Intel version of this before June.

How can you say/type that with a straight face?

The AMD one has already been delayed at least a month. Do you seriously think the Intel one won't be delayed at least as long?

Good luck seeing the Intel version of this before June.
MCP78 is likely to be available in April, then MCP7A may be delayed further. My statement "Expected in April" is just the "latest" information from insiders. So don't blame me. ;)

Renethx:
Do you believe GeForce 8200/GeForce 8300 (AMD) will have better video qualities then 780G? And what about cooling?
8-channel LPCM over HDMI isn't important to me, but I want a mb with good graphic for video and one that doesn't need actice cooling and can function well in a fanless case (I'm a little worried about the comments with Gigabyte780G and northbridge getting hot).

Finally! They are starting to arrive. Can't wait! I'm a bit dissapointed in the price however.

Can't agree with you more. Once you add in the remote & OLED (which still isn't available) the price doesn't seem very good considering the other options.

After following this (and other) topic(s) for weeks and weeks I'm clueless. I'm going to build an HTPC but I must have SVIDEO-out to support my good-old CRT-TV which will remain in my living for some time. So, I don't really need super-high-performance stuff able to crack HD-media yet.

So, what is wisdom?
1) Gigabyte MA69G-S2H, AMD BE2400+, 2GB.
2) Gigabyte MA78G-S2H, AMD BE2400+, 2GB, HD2600PRO (for svideo)
3) ?

?? option 1? option 2? option 3? or option 1 or 2 with a faster cpu? The Phenom9500 is not that much more expensive and gives the system a lot of headroom at the cost of more power consumption...

Renethx:
Do you believe GeForce 8200/GeForce 8300 (AMD) will have better video qualities then 780G? And what about cooling?
8-channel LPCM over HDMI isn't important to me, but I want a mb with good graphic for video and one that doesn't need active cooling and can function well in a fanless case (I'm a little worried about the comments with Gigabyte780G and northbridge getting hot).
Perhaps MCP78 is on a par with 780G in PQ. 780G = 11.4W (NB only), MCP78 = 14.3W (NB and SB combined). So they are on a par in power consumption.

Fanless case means a case cooled by only the PSU fan? What about CPU fan? Nobody guarantees stable running in a fanless case. By choosing case fans carefully and adjust voltage, you can achieve a silent case with good ventilation.

After following this (and other) topic(s) for weeks and weeks I'm clueless. I'm going to build an HTPC but I must have SVIDEO-out to support my good-old CRT-TV which will remain in my living for some time. So, I don't really need super-high-performance stuff able to crack HD-media yet.

So, what is wisdom?
1) Gigabyte MA69G-S2H, AMD BE2400+, 2GB.
2) Gigabyte MA78G-S2H, AMD BE2400+, 2GB, HD2600PRO (for svideo)
3) ?

?? option 1? option 2? option 3? or option 1 or 2 with a faster cpu? The Phenom9500 is not that much more expensive and gives the system a lot of headroom at the cost of more power consumption...
Option 1 is better, imo. Add a better video card later when necessary. Video cards with true HDMI audio may (or may not) be released soon. BTW Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz, $89 is released soon and the price os BE-2400 will drop.

The G35 is it I think.

That's why I bought one. I already have a C2D, so I just bought the MB, swapped it in, and it works great. A couple of very minor annoyances, but I've finally got 8-channel LPCM over HDMI from my HTPC, and playing BD/HDDVD/SDDVD.

Thanks, I read one report about the northbridge running hot on the NewEgg thread - what's your experience been, and what are you using for cooling ?

SO, basically the onboard IGP handles HD with no problem - what CPU are you using and is it at stock or OC ?

Perhaps MCP78 is on a par with 780G in PQ. 780G = 11.4W (NB only), MCP78 = 14.3W (NB and SB combined). So they are on a par in power consumption.

Fanless case means a case cooled by only the PSU fan? What about CPU fan? Nobody guarantees stable running in a fanless case. By choosing case fans carefully and adjust voltage, you can achieve a silent case with good ventilation.
Thanks. External power supply, CPU cooler and additional cooling that's necessary:
http://www.mcubed-store.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_44_49

I believe you mentioned earlier that Geforce 8200 supports HD playback with XP. Do you know if HD playback in XP will work with 780G?

Thanks. External power supply, CPU cooler and additional cooling that's necessary:
http://www.mcubed-store.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_44_49

I believe you mentioned earlier that Geforce 8200 supports HD playback with XP. Do you know if HD playback in XP will work with 780G?

Wow, those cases are crazy expensive - are those the kind of prices you usually have to pay over there for HTPC stuff???

Wow, those cases are crazy expensive - are those the kind of prices you usually have to pay over there for HTPC stuff???
No, HFX is the most expensive one I know of.

A lot has changed since I built my last HTPC 2-3 years ago, and I haven't kept up at all. This thread is very useful.

Is there a similar thread for pre-builts? 2-3 years ago nothing reasonably priced (e.g. under $1,500) was worthy of consideration. I'd guess with the advances is CPUs and video cards that's no longer true (although there could be other reasons to build--I'm just guessing that they're probably worthy of consideration).

Thanks. External power supply, CPU cooler and additional cooling that's necessary:
http://www.mcubed-store.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=21_44_49

I believe you mentioned earlier that Geforce 8200 supports HD playback with XP. Do you know if HD playback in XP will work with 780G?
780G graphics should support XP but I haven't confirmed it yet.

A lot has changed since I built my last HTPC 2-3 years ago, and I haven't kept up at all. This thread is very useful.

Is there a similar thread for pre-builts? 2-3 years ago nothing reasonably priced (e.g. under $1,500) was worthy of consideration. I'd guess with the advances is CPUs and video cards that's no longer true (although there could be other reasons to build--I'm just guessing that they're probably worthy of consideration).
There are several threads on pre-built systems (but none is like this thread).

HP Pavilion Slimline s3300t series (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=desktops&a1=Category&v1=Versatile+computing&series_name=s3300t_series)

is a good one. Make sure to choose Core 2 Duo E4500 and GeForce 8500 GT (and Blu-ray/HD DVD drive if you are going to play BD/HD DVD movies).

Thanks for all the info. I read through most of the thread last night. A lit overwhelming for someone who hasn't kept up with computers for a few years :)

Ok, first question ...

I was originally looking at building an HTPC-specific system with the following requirements, in this order:
- small (Antec Minuet 300/350 case sprung to mind)
- quiet (likely ony passively cooled video cards)
- low power (unit will double as music server and will be on 24/7)
- capabable of playing blu-ray discs
- capable of doing HD PVR (future capability, more on this in a subsequent post)
- 1:1 pixel mapping to my 1080P display (I don't have DVI on the TV and was planning on either doing straight HDMI or using a DVI->HDMI convertor)
- audio is not a concern to me right now as I only have a 15 year old 2 speaker system right now and likely won't be catching up with current technology for a couple of years still

The system I was leaning towards to meet the above is as follows:
- Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-SH (780G chipset)
- Athlon 4850e (2.5 GHz 45w, or the BE-2400 if I can't find it)
- 2 gigs ram (probably DDR-800 cause I don't think they're be any benefit to anything faster)
- 500 GB HDD
- Antec Minuet 300/350 case (whichever one I can find first)
- Avermedia combo PCIe low profile tuner card

Questions ...

1. Is there any benefit of adding a low profile HD 3450 video card to the above config if I don't intend on using it for any gaming? They're only like $50 so I was thinking I might as well.
2. Or ... does it make more sense to spent the money (+ a few more bucks) on another 2 gigs of ram?
3. Is there anything that the upcoming 8200/8300 or MCP78 boards would provide other than better audio? As I indicated above, audio is not really a concern of mine, but I'm not in a huge hurry so I don't mind waiting a bit. Either way, I don't think I'm going to be getting a 780G until the initial bugs (such as the hot NB get sorted out).

Thanks in advance

Ok, next question ...

As I've been digging around for info, my requirements have kind of creeped a bit, and now I'm thinking about possibly adding gaming into the mix. I haven't played games for a while, but it would be nice to be able to play something lke the new Command & Conquer Tiberian something on my 42" display :) Sooo ...

1. Are there any decent low profile video cards? I stumbled across the following list last night:

http://www.xfxforce.com/web/viewFeature.jspa?featureId=551250

2. I'm thinking the answer to the above is most likely No and that I'll probably have to skip out on the low profile case for something like the Antec NSK2480. If I was to get something like the passively cooled 8600GTS then (other suggestions for quiet vid cards welcome), do I really need a motherboard with an on-board IGP that can handle HD playback? Bear in mind that HD audio is a super low priority for me. Basically what I'm trying to ask is if there are any advantages to getting a MB with a 780G or 8200/8300 or MCP78 chipset if I'm going to get a middle-weight gaming video card such as the 8600GTS. If not, recommendations are always welcome :)

Oh, and just ro retiterate, if I do decide to add gaming into the mix, I'm still interested in keeping the system quiet with low power consumption (as its still going to be on 24/7). If those requirements aren't compatible, then I'll probably just focus on the HTPC portion and forget about gaming.

Sorry if my question is a bit confusing.

Ok, last question before I go to work ...

One of my original intents in building an HTPC was to use it as an HD PVR with my existing Scientific Atlantic 3850 set-top box. I noticed someone else posted a question about this same thing a few pages back.

If I understand correctly, it is not currently possible to set up an HD PVR HTPC with the decoding being done by the 3850? ... kind of a question and statement :)

Do I have to wait until those new component capable tuner cards are released in a few months? or is there another way?

On a side note, how much HD space would I need for an HD PVR? For example, if I wanted to record a 2hr movie or television show in HD (1080i), how much room would this take up. I'm starting to think I'm going to have to pick up some more 500 GD HDDs at some point (all the more reason to stay away from the sleek little Minuet 350 case I guess)

Thanks in advance for both humouring and taking the time to decipher my questions.

OttawaNewbie

For Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, GeForce 9600 GT is the minimum. Forget about low profile. So a possible combination is

- CPU: Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6GHz, $133
- RAM: DDR2-800 2 x 1GB or 2 x 2GB
- MB: GA-G33M-S2L, $65
- Grahics: GeForce 9600 GT, $180

You also need HDD, a remote, a BD drive, a case and OS. See "Recommended Systems".

OttawaNewbie

For Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, GeForce 9600 GT is the minimum. Forget about low profile. So a possible combination is

- CPU: Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6GHz, $133
- RAM: DDR2-800 2 x 1GB or 2 x 2GB
- MB: GA-G33M-S2L, $65
- Grahics: GeForce 9600 GT, $180

You also need HDD, a remote, a BD drive, a case and OS. See "Recommended Systems".

renethx,

I know I'm asking you to speculate here, as I don't think there have been any hard numbers released, but:

What do you think the performance of the 8300 paired with an appropriate discrete card in Hybrid SLI will be equivalent to? Any guesses?

renethx,

I know I'm asking you to speculate here, as I don't think there have been any hard numbers released, but:

What do you think the performance of the 8300 paired with an appropriate discrete card in Hybrid SLI will be equivalent to? Any guesses?
This figure will be helpful to understand how Hybrid SLI is effective. If you use GeForce 8600 or below, Hybrid SLI makes sense. However Hybrid SLI does not matter for GeForce 9600 GT or higher.

This figure will be helpful to understand how Hybrid SLI is effective. If you use GeForce 8600 or below, Hybrid SLI makes sense. However Hybrid SLI does not matter for GeForce 9600 GT or higher.

Not really what I was asking - I already understand how hybrid SLI will work. That's why I said 'appropriate' discrete card.

What I'm asking is - what would you guess the 8300, in hybrid SLI with, say, an 8600 discrete card, would have the combined equivalent performance of what discrete card?

Not really what I was asking - I already understand how hybrid SLI will work. That's why I said 'appropriate' discrete card.

What I'm asking is - what would you guess the 8300, in hybrid SLI with, say, an 8600 discrete card, would have the combined equivalent performance of what discrete card?
Clearly

8300 (16 sp) + 8600 (32 sp) ~ 9500 GT (48 sp) << 9600 GT (64 sp + compression technology).

There are several threads on pre-built systems (but none is like this thread).

HP Pavilion Slimline s3300t series (http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/shopping/computer_can_series.do?storeName=computer_store&category=desktops&a1=Category&v1=Versatile+computing&series_name=s3300t_series)

is a good one. Make sure to choose Core 2 Duo E4500 and GeForce 8500 GT (and Blu-ray/HD DVD drive if you are going to play BD/HD DVD movies).

Thanks! I'm actually using one of those as my main desktop. I've not bothered hooking it up to anything, and mine is a low end unit so it wouldn't suit my needs. But it's clearly quiet!

One of the big changes since when I last built is the HDHomerun. I went for a MB with a lot of PCI slots, and now I hardly use them (it's sort of like the connections on the TV--I bought a TV with lots of inputs and only use one).

Renethx, I have done some networking and hardware testing for max throughput. Hard drive info and networking **might** be useful for this thread.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=999180

See the last post, I am getting max of 110MBytes/sec throughput to a single drive, not too bad. It is Linux, haven't tested any Windows mods, but expect it should be similar in XP. FileZilla GUI to this server is also pretty darn fast.

ftp> put mint.iso
local: mint.iso remote: mint.iso
200 PORT command successful. Consider using PASV.
150 Ok to send data.
226 File receive OK.
722104320 bytes sent in 6.41 secs (109965.8 kB/s)
ftp> quit

OttawaNewbie

For Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, GeForce 9600 GT is the minimum. Forget about low profile. So a possible combination is

- CPU: Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6GHz, $133
- RAM: DDR2-800 2 x 1GB or 2 x 2GB
- MB: GA-G33M-S2L, $65
- Grahics: GeForce 9600 GT, $180

You also need HDD, a remote, a BD drive, a case and OS. See "Recommended Systems".

Wow. I just started looking at 9600 cards and various other top rated ones (good link here http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=1058&model2=1061&chart=318)

I never knew that you'd need so much horsepower (and cash) to play a game link Command & Conquer. Guess I just thought since I played the first one on my P100 that it couldn't be that much more demanding :)

Ok, gaming is out of the question now. I think it'd be cheaper just to build something dedicated to gaming at some point in the future as opposed to wasting all that money on my electricity bill (since it'll be running 24/7)

So, back to the first system:

- Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-SH (780G chipset)
- Athlon 4850e (2.5 GHz 45w, or the BE-2400 if I can't find it)
- 2 gigs ram (probably DDR-800 cause I don't think they're be any benefit to anything faster)
- 500 GB HDD
- Antec Minuet 300/350 case (whichever one I can find first)
- Avermedia combo PCIe low profile tuner card

Any concerns?

Here is the best option for a low profile gaming card:

http://www.ncixus.com/products/26441/86GEF8HDFCXX/Galaxy%20Techology/

I don't know anything about CnC3, but I would assume that card would be able to run it ok.

I ran the original Minuet for a long time... recently my power supply died and I can't find a drop-in replacement. I would love to, as I really like the low-pro case. Anyway, remember that with that CPU you will need to locate a low-profile cooler. Newegg usually has some copper coolers that will do the trick. If you decide to go with the 8600GT, then you could cut back on the motherboard. Just my two cents.

Here is the best option for a low profile gaming card:

http://www.ncixus.com/products/26441/86GEF8HDFCXX/Galaxy%20Techology/

I don't know anything about CnC3, but I would assume that card would be able to run it ok.

I ran the original Minuet for a long time... recently my power supply died and I can't find a drop-in replacement. I would love to, as I really like the low-pro case. Anyway, remember that with that CPU you will need to locate a low-profile cooler. Newegg usually has some copper coolers that will do the trick. If you decide to go with the 8600GT, then you could cut back on the motherboard. Just my two cents.

I was actually planning on skipping out on a video card altogether and relying on the IGP since it will be a dedicated HTPC. That way I can keep the unit quiet and the power consumption low. I'm leaning more towards just building something completely separate for gaming that doesn't have to be running 24/7 and isn't restricted to a low profile case.

As far as fans go, what about this one?

http://www.zalman.co.kr/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=278

I haven't been able to figure out just how much room I'll have, so I'll likely just pick up a low profile fan after I get everything together and have a better idea of just how much space I have. Also, I may find the one that comes with the CPU sufficient.

Ok, last question before I go to work ...

One of my original intents in building an HTPC was to use it as an HD PVR with my existing Scientific Atlantic 3850 set-top box. I noticed someone else posted a question about this same thing a few pages back.

If I understand correctly, it is not currently possible to set up an HD PVR HTPC with the decoding being done by the 3850? ... kind of a question and statement :) You can, but... the decoded output from the 3850 are intended for a display - not for input to your own HTPC, so the best you can do is to get decoded SD video back into your system. The cable company wants to rent you their own limited capacity PVR solution, instead of making it easy for you to record HD, and the Movie companies are paranoid about you getting your hands on an un-scrampled copy of their material.

Do I have to wait until those new component capable tuner cards are released in a few months? or is there another way? Don't know what card your are referring to. The only ones that will decode the scrambled signals are the cable card enabled ones, and think you can only get those if you buy an assembled "HTPC system" from a vendor.

On a side note, how much HD space would I need for an HD PVR? For example, if I wanted to record a 2hr movie or television show in HD (1080i), how much room would this take up. I'm starting to think I'm going to have to pick up some more 500 GD HDDs at some point (all the more reason to stay away from the sleek little Minuet 350 case I guess)

Thanks in advance for both humouring and taking the time to decipher my questions. I get about 8Gb per hour of OTA HD material. If you record a lot it doesn't take long to fill a 500 Gb drive.

Don't know what card your are referring to. The only ones that will decode the scrambled signals are the cable card enabled ones, and think you can only get those if you buy an assembled "HTPC system" from a vendor.


There is a card coming that has component inputs. The cable boxes will still do the tuning, but don't apply DRM to analog outputs.

BTW Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz, $89 is released soon

Seems like the 4850e is becoming the proc of choice for the 780g...have we given up on the low power phenom, that sounds like the better option?

I realize that you cant use a phenom with 780G until the rev A13 chipset, but you cant buy a 4850e yet either right? Is the A12 vs A13 issue the only thing stopping us from using the phenom and if so when is it supposed to be available?

Its such a mess, Im ready to pull the trigger money-wise but I decided to wait for the 780g, now its out but I have to wait for the 4850e or phenom and A13.....OR wait for the 8200....ugh! Once thats straightened out I still have to wait for the hauppauge PVR!

Wow. I just started looking at 9600 cards and various other top rated ones (good link here http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=1058&model2=1061&chart=318)

I never knew that you'd need so much horsepower (and cash) to play a game link Command & Conquer. Guess I just thought since I played the first one on my P100 that it couldn't be that much more demanding :)

Ok, gaming is out of the question now. I think it'd be cheaper just to build something dedicated to gaming at some point in the future as opposed to wasting all that money on my electricity bill (since it'll be running 24/7)

So, back to the first system:

- Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-SH (780G chipset)
- Athlon 4850e (2.5 GHz 45w, or the BE-2400 if I can't find it)
- 2 gigs ram (probably DDR-800 cause I don't think they're be any benefit to anything faster)
- 500 GB HDD
- Antec Minuet 300/350 case (whichever one I can find first)
- Avermedia combo PCIe low profile tuner card

Any concerns?

Hey OttawaNewbie,

Thought I would throw in my 2-cents.

I currently have this running:
- Gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H (690G chipset)
- Athlon BE-2350
- 2 gigs DDR-800
- 250 GB IDE HDD
- In-Win BT-566 Low Pro Case (The power supply is the noisiest thing in my living room besides my original xbox, I want to upgrade to an Antec)
http://www.in-win.us/products_case_series.php?cat_id=1&series_id=4&model_id=6#here

I also have this PC on 24/7, it uses about 60W (Measured with my Kill-A-Watt). Here in Saskatchewan, that is about $60/year to leave it running 24/7.

I could probably save a bit of power by switching to a more efficient Antec case/power supply and to a WesternDigital GreenPower Drive (Uses about half the power as regular drives).

So far Tom's hardware got the lowest total power consumption with the Gigabyte 780G board paired with the 4850e, and I am really making a big deal about that lately. Even though I just saw this morning that my Kill-A-Watt tells me my 50" Sony LCD TV is sucking 300 Watts when it is on.

I want to upgrade to the New 780G or Geforce 8200/8300 Mobo and the 4850e and add a BluRay drive, this would complete my HTPC.

I really think I will try the Geforce next, since It will probably have better Linux support, and that is the direction I would like to go.

Special thanks to Renethx for this great Guide/Thread. This is my first PC build and while I have been enjoying the planning/researching for my HTPC, I am also somewhat nervous and unsure about some of the components. I would have not known where to start without this guide and suggested components.

I am planning on incorporating the HTPC into my current home theater system (Sony 50" LCD/DLP Monitor, Denon AVR-3805, Def Tech 7.1 speaker system, Oppo OPDV971H & DirectTV HR20) and connecting (wireless) to my exisiting network. Listed in order of importance:
1. Viewing Blu-ray/HD movies from DVD's and from the HDD.
2. Ripping backup copies of Blu-ray/HD movies to HDD.
3. Viewing and ripping SD movies.
4. DVR/PVR for OTA SD & HD TV.
5. Viewing family pictures and home movies.
6. Surfing the internet and viewing email.
7. Possibly playing some video games.

Here are the components I have just purchased (I used the High-End ATX system as general guide):
1. Silverstone Lascala LC-18 case.
2. Intel Xeon E3110 (same as E8400) wolfdale CPU (OEM).
3. 3 Western Digital 1 TB HDD.
4. LG GGC-H20L Blu-Ray/HD Combo Optical Drive.
5. OnAir Solution USB HDTV-GT PVR.

Remaining components (still not sure):
1. Motherboard - Because this is my first build I would really like a reliable/stable mbo and was initially sold on the GiGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4, but I have recently seen lots of problems reported with this board and am now considering the EVGA 780i or the 680i mbo. Any thoughts/recomendations here?

2. VGA - PALIT 9600GT SONIC 512M. Any thoughts/recomendations here?

3. Audio - HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+ - very confused :confused: here. Since my current AVR does not accept HDMI I would like to use analog outputs for 7.1 sound now. I am planning to upgrade to a new Denon 3808 which will accept HDMI and has True HD playback is there still not a HDMI solution for 7.1 sound? Is there anything in the works that I could wait a couple of months for?

4. PSU - CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX.

5. RAM - CORSAIR XMS2 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800.

6. CPU Cooler - ZEROtherm BTF90.

Any comments or suggestions regarding system and ability for all components to play/fit well together will be greatly appreciated:D

HTPCat

- GA-EP35-DS4 should be a solid choice. (What problems have you seen?)

- Palit 9600 GT - this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261001)? A cheaper card like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130334) is enough?

- HT OMEGA CLARO Plus+ - If you want good 7.1 analog for now and want to get 7.1 HDMI audio in future, then Auzentech Prelude may be a better choice as the X-Tension HDMI 1.3 add-in card will be released in Q2 (?). Or if you wait for a couple of months, NVIDIA MCP7A and Intel G45 chipsets will be released, which is supposed to support multichannel LPCM over HDMI.

renethx - thanks for the input - I will go with the cheaper VGA and do some further research regarding the Auzentech Prelude and the NVIDA MCP7A. Regarding the problems I have been seeing for the GA-EP35-DS4 - mostly problems with the BIOS getting stuck at the logo and not able to get into the BIOS to troubleshoot, random reboots and BSOD. This being my first build I am probably just being overly cautious due to my limited technical skills and concerns about my ability to troubleshoot. I will go with your recomendation for the GA-EP35-DS4 and hope for the best. Thanks Again for this great guide and all of your input.

You can, but... the decoded output from the 3850 are intended for a display - not for input to your own HTPC, so the best you can do is to get decoded SD video back into your system. The cable company wants to rent you their own limited capacity PVR solution, instead of making it easy for you to record HD, and the Movie companies are paranoid about you getting your hands on an un-scrampled copy of their material.

Ok, I understand that. That's what I figured I'd be limited to. Not exactly what I had in mind when I starting thinking about getting into this.

Don't know what card your are referring to. The only ones that will decode the scrambled signals are the cable card enabled ones, and think you can only get those if you buy an assembled "HTPC system" from a vendor.

This part I can't say I understand. Looks like I'm going to have to dig into the tuner specific details a bit more. I guess when I first starting reading about tuner cards I thought that I wouldn't have to worry about the whole decoding thing as my 3850 set-top box would take care of that and I'd just use the tuner card to pass the unencoded HD content to the computer. Obviously it isn't as simple as this :) What I was refrering to there with respect to 'new component capable tuner cards are released in a few months' was in reference to a previous comment (can't seem to find it now) that seemed to indicated that a new tuner card will be out soon enough that will allow me to pass the unencoded HD feed from the decoder box to the tuner card via component, which I'll then be able to record on the computer. I may have misintepreted that though.

I get about 8Gb per hour of OTA HD material. If you record a lot it doesn't take long to fill a 500 Gb drive.

That's a lot of space. I guess I'm going to have to buy more HDDs eventually :)

Seems like the 4850e is becoming the proc of choice for the 780g...have we given up on the low power phenom, that sounds like the better option?

I thought the 4850e was supposed to be 45w? That's the whole reason why I was planning on using it. Seemed like the a good freq : power ratio.

I thought the 4850e was supposed to be 45w? That's the whole reason why I was planning on using it. Seemed like the a good freq : power ratio.
Yes, 4850e is 45W. A low power Phenom is 9100e 65W.

WOW, stolen review; I'll delete the connection!

Does anyone know the deal with Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit not being able to use 4GB of RAM?

These are the memory I want to use, but I am reading that I can't with Vista 32bit

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184


Any thoughts?

Does anyone know the deal with Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit not being able to use 4GB of RAM?

These are the memory I want to use, but I am reading that I can't with Vista 32bit

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184


Any thoughts?

AS I recall it's a problem with 32 bit operating systems in general. I think vista 32bit can use either 2.5GB or 3GB (can't remember which)
It has to do with the size of the aaddress the cpu can address. 64 bits allows for an address that's exponentially bigger than 32bits.

Impressive guide. I wish I had this kinda thing around when I built my HTPC in 2006...

Does anyone know the deal with Windows Vista Home Premium 32bit not being able to use 4GB of RAM?

These are the memory I want to use, but I am reading that I can't with Vista 32bit

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145184


Any thoughts?
http://www.dansdata.com/askdan00015.htm tells you all you need to know and more. Here's the bit you're probably interested in:

(If you've got 4Gb of RAM, by the way, the Vista installer may not work anyway. You can work around that problem, if you have it, by pulling some of the RAM while you install Vista, then putting it back. Apparently Microsoft limit the maximum available memory in 32-bit Vista to 3120Mb anyway, though, so it's hardly worth the trouble of buying more.)

Microsoft doesn't limit the amount of memory to3120mb... Vista 32 has a 4gb linear address space. PCIe cards and other I/O devices are memory mapped into this 4gb space starting at the top, thus overlaying some of your dram if you have 4 gb installed. The amount overlayed depends on the devices installed and will vary from system to system. Many motherboards support a re-map feature to allow this overlaid memory to appear above the 4gb address space. This works for 64 bit OS's, but as noted the maximum memory space for 32 bit OS's is 4 gb so it will not be able to reach this remapped memory above 4gb.

:cool:

Microsoft doesn't limit the amount of memory to3120mb... Vista 32 has a 4gb linear address space. PCIe cards and other I/O devices are memory mapped into this 4gb space starting at the top, thus overlaying some of your dram if you have 4 gb installed. The amount overlayed depends on the devices installed and will vary from system to system. Many motherboards support a re-map feature to allow this overlaid memory to appear above the 4gb address space. This works for 64 bit OS's, but as noted the maximum memory space for 32 bit OS's is 4 gb so it will not be able to reach this remapped memory above 4gb.

:cool:

Jim is correct. I have 4 GB in my Vista 32 system. And it shows 3.5 GB available. The other memory addresses is taken up by my video card.

Jim is correct. I have 4 GB in my Vista 32 system. And it shows 3.5 GB available. The other memory addresses is taken up by my video card.

So if I put in 4GB before I do my initial boot will it screw anything up?? I will be using 32bit Home Premium.

If we use the new integrated motherboards, we can map up to 512MB of system RAM to the video card. This leaves 3.5 MB for the OS, perfectly matching up with what Windows wants.

Am I correct here?

<<Jim is correct. I have 4 GB in my Vista 32 system. And it shows 3.5 GB available. The other memory addresses is taken up by my video card.>>

Exactly the same with my setup. The 4 GB of memory is fine. Because of the above, I'm actually using 3.5 GB of it. Beats 2GB.

So if I put in 4GB before I do my initial boot will it screw anything up?? I will be using 32bit Home Premium.

I actually only had 2 GB in when I built my system. Added the other 2 after it was built.

I've fresh installed 32bit with ~3.5gb with no issues....

:cool:

I just noticed this card at newegg, and a lower price than most 9600GT cards. Haven't heard of this manufacturer, but this appears to be a passively cooled card (I just re-read the description and it is fanless) - but it might also be too tall to fit into a lot of HTPC cases??

Anyone know anything about this card or this manufacturer. I hate to buy one before seeing any reviews. The one comment on newegg was about SLI usage, which isn't applicable to HTPC usage.

Elite Group - ECS

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134040

Ben

I just noticed this card at newegg, and a lower price than most 9600GT cards. Haven't heard of this manufacturer, but this appears to be a passively cooled card (I just re-read the description and it is fanless) - but it might also be too tall to fit into a lot of HTPC cases??

Anyone know anything about this card or this manufacturer. I hate to buy one before seeing any reviews. The one comment on newegg was about SLI usage, which isn't applicable to HTPC usage.

Elite Group - ECS

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814134040

Ben

ECS/Elitegroup has been around for years. I've used several ECS motherboards, never had problems with them.

Whats an inexpensive PCI sound card that can provide 5.1 audio out via Toslink?

Whats an inexpensive PCI sound card that can provide 5.1 audio out via Toslink?
This one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829126005)? I don't know if it works with your system. It's cheap ($10) anyway.

Well, decided to go another route for now..I scored a Gateway 17" P6825 laptop new for what is essentially a few hundred bucks so going to use that as a htpc for now..Has played EVERY 720p,1080p demo I've thrown at it..X266,mkv,WM, you name it with only a 35-40% cpu usage..

My question is to use the vga out do you need just a regular cable(vga to 3 rca), or some special adapter like ATI made you use..It has HDMI out as well, but for my own reasons would like to go vga out.Anybody know how to do it? Just want to get correct cable the first time and be done with it?Info is much appreciated!!!

brickie

This one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829126005)? I don't know if it works with your system. It's cheap ($10) anyway.

My system is a Dell 400SC. P4 2.8GHz. Nothing fancy, just my old server thats getting replaced.

AMD: GeForce 8200/GeForce 8300 (formerly 9200), codenamed MCP78

Intel: GeForce 8200/GeForce 9200, codenamed MCP7A. Summary of MCP7A is MCP79/MCP7A and NVIDIA MCP7A Line-Up; Hybrid SLI For Intel. Expected in April. The CPU chart at NVIDIA site does not include MCP7A yet (as it is not officially released yet).

I expect Wolfdale (and Yorkfield)/MCP7A to be the best chip/chipset for HTPC and gaming. MCP78 is OK, but AMD chips are very weak right now.


Renethx,

Thank you for replying back in early March - has any more facts/rumors emerged, especially for the MCP7A.

I figure that others may be waiting as we are for this next gen HTPC chips and mobos and I wanted to keep this at the forefront.

Hello below is my current configuration which has worked for me for some time but does have issues when trying to multi task and forget about playing back HD-DVD or BluRay. I am hoping you can give it a quick once over and provide any suggestions for either a quick upgrade to get it to play back BluRay - or new build. Note that the MB only supports PCI or AGP. I have been thinking of getting an external ?SAN type device to hold my PATA drives but have not had much luck finding such a device - any suggestions? Right now I have a combination of internal PATA connections and PATA add-in cards. Otherwise may need to build from scratch. Much obliged for your time.

Motherboard: Asus P4P800 Deluxe | Proc: Intel P4 2.8Ghz Northwood | Memory: 1GB DDR | HDD: 6 x Seagate 400GB(PATA), 2 x Seagate 750GB(SATA) | OS: Windows XP Pro SP2 | Video: MSI GeForce FX5900XT |Capture: (1) HDHR, (1) DVico Fusion GOLD | Video Driver:ForceWare Release 80: version 84:21 | BTV: BTV 4.71.4517 | Remote:FireFly | SW: Beyond Media Basic, Intervideo Windvd 7, RealVNC | Monitor: Sony 40v2500

My system is a Dell 400SC. P4 2.8GHz. Nothing fancy, just my old server thats getting replaced.
It should work, no guarantee though.

Renethx,

Thank you for replying back in early March - has any more facts/rumors emerged, especially for the MCP7A.
No more information yet.

I just posted a somewhat similar question in the Remote section, and they were really helpful. But something on this thread caught my attention - I just bought a Harmony 1000 (it was a whim splurge while standing at BB.) However, I did all my research for the 880/890 and just noticed that the 1000 is not on this list. Before I open the box, are there any specific reasons the 1000 is not a good HTPC match? (Assume I am technically savy and want to do several tasks with it, including PowerDVD and hopefully rudimentary Winamp functions etc...)

Thanks much!

I've now finally come to completion regarding this HTPC.

I've made a few last minute changes, wich have put a few completely new issues to the task.

I decided to not wait for the AMD Athlon X2 64 4850e CPU since I get the 5000+ Black edition for the same price, it seems the better choice. I hope the passive cooling in Antec NSK2480 + scythe mini ninja will satisfy my demands of low noise with this one aswell allthough it is 65 not 45w like the BE-2x00 and the 4850e.

I've also come up with the idea to save som money by chosing the Antec NSK2480 instead of the Fusion black. indeed the Fusion looks awesome, but my case will be 95% of the time behind a frosted glass door.

What's the best choice of remote control for this one??? Can u integrate a IR sensor some way in the front of the case or are you stuck with an eternal reciever. (I'm fine with that because I'm using an external 8" Lilluput touchscreen LCD anyway for playing music and radio when plasma display is off (allthough it seems the plasma is always on for some reason... ;))

I'll be using Windows Vista with mediaportal and tv server so I need a remote setup to work with this (MCE compliant right?)

Also, is there any tricks to get a better looking front on the NSK2480 with a bluray drive in it? Taking off the front of a black drive and spraying it in silver color? Anyone ever did it??

Or taking off the front of the NSK2480 and paint it black? Is it possible??

Also, Asus M3N78-HDMI or Gigabyte GA-MA78MG-S2H??

Damn, when I think about it I might not have decided everything after all.. I hate this business... :(

Hello below is my current configuration which has worked for me for some time but does have issues when trying to multi task and forget about playing back HD-DVD or BluRay. I am hoping you can give it a quick once over and provide any suggestions for either a quick upgrade to get it to play back BluRay - or new build. Note that the MB only supports PCI or AGP. I have been thinking of getting an external ?SAN type device to hold my PATA drives but have not had much luck finding such a device - any suggestions? Right now I have a combination of internal PATA connections and PATA add-in cards. Otherwise may need to build from scratch. Much obliged for your time.

Motherboard: Asus P4P800 Deluxe | Proc: Intel P4 2.8Ghz Northwood | Memory: 1GB DDR | HDD: 6 x Seagate 400GB(PATA), 2 x Seagate 750GB(SATA) | OS: Windows XP Pro SP2 | Video: MSI GeForce FX5900XT |Capture: (1) HDHR, (1) DVico Fusion GOLD | Video Driver:ForceWare Release 80: version 84:21 | BTV: BTV 4.71.4517 | Remote:FireFly | SW: Beyond Media Basic, Intervideo Windvd 7, RealVNC | Monitor: Sony 40v2500
The single-core processor and the video card are too weak. Perhaps you'd better build a new system rather than upgrade them, based on the low-end microATX system. If you need a large case, SilverStone LC17 is good.

I just bought a Harmony 1000 (it was a whim splurge while standing at BB.) However, I did all my research for the 880/890 and just noticed that the 1000 is not on this list. Before I open the box, are there any specific reasons the 1000 is not a good HTPC match?
It's not in the list simply because I missed it.

I decided to not wait for the AMD Athlon X2 64 4850e CPU since I get the 5000+ Black edition for the same price, it seems the better choice. I hope the passive cooling in Antec NSK2480 + scythe mini ninja will satisfy my demands of low noise with this one aswell allthough it is 65 not 45w like the BE-2x00 and the 4850e.

I've also come up with the idea to save som money by chosing the Antec NSK2480 instead of the Fusion black. indeed the Fusion looks awesome, but my case will be 95% of the time behind a frosted glass door.

What's the best choice of remote control for this one??? Can u integrate a IR sensor some way in the front of the case or are you stuck with an eternal reciever. (I'm fine with that because I'm using an external 8" Lilluput touchscreen LCD anyway for playing music and radio when plasma display is off (allthough it seems the plasma is always on for some reason... ;))

I'll be using Windows Vista with mediaportal and tv server so I need a remote setup to work with this (MCE compliant right?)

Also, is there any tricks to get a better looking front on the NSK2480 with a bluray drive in it? Taking off the front of a black drive and spraying it in silver color? Anyone ever did it??

Or taking off the front of the NSK2480 and paint it black? Is it possible??

Also, Asus M3N78-HDMI or Gigabyte GA-MA78MG-S2H??

Damn, when I think about it I might not have decided everything after all.. I hate this business... :(
You can use iMON Inside (http://www.soundgraph.com/Eng_/Products/imon24.aspx?topMenu=2&subMenu=1&leftMenu=24), but you have to find a silver version of a Bracket for 3.5 Inch Floppy with Bezel (http://www.startech.com/Product/ItemDetail.aspx?productid=BRACKETFDBK&c=US) (or paint it silver).

Use "Silver CD/DVD Rom Faceplates Cover Computer Case Tower" from eBay:

http://cgi.*********.com/Silver-CD-DVD-Rom-Faceplates-Cover-Computer-Case-Tower_W0QQitemZ300210542133QQihZ020QQcategoryZ51064QQrdZ1QQs sPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247

(Replace "*********" by "ebay".) LITE-ON DH-4O1S BD-ROM Drive (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106225) comes with a silver bezel (read-only for BD/DVD/CD).

GA-MA78MG-S2H.

renethx

following your great recomendations for almost two years,
still hard to decide when I'll start to build my first htpc,
of course there is never ever a perfect timing for this,
but don't you think this summer could be rather good
and what motherboard/cpu would you aim for then?

thanks a lot/kluris

renethx

following your great recomendations for almost two years,
still hard to decide when I'll start to build my first htpc,
of course there is never ever a perfect timing for this,
but don't you think this summer could be rather good
and what motherboard/cpu would you aim for then?
June-August is a good time to build a HTPC. There will be more new motherboards aimed at the HTPC market than any other time in the past. Stay tuned with my recommendations. ;)

You said before that a 5000+ black edition would be no problem cooling with a passive scythe mini ninja in the fusion using the case fans. What about the Phenom 9100e cooled the same way? What pricetag i preliminary put on 9100e?

You said before that a 5000+ black edition would be no problem cooling with a passive scythe mini ninja in the fusion using the case fans. What about the Phenom 9100e cooled the same way? What pricetag i preliminary put on 9100e?
9100e can be cooled passively as its power envelope is the same as 5000+ (65W). $100-$130 (http://forums.vr-zone.com/showthread.php?t=244223).

I'm having a bit of a problem with my new setup when I try to play HD media. For testing purposes I hooked up my xbox 360 HD DVD player, loaded all the drivers, dropped in The Italian Job and booted up PowerDVD ultra. Everything starts off smooth, but once the actual movie starts the processor usage pegs at 100% and everything slows and skips.

Any suggestions of a remedy would be greatly appreciated.

System:

CPU: Athlon X2 Brisbane 5000+ BE (Overclocked to a stable 3.05ghz)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AMD 690G chipset
Memory: Crucial Ballistix DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
HDD: SAMSUNG HD250HJ 250GB 7200 RPM SATA

CardNation

Sorry, I have no idea. The Italian Job is VC-1, right? Maybe somebody in the unoffical thread is able to give suggestions.

Thanks for this guide, it really helped me a lot in choosing the right components for my HTPC! I decided on the following:

Case: Antec NSK2480
CPU: Intel C2D E8400
Motherboard: MSI G31M2-FD V2
RAM: 2x DDR2 1024MB PC-800 CL5 Kingston
HD: WD5000AAKS
GPU: Gigabyte GV-NX86S256H

These components can be found for roughly €600.

The purpose of this HTPC should be a bit of gaming and watching ripped h.264 movies.

I still have the following questions regarding this setup:


The motherboard is not too expensive, but has no 1x PCIe slot - for what would I need this? I haven't bought any computer hardware since the release of PCIe, so I'm a bit behind the times I guess :o
Is the 8600GTS still a good choice? I do not intend to do hardcore gaming, but playing some 2007, 2008 games would be nice.


If you have any other comments, I'd be glad to hear them!

frain

PCIe x1 is not essential, but most TV tuners transitioned from PCI to PCI Express and sound cards are following.

8600 GTS was replaced by 9600 GT. For games, 9600 has near twice the performance of 8600.

Thanks for the feedback, renethx! The motherboard will be allright then: HD over cable is still in its infancy where I live, so I probably won't care for a TV tuner card in the next few years, and I only have a stereo sound setup, so I also have no need for a sophisticated sound card.

Regarding the graphics card: I would prefer a passively cooled one and I could not find one with a 9600GT chip. On the other hand, I found the Sapphire Ultimate Radeon HD 3870 which is <€200 and passively cooled. With regard to games performance, is the HD3870 comparable to the 9600GT?

Basically HD 3870 is equivalent to 9600 GT.

anyone have any comments for the Sapphire Ultimate 3850. Passively cooled. Would use it for gaming and for ht use when called upon. I know it's quite expensive but it looks like a great card(I like overkill).

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphire_hd_3850_ultimate/

thanks
Mike

Thanks for a great thread! After reading for what seems like forever, I think I have chosen all of my components. Please let me know what, if anything needs to be changed.

MB:GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB
Case: Antec Black Aluminum Veris Fusion Black 430
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler

OS: vista home premium

Thanks for a great thread! After reading for what seems like forever, I think I have chosen all of my components. Please let me know what, if anything needs to be changed.

MB:GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz 2 x 512KB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE WD5000AAJS 500GB
Case: Antec Black Aluminum Veris Fusion Black 430
LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler

OS: vista home premium
There are two caveats (which I should address in the guide).

- The chipset of GA-MA78GM-S2H may be still the revision A12 (engineering sample) that may (or may not) have bugs.

- You need a HT 3.0 processor to extract every last ounce of performance out of the HD 3200 graphics core (see this post).

with these caveats would you make any changes??

with these caveats would you make any changes??
Well, just wait until April. Mbs with the A13 revision and the cheap Phenom 9150e will be available by then.

thanks for the quick remark, I have come to the same conclusion on building a new htpc instead of upgrading.
Do you have an opinion on using unRaid?

Well, just wait until April. Mbs with the A13 revision and the cheap Phenom 9150e will be available by then.

You said this a month ago, when you said "Just wait until March."

Care to indicate how long it will really be? I'm guessing more like June, not April.

Edit: Fixed - no more problems.

I got the new Gigabyte board delivered on Monday, and I'm pretty happy with what I'm seeing so far, but I've got a problem. The system won't post unless I clear the CMOS every time. It doesn't seem to matter if I save default BIOS settings, or set them myself. I juggernauted through a Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 installation just for shits and giggles, but having to clear the CMOS every reboot is unacceptable, so I've got to find a fix.

Mobo: GA-MA78GM-S2H RS780
CPU: AMD 64 X2 5000+ Black (Scythe Ninja Mini)
RAM: Corsair XMS2 2x2GB x 2
Case: Antec Sonata III
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 500
HDD: 2xSamsung Spinpoint 750GB

Obviously the ram is overkill, but I got it very very cheap, and I'm gonna fiddle with some server virtualizatoin stuff anyway. I know the mobo might be buggy, but it doesn't look like other people are having this problem. I'm effectively going to turn this into a random backup 'puter when the 780G chipset matures and the G45 boards are released in competition later this year.

Other notes: I get a single short beep for everything-is-a-go after I clear the CMOS, and then F1 through a post error screen if I want to boot. If I restart (out of BIOS/Windows/whatever) I get nothing at all... the system just hangs after everything spins up. Any thoughts?

will it boot up OK with just 1 stick of ram? and 1 HD?

I was looking at getting one of those Gigabyte boards along with an AMD 5000+ or 5400+, but after hearing some issues with HD playback, from some users I'm second guessing that.

Is there a good mATX mobo I could pair with a standalone GPU that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? I'd really hate to pay for a nice board like the GB MA69 S2H and not even use the on-board graphics. Might as well save a few bucks to get a better GPU?

will it boot up OK with just 1 stick of ram? and 1 HD?

Yeah... I was being lazy and didn't want to pull pieces out. I got it all working on my lunch break. Boots every time. Thanks.

Yeah... I was being lazy and didn't want to pull pieces out. I got it all working on my lunch break. Boots every time. Thanks.

well.... what did you do? :)

I've been trying to learn about HTPCs for a while and this is a fantastic forum. I do have a few questions that I'd like your opinions on:

1. I have a 56" Samsung DLP TV (1080p) that I would like to hook up the HTPC to. I called Samsung and they say they support HTPC on their new models but not mine (a year old). Both the TV and my HT Receiver have HDMI connectors, do you think I'll have any problems?

2. I would like to put a gaming Videocard into the box. Would I be able to play games like Crysis on the TV at 1080p resolution with a 9800gx2 or comparable?

3. Will any audiocard be able to send digital signals through the HDMI out on the computer's videocard or only certain ones (and if certain one, which)?

4. And lastly, I've ripped a few dozen of my kids dvds to my home server already usinf anydvd and clonedvd. They are in multiple VOB files, is this the format I need to run them in on the HTPC for best quality or should I be converting them to a single file (MPEG-2?)?

Thanks again!

Joe

well.... what did you do? :)

Sorry, I should have stated in case someone else runs into it.

Since the only components I had installed were CPU, RAM, 2xHDD, and an optical drive I unhooked or uninstalled everything except 1 stick of ram and the HDD I had already installed vista on. It booted up from there no prob, and did so again after a reboot without clearing the CMOS.

Upon reboot I got a prompt screen asking about AHCI... I enabled it (not realizing at the time that because I had already installed Windows in IDE mode this would cause problems). I also saw (for the first time) that the board was recognizing my ram as SINGLE CHANNEL 64bit. I added the optical, and a second stick of ram, stopping the system at the BIOS level (since the hangups had been before that point previously). I repeated the steps adding a second DIMM, and then the third and fourth in one step since the system had recognized the first two together as DUAL CHANNEL 128bit. Then I tried to boot into Windows. I got a blue screen...

Thinking it was the RAM, I pulled out 3 DIMMs and tried again... same problem. I thought about it, realized I had allowed the BIOS to enable AHCI, and manually turned it off in the BIOS. The system booted into Windows without a hitch. I reinstalled all DIMMS, and the second HDD. Now everything runs smoothly.

I'm still not exactly sure why the system hung in the first place, but I can only assume it has something to do with the ram. Is it possible that the system did not recognize the four DIMMs as two sets of dual channel ram when simultaneously installed? Even if this is the case, why would it hang before the BIOS only on a reset?

Sorry, I should have stated in case someone else runs into it.

Since the only components I had installed were CPU, RAM, 2xHDD, and an optical drive I unhooked or uninstalled everything except 1 stick of ram and the HDD I had already installed vista on. It booted up from there no prob, and did so again after a reboot without clearing the CMOS.

Upon reboot I got a prompt screen asking about AHCI... I enabled it (not realizing at the time that because I had already installed Windows in IDE mode this would cause problems). I also saw (for the first time) that the board was recognizing my ram as SINGLE CHANNEL 64bit. I added the optical, and a second stick of ram, stopping the system at the BIOS level (since the hangups had been before that point previously). I repeated the steps adding a second DIMM, and then the third and fourth in one step since the system had recognized the first two together as DUAL CHANNEL 128bit. Then I tried to boot into Windows. I got a blue screen...

Thinking it was the RAM, I pulled out 3 DIMMs and tried again... same problem. I thought about it, realized I had allowed the BIOS to enable AHCI, and manually turned it off in the BIOS. The system booted into Windows without a hitch. I reinstalled all DIMMS, and the second HDD. Now everything runs smoothly.

I'm still not exactly sure why the system hung in the first place, but I can only assume it has something to do with the ram. Is it possible that the system did not recognize the four DIMMs as two sets of dual channel ram when simultaneously installed? Even if this is the case, why would it hang before the BIOS only on a reset?

first off great forum, i've been lurking and contemplating building another PC (HTPC). thanks to all you contributors.

i had a similar problem on an older Gigabyte board (GA-7N400L) when upgraded to x2 1Gb RAM...would not post with both sticks. removed one, and let it boot up, then shutdown and added the other in the second channel. got a "bolded" bios message "Dual Channel Enabled" with the full 2 Mb. no problems since.

Do you have an opinion on using unRaid?
It's a good OS for a media server.

Is there a good mATX mobo I could pair with a standalone GPU that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?
ECS AMD690GM-M2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813135049), $30 after rebate? It's still a AMD 690G board. Only two DIMM slots and PCI LAN chip though.

Also look at GeForce 6100 mbs (only two SATA ports).

1. I have a 56" Samsung DLP TV (1080p) that I would like to hook up the HTPC to. I called Samsung and they say they support HTPC on their new models but not mine (a year old). Both the TV and my HT Receiver have HDMI connectors, do you think I'll have any problems?

2. I would like to put a gaming Videocard into the box. Would I be able to play games like Crysis on the TV at 1080p resolution with a 9800gx2 or comparable?

3. Will any audiocard be able to send digital signals through the HDMI out on the computer's videocard or only certain ones (and if certain one, which)?

4. And lastly, I've ripped a few dozen of my kids dvds to my home server already usinf anydvd and clonedvd. They are in multiple VOB files, is this the format I need to run them in on the HTPC for best quality or should I be converting them to a single file (MPEG-2?)?
1. I can't say for sure, but there should be no problem.
2. No problem.
3. GeForce 9800 GX2 supports S/PDIF pass-through. So you connect the internal S/PDIF connector of the motherboard to the S/PDIF connector of the video card. You don't need a sound card.
4. VOB is fine, should be playable with many media players.

BTW 9800 GX2 supports HybridPower. So with an appropriate motherboard (GeForce 8200/750a SLI/780a SLI/MCP7A), you can turn off dGPU (discrete GPU = 9800 GX2) and save power when you do not play games.

1. I can't say for sure, but there should be no problem. (about 56" Samsung DLP TV (1080p) )


There are a lot of the early 1080p DLPs that won't accept 1080p via HDMI. Best to look in the Display forum here for your model to be sure.

I would assume it won't work. Component should work, but likely at 1080/30.

Thanks guys.

One more question (in two parts) I've read that most on board audio systems are not that good, do all soundcards have the internal connector for the video card? Also, does the 3870 x2 have a similar connector? Thanks again.

Joe

1. I have a 56" Samsung DLP TV (1080p) that I would like to hook up the HTPC to. I called Samsung and they say they support HTPC on their new models but not mine (a year old). Both the TV and my HT Receiver have HDMI connectors, do you think I'll have any problems?

Joe

My Samsung HLS6187W (08/2006 build) supports HDMI 1080p input. I use a Gigabyte 8500GT video card, DVI-HDMI adaptor cable.

One more question (in two parts) I've read that most on board audio systems are not that good, do all soundcards have the internal connector for the video card? Also, does the 3870 x2 have a similar connector?
Analog part of the onboard audio codec is poor. S/PDIF is as good as a discrete sound card. 95% of motherboards have an internal S/PDIF connector. I don't know about discrete sound cards. When choosing a sound card, you need to note two things:

- Not every sound card supports DTS Connect/Dolby Digital Live.
- Not every sound card supports EAX 5.0.

3870 X2 has a built-in HDMI audio controller so that you don't need an external sound device.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150229
is performance and price good for this card?

also if i get this dvi to hdmi cable and plug it from the xfx card to the lcd tv with hdmi will it provide sound through my pc speakers which are connected to the tv using rca white and red audio cables?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&cs_id=1023104&p_id=2405&seq=1&format=4#feedback

is this the setup to go or i'm i better off with this card?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127301

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150229
is performance and price good for this card?

also if i get this dvi to hdmi cable and plug it from the xfx card to the lcd tv with hdmi will it provide sound through my pc speakers which are connected to the tv using rca white and red audio cables?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&cs_id=1023104&p_id=2405&seq=1&format=4#feedback

is this the setup to go or i'm i better off with this card?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127301
This XFX model should be avoided because it does not support HDCP. Most 8500/8600 cards do not support S/PDIF pass-through. Exceptions are:

- ZOTAC ZT-85TEG2P-FCL 8500 GT
- ZOTAC ZT-86TEQ3P-FSL 8600 GT
- ZOTAC ZT-86TEQ4P-FCL 8600 GT (overclocked model)

in addition to the MSI model (MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH).

i just heard zotac has not so good warranty,how about this card i'm about to purchase this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127319

That does not support HDMI audio. Similar good cards are:

- XFX PV-T84J-UAL3
- XFX PV-T84J-YDF3

if you do not need S/PDIF pass-through.

i dont see anywhere on the xfx site about hdmi for this card
http://www.xfxforce.com/web/product/listConfigurationDetails.jspa?series=GeForce%26trade%3B+8600&productConfigurationId=1622995

i dont see anywhere on the xfx site about hdmi for this card
http://www.xfxforce.com/web/product/listConfigurationDetails.jspa?series=GeForce%26trade%3B+8600&productConfigurationId=1622995
So is MSI NX8600GT-T2D512E OC? If you need HDMI audio, the Zotac three models and MSI NX8500GT-MTD256EH are the only choices.

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=NX8600GT-T2D512E_OC&class=vga

i'm confused,on the bottom where it says,wont that allow me to hear sound from tv if using that s/pdif adaptor to the sound card?


The NVIDIA® GeForce® 8 Series graphics card supports HDMI with audio integration solution. With a DVI-to-HDMI adapter and an extra signal cord through the bracket, audio source from sound card(S/PDIF) can be integrated into HDMI interface by simply plugging the cord into the pinhead located on graphics card. Only 1 single HDMI cable is required while streaming audio/video data to flat-panel display devices, such as Plasma/LCD TVs, or projector

http://www.msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=NX8600GT-T2D512E_OC&class=vga

i'm confused,on the bottom where it says,wont that allow me to hear sound from tv if using that s/pdif adaptor to the sound card?
If MSI NX8600GT-T2D512E OC supports HDMI audio, then you will need a special DVI-HDMI dongle to extract audio from the DVI port (the blue dongle as seen in the MSI site). Unfortunately the model at Newegg.com does not come with it. "HDMI with Audio Integration Solution (Optional)" means that some retail version of the model may not support HDMI audio.

could i use the dvi to hdmi adaptor from monoprice or does it have to be the dvi to hdmi dongle?

could i use the dvi to hdmi adaptor from monoprice or does it have to be the dvi to hdmi dongle?
For ATI Radeon HD series cards, you need ATI's proprietary dongle. For GeForce 8-series, I don't know ... you may be able to get an answer from the MSI tech support.

thanks for your time and help

I'm working on designing my first HTPC. This thread has been a great help! Thought i would list my parts list here to check for any concerns before i pull the trigger:

Case: Omaura TF11 w/IR option
MB: GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W
Video: GIGABYTE GV-RX387512H Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
Memory: A-DATA 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
PS: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W
HD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Cooling: ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO
OS: Vista

Any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks.

I'm working on designing my first HTPC. This thread has been a great help! Thought i would list my parts list here to check for any concerns before i pull the trigger:

Case: Omaura TF11 w/IR option
MB: GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 Conroe 2.66GHz LGA 775 65W
Video: GIGABYTE GV-RX387512H Radeon HD 3870 512MB 256-bit GDDR3
Memory: A-DATA 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
PS: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W
HD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Cooling: ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO
OS: Vista

Any feedback would be appreciated! Thanks.

Check the new Enermax PSU. Right now it will cost $50 more than Corsair though. ;)

My current setup is a Samsung LNT 4061f (supports 1080p) with a ReplayTV and standard DVD player; there are no speakers/receiver/etc. I'd like to wrap the PVR and DVD player functionality into a HTPC and I have no short-term plans to add a receiver or external speakers.

Some general questions:

1) To reduce power consumption, is it possible to configure an HTPC such that it will, for example, suspend to S3 and then wake itself up to record a show? What hardware/software is required?

2) My HDTV supports both DVI and HDMI. If I plan to watch only standard DVDs and non-Encrypted HD TV, is there a difference between these two connects?

3) To watch standard DVDs via HTPC, is there any particular hardware required beyond a simple DVD/RW? I understand that people will upsample DVDs, but it's unclear to me whether that's done on-the-fly while viewing? Or, is the DVD ripped, upsampled, and then viewed?

4) In what scenarios is hardware HD encoding/decoding required? I'm considering the Low-End II system described earlier in this thread and that's the one limitation mentioned.

5) Since my TV supports 1080p, but most current HDTV is only 720p or 1080i, is upsampling possible? If yes, is it done on-the-fly? Or, is post-processing required?

This thread is a great resource, thanks!

Getting ready to build my baby.

Here's the part list:

Scythe Mini Ninja - 32.00
AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition - 220.00
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H - 86.00
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB - 99.99
Samsung Spinpoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB - 96.00
BLK MEDIA CENTER CASE ANTEC FUSION 430 - 157.00
Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote - 142.00
LG Electronics GGC-H20L LightScribe Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo Drive - 168.00

Total 1000.99 before taxes. All prices CAD.

What do you guys think?

The parts I'm not sure about are the CPU (would rather get the 9150e), the ram (2gb should be ok, but the price difference is negligeable), the remote and the case.

If you know of any cheaper alternatives without much performance difference please reply.

That machine will be primarily used for watching HD satellite feed (didn't choose the hd sat tuner card yet).

Thanks!!!

The 2.8GHz AM2 X2's are on sale at new egg right now for less than $100. I cant see how the Phenom 9600 is worth double that price :)

Good choice with the remote however, I control my HTPC with the same harmony!

The 2.8GHz AM2 X2's are on sale at new egg right now for less than $100. I cant see how the Phenom 9600 is worth double that price :)

Good choice with the remote however, I control my HTPC with the same harmony!

The phenom is needed for HT 3.0

Don't know if it is needed for my setup... It might be the best way to cut on the total price.

The 5000+ Black Edition is available for 83.00

I might get it and wait for the 9150e (if needed) instead of going with the 9600.

Thanks for pointing that out! :)

Will the new AMD 4160e (low power CPUs) be powerful enough? Do we really need a Phenom do make the HTPC work nicely?

Getting ready to build my baby.

Here's the part list:

Scythe Mini Ninja - 32.00
AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition - 220.00
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H - 86.00
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB - 99.99
Samsung Spinpoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB - 96.00
BLK MEDIA CENTER CASE ANTEC FUSION 430 - 157.00
Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote - 142.00
LG Electronics GGC-H20L LightScribe Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo Drive - 168.00

Total 1000.99 before taxes. All prices CAD.

What do you guys think?

The parts I'm not sure about are the CPU (would rather get the 9150e), the ram (2gb should be ok, but the price difference is negligeable), the remote and the case.

If you know of any cheaper alternatives without much performance difference please reply.

That machine will be primarily used for watching HD satellite feed (didn't choose the hd sat tuner card yet).

Thanks!!!
Will the Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote work with most TV/HD sat tuner cards in this configuration?

Getting ready to build my baby.

Here's the part list:

Scythe Mini Ninja - 32.00
AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition - 220.00
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H - 86.00
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB - 99.99
Samsung Spinpoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB - 96.00
BLK MEDIA CENTER CASE ANTEC FUSION 430 - 157.00
Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote - 142.00
LG Electronics GGC-H20L LightScribe Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo Drive - 168.00

Total 1000.99 before taxes. All prices CAD.

What do you guys think?

The parts I'm not sure about are the CPU (would rather get the 9150e), the ram (2gb should be ok, but the price difference is negligeable), the remote and the case.

If you know of any cheaper alternatives without much performance difference please reply.

That machine will be primarily used for watching HD satellite feed (didn't choose the hd sat tuner card yet).

Thanks!!!

Where are you getting the combo drive for $168.00?

Was hoping that was US $$$:eek:

I decided to build from scratch.

MicroFly Ultra Micro (depth limitation in entertaiment center. $79

Intel Pentium Dual core E2200 2.2GHz. $79

EVGA e-7100/630i w/DVI out HDCP compliant $69

Corsair 2 x 1 GB DDR2-800. $29

WD SATA 250GB $69

I was planning to use the onboard graphics and connect DVI to HDMI on a Sony V3000 1080p LCD. Suggestions?

In my other HTPC I have an ATI Radeon HD2400 and Digital Mystique Dolby Digital Sound card. I could use these products if the integrated graphic and sound aren't performing well.

I would like to add a blu-ray drive in the near future. Would this system handle CyberLink Ultra playing bluray?

My current setup is a Samsung LNT 4061f (supports 1080p) with a ReplayTV and standard DVD player; there are no speakers/receiver/etc. I'd like to wrap the PVR and DVD player functionality into a HTPC and I have no short-term plans to add a receiver or external speakers.

Some general questions:

1) To reduce power consumption, is it possible to configure an HTPC such that it will, for example, suspend to S3 and then wake itself up to record a show? What hardware/software is required?

2) My HDTV supports both DVI and HDMI. If I plan to watch only standard DVDs and non-Encrypted HD TV, is there a difference between these two connects?

3) To watch standard DVDs via HTPC, is there any particular hardware required beyond a simple DVD/RW? I understand that people will upsample DVDs, but it's unclear to me whether that's done on-the-fly while viewing? Or, is the DVD ripped, upsampled, and then viewed?

4) In what scenarios is hardware HD encoding/decoding required? I'm considering the Low-End II system described earlier in this thread and that's the one limitation mentioned.

5) Since my TV supports 1080p, but most current HDTV is only 720p or 1080i, is upsampling possible? If yes, is it done on-the-fly? Or, is post-processing required?

This thread is a great resource, thanks!

1) Yes, for example under VMC. What you need is the support by the motherboard.

2) Basically DVI = HDMI in video. There is no difference.

3) Upsampling is done automatically by graphics card.

4) HD decoding is always necessary to play back HD contents encoded in MPEG-2/VC-1/H.264 or whatever format (e.g. BD/HD DVD movies). HD encoding (actually transcoding) will happen, for example, when you want to save a MPEG-2 content in another format, say H.264.

5) Your question is a bit unclear. Upsampling is part of post-processing and done by the grahics card (on-the-fly). There should be no problem.

Just did a minor rebuild and got some nice results.

Previously I had a Biostar 7050 with a AMD X2 4000+ @ 2.6 Ghz. Most video would run but had a slight stutter which was just barely noticeable. Just upgraded to Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H and AMD X2 5000+ @ 3.0ghz. Everything runs much more smoothly and quite cool considering the boost. Seeing as that mobo+chip and 2gb of RAM is right around $220 from newegg it would be hard to suggest anything else at this point.

MicroFly Ultra Micro (depth limitation in entertaiment center. $79

Intel Pentium Dual core E2200 2.2GHz. $79

EVGA e-7100/630i w/DVI out HDCP compliant $69

Corsair 2 x 1 GB DDR2-800. $29

WD SATA 250GB $69

I was planning to use the onboard graphics and connect DVI to HDMI on a Sony V3000 1080p LCD. Suggestions?

In my other HTPC I have an ATI Radeon HD2400 and Digital Mystique Dolby Digital Sound card. I could use these products if the integrated graphic and sound aren't performing well.

I would like to add a blu-ray drive in the near future. Would this system handle CyberLink Ultra playing bluray?
Coaxial S/PDIF is in only. So you need to use the optical port. The onboad video is not good for PowerDVD. You will need a discrete graphics eventually.

- 太平洋电脑网Pconline – nVIDIA GeForce 9500GT全球首发详细评测对比评测 (March 20, 2008) (http://www.pconline.com.cn/diy/graphics/reviews/0803/1248604.html)
- English translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pconline.com.cn%2Fdiy%2Fgraphic s%2Freviews%2F0803%2F1248604.html&langpair=zh%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8)

GeForce 9500 GT replaces GeForce 8500 GT. It supports PureVideo HD Gen 3 (full hardware decode for VC-1) and HybridPower.

Hi i am just curious which onboard sound would be best suited for decoding DTS-MA. I am looking at the Realtek 885, 888, and 889A. Are all of these sufficient, or will 1 do a better job than another?

I will be using the analog outputs to my Onkyo 805.

Am i better off just scrapping the onboard sound altogether and getting a soundcard?

Ideally i would like to use the onboard sound.

Thanks!

I finally ordered my parts yesterday.

The lucky winners:

Scythe Mini Ninja - 32.00
AMD 5000+ Black Edition unlocked - 85.00
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H - 86.00
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 2GB 2X1GB - 64.99
Samsung Spinpoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB - 96.00
BLK MEDIA CENTER CASE ANTEC FUSION 430 - 157.00
Microsoft remote with ir receiver - 22.00
LG Electronics GGC-H20L LightScribe Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo Drive - 168.00
Digiwave 103g sat tuner - 59.00

Total 860.00 including shipping/insurance/taxes. All prices CAD.

I decided to dump the harmony 880 because I already have the harmony 620.
But couldn't resist the microsoft remote as it was only 22$ and recommended here.

As stated previously I switched the 9600 phenom for a 5000+.
Saved 135$ and it should be powerful enough.

Went down from 4GB ram to 2GB ram mainly because it has been said that 2gb is enough. I still have mixed feelings about that because the digiwave 103g comes with a remote compatible with MyTheater and others, so maybe I should have kept the 4GB and forget the microsoft remote. Oh well...
If you have comments/suggestions about that just reply as I still have a day or two to change my mind.

One thing for sure: this machine will look good in my living room :)

Hi i am just curious which onboard sound would be best suited for decoding DTS-MA. I am looking at the Realtek 885, 888, and 889A. Are all of these sufficient, or will 1 do a better job than another?

I will be using the analog outputs to my Onkyo 805.

Am i better off just scrapping the onboard sound altogether and getting a soundcard?
Decoding is done by a software player like PowerDVD. If you use analog sound, ALC889A is the best among them, but you'd better buy a sound card.

How about this for a HTPC?

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard
PALiT NE/960TSX0252 GeForce 9600GT 512MB
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750
G.SKILL 4GB
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM - $179 at the egg
Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI"
Thermaltake Purepower RX W0144RU ATX12V / EPS12V 600W
and

OrigenAE S21T

How about this for a HTPC?

GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX All Solid Capacitor Intel Motherboard
PALiT NE/960TSX0252 GeForce 9600GT 512MB
Intel Core 2 Duo E6750
G.SKILL 4GB
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD753LJ 750GB
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM - $179 at the egg
Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI"
Thermaltake Purepower RX W0144RU ATX12V / EPS12V 600W
and

OrigenAE S21T
Looks fine.

With the price of the 5000+ BE being the same as the 5400+ non BE (OEM edition), what benefit is the 5000+ BE for me?

AFAIK, the BE only adds overclockability. Would I need to overclock this processor if combined with the new accelleration mobos (such as the 8200)?

I do not plan on overclocking unless I have to do so, so I currently plan on getter the higher clocked 5400+ (since neither comes with a HSF).

Is this wise, or am I missing something vital about the black editions?

With the price of the 5000+ BE being the same as the 5400+ non BE (OEM edition), what benefit is the 5000+ BE for me?

AFAIK, the BE only adds overclockability. Would I need to overclock this processor if combined with the new accelleration mobos (such as the 8200)?

I do not plan on overclocking unless I have to do so, so I currently plan on getter the higher clocked 5400+ (since neither comes with a HSF).

Is this wise, or am I missing something vital about the black editions?

Nope, you have it - unlocked multiplier (overclocking) is the big feature of the black editions. And, they don't come with a heatsink / cooler so you'd have to spend additional for that. I would agree that the 5400+ makes more sense in your case.

Renethx,

Thank you very much for this invaluable service. I've almost decide to build the Mid-range MicroATX system you described in the recommended systems section as my first build, but I want it to be able to handle most games as well. Consequently, I'm interested in using either the 9600GT, 3870 or possibly the 3870 x2 as my videocard (no need for an audio connection on the ATI cards). Would you still recommend the same mobo (ASUS P5K-VM) now in March 2008? I considered the 780G in Crossfire, but the reviews indicated that most games couldn't be played in 1900x1200 (not just Crysis)

Also, should I be concerned with size of the videocard in the Antec Fusion Black 430 case?

Thanks again for your help.

Renethx,

Thank you very much for this invaluable service. I've almost decide to build the Mid-range MicroATX system you described in the recommended systems section as my first build, but I want it to be able to handle most games as well. Consequently, I'm interested in using either the 9600GT, 3870 or possibly the 3870 x2 as my videocard (no need for an audio connection on the ATI cards). Would you still recommend the same mobo (ASUS P5K-VM) now in March 2008? I considered the 780G in Crossfire, but the reviews indicated that most games couldn't be played in 1900x1200 (not just Crysis)

Also, should I be concerned with size of the videocard in the Antec Fusion Black 430 case?

Thanks again for your help.

I'm not sure where I read it but I'm 99% sure I read a 9600gt will fit into the fusion 430. Honestly if you are using discrete hardware accelerated graphics any motherboard that has the features you need should work for you!

If I am going to be using Digital Audio (the HDMI output), will the lower frequency issues of the IDT 92HD202 cause me problems?

Or is that only in the analog conversion?

EDIT: Reason I ask is that I want a full sized mobo, and this is the only one available right now:

A780GM-A (http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebSite/Products/ProductsDetail.aspx?detailid=866&CategoryID=-1&DetailName=Specification&MenuID=123&LanID=9)

EDIT EDIT: NVM, after reading a bit about that sound chip, I have decided the pain of actually getting it to work is not worth the effort - especially for a sub par chip.

I might just take the plunge and do the Gigabyte board.

Getting ready to build my baby.

Here's the part list:

Scythe Mini Ninja - 32.00
AMD Phenom 9600 Black Edition - 220.00
Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H - 86.00
Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 4GB 2X2GB - 99.99
Samsung Spinpoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB - 96.00
BLK MEDIA CENTER CASE ANTEC FUSION 430 - 157.00
Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote - 142.00
LG Electronics GGC-H20L LightScribe Blu-ray/HD DVD Combo Drive - 168.00

Total 1000.99 before taxes. All prices CAD.

What do you guys think?

The parts I'm not sure about are the CPU (would rather get the 9150e), the ram (2gb should be ok, but the price difference is negligeable), the remote and the case.

If you know of any cheaper alternatives without much performance difference please reply.

That machine will be primarily used for watching HD satellite feed (didn't choose the hd sat tuner card yet).

Thanks!!!


Nice system. I built one very similar. But why spend $220 on a phenom? Spend $90 on a ~2.5Ghz X2, which is more than adequate, and throw the rest at a 750GB or 1TB HDD for storage space for movie rips. :D The highest CPU utilization I ever see when watching a movie is ~50%.

As for the case, I bought a LIAN-LI PC-C35B. Awesome case, as long as you accept that you only have enough drive bays for 1 DVD drive, 1 HDD, and you won't be installing any expansion cards without some metal work.

Renethx,

Thank you very much for this invaluable service. I've almost decide to build the Mid-range MicroATX system you described in the recommended systems section as my first build, but I want it to be able to handle most games as well. Consequently, I'm interested in using either the 9600GT, 3870 or possibly the 3870 x2 as my videocard (no need for an audio connection on the ATI cards). Would you still recommend the same mobo (ASUS P5K-VM) now in March 2008? I considered the 780G in Crossfire, but the reviews indicated that most games couldn't be played in 1900x1200 (not just Crysis)

Also, should I be concerned with size of the videocard in the Antec Fusion Black 430 case?

Thanks again for your help.
Basically any G35/G33/G31 mATX mb should be fine for a HTPC gaming machine. ASUS P5K-VM is still of good value.

9600 GT/8800 GT/HD 3870 fits Antec Fusion 430. They are almost of the same card length. However HD 3870 X2 is about 4 cm longer and will not fit. This is a picture of NSK2480 (the same size as Fusion 430) and GeForce 9600 GT.

I'm building an unRAID server and would like a little advice. The systems recommended in the Home Media Server section of this guide are a little more than I need. I am planning to start with just 3 1TB drives and build it up when needed. So to start with, I'm just going to use an existing tower case, video card, etc. I need a new motherboard, cpu and possibly power supply.

Ideally, I want an inexpensive motherboard that is compatible with unRAID and after reading lime technology's forums, it seems many people are recommending these:

ABIT AB9 Pro LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127004)

GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Dynamic Energy Saver Ultra Durable II Intel Motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128086&Tpk=Gigabyte%2bGA-EP35-DS3R)

I guess the key features for either of these are:

1) enough SATA connections?

the Abit has 9, and the Gigabyte has 8.

2) they both support boot from USB memory drives

3) is the built-in LAN chip compatible with the OS in unRAID

the Realtek LAN chipsets don't work with the current released version of unRAID, but there are reports that it will work with the latest beta.

The price of the Abit (with rebate) makes it a good value. I also think the energy saving features of the Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3R only work if you are running a Windows OS.

I'm also trying to decide on the CPU. Apparently, unRAID doesn't utilize both cores of a dual core CPU, but they are saying that this may change with a future version. So I could either go with a lowcost single core now and upgrade to a dual core later. This shouldn't be a big deal even if I have to reinstall the OS, especially since it is just on the USB flash memory drive. Any thoughts/recommendations on the CPU?

Thanks for this great thread!!!

greggplummer

- Celeron 420/430/440, $42/$52/$60
- Celeron Dual-Core E1200, $60
- Pentium Dual-Core E2160, $70

Price difference between single-core and dual-core is not so big. So go for dual-core. I can't see E1200 in the CPU List (http://www.abit.com.tw/cpu-support-list/mb/intel_p965_ab9_series.htm) unfortunately. (It was released in January 2008 and the last BIOS update was November 2007.) So Pentium DC E2160 is the lowest dual-core processor that works with abit AB9 Pro.

Will i have any problem running a PCI-e x16 2.0 card on in a 1.0 slot? I thought it would be fine, but a few reviews of various 3870s show some as not working with 1.0 slots.

Also will i be ok with just a 6-pin PCI-e on the PSU, or do i need to spring for a PSU with 8-pin?

what is the min specs to be able to play back 1080p and a 5.1 feed?

ram?
pc?

i am also trying to go with the lowest power consumption... so i was looking at the ASUS P5E-VM and e8xxx Processor

First off, I am brand new to all of this.:eek:

I want to be able to hook up my Panasonic TH-42PZ77U

to my computer. And I wan to get Video and Sound.

Here's what I am working with:

I have a Dell Dimension 9100.
It has a Radeon X300 (DVI PORT, S CABLE PORT and VGA PORT).
And my computer monitor is a Dell E193FP (LCD with VGA PORT)
My Panasonic has a HDMI PORT.

Where do I go from here to make this happen!!!???????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I hooked up my panasonic with a dvi to hdmi cable... got picture that didn't fit... but no sound.
I have ordered a 3.5mm to RCA cable for sound, but it hasn't arrived yet.
I have also ordered a GeForce 8600GT (But now realize that it doesn't seem to even have a VGA Port for my Dell LCD monitor).

I'm Friggin' LOST! Is there anyone who can help? I would be so thankful!

First off, I am brand new to all of this.:eek:

I want to be able to hook up my Panasonic TH-42PZ77U

to my computer. And I wan to get Video and Sound.

Here's what I am working with:

I have a Dell Dimension 9100.
It has a Radeon X300 (DVI PORT, S CABLE PORT and VGA PORT).
And my computer monitor is a Dell E193FP (LCD with VGA PORT)
My Panasonic has a HDMI PORT.

Where do I go from here to make this happen!!!???????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I hooked up my panasonic with a dvi to hdmi cable... got picture that didn't fit... but no sound.
I have ordered a 3.5mm to RCA cable for sound, but it hasn't arrived yet.
I have also ordered a GeForce 8600GT (But now realize that it doesn't seem to even have a VGA Port for my Dell LCD monitor).

I'm Friggin' LOST! Is there anyone who can help? I would be so thankful!

Going backwards here:

No problem on the VGA port to your Dell monitor - the video card will come with (should?) a DVI->VGA adapter. If not, PM me and I'll send you one for postage, I have hundreds lying around! Your Dell monitor may already have a DVI connector, depending on its age, so you wouldn't even need the DVI->VGA adapter.

You'll have to provide audio to the tv, as the DVI-HDMI adapter won't carry an audio signal, and it sounds like you have that cable on its way. You'll have to adjust the video out to the TV to be an HDTV (1080p) format, which you'll be able to do through the Nvidia control panel once you get your new video card installed.

Will i have any problem running a PCI-e x16 2.0 card on in a 1.0 slot? I thought it would be fine, but a few reviews of various 3870s show some as not working with 1.0 slots.

Also will i be ok with just a 6-pin PCI-e on the PSU, or do i need to spring for a PSU with 8-pin?
In general there should be no problem as PCIe 2.0 is backward compatible. However the incompatibility of PCIe 2.0 cards with PCIe 1.0 mb is reported.

If the video card has a 8-pin power connector, you will need a PSU with 8-pin. However a 2 x 4-pin peripheral power to 8-pin PCIe power adapter is sometimes included in a card like
this one (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowImage.aspx?Image=14-102-723-03.jpg%2c14-102-723-04.jpg%2c14-102-723-05.jpg%2c14-102-723-06.jpg%2c14-102-723-07.jpg%2c14-102-723-08.jpg%2c14-102-723-09.jpg%2c14-102-723-02.jpg&CurImage=14-102-723-03.jpg&WaterMark=1&Item=N82E16814102723&Description=SAPPHIRE+100221SR+Radeon+HD+3870+X2+1GB+(512MB+x +2)+256-bit+GDDR3+PCI+Express+x16+HDCP+Ready+CrossFire+Supported+Vid eo+Card+-+Retail).

what is the min specs to be able to play back 1080p and a 5.1 feed?

ram?
pc?

i am also trying to go with the lowest power consumption... so i was looking at the ASUS P5E-VM and e8xxx Processor
If you go with ASUS P5E-VM HDMI, the minimum specs is

- Processor: Core 2 Duo E8400 or Core 2 Quad Q6600/Q9300
- Memory: DDR2-800 2 x 1GB
- Onboard video and onboard sound

In general there should be no problem as PCIe 2.0 is backward compatible. However the incompatibility of PCIe 2.0 cards with PCIe 1.0 mb is reported.

If the video card has a 8-pin power connector, you will need a PSU with 8-pin.

Thanks for the help! The card i'm looking at is this Diamond 3870: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16814103050
And the PSU is: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817153052

Under the card's sysreqs it only says 6-pin, so it sounds like i should be a-ok.

Couple of questions regarding Zerotherm BTF90 cpu fan and Corsair HX620w psu fan placement in a silverstone LC18 case. I am currently in the process of building and have placed the corsair HX620 psu in the case with the fan facing out the side vent - is this the preferred placement or should it be reversed? Which direction should the fan on the BTF 90 face? I was thinking of having it face the rear near the back fans and I/O panel or alternatively reversing that and having the fan face toward the front of the case near the RAM - any suggestions? Thanks

Couple of questions regarding Zerotherm BTF90 cpu fan and Corsair HX620w psu fan placement in a silverstone LC18 case. I am currently in the process of building and have placed the corsair HX620 psu in the case with the fan facing out the side vent - is this the preferred placement or should it be reversed? Which direction should the fan on the BTF 90 face? I was thinking of having it face the rear near the back fans and I/O panel or alternatively reversing that and having the fan face toward the front of the case near the RAM - any suggestions? Thanks
The PSU fan should face toward the side vent. The BTF90 fan should face toward the case front.

So, it's time to put in the order for my video and sound card.

These are the 4 video cards I'm looking at after going through the first page of this thread

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500007 (I know the other zotac is overclocked more, I just don't think I'm going to make use of it enough to warrent it)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103050

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102719

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150252

Performance-wise all three of those should more than do the job for what I need. My main consideration now is, will I be able to get video and audio up and running through hdmi with those? If yes to all three, which would be my best bet? If no to all three then what do I need to look at as an alternative? I would like to get everything running through hdmi but I'd be fine with getting the video through dvi-hdmi and running analogue for the audio if I need to.

Also, as far as sound cards go, I do listen to a lot of music through my computer. My sound system is mid-end at the moment but I have something a bit better in the works. So, I want to get fairly high quality audio out of my computer. Any suggestions for sound cards? Just out of curiousity, would I actually be better off not going the hdmi route as far as audio is concerned?

lern2swim

- ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT: no built-in HDMI audio controller, but supports S/PDIF pass-through over HDMI. You need to connect the S/PDIF connector of the card to the motherboard's S/PDIF connector.
- Radeon HD 3870: HDMI audio controller is built-in.
- XFX GeForce 8800 GT: does not support HDMI audio.

I prefer S/PDIF pass-through (Zotac) because this is perhaps the most trouble-free.

As for a sound card, you'd better wait for a couple of months to see what options are available. HDMI sound cards and chipsets supporting multichannel lossless LPCM audio over HDMI will be available soon. BTW what kind of music do you listen to (CD, DVD-Audio etc.)?

I prefer S/PDIF pass-through (Zotac) because this is perhaps the most trouble-free.

As for a sound card, you'd better wait for a couple of months to see what options are available. HDMI sound cards and chipsets supporting multichannel lossless LPCM audio over HDMI will be available soon.
S/PDIF passthrough may be trouble-free with that card but it's really no advantage over running video over HDMI and audio via optical toslink (SPDIF) as far as I know. So, the only advantage to purchasing that card is that you can use a single cable (i.e. HDMI but only with SPDIF passthrough) solution to your receiver/prepro.

I'm looking at very similar cards (and I basically have similar objectives in mind) and for the $$$$ the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130325
EVGA 8800GTS (G92) 512MB HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Overclocked version at 670MHz

may be a better bang for buck ($185 vs $230) if you game at all since you get an OC'd 8800GTS with significantly higher performance than the Zotac for the extra $45. I know the 8800GT is already overkill for many HTPC applications but it does help "future proof" by raising graphics performance levels for just a few extra bucks.

Of course you can't do SPDIF passthrough HDMI with that EVGA card but as you suggested the HDMI soundcards should be out soon and they are a superior solution than SPDIF passthrough.

I'm looking at the Gigabyte DS3R board because it has the Realtek ALC889A integrated audio, which should be a good solution (for SPDIF digital out) until new discrete HDMI soundcards hit the shelves.

I also prefer the EVGA name to the new-kid-on-the-block Zotac even though I've heard good things about them.

Just my thinking on the decision anyway.

lern2swim

- ZOTAC GeForce 8800 GT: no built-in HDMI audio controller, but supports S/PDIF pass-through over HDMI. You need to connect the S/PDIF connector of the card to the motherboard's S/PDIF connector.
- Radeon HD 3870: HDMI audio controller is built-in.
- XFX GeForce 8800 GT: does not support HDMI audio.

I prefer S/PDIF pass-through (Zotac) because this is perhaps the most trouble-free.

As for a sound card, you'd better wait for a couple of months to see what options are available. HDMI sound cards and chipsets supporting multichannel lossless LPCM audio over HDMI will be available soon. BTW what kind of music do you listen to (CD, DVD-Audio etc.)?

Okay, so if I'm going to wait for the hdmi sound cards then which video card would be my best bet? Does it matter in that case? How are those going to work? Will the sound card feed into the video card using an hdmi connection?

As far as what kind of music I listen to, cd's. I haven't gone over to lossless yet because, in my opinion, the options for lossless music just aren't complete enough yet. I don't want to have limited tags and I don't want to have to worry about whether or not my music is going to play on an mp3 player I get down the road. I have about 100gigs of music through media monkey. Right now everything is at least 192 and I'm gradually switching everything up to 320 until lossless becomes more viable. I can hear the limitations of it now but I know that it's mostly due to the old, weak sound card and outputs of my computer.

Okay, so if I'm going to wait for the hdmi sound cards then which video card would be my best bet? Does it matter in that case? How are those going to work? Will the sound card feed into the video card using an hdmi connection?


The video card will feed into the sound card on an HDMI input. You will need to turn off the sound portion of the video card's HDMI output.

The sound card will add the sound to the video stream, and pass it out as a combined stream.

The video card will feed into the sound card on an HDMI input. You will need to turn off the sound portion of the video card's HDMI output.

The sound card will add the sound to the video stream, and pass it out as a combined stream.

Okay, sounds like a good solution. So, which of the video cards I posted should I go with to take advantage of that? (or any other video card that anyone has to recommend)

Any video card (with DVI and or HDMI outs) that you listed will work with the upcoming HDMI sound cards (which just require the DVI input). Since you are not interested in gaming (for which the card I linked above is a great choice) I'd go for one of the Radeon HD3870s. It is plenty powerful for HD/Bluray playback and has several nice features for HTPC (non gaming) use. I've also heard many reviewers suggest that the 3870 also creates a superior quality picture for multimedia (i.e. HTPC related uses).

The 8800GT however is always a great performer for the price.

I don't think you can really go wrong with either.

Any video card (with DVI and or HDMI outs) that you listed will work with the upcoming HDMI sound cards (which just require the DVI input). Since you are not interested in gaming (for which the card I linked above is a great choice) I'd go for one of the Radeon HD3870s. It is plenty powerful for HD/Bluray playback and has several nice features for HTPC (non gaming) use. I've also heard many reviewers suggest that the 3870 also creates a superior quality picture for multimedia (i.e. HTPC related uses).

The 8800GT however is always a great performer for the price.

I don't think you can really go wrong with either.

If he's not interested in gaming, why get a HD3870??

A $50 HD3450 is plenty for his needs.

Well, I agree completely... those were the cards he listed however so perhaps he has reason to go to a mid-grade video card rather than low-end.

Either way I agree the 3870 is overkill for simple bluray playback

Perhaps post-processing capability of HD 3450 is in question. HD 3470 (~$65) is a good all-round HTPC card (HQV: 125/130, HD HQV: 82/100; here (http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2602&Itemid=230)). However, as the price difference between HD 3470 and HD 3650 (~$75) is very small, I recommend

- Radeon HD 3650

instead, and of course

- Radeon HD 3850
- Radeon HD 3870

if you want to spend more (for 3D performance). If you prefer NVIDIA, then

- GeForce 8600 GT/GTS or
- GeForce 9500 GS/GT (April-June)

9500 replaces 8600 and supports PureVideo Gen 3 (full HA for VC-1) and HybridPower. You may select

- GeForce 9600 GT
- GeForce 8800 GT

An advantage of 9600/8800 is that they have more stream processors (3D engine; 64/112 vs. 32 in 8600/9500) that can be used for "Dynamic Contrast Enhancement" and "Automatic Green, Blue & Skin Tone Enhancements". 9600/8800 supports PureVideo HD Gen 2 (partial HA for VC-1), but that does not matter for a dual-core CPU.

The current HDMI audio (of discrete graphics cards) supports only S/PDIF-level audio. So the only advantage of HDMI is just one cable for audio/video. Radeon HD 3xxx series all have a built-in HDMI audio controller. NVIDIA lacks it. Many 9600 GT cards and some 8800 GT cards support S/PDIF pass-through, however. 9600 GT with DTS Connect pass-through is a good solution (of course temporary until true HDMI audio is available).

If he's not interested in gaming, why get a HD3870??

A $50 HD3450 is plenty for his needs.

I'm going to be using it for some gaming. Nothing taxing though. Emulated stuff mostly. Also, I would like to be fairly future proof

Hardware-wise I consider this thread the holy grail for building an HTPC. But, now I've built my first HTPC I'm in for a holy grail for Vista Media Center setup and configuration... Especially things like codec configurations, 50/60Hz issues, PAL/NTSC issues, ... are stuff that lots of people have issues with I guess.

What's a good lead? I'd like to keep it simple, so that also my no-so-technical girlfriend can play any type of movie (dvd-disc, dvd image, dvd-video_ts folder, avi files, mkv files, ....) by using the MCE remote control.

If you believe in KISS, for codecs just install ffdshow-tryouts and haali.

was wondering if its a good idea to go ahead and get the NSK2480
case which is $100 plus $20 mail in rebate since thats the case i like,was thinking of building around this case with the q6660 chip,using renethx setup which is,was thinking of adding 2 hard drives and 1 video card and 1 burner plus a dvd drive.what do u guys think?

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E2220 2.4GHz Socket 775, $84. An alternative is Pentium Dual-Core E2200 2.2GHz, $84.
CPU Cooler: Scythe NINJA MINI, $35.
Motherboard: eVGA e-7100/630i 112-CK-NF75-K1 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 and nForce 630i chipset microATX, $70. An alternative is GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H, $70, that comes with a HDMI port.
Memory: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $29 (after rebate at Newegg.com).
Graphics Card: XFX GeForce 8500 GT PV-T86J-YAHG, $70. An alternative is ATI Radeon HD 3450, $50.
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint T166 500GB HD501LJ 500GB SATA, $106.
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA 380 (included in the case), $0.
Case: Antec NSK2480, $75.
Total Cost: $469

What do you think about the below system. I will use it mostly for movies, but some gaming to. Am I missing anything, would anything not fit or be compatable? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Especially any recommendations to get the same performance from cheaper parts. Thanks.

From Newegg:
1 SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8mm SECC body GD01B-R ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail $144.99
1 EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $259.99
2 EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT $179.99 $359.98
1 OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail $124.99
1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail $269.99
1 Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600) Dual Channel Kit $129.99
2 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $259.98
1 Logitech diNovo Edge 2-Tone USB Bluetooth Wireless Mini Keyboard - Retail $161.99
1 LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GGC-H20L - Retail $179.99
1 Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler - Retail $34.99
Subtotal: $1,926.88

Where can I get the GA-MA78GM-S2H for $81? Everywhere I look if its in stock its anywhere from $90-$100 plus shipping.

What do you think about the below system. I will use it mostly for movies, but some gaming to. Am I missing anything, would anything not fit or be compatable? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Especially any recommendations to get the same performance from cheaper parts. Thanks.

From Newegg:
1 SILVERSTONE Black Aluminum front panel, 0.8mm SECC body GD01B-R ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail $144.99
1 EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $259.99
2 EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT $179.99 $359.98
1 OCZ GameXStream OCZ700GXSSLI ATX12V 700W Power Supply - Retail $124.99
1 Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E6850 - Retail $269.99
1 Patriot Extreme Performance 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1200 (PC2 9600) Dual Channel Kit $129.99
2 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $259.98
1 Logitech diNovo Edge 2-Tone USB Bluetooth Wireless Mini Keyboard - Retail $161.99
1 LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GGC-H20L - Retail $179.99
1 Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler - Retail $34.99
Subtotal: $1,926.88

that should scream. any reason for the 1 EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $259.99 ?
SLI i'm guessing.

that should scream. any reason for the 1 EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $259.99 ?
SLI i'm guessing.

It's SLI certified by Nvidia basically. Only 2 780i's were.

Joe

fpsfreak

I recommend GeForce 8600 GT or Radeon HD 3470 for better video playback. Some GeForce 8600 GT card is now only $50 after rebate. I will update the recommedations shortly.

Where can I get the GA-MA78GM-S2H for $81? Everywhere I look if its in stock its anywhere from $90-$100 plus shipping.
Mwave was selling the board at $81 a few week ago. The current lowest price is $87 (http://www.xpcgear.com/gama78gms2h.html).

Fratar

Xeon E3110 (identical with Core 2 Duo E8400) is available at several stores, ~$220 (http://www.compsource.com/ttechnote.asp?part_no=BX80570E3110&vid=211&src=F)

sounds sweet renethx i'm looking forward to that heh:):):)

I plan to buy a 52" LCD HDTV in few months. I want to build a very simple and cheap system to play BlueRay and other video and use internet on this HDTV. Since this system is for my dad, so I don't plan to use it for heavy gaming.

I want this system to use low energy also, will it be fast enough:

$99 - GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H
$45 - AMD Athlon 64 LE-1620 2.4GHz 45W Single-Core
$00 - Onboard Video, ATI Radeon HD 3200
$35 - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 SDRAM 800 (PC2 6400)
$48 - WD Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA
$30 - Antec earthwatts EA380 80 Plus 380W
------
$257 Total (case and blue-ray extra)

Please comments! :D

Thanks renethx!

Just to check, you're not aware of any micro atx cases that would support a big video board are you? I'd prefert to avoid two seperate cards if possible, but I don't see another way. Thanks again.

Joe

Just to check, you're not aware of any micro atx cases that would support a big video board are you?
Yes, I am. SilverStone Grandia GD02 (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=gd02) supports 11.5 inch graphics cards. As you can see from this picture (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ngamer007/Photos/HTPC/0024.jpg), the optical drive and HDD cages do not block expansion cards. BTW

- 9600 GT: 9 inch
- 9800 GTX: 10.5 inch (released today)
- 9800 GX2: 10.5 inch

A GeForce 8200/8300 (AMD or Intel) chipset mATX motherboard with GeForce 9800 GTX/GX2 & HybridPower inside the case GD02 is a typical combination.

A GeForce 8200/8300 (AMD or Intel) chipset motherboard with GeForce 9800 GX2 & HybridPower inside GD02 is a typical combination.

8200/8300? Are they available for purchase in the US yet?

I plan to buy a 52" LCD HDTV in few months. I want to build a very simple and cheap system to play BlueRay and other video and use internet on this HDTV. Since this system is for my dad, so I don't plan to use it for heavy gaming.

I want this system to use low energy also, will it be fast enough:

$99 - GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H
$45 - AMD Athlon 64 LE-1620 2.4GHz 45W Single-Core
$00 - Onboard Video, ATI Radeon HD 3200
$35 - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 SDRAM 800 (PC2 6400)
$48 - WD Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA
$30 - Antec earthwatts EA380 80 Plus 380W
------
$257 Total (case and blue-ray extra)

Please comments! :D
Good, except for processor. Single-core may be fine, but I prefer dual-core. 4000+-4400+ Brisbane is not so expensive (< $65). Power consumption should be reasonably low when playing back video.

8200/8300? Are they available for purchase in the US yet?
No.

was wondering if its a good idea to go ahead and get the NSK2480
case which is $100 plus $20 mail in rebate since thats the case i like,was thinking of building around this case with the q6660 chip,using renethx setup which is,was thinking of adding 2 hard drives and 1 video card and 1 burner plus a dvd drive.what do u guys think?

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E2220 2.4GHz Socket 775, $84. An alternative is Pentium Dual-Core E2200 2.2GHz, $84.
CPU Cooler: Scythe NINJA MINI, $35.
Motherboard: eVGA e-7100/630i 112-CK-NF75-K1 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 and nForce 630i chipset microATX, $70. An alternative is GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H, $70, that comes with a HDMI port.
Memory: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit, $29 (after rebate at Newegg.com).
Graphics Card: XFX GeForce 8500 GT PV-T86J-YAHG, $70. An alternative is ATI Radeon HD 3450, $50.
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint T166 500GB HD501LJ 500GB SATA, $106.
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA 380 (included in the case), $0.
Case: Antec NSK2480, $75.
Total Cost: $469

I got NSK2480 from Newegg for $95 last week. I like the case.

No.

But when are they going to be available?

Hi,

The E8400 is finally starting to become available again, so I'm finally ready to purchase everything. Its basically the High-End ATX recommended system. Please comment if everything looks OK.

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

CPU Cooler: ZEROtherm BTF90 92mm Silent UFO CPU Cooler - Retail

Motherboard: ABIT IP35 Pro LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

Memory: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail

Graphics Card: EVGA 512-P3-N862-AR GeForce 9600GT Superclocked 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail

HDD: SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM

PSU: CORSAIR CMPSU-520HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 520W Power Supply - Retail

Case: SilverStone Lascala SST-LC20B-M

TV Tuner: AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe MCE ATSC/NTSC/QAM Tuner Card w/MCE Remote & L-P Bracket - Retail

Keyboard/Mouse: Logitech 967557-0403 Silver/Black USB + PS/2 RF Wireless Slim Cordless Desktop S 510 Mouse Included - Retail

Optical Drive: LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model GGC-H20L - Retail

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista 64-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM


Couple questions on the OS:
1) Any reason that I should get the 32-bit or am I OK with the 64?
2) The recommendations say Service Pack 1, I didn't see that available on newegg, where/how do I get the SP1?

Thanks a ton!

Edit: Oh, and I guess I'm wondering if there's any reason to hold out for another month or so to wait for anything better to be released.

But when are they going to be available?
I don't know the definite release date. April 29th?

osmonix

- Just a caution: S/PDIF does not necessarily produce surround sounds. Please read BD Movies that result in 2-Channel S/PDIF without DTS Connect or DDL.
- The 32-bit OS is a safer choice. You won't see any benefit of 64-bit OS in your system.
- Buy Vista SP1 from here (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3746805&CatId=306) or download SP1 from Microsoft.

64-bit everything on your network would have to be the same OS in the 64-bit world as you can't run both 32-bit native and 64-bit applications at the same time in 64-bit OS.

osmonix

- Just a caution: S/PDIF does not necessarily produce surround sounds. Please read BD Movies that result in 2-Channel S/PDIF without DTS Connect or DDL.
- The 32-bit OS is a safer choice. You won't see any benefit of 64-bit OS in your system.
- Buy Vista SP1 from here (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3746805&CatId=306) or download SP1 from Microsoft.

You might not see a benefit from a 64 bit OS now.
But by the end of the year there a good chance you will with more and more programs being ported to 64 bit.
So if your spending that much cash, why not futureproof your investment? Here's a good site that posts all the latest 64 bit programs.
http://www.start64.com/

64-bit everything on your network would have to be the same OS in the 64-bit world as you can't run both 32-bit native and 64-bit applications at the same time in 64-bit OS.

I'm running Sonar 7 64bit and Convert to DVD3 32 bit at the same time on my 64 bit Vista OS no problem.

Yes, I am. SilverStone Grandia GD02 (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=gd02) supports 11.5 inch graphics cards. As you can see from this picture (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v11/ngamer007/Photos/HTPC/0024.jpg), the optical drive and HDD cages do not block expansion cards. BTW

- 9600 GT: 9 inch
- 9800 GTX: 10.5 inch (released today)
- 9800 GX2: 10.5 inch

A GeForce 8200/8300 (AMD or Intel) chipset mATX motherboard with GeForce 9800 GTX/GX2 & HybridPower inside the case GD02 is a typical combination.


Thanks again renethx!

Since the GeForce boards aren't out yet, is the AMD 780G the only microatx with PCI Express 2.0? If so, and if I use a 9800GTX, will I be able to link the board audio to the card (I know AMD cards have an audio link without a wire)?

If not, is there a good sound card for movie viewing and music listening (I have a 5.1 surround sound home theater to hook it up to)? Gaming audio would be nice, but > $150 for the new cards seems a little crazy.

Since the GeForce boards aren't out yet, is the AMD 780G the only microatx with PCI Express 2.0? If so, and if I use a 9800GTX, will I be able to link the board audio to the card (I know AMD cards have an audio link without a wire)?
Yes, AMD 780G is the only IGP chipset supporting PCIe 2.0 right now.

Leadtek and Zotac 9800 GTX cards support S/PDIF pass-through.

One of the main reasons for choosing GeForce 8200/8300 chipset motherboard for a HTPC gaming machine is the support for the HybridPower technology that turns off the discrete graphics and uses only IGP when you don't play games. 9800 GTX consumes 50W (unconfirmed) even at idle, HybridPower reduces power consumption greatly. Another reason is the support for multichannel LPCM audio through onboard HDMI.

- Video playback: GeForce 8200 + LPCM audio through HDMI
- Gaming: GeForce 9800 GTX

Maybe these are dumb questions but I searched on "x64" and came-up zilch: If I upgrade my box to an Intel Quad Core processor, do I also need to upgrade to 64-bit XP? Is 64-bit XP on my SP2 installation discs, or would I have to buy it? Is running 32bit XP SP2 on a Quad Core cpu completely acceptable and "normal" or is this not taking advantage of the Quad cpu?

Maybe these are dumb questions but I searched on "x64" and came-up zilch: If I upgrade my box to an Intel Quad Core processor, do I also need to upgrade to 64-bit XP? Is 64-bit XP on my SP2 installation discs, or would I have to buy it? Is running 32bit XP SP2 on a Quad Core cpu completely acceptable and "normal" or is this not taking advantage of the Quad cpu?
A quad-core processor works fine with either of the 32-bit and 64-bit XP.

osmonix

- Just a caution: S/PDIF does not necessarily produce surround sounds. Please read BD Movies that result in 2-Channel S/PDIF without DTS Connect or DDL.
- The 32-bit OS is a safer choice. You won't see any benefit of 64-bit OS in your system.
- Buy Vista SP1 from here (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3746805&CatId=306) or download SP1 from Microsoft.

Ok, thanks for the input. I am not clear on what S/PDIF is, I thought I could hook up a 5.1 speaker set directly to the mb. You're saying that won't produce 5.1 sound all the time? Will the sound quality be unacceptable?

Looks like the new NVIDIA MCP7A motherboards are something that might be out soon. Anything disadvantages that board would have over the ABIT IP35 Pro? Whats the latest word on when it is supposed to be available?

Ok, thanks for the input. I am not clear on what S/PDIF is, I thought I could hook up a 5.1 speaker set directly to the mb. You're saying that won't produce 5.1 sound all the time? Will the sound quality be unacceptable?
If your speakers have built-in amplifier & Dolby Digital/DTS decoder, then you can connect the mb's S/PDIF connector to the speakers. Otherwise you will need an A/V receiver or an equivalent.

In most cases you will get 5.1 sound, but in some cases you get only stereo. Please read the post I cited for details. S/PDIF is 16-bit/48kHz that is perhaps good for most users.

Looks like the new NVIDIA MCP7A motherboards are something that might be out soon. Anything disadvantages that board would have over the ABIT IP35 Pro? Whats the latest word on when it is supposed to be available?
MCP7A is the codename of the chipset GeForce 8200 for Intel I mentioned in the previous page. It's still too early to say if the chipset is better or worse than the Intel chipset. I hope it is released by the end of Q2.

... and queue AbMagFab here... ;)

Perhaps post-processing capability of HD 3450 is in question. HD 3470 (~$65) is a good all-round HTPC card (HQV: 125/130, HD HQV: 82/100; here (http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2602&Itemid=230)). However, as the price difference between HD 3470 and HD 3650 (~$75) is very small, I recommend

- Radeon HD 3650



quick question renethx. Is there any advantage of going with the 3650 over the 3450 if the HTPC will not be used for gaming?

SAPPHIRE 100234L Radeon HD 3450 512MB- $46 after rebate
POWERCOLOR AX3650 512MD2 Radeon HD 3650 512MB- $60 after rebate

also, if the HTPC is going to be used exclusively for video playback (ALL formats) and some web surfing, is there any real advantage over adding a video card versus a motherboard (GA-73PVM-S2H for example)? Or would adding a video card just be overkill?

I've been reading along for weeks with you guys in this thread, wanted to thank renethx and the rest of you for some good info.

Built my HTPC this past week or so (bluray), everything went smoothly and I'm very happy with the build, and with the internet-tv capability of Vista's Media Center (Home Premium). The TVTonic add-on with high-def downloads and tons of content is a lot of fun.

MSI K9AG Neo-2 Digital AM2 Motherboard
AMD AM2 5000+ CPU
Thermaltake Bach HTPC Case, Black VB8000BNS
Topower Zumax 450w PSU
Lite-on 4x SATA Blu-Ray Drive Read-only
Coolermaster Vortex 752 CPU Cooler
Palit HD2600Pro Super 512mb HDMI

About $510, reused a hard drive and 2gb RAM, which would've put me around $660 otherwise. Also had an extra Vista Home Premium, that's another 110, so I guess more like $770.

I tried the HDMI from the motherboard first with Bluray, it maxed out the CPU, but still played it with some stuttering on the action scenes, so the dedicated card was necessary.

Anyway, I'll probably be lurking for awhile, thanks again for all the discussion.

quick question renethx. Is there any advantage of going with the 3650 over the 3450 if the HTPC will not be used for gaming?

SAPPHIRE 100234L Radeon HD 3450 512MB- $46 after rebate
POWERCOLOR AX3650 512MD2 Radeon HD 3650 512MB- $60 after rebate

also, if the HTPC is going to be used exclusively for video playback (ALL formats) and some web surfing, is there any real advantage over adding a video card versus a motherboard (GA-73PVM-S2H for example)? Or would adding a video card just be overkill?

It reduces to post-processing performance which card to choose. 3650 > 3470 > 3450.

- SAPPHIRE 100235L Radeon HD 3470 256MB 64-bit GDDR3, $55 after rebate (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102728)

As price difference is so small, go for 3470/3650.

GeForce 7100 is not good enough to play back BD with PowerDVD.

June-August is a good time to build a HTPC. There will be more new motherboards aimed at the HTPC market than any other time in the past. Stay tuned with my recommendations. ;)

I'm not sure I have the patient to wait,:)

Following your advice in the first page,
I'm aiming towards an low-midrange system:

What do you think about this:

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core E2200 2.2GHz
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H
Memory: Kingston ValueRAM minne - 2 GB (2 x 1 GB)-DIMM 240-pin -DDR II
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint T166 500GB HD501LJ 500GB SATA
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA 380 (included in the case)
DVD: SONY NEC OPTIARC DVD+-R/RW/DL AD-7200S-0B SATA
OPE: MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREM 64-BIT
Case: Antec NSK4480

My plan is to use an Intel system with Nvidia Purevideo.
I've understood that I will not be able to playback Blu-ray,
with PowerDVD for now, unless I add a Graphics card like 8500-8600gt.
But my plan is to change the motherboard with better graphics when I need that.

Is this a good plan?
Or should really wait until the summer?

Should I buy a faster CPU to be more future proof?
(I could buy an E4500 or E4700 for 35$ or 55$ more than E2200)

Should I go for Vista 32-BIT instead, I get them for the same price?

What about the memory and DVD I choosed, Kingston and Sony, are they good options?

Thanks a lot, really!

Kluris

kluris

- If you don't need BD playback soon, GeForce 7100 is a good choice. However GeForce 8200 motherboards are perhaps available by the end of April (I can't guarantee though). It's up to you.
- I recommend Pentium Dual-Core E2220 2.4GHz which is in stock at several stores (for example, here (http://www.mwave.com/mwave/skusearch.hmx?SCriteria=BA24800), $92).
- Vista 32-bit is more trouble-free and there is no real advantage of 64-bit OS at this time.
- The brand of memory does not matter. Choose any decent DDR2-800 2 x 1GB kit (1.8-1.9V).
- LITE-ON LH-20A1L/LH-20A1S or Samsung SH-S203B/SH-S203N

E2220 is not available where I live just yet,
E4500 and/or E4700, but they are perhaps overkill?

I would love to wait for a Geforce 8200 motherboard,
but I guess late april, will become mid may and so on...

Are there a special Geforce 8200 motherboard to watch out for?

I really prefer Intel and Nvidia,
my other option would be going for
your Low-End I system with AMD and ATI.

Considering I'm planning to stick with my system for at least 3 years,
I guess I'll wait a little bit more, and more ...

Thanks!!!

kluris

Oops, GeForce 8200 for Intel (codenamed MCP7A) will not be available for a while. It's GeForce 8200 for AMD that is available soon. So you'd better buy GeForce 7100. E2200 is good enough.

GeForce 7100 or GeForce 7150?
What is the difference?

Last question,
if I will finally decide,
and place my order today:)

I cand find both this options for the same price:

1.
Pentium Dual-Core E4500
GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H

2.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850e
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H

Which one would you choose?

Thanks!

Kluris

GeForce 7100 or GeForce 7150?
what is the difference?
7150 has a slightly higher grahics core. GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H is perhaps the most stable GeForce 7100/7150 mb.

If you don't play BD, either is fine. I would choose Pentium Dual-Core E2200 2.2GHz (don't waste your money on E4500 2.2GHz unless you play games) and GA-73PVM-S2H; later I would buy a G45 or GeForce 8200 mb (and sell GA-73PVM-S2H). Athlon 4850e is not available yet (preorder only, I guess).

Is there any real difference between using 1066 and 800 RAM?

I found some 1066 Kingston Value RAM, which is on the 780G support list, but it is much more expensive than the 800 RAM.

Would I see any real benefit, for HDM viewing purposes by using the higher speed RAM?

As a note, the only 1066 RAM which works is all CAS7.

Is there any real difference between using 1066 and 800 RAM?

I found some 1066 Kingston Value RAM, which is on the 780G support list, but it is much more expensive than the 800 RAM.

Would I see any real benefit, for HDM viewing purposes by using the higher speed RAM?

As a note, the only 1066 RAM which works is all CAS7.
I wouldn't be bothered with DDR2-1066. It could be useful for games, but will not affect video playback performance. Read also Bingo13's post (Bingo13=Gary Key at AnandTech).

I wouldn't be bothered with DDR2-1066. It could be useful for games, but will not affect video playback performance. Read also Bingo13's post (Bingo13=Gary Key at AnandTech).

That was exactly what I was looking to learn. Thanks!

Save money, get more RAM, be happy. What is not to love about that?

If your speakers have built-in amplifier & Dolby Digital/DTS decoder, then you can connect the mb's S/PDIF connector to the speakers. Otherwise you will need an A/V receiver or an equivalent.

In most cases you will get 5.1 sound, but in some cases you get only stereo. Please read the post I cited for details. S/PDIF is 16-bit/48kHz that is perhaps good for most users.

I read the post you referenced, and read a few other things, and now I am more confused. Is there no problem with getting 5.1 from regular DVDs, and this issue strictly with blu-ray?

I don't understand LPCM or DTS connect or DDL....is there some kind of a guide that you could point me to so that I can get brought up to speed?

Is the solution to this problem to get a sound card? And the issue only arises when trying to use S/PDIF from the mb?

Is there any way to use DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD? The way I was reading that post, you were saying everything depends on the secondary audio.

ok so here is the build that I've come up with. Just to recap- I'm going to be using my system for HT applications only- no gaming. My goal is to be able to play pretty much any video/audio format that I can throw at it, with video being more important at this point. I haven't bought anything yet, so feedback is appreciated!

GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128056
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5400IAA5DO $78
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103242
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit $49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145023
SAPPHIRE 100234L Radeon HD 3450 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $45 (after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102731
Athenatech Black Steel A100BB.270 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811190057

Total Cost- $297.96

Obviously I'm going to need a HDD and Operating system, but I already have those. Will I need a bigger power supply? More/better fans?

I'd really appreciate any feedback before I trek down to Fry's and pick up this stuff. I'm open to other suggestions!

Thanks!!

ok so here is the build that I've come up with. Just to recap- I'm going to be using my system for HT applications only- no gaming. My goal is to be able to play pretty much any video/audio format that I can throw at it, with video being more important at this point. I haven't bought anything yet, so feedback is appreciated!

GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $80
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128056
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5400IAA5DO $78
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103242
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 675 (PC2 5400) Dual Channel Kit $49
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145023
SAPPHIRE 100234L Radeon HD 3450 512MB 64-bit GDDR2 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $45 (after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102731
Athenatech Black Steel A100BB.270 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811190057

Total Cost- $297.96

Obviously I'm going to need a HDD and Operating system, but I already have those. Will I need a bigger power supply? More/better fans?

I'd really appreciate any feedback before I trek down to Fry's and pick up this stuff. I'm open to other suggestions!

Thanks!!

Why are you going with the 690G board over the 780G?

Also, with some careful shopping (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211188) (and after rebate) you may be able find 4GB (2x2GB) of PC-6400 for the same price.

Why are you going with the 690G board over the 790G?


ignorance? lol. I didn't even know there was a 790G board. looks like I need to do more research. thanks for the link to the memory!!

ignorance? lol. I didn't even know there was a 790G board. looks like I need to do more research. thanks for the link to the memory!!

Sorry, meant 780g board! Anyways, since you are now considering the 780g board, you can probably forgo the discrete video card as well if you're not gaming.

could you give a little detail about the difference between the 690G and the 780G? I would love to go without the video card, but I'm very concerned that I get flawless playback of all video types (H.264, mkv, xvid, 780p/1080p, 1080i, ect). It looks like the 780G is about $20 more than the 690G, so in essence it would cost me about $25 more for the 690G/Radeon 3450 combo versus the 780G by itself. Do you think that would be $25 well spent or wasted?

could you give a little detail about the difference between the 690G and the 780G? I would love to go without the video card, but I'm very concerned that I get flawless playback of all video types (H.264, mkv, xvid, 780p/1080p, 1080i, ect). It looks like the 780G is about $20 more than the 690G, so in essence it would cost me about $25 more for the 690G/Radeon 3450 combo versus the 780G by itself. Do you think that would be $25 well spent or wasted?

Well, as cheap as the discrete video card is, you could always add it after you build your rig if you decide you need it. As far as the 780g vs the 690g, I shall refer you to these reviews: Anandtech (http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=3258&p=2) Toms Hardware (http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/03/04/amd_780g_chipset/)
and this (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=992503) AVS Forum thread.

could you give a little detail about the difference between the 690G and the 780G? I would love to go without the video card, but I'm very concerned that I get flawless playback of all video types (H.264, mkv, xvid, 780p/1080p, 1080i, ect). It looks like the 780G is about $20 more than the 690G, so in essence it would cost me about $25 more for the 690G/Radeon 3450 combo versus the 780G by itself. Do you think that would be $25 well spent or wasted?

I would get the 780G, if you pair it with a decent processor it should cover all your needs without a hitch, since the 780G IGP has UVD wich basically is hardware processing of the new formats used in Blu ray / HD-DVD

Remember that for 1080P MKV files, the processor is the most important part of the equation still.

Also if you think about it you will save $25 bucks and will have a slot available for whenever you want to upgrade the videocard. Also 780G supports phenom HT 3.0, the 690G supports phenom but it scales back to HT 2.0.

So you save $25 and get upgrade room for later.

Is there no problem with getting 5.1 from regular DVDs, and this issue strictly with blu-ray?

I don't understand LPCM or DTS connect or DDL....is there some kind of a guide that you could point me to so that I can get brought up to speed?

Is the solution to this problem to get a sound card? And the issue only arises when trying to use S/PDIF from the mb?

Is there any way to use DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD? The way I was reading that post, you were saying everything depends on the secondary audio.
You will get surround sounds from most DVDs (if the sound track has surround sounds). Wikipedia. Sound card does not necessarily support DDL or DTS Connect. A motherboard such as GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 and GA-MA78GM-S2H (Socket AM2+) supports DTS Connect. Currently the best solution is multichannel LPCM through HDMI (G35, GeForce 8200/8300, G45).

perfect. thanks man. appreciate it!

I would get the 780G, if you pair it with a decent processor it should cover all your needs without a hitch, since the 780G IGP has UVD wich basically is hardware processing of the new formats used in Blu ray / HD-DVD

Remember that for 1080P MKV files, the processor is the most important part of the equation still.

Also if you think about it you will save $25 bucks and will have a slot available for whenever you want to upgrade the videocard. Also 780G supports phenom HT 3.0, the 690G supports phenom but it scales back to HT 2.0.

So you save $25 and get upgrade room for later.

Also keep in mind the phenom e class needs to be manualy clocked to get the HT 3.0 speed boost.

LINK (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=13489069&postcount=1237)

EDIT:Thanks for the clear up setherd

Also keep in mind the phenom e class needs to be manualy overclocked to get the HT 3.0 speed boost.

LINK (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=13489069&postcount=1237)

it's not overclocking it. it's just the bios n this board isn't setting the correct HT3.0 speed.
I just don't want anyone to be scared of setting th speed manually

I'm not sure if this is the best thread to ask this, but here goes. I have an HTPC hooked up to a 65in mitsubishi rear projection tv via HDMI to DVI.

The rear projection tv cuts off around 20-30 pixels on top, bottom, left, and right. Is there a certain card that would work best? Should I get an Nvidia card? I am asking this because in the past, they have provided the ability to adjust the visible area of the screen.

Here are the specs:
gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H
AMD 6400+ BE
2gb XMS2 Corsair Memory
liteon bluray drive - ~$150 from amazon.

Thanks in advance.

was wondering if anybody with the antec NSK2480 case is running the PSU that came with the case and using two hard drives+video card+ two optical drives? also was thinking if it isnt a good idea to use that psu would this psu fit in the box and a good choice and good price?

http://www.buy.com/prod/antec-earthwatt-500w-p-s-atx-12v-v2-2-80mm-p-s2-fan-80-plus-certified/q/loc/101/203477216.html

Hi guys,

Will it work for this TV? also please recommend on parts if you have the same TV but different HTPC config. Mainly for HTPC only no games.

Parts from newegg

1. GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
2. G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail
3. IN WIN Black Steel IW-BL631.300BLP Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case - Retail
4. AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe MCE ATSC/NTSC/QAM Tuner Card w/MCE Remote & L-P Bracket - Retail
5. AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor Model ADH2350DOBOX - Retail.

Thanks much and happy HTPCing.

was wondering if anybody with the antec NSK2480 case is running the PSU that came with the case and using two hard drives+video card+ two optical drives?

Unless you are using a high end gaming video card(s), you are safe. It's hard to get a HTPC to use 200 watts, even with an overclocked quad core.

Calculate your own at: http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

Hi,

I posted this in the Gigabyte thread. I don't know if that beraks any rules. I just got the setup below and I am having problems installing Vista. I currently have the Controller set to IDE.

GA-MA78GM - S2H
AMD 5000 BE
2 Crucial 2GB-DDR2 PC2-6400 CL6
WD 500 GIG SATAII IN SATA 0
LG GGC-H20L Optical IN SATA 4

1. I can't get the MOBO to recognize a FAT32 usb flash drive in order to flash bios.
2. The system won't boot from a Vista DVD. Tried 2 sets of media.
3. How do I identify the current bios revision?

The board is Rev 1.0


XP install disk boots and is currently formatting the drive.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Jeff

quick question regarding my cpu fan - I just finished my HTPC build using a gigabyte P35 DS4 mbo and Zerotherm BTF90 heatsink and fan. The fan is connected to the 4 pin cpu fan header on the mbo and when I turn the system on the fan trys to turn, but just kind of rocks back and forth trying too turn sometimes after a couple of minutes it will start to turn but other times it just rocks back in forth. So i connected the fan to the SYS_FAN2 4 pin header on the mbo and it works fine. Is there any problems with using the SYS_FAN2 header for the cpu fan?

quick question regarding my cpu fan - I just finished my HTPC build using a gigabyte P35 DS4 mbo and Zerotherm BTF90 heatsink and fan. The fan is connected to the 4 pin cpu fan header on the mbo and when I turn the system on the fan trys to turn, but just kind of rocks back and forth trying too turn sometimes after a couple of minutes it will start to turn but other times it just rocks back in forth. So i connected the fan to the SYS_FAN2 4 pin header on the mbo and it works fine. Is there any problems with using the SYS_FAN2 header for the cpu fan?

So it seems clear that your CPU_FAN header is malfunctional. This may or may not be worth your time/effort to RMA. The only problem I can see with using the SYS_FAN2 header is that it probably does not support speed control via the bios and/or Speedfan. If your fan spins at max speed and is not too noisy then you are probably fine. If it IS too loud, then I would suggest buying a ZALMAN FANMATE 2.They are very small inline speed fan adjusters. I believe the unit itself only costs about $3 and can but put anywhere inside or outside of your case. I am using 3 of them in one of my computers to adjust fan speeds as opposed to Speedfan and I'm very satisfied. I hope these ramblings answered your question.

So it seems clear that your CPU_FAN header is malfunctional. This may or may not be worth your time/effort to RMA. The only problem I can see with using the SYS_FAN2 header is that it probably does not support speed control via the bios and/or Speedfan. If your fan spins at max speed and is not too noisy then you are probably fine. If it IS too loud, then I would suggest buying a ZALMAN FANMATE 2.They are very small inline speed fan adjusters. I believe the unit itself only costs about $3 and can but put anywhere inside or outside of your case. I am using 3 of them in one of my computers to adjust fan speeds as opposed to Speedfan and I'm very satisfied. I hope these ramblings answered your question.

Thanks for the help - I just built this HTPC and don't really want to go to the trouble to RMA it even though I just bought it from ***egg. The fan on the ZEROtherm BTF90 is virtually silent and it appears to be running at max:eek:. I have silenX case fans and the corsair psu fan which are also very quiet, but unfortunately the EVGA 9600GT video card fan is extremely loud:(. Not sure what to do about it, but I am pretty sure it is going to drive me crazy:rolleyes:.

Does anyone know if the 64-bit version of vista will have compatibility problems with any necessary HTPC software (for video/audio, etc.)? Thanks!

I'm not sure if this is the best thread to ask this, but here goes. I have an HTPC hooked up to a 65in mitsubishi rear projection tv via HDMI to DVI.

The rear projection tv cuts off around 20-30 pixels on top, bottom, left, and right. Is there a certain card that would work best? Should I get an Nvidia card? I am asking this because in the past, they have provided the ability to adjust the visible area of the screen.

Here are the specs:
gigabyte GA-MA69GM-S2H
AMD 6400+ BE
2gb XMS2 Corsair Memory
liteon bluray drive - ~$150 from amazon.

Thanks in advance.
Either ATi or NVIDIA card should work as both support custom resolution.

So, I've finally got all my parts and I put it together on Friday night.

Antec Fusion 430 V2 case
Gigabyte GA-MA78MG-S2H motherboard
AMD Athlon X2 5000- Black Edition
Scythe Mini Ninja
2x1gb Corsair PC6400 800 mhz cl5 ram
Samsung 500gb spinpoint
old DVD burner IDE I had laying around

Ive installed xp home on it with mediaportal and its allready up and running

Fantastic Four 1080p x264 running smooth with less than 50% cpu load with coreavc, ac3filter and haali matroska splitter + directvobsub

The case fans run on LOW and I use the scythe without the included fan.

Idle temp on CPU is usually around 40 degrees celcius I dont know if its too high? Havent tested with cpu on full load yet

Now the issue

I output 1920x1080 at 24 hz through HDMI to my Pioneer plasma and I need some help getting rid of the overscan. The setting for this in catalyst is reachable on 1280x720 but gets disabled when using 1920x1080.

How can I fix the overscan propblem? 1920x1080 gives clearly the best image quality even though the native resolution of my screen is 1366x768

Also, is there any way of getting any audio at all (2 channel stereo is fine) through the hDMI output?

Does anyone know if the 64-bit version of vista will have compatibility problems with any necessary HTPC software (for video/audio, etc.)? Thanks!

Answer probably depends on which software you want to use, but I am using Vista 64x with HDHomerun tuners, and everything works fine with the built in software.

Ben

i know i asked this question before and renethx is updating guide soon but i been editing two setups and was thinking which setup would be great to have,the antec case setup looks cool but will that asus board be fine with my setup or i'm i choosing a board that i'm not gonna be using its features,reason i added the gigabyte setup is becuase those boards have good reviews on the newegg page heh,i wanna know if i'll be fine with setup#1 or if setup#2 will be much better,i'm about to head out and purchase that q6600 processor at microcenter and i'll just order the rest of the parts later tonight of which setup is recommended:),also i need is s/dif for the msi video card to connect since i'm gonna be using hdmi for audio+video


setup #1
1.Cpu cooler - Scythe Ninja Mini
2.Motherboard - ASUS P5E-VM HDMI
3.Case - antec NSK2480
4.PSU - Antec EarthWatt ea500
5.Ram - CORSAIR XMS2 2GB
6.dvd drive -
7.Processor - q6600
8.Hard drive - seagate 250 sata
9.video card - msi 8600gts(hdmi out)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

setup #2
GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 or
GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R LGA 775 Intel P35 ATX

2.case - SilverStone LC17B
3.q6600
4.ram-same as above
5.video card-same as above
6.hard drive-same as above

7.Antec EarthWatts EA-430 430W Power Supply=$63

8.CPU Cooler: ZEROtherm BTF90-108 x 81 x 128mm-or Tuniq Tower 120

I've been having an issue after attempting to add a HD-DVD/Blu-ray internal to my HTPC. Video plays fine but the audio cuts in and out. This is my hardware list:

Asus P5N-E SLI Motherboard
Core2 2.4ghz E6600
2GB DDR2 PC800 Ram
120GB SATA HD
LG GGW-H20L Blu-Ray/HD DVD Internal
Asus EN9600GT Silent
Chaintech AV-710 Sound Card (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829120103)
Sony STR-DE985 Receiver

Someone mentioned that SPDIF connections can't handle the bandwidth of Dolby True HD and DTS HD signals. If this is true, then do I need to upgrade my sound card? I was looking at some of the suggestions in the beginning of this thread but I'm confused on how I would connect them to my system. They both still have SPDIF connections so wouldn't the bandwidth still be limited?

Sorry for the newbish question, but I haven't looked into HTPCs for a number of years since originally buliding my system about 4 years ago. I never had any issues playing DVDs with my current system so I never looked into upgrading anything changing anything out since it was working just fine.

If any additional info is needed, let me know and I appreciate any help that can be given.