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?

Well there's no way to get the HD audio out of your computer with an add-on HDMI soundcard yet. Hopefully soon. I don't think this is your problem as you're hearing the Non-HD audio and it should play fine. Your CPU looks like it shouldn't be having any problem, what's the usage like? Codecs? What are you using for playback?

Mascot

Have you installed ATI HDMI Audio Device driver?

fpsfreak

Setup #1 should be fine. 380W PSU is fine for this system.

mpestrada74

Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA requires 18Mbps or more, while S/PDIF supports up to 12Mbps. You have to use analog or HDMI to get this bandwidth. As your receiver is old, analog is your only choice.

S/PDIF supports stereo LPCM, 5.1 Dolby Digtal and DTS. If you go with S/PDIF, you don't need a sound card as the motherboard has a S/PDIF port.

thanks alot for the answer renethx:):p:)

Mascot

Have you installed ATI HDMI Audio Device driver?

I'm not sure I'll have to look into it...

Then, how do I correct overscan? I output 1920x1080 at 24 hz (as recommended for my Pioneer plasma PDP-507XA 1366x768) and the 1080p comes up on the plasma as It should and the ADV settings for HDMI comes up aswell. Picture is great!! But I suffer overscan.

There is a "slider" in the scaling setup in catalyst drivers, but Its not highlighted in 1920x1080 for me (inactivated)... I can onyl use it on 1280x720 but I want to use it on 1920x1080 ofcourse...

or is there a guide somwhere how to correct overscan in service menu on the TV? I don't want it to affect other sources connected to the screen, Nintendo wii and satellite hd- settop box for example..

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.


Have you finished setting up you new HTPC? How does it work? I am planning to go the same route as yours.

mpestrada74

Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD MA requires 18Mbps or more, while S/PDIF supports up to 12Mbps. You have to use analog or HDMI to get this bandwidth. As your receiver is old, analog is your only choice.

S/PDIF supports stereo LPCM, 5.1 Dolby Digtal and DTS. If you go with S/PDIF, you don't need a sound card as the motherboard has a S/PDIF port.

That would explain why the audio cuts in and out then. This raises a couple of new questions.

Until I upgrade the receiver and sound card, how would I go about connecting my current card via analog?

http://icrontic.com/draco/images/articles/chaintech_av710_71_audio_card_review/connectors.jpg

Line out - Front L/R
Surround - Rear L/R
Center/Bass - Center Channel and Subwoofer?

Do I just use a minijack to RCA cable?

Next, I was looking at standalone Blu-Ray players and they have SPDIF connections. If SPDIF doesn't have enough bandwidth, why would they be on a standalone player? Are they simply there for regular DVDs that use DD or DTS?

renethx

After following your interesting posts for over a year,
I placed my order today, and I'm still doubtful.

I was going to wait for an Intel Geforce 8200 or G45,
but knowing my personality I would spend to much time looking,
for the perfect motherboard, perfect price, perfect timing and so on.

So when a friend running a computer store offered me this I said yes.
But still I have time to change my mind, so your opinion would be great.

I know that both the CPU, Motherboard and Memory is a bit overkill,
but it was to take the whole package for 800$ or not,
and then evrything is installed and ready...


CPU: Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-G33M-DS2R
Memory: Value Select DDR2 PC5300/667MHz CL5 2x512MB and 2x1GB
Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce 8800GT Dual-DVI 512MB
Sound Card: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint F1 HD753LJ 32MB 750GB
Case: Antec SK4480
Windows Vista Premium 32-bit


Perhaps it is a bit expensive,
but it will for sure save me a lot of time.

The only thing I could change, if I understood him right,
was chaning the memory to 2gb 800Mhz instead of 3gb 667MHz.
But as I'm not planning to overclock I don't know if it is better or not...

Thanks again

I was also testing my setup with my only HD-DVD, Transformers. From what I was reading about the disc, it only uses Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 (1.5mbps) which should be able to be sent over SPDIF yet this disc audio also skips.

I realize it's relatively moot since HD-DVD is dead but I'm curious as to why this "skips" as well.

I was also testing my setup with my only HD-DVD, Transformers. From what I was reading about the disc, it only uses Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 (1.5mbps) which should be able to be sent over SPDIF yet this disc audio also skips.

I realize it's relatively moot since HD-DVD is dead but I'm curious as to why this "skips" as well.

Based on this FAQ: http://www.dolby.com/assets/pdf/tech_library/DDPlus_FAQ.pdf
It looks like you need a DVD player that provides a compatible regular DD stream, if sending to an AVR that does not decode DD+ then that might explain the skipping.

I'm no expert but I observed similar behavior trying to play uncompressed blue-ray audio on my pc. I demuxed (separated/extracted) the files from the .m2ts file. Then I used eac3to to extract the ac3 (Dolby Digital 5.1) track from the uncompressed English audio track. Then I remuxed (combined) the English DD and movie video track (into a new .m2ts file) and it worked perfectly. Yeah, I know, a PIA, but it worked.

In your case with HD-DVD, you would do the same with the biggest .evo file (main movie file) on the AnyDVD ripped files.

That would explain why the audio cuts in and out then. This raises a couple of new questions.

Until I upgrade the receiver and sound card, how would I go about connecting my current card via analog?

http://icrontic.com/draco/images/articles/chaintech_av710_71_audio_card_review/connectors.jpg

Line out - Front L/R
Surround - Rear L/R
Center/Bass - Center Channel and Subwoofer?

Do I just use a minijack to RCA cable?

Next, I was looking at standalone Blu-Ray players and they have SPDIF connections. If SPDIF doesn't have enough bandwidth, why would they be on a standalone player? Are they simply there for regular DVDs that use DD or DTS?



Use 3 mini male Y to 2 RCA male cables for 5.1 sound. I use 4 of the monster icable for ipod cables for 7.1 sound.

Most Audio/Video equipment will come with SPDIF I/O because this is just one method many people want to use get sound to there system, just as there is usually two RCA I/O and now HDMI. :cool:

kluris

The system looks good though it's surely overkill and consumes more power than the G45 + E8400 + onboard video & sound solution (roughly 10W [CPU] + 30W [video] + 10W [sound] = 50W more power at idle). As you said, memory could be DDR2-800, though it's not important.

kluris

The system looks good though it's surely overkill and consumes more power than the G45 + E8400 + onboard video & sound solution (roughly 10W [CPU] + 30W [video] + 10W [sound] = 50W more power at idle). As you said, memory could be DDR2-800, though it's not important.

I agree with the RAM statement. Not noticeable.

I was also testing my setup with my only HD-DVD, Transformers. From what I was reading about the disc, it only uses Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 (1.5mbps) which should be able to be sent over SPDIF yet this disc audio also skips.

I realize it's relatively moot since HD-DVD is dead but I'm curious as to why this "skips" as well.
DD+ bitstream is supported only by HDMI 1.3. DD+ is transcoded to DD by PowerDVD and sent over S/PDIF (read here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolby_Digital_Plus)). I am not sure why audio skips.

Want to upgrade my graphics card. Current specs:

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
AMD Phenom 9500 quad-core processor - 2.2GHz
2GB DDR2-667MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1024)
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400, DVI-I, VGA adapter,HDMI

I am thinking about either the ATI 3870 or the nVidia 9600gt. I do not plan on gaming for the most part. I use this pc on a 50 inch LCD Panasonic television.

Looking for advice for a graphics card. Willing to spend up to around $160.

Want to upgrade my graphics card. Current specs:

Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (64-bit)
AMD Phenom 9500 quad-core processor - 2.2GHz
2GB DDR2-667MHz dual channel SDRAM (2x1024)
256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8400, DVI-I, VGA adapter,HDMI

I am thinking about either the ATI 3870 or the nVidia 9600gt. I do not plan on gaming for the most part. I use this pc on a 50 inch LCD Panasonic television.

Looking for advice for a graphics card. Willing to spend up to around $160.
Radeon HD 3650 or the upcoming GeForce 9500 GT is another good choice if you do not plan on gaming.

renethx,

I was unable to get my first GA-MA78 motherboard to work.

I borrowed a GA-MA69GM-S2H and Vista installed without a hitch with all of the original parts installed.

I have two questions:

If I only need this machine to play HD video and Bluray, what am I losing by slapping a 3450 in the 690 board besides a few extra watts of power?

Where cam I get the "latest version of the GA78 MOBO if I want to try again? Mine came with 00 BIOS.

Thanks for all the great information.

How would this card fair in an HTPC for Blu-ray and HD support? I'm currently using an 7600GS, but may add an LG combo-drive. Would the 3870 be any better than my 7600? Why?

BTW, it would not be used for any serious gaming.

Is this true? is that because of the onboard video card?
or because of the chipset?
will it help if i purchase dedicated videocard like hd2600xt?

thanks

How would this card fair in an HTPC for Blu-ray and HD support? I'm currently using an 7600GS, but may add an LG combo-drive. Would the 3870 be any better than my 7600? Why?

BTW, it would not be used for any serious gaming.

The 3870 is an excellent card for Blu-Ray and HD DVD because it offloads the video decoding, thereby freeing up the CPU (or allowing you to use a lower speed one). However, if you're not into gaming, you might as well go with the 3450 or 3650 - both offer the same video decoding as the 3870, but don't score as high on the gaming benchmarks.

kluris

The system looks good though it's surely overkill and consumes more power than the G45 + E8400 + onboard video & sound solution (roughly 10W [CPU] + 30W [video] + 10W [sound] = 50W more power at idle). As you said, memory could be DDR2-800, though it's not important.

Thanks a lot:

Also thinking about the sound card and the need of it,
the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music seems to have good DAC,
but the alc889 should not be so bad either, as I guess I have to connect with analog connectors.

I have two questions:

If I only need this machine to play HD video and Bluray, what am I losing by slapping a 3450 in the 690 board besides a few extra watts of power?

Where cam I get the "latest version of the GA78 MOBO if I want to try again? Mine came with 00 BIOS.
The main feature of 780G is HA for HD contents. If you use a discrete card like 3450, 690G should be fine.

AFAIK 780G mbs with the new revision chipset will come late in May.

How would this card fair in an HTPC for Blu-ray and HD support? I'm currently using an 7600GS, but may add an LG combo-drive. Would the 3870 be any better than my 7600? Why?
3870 supports the full HA for HD contents and offers better post-processing. But for this purpose, a cheaper model like HD 3650 is enough.

Is this true? is that because of the onboard video card?
or because of the chipset?
will it help if i purchase dedicated videocard like hd2600xt?
No. It supports 1080p too. But it lacks HA for HD contents. Adding a discrete card is necessary to play back BD/HD DVD smoothly unless you have a very powerful processor (3.0GHz).

Thanks a lot:

Also thinking about the sound card and the need of it,
the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Music seems to have good DAC,
but the alc889 should not be so bad either, as I guess I have to connect with analog connectors.
Analog from ALC889A is the best among all the audio codecs, but analog from Xtreme Music is better than ALC889A. If possible, try ASUS Xonar DX.

Of course you don't have to use analog, you can use the onboard S/PDIF and leave DAC process to a receiver/digital speakers instead. Read this post. You get only stereo from some BD with TrueHD, however; read this post.

I'm getting ready to do some upgrades, namely my receiver and my video card. I am going to be buying a Sony ES STR-DA3300ES with a MSI NX8500GT. The Sony has HDMI inputs and the MSI has a HDMI out. To get the audio from the MSI, I need to connect the S/PDIF out on my motherboard to the video card. My question now is will there be enough bandwidth between the motherboard and the video card to accommodate the HD audio signals?

I'm getting ready to do some upgrades, namely my receiver and my video card. I am going to be buying a Sony ES STR-DA3300ES with a MSI NX8500GT. The Sony has HDMI inputs and the MSI has a HDMI out. To get the audio from the MSI, I need to connect the S/PDIF out on my motherboard to the video card. My question now is will there be enough bandwidth between the motherboard and the video card to accommodate the HD audio signals?

No, SPDIF only handles DD/DTS and 2-channel LPCM. You can't do HD audio.

Also, I could never get the SPDIF passthrough working on this card, would love to hear if you get it working and how.

Glad I asked before buying the card. It's relatively inexpensive but I'm probably better off waiting for an HDMI sound card. Are there any HDMI Video cards that are able to do both audio/video over HDMI without a SPIDF connection?

I've seen motherboards with onboard HDMI. How are they at handling Blu-ray discs?

Right now, what is the best half-height card to use in an HTPC?

I can do SLI or Crossfire if needed too.

Of course, I'd like to keep the heat/noise down, but can compensate if there is the "almighty" of the half-height selection.

I would be interested in playing games on it too with a good chunk of eye-candy turned on. Blu-ray and recorded HD playback a must!

Thanks!

Glad I asked before buying the card. It's relatively inexpensive but I'm probably better off waiting for an HDMI sound card. Are there any HDMI Video cards that are able to do both audio/video over HDMI without a SPIDF connection?

I've seen motherboards with onboard HDMI. How are they at handling Blu-ray discs?

Check out the G35 thread and the 780G thread. The G35 is the only one capable of HD audio (via 8-channel LPCM). The 780G does audio over HDMI, but only as good as SPDIF (it's just integrated to begin with).

The G45, and the nVidia 8200/8300 m-boards are coming out sometime in the next few weeks/months, and they are the next generation. If you can wait, I'd wait for them.

well, i placed my order today and made it under my $300 goal! Here is what I'm getting:

Athenatech Silver / Charcoal Steel A100SC.270 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $45
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ 2.8GHz Socket AM2 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADO5400IAA5DO $88
mushkin 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model 996587 $47 (after rebate)
ARCTIC COOLING ALPINE 7 92mm CPU Cooler $14
GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2 $90

Total= $284.00

with shipping my total was about $315. I'll post after I have everything set up, but I'm hoping this system works out well for me.

Thanks to everyone for their opinions and help!

I am looking at building a media server. My goal would be to have a place to store my countless CD's, DVD's & my growing BD collection. My system will be only for storage, not for gaming. I currently have a Denon 4308ci receiver which needs to have HDMI input from the Media Server. My TV is a Pioneer Elite PRO-110FD which is connected to the receiver.

Is there anything out there can provide 1080p and Lossless audio over HDMI to my receiver? I am building a system from scratch.

I am looking at building a media server. My goal would be to have a place to store my countless CD's, DVD's & my growing BD collection. My system will be only for storage, not for gaming. I currently have a Denon 4308ci receiver which needs to have HDMI input from the Media Server. My TV is a Pioneer Elite PRO-110FD which is connected to the receiver.

Is there anything out there can provide 1080p and Lossless audio over HDMI to my receiver? I am building a system from scratch.

So you want to have your media server in the living room with your tv and receiver or do you want to have it somewhere else with a small low powered front end in the living room? If you are having a separate front end then HDMI is not an issue, the HDMI will need to be on the small pc in the living room. If you DO want to have the media server in the living room then I would wait for the gforce 8200 motherboards to come out that support LPCM over HDMI.

I have a question. I have my system up and runnin. Everything works great except the Media center remote and keyboard from microsoft. I think it the reciever not the remote and keyboard. When i press any button on either it sticks on both and just keep enter the command over and over and over.

For example if I press right it goes right and doesn't stop, if I press a letter on the keyboard it just keeps enter the same thing over and over. It does it on both so I doubt its the remote or keyboard. Any ideas maybe?

I have a component closet on the oppisite side of my TV wall. Everything is controlled via RF to my IR or RS232 controlers. The Server would be right next to the Reciever. I am looking for a rack build.

I have a question. I have my system up and runnin. Everything works great except the Media center remote and keyboard from microsoft. I think it the reciever not the remote and keyboard. When i press any button on either it sticks on both and just keep enter the command over and over and over.

For example if I press right it goes right and doesn't stop, if I press a letter on the keyboard it just keeps enter the same thing over and over. It does it on both so I doubt its the remote or keyboard. Any ideas maybe?

Do you also have a IRTrans in use? I have a case with an LCD display which also has an IR receiver built in. I have to disable it because I am using the MCE receiver (to get the extenders so I can change the cable box channels). If I do not disable the IRTrans, I get multiple actions for each button press.

I am only using the IRTrans from the case, It's a OrigenAE S21t. I never plugged in the MS IRtrans, since the case has it built in. Is there any settings for sensitivity?

Starting to put together a new system. Will be buying the parts over the next 2 months or so, to help spread out the cost, but the system will be used for HT stuff 75% of the time, and minor gaming 25%.

Case - Ultra m998
Power Supply- SeaSonic M12 SS-500HM ATX12V / EPS12V 500W Power Supply
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz
CPU Cooler - ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 7
Memory - Kingston 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Memory
Hard Drive - (3) SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM
DVD Burner - LITE-ON Black SATA DVD Burner with LightScribe
Blu-Ray - LITE-ON Black SATA Blu-ray DH-4O1S-08
OS - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Keyboard/Mouse - Microsoft Wireless Ergonomics Entertainment Desktop 7000 Mouse Included
Floppy Drive - SAMSUNG Black 1.44MB 3.5 Internal Floppy Drive Model SFD321B BL1
Card Reader - SUPER TALENT INT-AIN1-C All-in-one USB 2.0 Card Reader
Sound Card - ASUS Xonar D2X 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz
IR Remote - Thermaltake A2331 Media LAB
Video Card GeForce 8800GT 512MB (still not 100% sold on this one yet)

I am only using the IRTrans from the case, It's a OrigenAE S21t. I never plugged in the MS IRtrans, since the case has it built in. Is there any settings for sensitivity?

Cannot help you there, I only use the usb MS IRtrans.

Try doing searches here and on google for microsoft IR debounce. I read something about debounce once. Might be way off base, might be what you need.

Well so far I have narrowed it down to the cases reciever. If I disable the case reciever and plug in the MS IR it works fine. I only get it with the case IR.

Thanks cyber.

And I have it fixed. Just in case anyone else runs into this, the fix is:

To go into the registry and change the debounce setting from 1 to 0. For Vista it is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\HidIr\Remot es\745a17a0-74d3-11d0-b6fe-00a0c90f57da]

Thanks cybrsage for the point in the right direction with debounce.

And I have it fixed. Just in case anyone else runs into this, the fix is:

To go into the registry and change the debounce setting from 1 to 0. For Vista it is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\HidIr\Remot es\745a17a0-74d3-11d0-b6fe-00a0c90f57da]

Thanks cybrsage for the point in the right direction with debounce.

Glad I could be of help. :)

I am looking at building a media server. My goal would be to have a place to store my countless CD's, DVD's & my growing BD collection. My system will be only for storage, not for gaming. I currently have a Denon 4308ci receiver which needs to have HDMI input from the Media Server. My TV is a Pioneer Elite PRO-110FD which is connected to the receiver.

Is there anything out there can provide 1080p and Lossless audio over HDMI to my receiver? I am building a system from scratch.

So you want to have your media server in the living room with your tv and receiver or do you want to have it somewhere else with a small low powered front end in the living room? If you are having a separate front end then HDMI is not an issue, the HDMI will need to be on the small pc in the living room. If you DO want to have the media server in the living room then I would wait for the gforce 8200 motherboards to come out that support LPCM over HDMI.

Any ideas on a build?

all my parts almost here cept case which comes on tuesday,i was wondering if its a good idea to snap the cpu to the mb outside the case or just do it inside the case,also when applying artic silver 5 to the cpu is pea size to the middle and lay heatsink on it sound good or just thin line across middle and snap heatsink will be fine,how much do i need to put if its a thin line across,if somebody has a pic or can take a snapshot of how much i need to put that would be great:)


q9450
antec nsk2480
asus hdmi board
mini ninji cpu cooler

Hi everyone. I'm, like many here, building my first HTPC (for use with a Sony GWIII kf50we610). The purpose of this system will be purely for Media viewing (including eventual Blu-Ray content) and internet access.

With that in mind, here's the system I'm looking at. Any thoughts on it or suggestions?

Thanks in advance, Andy

CPU: Intel Pentium E2160 Allendale 1.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E2160 - Retail
MB: GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
Video Card: SAPPHIRE 100235L Radeon HD 3470 256MB 64-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
Sound: Onboard 5.1
Drives: Various drives that I have laying around.
RAM: 2GB DDR2 800
Case: APEVIA X-QPACK2-NW-BK/500 Black Aluminum Body/ Front Mask MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 500W Power Supply - Retail
OS: XP Media Center or Vista Home Premium... haven't decided yet.

Again... thanks for your thoughts!

all my parts almost here cept case which comes on tuesday,i was wondering if its a good idea to snap the cpu to the mb outside the case or just do it inside the case,also when applying artic silver 5 to the cpu is pea size to the middle and lay heatsink on it sound good or just thin line across middle and snap heatsink will be fine,how much do i need to put if its a thin line across,if somebody has a pic or can take a snapshot of how much i need to put that would be great:)
Outside the case would be easier. Here's the info on AS5 installation:

http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf

all my parts almost here cept case which comes on tuesday,i was wondering if its a good idea to snap the cpu to the mb outside the case or just do it inside the case,also when applying artic silver 5 to the cpu is pea size to the middle and lay heatsink on it sound good or just thin line across middle and snap heatsink will be fine,how much do i need to put if its a thin line across,if somebody has a pic or can take a snapshot of how much i need to put that would be great:)


q9450
antec nsk2480
asus hdmi board
mini ninji cpu cooler

It's both easier as Koui suggested and also less risky of possible damage to the mobo. On a flat, firm surface the mobo will not be subject to flexing by the downward pressure of mounting some HSF while it is installed on the those little brass 1/4" standoffs. However, most mobos now come with a reinforcing plate on the bottom under the CPU/HSF area to help avoid this. And, the mounting of HSF assemblies is much easier today then it used to be at least with many new HSF. Good luck.

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.


I've finally built this system, work great via HDMI output, I need to adjust the TV color to make it look nicer, the problem are the motherboard NB and the AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe are very hot, I put some Arctic Silver 5 but won't help, Do you have any suggestion?, also thanks for the great info in this forum.

I am looking at building a media server. My goal would be to have a place to store my countless CD's, DVD's & my growing BD collection. My system will be only for storage, not for gaming. I currently have a Denon 4308ci receiver which needs to have HDMI input from the Media Server. My TV is a Pioneer Elite PRO-110FD which is connected to the receiver.

Is there anything out there can provide 1080p and Lossless audio over HDMI to my receiver? I am building a system from scratch.
Your question is a bit unclear. A "storage server" requires "clients" to which the server is connected through a network and by which the contents in the server are accessed. In this context you seem to intend a machine combining server and client.

Lossless audio supported by the current PC is only LPCM. TrueHD or DTS-HD MA bitstream is not supported. The chipsets supporting multichannel LPCM through HDMI are Intel G35 (but no native support for HDMI), GeForce 8200/8300 for AMD (expected soon), GeForce 8200/8300 for Intel (expected in July) and Intel G45 (in July at the earliest). Among them G35 does not support hardware acceleration for HD playback. Moreover PowerDVD downsamples every audio to 16-bit/48kHz. So there is not much difference between LPCM through HDMI and DTS through S/PDIF (apart from 7.1 vs. 5.1).

Look at 24 HDD Systems (24TB storage space), 40 HDD System I, or 40 HDD System II (40TB storage space) at Home Media Server (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972#HMS). You can replace the motherboard with a GeForce 8200 mb (for 7.1 LPCM through HDMI; AMD) or GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H (for 5.1 DTS through S/PDIF; AMD) or GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 (for 5.1 DTS through S/PDIF; Intel). You may choose a better processor. OS can be Vista Home Premium.

I've finally built this system, work great via HDMI output, I need to adjust the TV color to make it look nicer, the problem are the motherboard NB and the AVerMedia AVerTV Combo PCIe are very hot, I put some Arctic Silver 5 but won't help, Do you have any suggestion?, also thanks for the great info in this forum.
I think the case ventilation is very poor and the only way to improve it may be change the case. Unless there appear artifacts in the picture, I wouldn't mind heat however.

renethx

I had ma69gm up and running but the mobo died. Iam rma to the egg monday. It ran fine but, get another or go for a ma78gm?
I dont know which to do.

thanks
If you have a discrete graphics, either one is OK.

RAM
OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB(2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model OCZ2RPR800C44GK
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227267

Motherboard
ABIT I-N73HD LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813127037

Processor
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor Model HH80562PH0568M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115018

Case Fans
Thermaltake A1926 120mm Blue LED Case Fan - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999127

CPU Fan
Thermaltake CL-P0369 120mm CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106103

Media-Type Case
Athenatech Black SECC Steel A3708BS.450 ATX Media Center / HTPC Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811190105

Any thoughts?

Any thoughts?

Overkill....of course it will run HD. I'm in love with these 780 mobo's so it's hard to recommend anything else atm. That and a 5000+ BE clocked to 3ghz is in my HTPC and will run anything including very high bitrate material. Nothing against the Q6600 which I also have and like. But for the same price you could get the Gigabyte 780 board and the 5000+ and you won't notice any difference.

UTVguy

If your purpose is to play back BD movies smoothly with PowerDVD, you have to buy a discrete graphics card, Q6600 is not enough (I tested). Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13205009#post13205009). Then you don't need Q6600, Pentium Dual-Core will be enough.

Overkill....of course it will run HD. I'm in love with these 780 mobo's so it's hard to recommend anything else atm. That and a 5000+ BE clocked to 3ghz is in my HTPC and will run anything including very high bitrate material. Nothing against the Q6600 which I also have and like. But for the same price you could get the Gigabyte 780 board and the 5000+ and you won't notice any difference.

Unless something came out with more processing power AND more cores, I would build my next HTPC using the Q6600 again.

I too felt it would be overkill at first, but now that we have it I couldn't be happier.

We use the R5000HD for our HD content and FireSTB to automatically transcode the transport streams into .dvr-ms files for Media Center. We also use ShowAnalyzer to process everything for commercials (so we don't have to watch them) and it is quite common for our Q6600 to be running well into the 75% range - without watching anything. Add decoding for playback to that and the Q6600 is often running in close to the 90% utilization range.

For our HTPC, the Q6600 is the perfect fit. Everything works fast all the time, no video stutters ever (ATI HD 2600XT video card helps), and the entire system is very quiet. Also if I for some reason needed extra CPU power, the Q6600 could be overclocked from the stock 2.4 GHz up to 3.0+ GHz without any trouble.

I just put together a new HTPC for my father a couple of days ago and I again used the Q6600 for his system too (and an ATI HD2600XT). If you compare the price of a Q6600 to any other fairly powerful CPU, the difference in price isn't much for a lot more multitasking capability.

There are many cheaper processors that will do the job, but the Q6600 is still an excellent option well worth considering.

If your purpose is to play back BD movies smoothly with PowerDVD, you have to buy a discrete graphics card, Q6600 is not enough (I tested). Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13205009#post13205009). Then you don't need Q6600, Pentium Dual-Core will be enough.Hmmm, your reference is to a post with a Question, not an Answer? :confused:

Sorry, the correct post is here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13207153#post13207153). The result for Q6600 is not included, but BD movie was unwatchable with PowerDVD & Q6600.

UTVguy

If your purpose is to play back BD movies smoothly with PowerDVD, you have to buy a discrete graphics card, Q6600 is not enough (I tested). Please read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13205009#post13205009). Then you don't need Q6600, Pentium Dual-Core will be enough.

I use PDVD and the G35 (not discrete, but IGP), and BD (and HDDVD) works fine with a 6750, with PDVD7 and 8 with MPEG2, AVC, VC1, etc. Not sure where you get your info?

I use PDVD and the G35 (not discrete, but IGP), and BD (and HDDVD) works fine with a 6750, with PDVD7 and 8 with MPEG2, AVC, VC1, etc. Not sure where you get your info?
G35 and GeForce 7100 are different. I got the information from one of my systems (abit GeForce 7100 + Q6600). :)

G35 and GeForce 7100 are different. I got the information from one of my systems (abit GeForce 7100 + Q6600). :)

But you made a blanket statement:

If your purpose is to play back BD movies smoothly with PowerDVD, you have to buy a discrete graphics card

I was just pointing out that that's not true. The G35 works great with a 6750. I think the 780G is similar.

I was just pointing out that that's not true. The G35 works great with a 6750. I think the 780G is similar.
Read the op (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13632145#post13632145). He asked thoughts on his system. Maybe you can suggest your own thought to him. :)

Read the op (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13632145#post13632145). He asked thoughts on GeForce 7100 + Q6600. Maybe you can suggest your own thought to him. :)

The danger of not including some sort of quote in your post. Someone casually readiing your post, with no direct reference, would learn something incorrect.

I was just making sure it was clear.

Sorry, the correct post is here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13207153#post13207153). The result for Q6600 is not included, but BD movie was unwatchable with PowerDVD & Q6600.I thought that might be it. Thanks for clarifying! :)

I'm trying to decide what I want to do input device-wise for my pc. I am going to be using it as a htpc but also for general computing. I was leaning toward the dinovo edge, but I'm left handed and the touch pad is very NOT left hand friendly. I figure this would be fine if I'm in full on "computing" mode and just have a mouse at the desk. Then I can use the touchpad when browsing the web from the couch and just have the keyboard kind of cockeyed. That seems kind of lame though. So, I was also checking out the dinovo mini.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126039

I figured I could use that from the couch and keep a full keyboard and mouse for computing when needed. The reviews on the mini, however, aren't quite as positive as the ones for the edge. Also, still not incredibly lefty friendly. Is there any word of a 2nd gen version coming out?

I'm probably going to spring for the microsoft remote no matter what so I'm really just trying to figure out a solution for that middle ground where I need keyboard and mouse usage but am not sitting at the desk.

Any ideas? I looked through the htpc forum and haven't come across any relevent threads yet. Figured this would be a good place to ask.

I'm trying to decide what I want to do input device-wise for my pc. I am going to be using it as a htpc but also for general computing. I was leaning toward the dinovo edge, but I'm left handed and the touch pad is very NOT left hand friendly. I figure this would be fine if I'm in full on "computing" mode and just have a mouse at the desk. Then I can use the touchpad when browsing the web from the couch and just have the keyboard kind of cockeyed. That seems kind of lame though. So, I was also checking out the dinovo mini.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823126039

I figured I could use that from the couch and keep a full keyboard and mouse for computing when needed. The reviews on the mini, however, aren't quite as positive as the ones for the edge. Also, still not incredibly lefty friendly. Is there any word of a 2nd gen version coming out?

I'm probably going to spring for the microsoft remote no matter what so I'm really just trying to figure out a solution for that middle ground where I need keyboard and mouse usage but am not sitting at the desk.

Any ideas? I looked through the htpc forum and haven't come across any relevent threads yet. Figured this would be a good place to ask.

I have gone through about 5 wireless keyboards for my HTPC, and I love the mini! It's just big enough, but also really small. The mouse pad is functional. The only negative is it doesn't have function keys, but that's really not a big deal.

For a mouse (when I need just a mouse, and no keyboard, or when I need both and the little mousepad won't do), I use the Logitech MX Air, which is also awesome - kind of Wii like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104089

The reviews talk about having to recenter it a lot, but it's no better/worse than any other mouse in that respect. I love that I can use it in the air, or use it on a table top (like the little tray between my theater chairs). It seamlessly transitions between wand-mode and desk-mode. And air mode is suprisingly effective (it doesn't matter how you hold it).

The combo of the two is fantastic. Both are really small, both work great, neither has had interference problems (which is a big issue in a HT rack), and both are super functional.

I highly recommend them!

I'm getting ready to do a major overhaul on my HTPC to incorporate HD-DVD and Blu-ray playback. Here is what I've selected and purchased so far..

Mobo - Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H
Proc - AMD X2 5400+ 2.8 GHz
HSF - Cooler Master Vortex 752
Memory - Corsair XMS2 (2) x 1GB 240-pin DDR2 800
Blu-ray - LG GGC-H20L internal drive
Case - Antec NSK2400

My question is... What video cards would you recommend for the best HD/BD playback, and for some mild(but not over the top, super-duper frame-rate) game playing? The gaming is actual a future need, but would like to build it in to the video card purchase now.

Should I stick with an Ati card since I'm using and AM2 proc necessarily? Any thoughts? Recommendations?

So what's the best retail fan for a Q6600? Quiet is #1. I might OC a little, but it's a HTPC, not a gaming PC. Preferably from newegg.

Or is the stock one with the CPU adequate? I've always used that one before, and it's been okay, but my HTPC is a different animal, so I was curious. Currently using a 6750, planning to upgrade to a Q6600.

I'm getting ready to do a major overhaul on my HTPC to incorporate HD-DVD and Blu-ray playback.

My question is... What video cards would you recommend for the best HD/BD playback, and for some mild(but not over the top, super-duper frame-rate) game playing? The gaming is actual a future need, but would like to build it in to the video card purchase now.

Should I stick with an Ati card since I'm using and AM2 proc necessarily? Any thoughts? Recommendations?
GeForce 9600 GT/Radeon HD 3850 or GeForce 8800 GT/Radeon HD 3870 is good and not terribly expensive (<$150, <$200 respectively). GeForce works with the AMD chipset just fine.

So what's the best retail fan for a Q6600? Quiet is #1. I might OC a little, but it's a HTPC, not a gaming PC. Preferably from newegg.

Or is the stock one with the CPU adequate? I've always used that one before, and it's been okay, but my HTPC is a different animal, so I was curious. Currently using a 6750, planning to upgrade to a Q6600.
First you may want to go with Q9300 (2.5GHz, 45nm). It runs noticeably cooler than Q6600 (here (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q9300_13.html#sect0)), it's a bit pricier though.

CPU cooler ... it depends on the height of your case. Read CPU Cooler (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972#CPU) in my guide.

I run my Q6600 with an Arctic Freezer 7 Pro, fan set to silent using ASUS Q-FAN, runs pretty silent and not too hot

The recent pub about Phenoms has me wondering about AMD as an option along with an Intel Quad or maybe a high-end C2D. Then I search here and find this "rip" from January.

Do the latest Phenoms compete effectively? If yes, which ones are the best price/performance? Or is this a "Ford vs. Chevy" situation (where you simply prefer one or the other for emotional reasons)?

:confused:

Actually it's pretty easy to pass over. Because the Phenom stinks, lol. And no I'm not "hating" on or needlessly bashing AMD--it's the truth.

The mid-level Phenom (not sure if it's a slower one that's 190 or what but it doesn't matter) is slower at nearly all appications than a stock-clock E6600. Only a handful of apps/situations where four cores are utilised does it outrun it, and that's not by much.

And who runs a E6xxx at stock clock? In fact who runs any Core2 at stock clock? A C2D E6750 is around the same price as the $190 Phenom and it will dust it all over the place (again except quad-core optimised stuff). And then you put like 5mins into a light OC on the C2D and the Phenom can forget about it.

Now you might say, "hey no fair why not OC the Phenom as well".... Well they don't OC so well, whereas Core2s OC well enough that a child could do it and get a decent speed boost from stock. From what I've read and heard any even half-decent OCs on Phenoms, the people are considered "lucky".

An $80 Core2-based Pentium E (Pentium Dual Core) can OC with nearly no effort to 3Ghz+, which will likely run circles around the low-end Phenom.

If you say "hey I don't want to OC though", Phenom is still at a loss as again the similarly priced E6750 will put the Phenom to shame at most things.

And don't even bother comparing any Phenom to even the lowest C2Q because it's over before it started (though yes the Q6600 is a little more money). Four cores the Phenom may be but it doesn't really mean much considering all it is is four A64 cores with newer fabrication--the same A64 which doesn't hold a candle to the Core2.

For an HTPC where four cores are seldome required (and not really desireable from the extra heat/power in most cases) the Phenom is definitely one to pass over, trust me.

While the Intel cpus are much better (IMO) right now, most of the good new HTPC mATX motherboards are based on AMD cpus.

Maybe the lga775 8300 & G45 boards will be good, but who knows.

First you may want to go with Q9300 (2.5GHz, 45nm). It runs noticeably cooler than Q6600 (here (http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core2quad-q9300_13.html#sect0)), it's a bit pricier though.

CPU cooler ... it depends on the height of your case. Read CPU Cooler (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972#CPU) in my guide.

Okay, got a 9300. Will try the stock cooler, and if that doesn't work well, I'll buy another one.

Hi
Hope you don't mind if I jump in with a question here. I sent this to the thread creator as well but if anyone else has input that would be great too. Anywho...

I ordered parts to build the mid range atx system specified on page one of this thread (listed at bottom) but I was unable to get the case specified so I got the SilverStone Grandia SST-GD01B-MXR chassis with lcd display. The pc is all built and running but I am having trouble figuring out the chassis leads and having the chassis LCD screen light up. The HD and card reader lights are on. The chassis lead that adapts to a external usb plug I have going out the back of the case and into one of the usb plugs in the back (as specified in the chassis manual) so that one's not a problem. I can't find any documentation on the rest of the leads though.

The chassis has IR, LCD, Firewire, Card reader and usb components in the front of it, listed in order of importance to me. I can do without the usb's definitely (there are 6 off the motherboard) but I'd like to get the other stuff up and running.

Maybe I am jumping the gun here also but I have not loaded any drivers or the os but I figured that the lcd screen should light up regardless, am I wrong?

Here is the list of components I have:
Case: SilverStone Grandia SST-GD01B-MXR,
CPU: Core 2 Duo E4700 2.6GHz Socket 775,
CPU Cooler: ZEROtherm BTF90,
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 chipset ATX,
Memory: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit,
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 3650 (any brand),
HDD: Samsung SpinPoint T166 500GB HD501LJ 500GB SATA (x2)
PSU: Antec NeoPower 430

Any advice you could give me would be fantastic.
Mike

GeForce 9600 GT/Radeon HD 3850 or GeForce 8800 GT/Radeon HD 3870 is good and not terribly expensive (<$150, <$200 respectively). GeForce works with the AMD chipset just fine.
I read a few comments at Newegg that the Sapphire version of the 3850 runs extremely hot. Would all high-performance video cards run warmish-to-hot when just decoding HD video and sound? Or, is this more a function of the way that particular brand was designed?

I'm also looking at the Gigabyte branded version of the GeForce 9600GT. Would this card run as hot as the 3850? Also has anyone tried this card in the Antec NSK2400 case. That's where it's going and I need to know if it will fit before I order it. Reports say it is 9" long. I'm not at home so can't measure the distance from the back of the computer up to the HD cage at the front of the computer. Also how quiet are these two cards respectively? I want my upgraded HTPC to run as quiet as feasibly possible.

Thanks for any comments..

The recent pub about Phenoms has me wondering about AMD as an option along with an Intel Quad or maybe a high-end C2D. Then I search here and find this "rip" from January.

Do the latest Phenoms compete effectively? If yes, which ones are the best price/performance? Or is this a "Ford vs. Chevy" situation (where you simply prefer one or the other for emotional reasons)?
Core 2 Quad outperforms Phenom in many benchmarks and it runs much cooler than Phenom. The upcoming 45 nm AMD processor is likely to be as effective as the current Intel processor, but by then the Nehalem processor comes and will defeat AMD again ...

In HTPC world, the role of processor is gradually diminishing, however. Even in video transcoding, GPU will play a significant role in future as the current GPU is a very effective (for floating point compute) multi-core processor (as many as a hundred processors on a die!)

I read a few comments at Newegg that the Sapphire version of the 3850 runs extremely hot. Would all high-performance video cards run warmish-to-hot when just decoding HD video and sound? Or, is this more a function of the way that particular brand was designed?

I'm also looking at the Gigabyte branded version of the GeForce 9600GT. Would this card run as hot as the 3850? Also has anyone tried this card in the Antec NSK2400 case. That's where it's going and I need to know if it will fit before I order it. Reports say it is 9" long. I'm not at home so can't measure the distance from the back of the computer up to the HD cage at the front of the computer. Also how quiet are these two cards respectively? I want my upgraded HTPC to run as quiet as feasibly possible.
These cards run hot when 3D engine is fully working (i.e. playing games). But you don't have to worry about heat for video playback. 9600 GT fits NSK2400 (the maximum supported card length is about 9.85 inches). Fan speed can be controlled with a software utility (e.g. RivaTuner)

In the process of building my machine now. It's assembled and the OS (Vista Ultimate 64) is installed. I've had some issues, especially fitting everything into the case, the Silverstone Grandia 02 (which is beautiful by the way). I have a Corsair 520w modular power supply and the LG multi Blu and HD optical drive bumping together. Basically, I've had to move the LG as far into the case as possible (removing the external open/close button on the case) to get them to fit and I can only get one screw into the optical chassis frame. Also, the Ninja mini cooler was a no go and I had to use the stock cooler with Athlon 6400+. Sorry for the long background, but I placed the cover on the case this morning and the whole thing shut down immediately like a plug was pulled. I didn't notice a spark or hear anything, but I must have been a short somewhere right? How do I find/fix?

Unrelated question, I tried to hook up the audio on the mobo (Gigabyte 780G) to the 9800GTX, but the mobo has 6 pins and the 9800GTX only has two to connect them to. I connected one to the power and the other to the "spdifi" pin. Will it work when I hook it up to my TV HDMI cable. The other pin options were the "spdif" and 2 ground options.

One last question, if my front panal connectors are off, will it do damage or just not work correctly? The cables in the case didn't sync up with the mobo by way of terminology. The case didn't even appear to indicate which was the (- or +) connector. I took a guess that the one with the triangle on it was the negative.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

In the process of building my machine now. It's assembled and the OS (Vista Ultimate 64) is installed. I've had some issues, especially fitting everything into the case, the Silverstone Grandia 02 (which is beautiful by the way). I have a Corsair 520w modular power supply and the LG multi Blu and HD optical drive bumping together. Basically, I've had to move the LG as far into the case as possible (removing the external open/close button on the case) to get them to fit and I can only get one screw into the optical chassis frame. Also, the Ninja mini cooler was a no go and I had to use the stock cooler with Athlon 6400+. Sorry for the long background, but I placed the cover on the case this morning and the whole thing shut down immediately like a plug was pulled. I didn't notice a spark or hear anything, but I must have been a short somewhere right? How do I find/fix?

Unrelated question, I tried to hook up the audio on the mobo (Gigabyte 780G) to the 9800GTX, but the mobo has 6 pins and the 9800GTX only has two to connect them to. I connected one to the power and the other to the "spdifi" pin. Will it work when I hook it up to my TV HDMI cable. The other pin options were the "spdif" and 2 ground options.

One last question, if my front panal connectors are off, will it do damage or just not work correctly? The cables in the case didn't sync up with the mobo by way of terminology. The case didn't even appear to indicate which was the (- or +) connector. I took a guess that the one with the triangle on it was the negative.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

So your system has never turned on since supposedly a short occured, right? Remove every component from the case.

First test PSU by shorting pin 16 and pin 14 of the main 24-pin power connector; if the fan turns on, PSU is OK.

If you have another AMD system that is working, place the CPU and memory in that system and see if they work. If you don't have a working desktop AMD system, proceed to the next step. Memory can be tested with an Intel system too, of course.

Clear CMOS of the mb. Attach CPU, memory, the PSU connectors and the display to the mb outside the case, on a wood desk or a cardboard. Short the power-on pins of the mb momentarily using a flathead screwdriver (the same effect as pressing the case power button) and see if the system starts. If not, the mb could be dead. But if you have not tested CPU and memory, they may be the cause ...

As for S/PDIF, you must connect pin 3 (SPDIF) and pin 5 (GND) to the video card. "Power" pin is for otpical S/PDIF.

Front panal ... only (Power and HDD) LCD has + and -. And if you connect the wires reversely, LCD will not just turn on, you won't break it. Usually the black or white wire from the case is minus.

These cards run hot when 3D engine is fully working (i.e. playing games). But you don't have to worry about heat for video playback. 9600 GT fits NSK2400 (the maximum supported card length is about 9.85 inches). Fan speed can be controlled with a software utility (e.g. RivaTuner)
Thanks renethx. I think I'll go with 9600GT. Any particular brand preferrence on these GeForce cards? I've heard good things about the Gigabyte and the build quality, etc.

As always thank you renethx, you're a saint. I'm not sure if it will turn back on or not. After I put the cover on the case and everything went out I spent the next few minutes verbalizing every unprintable word I could remember and then went to work. If it does turn back on without the case cover on what should I do to find the problem? Thanks again!

Thanks renethx. I think I'll go with 9600GT. Any particular brand preferrence on these GeForce cards? I've heard good things about the Gigabyte and the build quality, etc.
GIGABYTE should be fine. But I prefer a card that comes with a DVI-HDMI adapter (ASUS, Leadtek, etc.; just for a clean wiring, not important at all).

If it does turn back on without the case cover on what should I do to find the problem?
I am out of idea ...

GIGABYTE should be fine. But I prefer a card that comes with a DVI-HDMI adapter (ASUS, Leadtek, etc.; just for a clean wiring).

Not sure if it has the HDMI adapter, but PNY 9600GT was just available for ~$105 AR (http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10007946&prodlist=celebros). Looks like they're OOS now...

PNY 9600 GT lacks the adapter ... but it's a very good deal!

GIGABYTE should be fine. But I prefer a card that comes with a DVI-HDMI adapter (ASUS, Leadtek, etc.; just for a clean wiring, not important at all).
I agree. It would be nice if Gigabyte included one. I already have several DVI-HDMI adapters and cables, so I won't feel the loss to bad. Based on my current setup though, I'll probably end up getting the new Oppo HDMI switch. Alas, my receiver only has 2 HDMI inputs - both of them already taken. :( From a pure compatibility standpoint, maybe the Gigabyte video card will play 'nicer' since I'll be using the Gigabyte MA78GM mobo. :)

Thanks again for your input.

New Problems - I'm booted and on the TV. However, I'm not getting any sound when I pass the HDMI though my audio receiver or directly to the TV, though the tv does make some statically noise. I rearranged the spdf wires in the card as you instructed me and nothing. It also looks like I can use the onboard audio when I'm sending video through the xfx 98000gtx. Lastly, PowerDVD is saying that HDCP is not supported, but it must be right? Thanks for your help.

It also looks like I can use the onboard audio when I'm sending video through the xfx 98000gtx.

Sorry, CAN'T use the onboard

New Problems - I'm booted and on the TV. However, I'm not getting any sound when I pass the HDMI though my audio receiver or directly to the TV, though the tv does make some statically noise. I rearranged the spdf wires in the card as you instructed me and nothing. It also looks like I can use the onboard audio when I'm sending video through the xfx 98000gtx. Lastly, PowerDVD is saying that HDCP is not supported, but it must be right? Thanks for your help.
Have you chosen the correct playback device in the "Sound" dialog box (Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound)? You have to choose Realtek Digital Output for S/PDIF. You may also need to configure Realtek HD Audio Manager > Audio I/O.

There might be a handshake issue between the graphics card, receiver and TV. Connect the card to TV directly. Is there still a problem?

Hello.

Made a DXVA MKV file ( it is DXVA tested and works ) :

http://files.filefront.com/final+rendermkv/;10021753;/fileinfo.html

But it doesn't work on my 8500 GT ( on a 690G MB with X1250 )

I have MPC and it works fine ( 50 % proc usage ) but on MPC-HC it does now work!

installed coreAVC 1.7 trial and it won't start on MPC-HC, MPC works fine but huge usage ( 50 % )

any tips or tutorial ? should i use the 690G onbord card or the 8500 GT ?

Does the video work on your PC's ?

Cheers.

juGGaKNot.

Have you chosen the correct playback device in the "Sound" dialog box (Start > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound)? You have to choose Realtek Digital Output for S/PDIF. You may also need to configure Realtek HD Audio Manager > Audio I/O.

There might be a handshake issue between the graphics card, receiver and TV. Connect the card to TV directly. Is there still a problem?

I have tried connecting to the TV directly and there was no change expect that the TV produced a low static noise (not mixed in with regular sound, pure noise). I will have to try configuring the audio. Could it be any of the Purevideo settings. Are there Purevideo settings? I couldn't find them? Thanks again.

juGGaKNot

I played the file with MPC (ffdshaw). CPU usage was around 50% (Athlon 64 X2 2.3GHz). I think it's normal. Not sure about MPC-HC.

Fratar

"Handshake" issue means a HDCP communication issue between the graphics card and the display devices. PureVideo has nothing to do with S/PDI issue or HDCP issue.

Do we know if the Western Digital Green Power HDD's are reilable and have stable performance yet? They seem to be the best option for a quiet HTPC, but I've heard roomers that they are troublemakers.

juGGaKNot

I played the file with MPC (ffdshaw). CPU usage was around 50% (Athlon 64 X2 2.3GHz). I think it's normal. Not sure about MPC-HC.

it is normal, but the file is DXVA ! ( 2 people confirmed it so far ) and usage should go down to 10 % if MPC-HC is configured good.

Do we know if the Western Digital Green Power HDD's are reilable and have stable performance yet? They seem to be the best option for a quiet HTPC, but I've heard roomers that they are troublemakers.

I've got the 750GB GP in an external sata enclosure attached to my Tivo HD - it pretty much runs non-stop, doesn't get very warm, and is very quiet. I'd imagine it would do well in an HTPC.

Do we know if the Western Digital Green Power HDD's are reilable and have stable performance yet? They seem to be the best option for a quiet HTPC, but I've heard roomers that they are troublemakers.

I have 3 1TB versions in my Tivo's, been running with them since the drives were introduced. No issues at all.

I have 8 of them in a RAID-5 array, roughly same time frame, no issues at all.

In general, they run about 15-20 degrees F cooler than any other drive I've used (according to my RAID array software monitor).

What are everyones recommendations for a Cheap video card for HD playback? No Gaming or anything else, just HD content.

My only desires are:
1) DVI or HDMI
2)HDCP compliance

AS much as I've tried and tinkered, I'm still unable to get smooth HDDVD playback no matter what I try.

It seems it is just to much for the on board 690G.

System Specs are listed below.

OS: Vista Ultimate
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

Hi all - real informative info in this thread for someone (like myself) thats trying to build his first HTPC.

One question I havent seen addressed are the real or perceived benefits of using a DVI to HDMI "black box" v. simply running a DVI>HDMI cable from my HTPC to my AV receiver or Plasma. I have pasted a link below so you guys can see what I mean by "black box"

http://www.ramelectronics.net/audio-video/video-converters/dvi-to-hdmi/audio-authority-convert-dvi-to-hdmi-with-audio-1311/prod1311.html

Obviously this unit is quite a bit more than simply running a cable, but are there benefits?

What are everyones recommendations for a Cheap video card for HD playback?
Sapphire Radeon HD 3470 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102728), $65. SpHeRe31459 endorsed it at missingremote.com (http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2602&Itemid=1). But Radeon HD 3650 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127335) is as cheap as HD 3470 and better.

One question I havent seen addressed are the real or perceived benefits of using a DVI to HDMI "black box" v. simply running a DVI>HDMI cable from my HTPC to my AV receiver or Plasma. I have pasted a link below so you guys can see what I mean by "black box"

http://www.ramelectronics.net/audio-video/video-converters/dvi-to-hdmi/audio-authority-convert-dvi-to-hdmi-with-audio-1311/prod1311.html

Obviously this unit is quite a bit more than simply running a cable, but are there benefits?
This box seems to be a A/V multiplexer (DVI + coaxial S/PDIF > HDMI). A DVI>HDMI cable supports video only.

The box is a kind of useless because multiplexed signal will be demultiplexed inside your AV receiver (so A/V signals need not be multiplexed beforehand) and then multiplexed again when output from HDMI.

Sapphire Radeon HD 3470 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102728), $65. SpHeRe31459 endorsed it at missingremote.com (http://www.missingremote.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2602&Itemid=1). But Radeon HD 3650 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127335) is as cheap as HD 3470 and better.

AWESOME! You are the man!

Got a few questions about a possible HTPC Setup used solely for BD/HDDVD and Media streaming from my media server.

I want to connect it to my Sony KDS-55A3000 Rear Projection TV

Proposed Setup:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ 2.6GHz 65W
Ram: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Drive: LG Blu-ray/HDDVD SuperMulti Drive
OS: Windows Vista 32 Home Premium
Case: IN WIN IW-BT610T.300BL Black Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply

My questions are:

1) Will this play BD and HDDVD smoothly on my Sony.
2) I plan to use the onboard optical audio out directly to my receiver - is this sufficient for 5.1 sound
3) I haven't decided on a case yet but the ones I'm looking at have 300w PSUs - will this be suffecient?

Thanks for the help!

I just ordered a Dell Inspiron 530 with a q6600 which is going to replace not my main HTPC but rather replace machine I use to VPN to work and watch movies while sitting at my desk. I would like to get a fanless card that can also decode HD & Bluray because I can watch and work at the same time. Any recommendations here? I want to keep power consumption and noise down as much as possible. is the XFX GeForce 8500 GT PV-T86J-YAHG still the best bet to get for this? And I do like to game once in a while, was thinking of getting bioshock, can it handle this ? Many thanks in advance.

Just wanted to post a setup which is working wonderfully for me:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX
CPU: AMD Phenom 9600 (ensure HT bus manually set to 1.6)
Ram: AData 5GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
HDD: Western Digital Green Drive 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Drive: LG Blu-ray/HDDVD SuperMulti Drive
OS: Windows Vista 32 Ultimate
HDM Player: Arcsoft TMT

I am only getting 5.1 DTS to my receiver, but considering my last setup was unable to do even that, I am in heaven.

Arcsoft TMT (with all the updates - including the new one I downloaded today) plays everything I have thrown at it so far...which is not much, to be honest. It plays all the Bourne movies and Planet Earth in HD-DVD and Night at the Museum in Blue Ray. TMT has a built in VMC plugin, auto-launches, and I can use the Windows Remote - all without having to do any hacking on my own. I have the audio setup to SPDIF passthrough, even though it is using HDMI...that way it does not try to change the audio at all.

I use VMC for standard DVDs.

Eventually, I will get a stand alone sound card to handle my audio, when the new HDMI in and out cards become available. Utopia will then be had.

jlockett02

Yes to all three.

Terrybadman

Or Sapphire Radeon HD 3470 which is better in post-processing. Or Radeon HD 3650, GeForce 8600 GT/GTS.

Fratar

"Handshake" issue means a HDCP communication issue between the graphics card and the display devices. PureVideo has nothing to do with S/PDI issue or HDCP issue.

Why would it show the video then? Also, I took the video card out and hooked up to the onboard hdmi of the 780G and again, I received video but no audio.

Also, I sent an email to Gigabyte asking for help and this is the reply I received:

"There are no connection on the board to connect to your videocard.
You will need to use the onboard HDMI if you wish to receive audio and set the default audio playback to Optical or HDMI"

If that's correct than I don't understand what the spdif_io is for.

If I bought a discrete audio card would it connect to the 9800gtx and would it correctly play audio even if the mobo has an error?

Thanks again!

Fratar

So you have two separate problems:

1. S/PDIF does not work when the internal S/PDIF is connected to your 9800 card.
2. HDCP error when playing back BD with 9800 and PowerDVD

As for 1, you need to select the correct sound playback device in Windows and you have to use a proper DVI-to-HDMI adapter (otherwise audio won't pass through DVI). I noticed that not every 9800 GTX model comes with a DVI-HDMI dongle. In this case you need to connect the S/PDIF port on the mb rear panel to your receiver directly.

2. This is purely a communication problem between the card and your display devices (TV or the receiver+TV) and this will be a problem only when you play AACS-encrypted contents. I am not sure how to fix it. Maybe using AnyDVD HD (decrypting contents in realtime) is the only solution.

Onboard HDMI audio: You need to understand that the GIGABYTE board includes two separate independent audio codecs

- Realtek ALC889A to which the rear panel S/PDIF optical and the internal S/PDIF header are connected. GIGABYTE support is wrong!
- HDMI audio controller which controls audio part of HDMI when you use the onboard HDMI and is integrated in the chip (so no wiring is necessary). Again you have to choose the correct sound playback device in Windows and you have to install the correct driver to get it to work.

Fratar

So you have two separate problems:

1. S/PDIF does not work when the internal S/PDIF is connected to your 9800 card.
2. HDCP error when playing back BD with 9800 and PowerDVD

As for 1, you need to select the correct sound playback device in Windows and you have to use a proper DVI-to-HDMI adapter (otherwise audio won't pass through DVI). I noticed that not every 9800 GTX model comes with a DVI-HDMI dongle. In this case you need to connect the S/PDIF port on the mb rear panel to your receiver directly.

2. This is purely a communication problem between the card and your display devices (TV or the receiver+TV) and this will be a problem only when you play AACS-encrypted contents. I am not sure how to fix it. Maybe using AnyDVD HD (decrypting contents in realtime) is the only solution.

Onboard HDMI audio: You need to understand that the GIGABYTE board includes two separate independent audio codecs

- Realtek ALC889A to which the rear panel S/PDIF optical and the internal S/PDIF header are connected. GIGABYTE support is wrong!
- HDMI audio controller which controls audio part of HDMI when you use the onboard HDMI and is integrated in the chip (so no wiring is necessary). Again you have to choose the correct sound playback device in Windows and you have to install the correct driver to get it to work.

I'm confused regarding the audio with this board and the realtec alc889a.

Cyberlink tells me Power DVD 8.0 will only downsample AACS protected media.

Other people tells me it still downsamples ALL, AACS protected or not.

HDMI 1.3 with audio is (according to Cyberlink) not supported in 8.0 still, but will be supported in 8.5 coming "soon".

So, what audio can I actually get from my bluray dts hd and bolby true hd discs through analogue outs on GA-MA78GM-S2H ??

Mascot

Perhaps you will get 7.1 channel 16-bit/48kHz (i.e. downsampled) audio from ALC889A analog with PowerDVD 8.0 and 8.5. It looks like sound devices supported by 8.5 are not so many (only ASUS and Auzentech?).

Sigh... ok, I'm having trouble narrowing things down for my htpc.

Once again, I'm looking for hd and limited gaming. I'm planning on greatly overshooting what would be required for that though, just to be extra safe and somewhat future proof.

I'm planning on waiting for the hdmi sound cards to release

First of all, how long until they release? (If anyone has any suggestions for informational sites for that type of thing it would be greatly appreciated)

Second, I'm going with something along the lines of the atx premium 2 recommendation on the first page.

I'm planning on definitely sticking with the radeon 3870 (don't think I'll need to do crossfire unless someone has a suggestion otherwise)

What I'm not sure about is the mobo. Should I just go with the MSI K9A2 Platinum 790FX ATX as suggested or hold off until I purchase a sound card and get something newer? I assume that that mobo would be fine, I just want to make sure. Also, I don't think I need quad core. If I go dual core instead what would be a good cpu mobo combo to go with to match up with the 3870?

(I'm really new to all this. Luckily, my friend is doing the build for me. But he needs me to finalize my decisions on what I want so he can get started)

I really do appreciate all the help.

Mascot

Perhaps you will get 7.1 channel 16-bit/48kHz (i.e. downsampled) audio from ALC889A analog with PowerDVD 8.0 and 8.5. It looks like sound devices supported by 8.5 are not so many (only ASUS and Auzentech?).

Why would I get downsampled audio if I use Any DVD HD to remove AACS?? Cyberlink told me in their reply that It downsamples in Power DVD 8.0 on AACS protected media.

Are they lying?

/edit

No, obviously they're not lying but since there are no secure path for AACS protected audio PDVD8 simply has to downsample everything to 16/48..

Why couldnt Cyberlink simply say so?? They like politicians, you ask them one thing and the reply another question you didnt even ask...

Fratar

So you have two separate problems:

1. S/PDIF does not work when the internal S/PDIF is connected to your 9800 card.
2. HDCP error when playing back BD with 9800 and PowerDVD

As for 1, you need to select the correct sound playback device in Windows and you have to use a proper DVI-to-HDMI adapter (otherwise audio won't pass through DVI). I noticed that not every 9800 GTX model comes with a DVI-HDMI dongle. In this case you need to connect the S/PDIF port on the mb rear panel to your receiver directly.

2. This is purely a communication problem between the card and your display devices (TV or the receiver+TV) and this will be a problem only when you play AACS-encrypted contents. I am not sure how to fix it. Maybe using AnyDVD HD (decrypting contents in realtime) is the only solution.

Onboard HDMI audio: You need to understand that the GIGABYTE board includes two separate independent audio codecs

- Realtek ALC889A to which the rear panel S/PDIF optical and the internal S/PDIF header are connected. GIGABYTE support is wrong!
- HDMI audio controller which controls audio part of HDMI when you use the onboard HDMI and is integrated in the chip (so no wiring is necessary). Again you have to choose the correct sound playback device in Windows and you have to install the correct driver to get it to work.


I bought the xfx model specifically because it came with a dongle though it's dvi-D instead of I and not duallink (could this be part of the problem?). I've tried connecting s/pdif on the rear panel directly to the reciever and no dice. I even pulled out the card and used just the back panel hdmi (which should carry audio, correct?) to connect to the receiver and still no audio, and in addition, the display res was limited to 600 x 400 (or something close) and wouldn't let me change it.

Also, I have anydvd which worked fine for regual dvd's, but when I put in a blu-ray movie anydvd timed out and became unresponsible. It's very frustrating. Thank you for all your help though.

lern2swim

HDMI sound cards from Auzentech and Asus are expected in Q2 IIRC. CyberLink said PowerDVD will support them with a patch (8.5) by the end of June.

The main reason for choosing MSI K9A2 Platinum is its brilliant number of PCIe x16 slots (enough for CrossFire and a storage controller card at the same time). If you are not interested in CrossFire or storage controller, then GA-MA790FX-DS5 is another good choice. It supports up to 4 PCIe x1 devices (HDMI sound card, TV tuner etc.).

If you play modern DX10 games, Phenom X4/X3 or Athlon 64 X2 2 x 1MB L2 cache (Windsor core) is recommended. For transcoding, Phenom X4 is the best. Otherwise Athlon X2 5000+ Black Edition (65W Brisbane core) or Athlon X2 4850e (45W Brisbane core) is a good choice.

Fratar

Check the following three points.

1. Install the latest driver for ALC889A (and GeForce 9800 GTX). In case you haven't, you can download it from

- Realtek audio codec driver (http://www.realtek.com.tw/Downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=14&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false). You can also download the ATI HDMI audio driver here (necessary for the onboard HDMI audio).
- NVIDIA GeForce driver (http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x64_174.74_whql.html)

2. Connect the optical S/PDIF connector of the rear panel to the receiver (to eliminate the possible dongle issue out of equation).
3. Select S/PDIF (Realtek HD Digital something) in the "Sound" dialog box.
4. Open Realtek Sound Manager > Audio I/O. Configure it correctly. Test your speakers here. If you can't hear sound, recheck audio cables. If no sound, the mb (onboard audio) could be defective.

The onboard HDMI audio should work too, but this has nothing to do with Realtek ALC889A (HDMI audio controller is different).

AnyDVD HD may not work for some movies, I am not sure of this point.

Why would I get downsampled audio if I use Any DVD HD to remove AACS?? Cyberlink told me in their reply that It downsamples in Power DVD 8.0 on AACS protected media.
Downsampling everything (AACS-encrypted or not) was confirmed by w1seman (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13556616#post13556616).

I bought the xfx model specifically because it came with a dongle though it's dvi-D instead of I and not duallink (could this be part of the problem?). I've tried connecting s/pdif on the rear panel directly to the reciever and no dice. I even pulled out the card and used just the back panel hdmi (which should carry audio, correct?) to connect to the receiver and still no audio, and in addition, the display res was limited to 600 x 400 (or something close) and wouldn't let me change it.

Also, I have anydvd which worked fine for regual dvd's, but when I put in a blu-ray movie anydvd timed out and became unresponsible. It's very frustrating. Thank you for all your help though.

Do you have the Windows default audio set to HDMI? And PDVD set to 6-channel? (Don't set PDVD to HDMI, as it often doesn't work.)

Question

I have a new HTPC with the following:

GA-MA69GM-S2H
4 Gigs DDR2 800
Sapphire Radeon 3450 Passive
37" Vizio LCD 1366x768 connected via an HDMI/DVI cable
Monoprice 4-1 HDMI switch
Vista 32

1. I get great video in VMC at 1080i setting in Catalyst. Bluray works fine in PDVD. The desktop is blurry at any resolution I have tried through HDMI/DVI. Using VGA, I can map 1:1 and it is clear. Will Powerstrip really fix this so that I can stick with HDMI? Or can I upscale DVDs or get true HD through VGA?

2. The reason I am considering VGA is that when resuming from S3, I don't get a display. I have the HDMI switch set and the TV is on before I resume. The only solution is to restart Vista. I have read all I can find on this and tried forcing detect, etc. in CCC.

3. Is there a good reason for me to try Component? The card comes with a dongle.

Fratar

Check the following three points.

1. Install the latest driver for ALC889A (and GeForce 9800 GTX). In case you haven't, you can download it from

- Realtek audio codec driver (http://www.realtek.com.tw/Downloads/downloadsView.aspx?Langid=1&PNid=14&PFid=24&Level=4&Conn=3&DownTypeID=3&GetDown=false). You can also download the ATI HDMI audio driver here (necessary for the onboard HDMI audio).
- NVIDIA GeForce driver (http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x64_174.74_whql.html)

2. Connect the optical S/PDIF connector of the rear panel to the receiver (to eliminate the possible dongle issue out of equation).
3. Select S/PDIF (Realtek HD Digital something) in the "Sound" dialog box.
4. Open Realtek Sound Manager > Audio I/O. Configure it correctly. Test your speakers here. If you can't hear sound, recheck audio cables. If no sound, the mb (onboard audio) could be defective.

The onboard HDMI audio should work too, but this has nothing to do with Realtek ALC889A (HDMI audio controller is different).

AnyDVD HD may not work for some movies, I am not sure of this point.

Thanks. The "Sound Dialog Box" hasn't givem me many options and there isn't a configure button or anything like that. Basically they offer a pass though and quality settings. Is there something specific I should be looking for and doing? If so, can you give some details. Thanks.

Do you have the Windows default audio set to HDMI? And PDVD set to 6-channel? (Don't set PDVD to HDMI, as it often doesn't work.)

ABMAGFAB,

I'm not sure what you mean by the windows default audio or the PDVD. Can you elaborate? Thanks for your help!

Thanks. The "Sound Dialog Box" hasn't givem me many options and there isn't a configure button or anything like that. Basically they offer a pass though and quality settings. Is there something specific I should be looking for and doing? If so, can you give some details. Thanks.
Look at this picture (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13056852#post13056852). This is a different motherboard (GeForce 7150), but your dialog box should look similar. "Realtek Digital Output" is S/PDIF from the Realtek audio codec (ALC889A in your case) and you have to select it. "Speakers" is analog from the Realtek audio codec. Right-click the icon and select "test", you should hear sound.

AbMagFab is talking about the onboard HDMI. If you want to get audio through the onboard HDMI, you have to choose "HDMI Audio" in "Sound" dialog box (he said "have the Windows default audio set to HDMI"). PowerDVD setting is of course necessary when playing back a BD movie with PowerDVD.

Look at this picture (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13056852#post13056852). This is a different motherboard (GeForce 7150), but your dialog box should look similar. "Realtek Digital Output" is S/PDIF from the Realtek audio codec (ALC889A in your case) and you have to select it. "Speakers" is analog from the Realtek audio codec. Right-click the icon and select "test", you should hear sound.

AbMagFab is talking about the onboard HDMI. If you want to get audio through the onboard HDMI, you have to choose "HDMI Audio" in "Sound" dialog box (he said "have the Windows default audio set to HDMI"). PowerDVD setting is of course necessary when playing back a BD movie with PowerDVD.

Thanks, I've been on that screen and selected Realtek Digital Output, but I haven't tested it from there. I'll give it a shot. Would the "HDMI Audio" be the NVidia HDMI Audio Device shown on that image? Thanks.

Would the "HDMI Audio" be the NVidia HDMI Audio Device shown on that image? Thanks.
Yes. In your motherboard, the name is different.

Hi renethx
just to follow up on the last post I made a couple days ago, Gigabyte emailed me back saying that the mother board did not support a case mounted lcd screen like that on my grandia. So, my question now is what would be your recommendation on a board that would fully support all the features of a SilverStone Grandia SST-GD01B-MXR case with LCD and IR display? I actually prefer intel boards if applicable. All of the other parts are from your mid range atx set up listed on the first page of the forum.

Anyone interested in a minimally used GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS3R Intel P35 chipset ATX board?

Thanks
Mike

How much do you want for it?

Yes. In your motherboard, the name is different.

My "Sounds" section (with the image you referenced) is only giving me the options of "Speakers" "Headphones" and "Digital Output Device" which I have found out is the optical out on the back of the mobo which actually works now. It's not giving me an option for HDMI sound through the videocard. Why is that?

It is inconvenient to connect hdmi to the tv and optical out to the receiver (because explaining to other people how to watch a movie will be a continuous hassle), but I'd be willing to do it. However, I keep getting intermittent static on the tv audio (though the receiver seems to be fine). It will be silent for a while, but there there are numerous bursts of static. How can I fix that? I updated the audio drivers already.

Also, if I pick up a discrete sound card, will I be able to hook up the video card and sound card to send the audio though the video card? Is it worth it? Thanks.

http://www.staples.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StaplesProductDisplay?&langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&productId=187664&cmArea=SEARCH

i have that keyboard and noticed on the top right corner of the keyboard it has a power button,if thats to turn off and turn on the keyboard how would i do that,my processor doesnt get here till wedesday in the mean time i can try to figure out how to do that heh

Hi All

I am looking to build my 1st HTPC and am looking an intel mATX board.

However I am unsure of which HTPC case I should use as I want something that is slim. But my concern is that the graphics module will have issue fitting into the shortlisted cases. Graphics module I am considering are the 8600 or 8800 range.

As for cases I am shorting listing Silverstone LC02, Silverstone LC11 and Antec Fusion 430. The latter is my preference.

Other points is that I am looking to use one SATA HDD and one optical drive.

Appreciate if some members to share their experiences with the above casings.

Many Thanks

Hi All

I am looking to build my 1st HTPC and am looking an intel mATX board.

However I am unsure of which HTPC case I should use as I want something that is slim. But my concern is that the graphics module will have issue fitting into the shortlisted cases. Graphics module I am considering are the 8600 or 8800 range.

As for cases I am shorting listing Silverstone LC02, Silverstone LC11 and Antec Fusion 430. The latter is my preference.

Other points is that I am looking to use one SATA HDD and one optical drive.

Appreciate if some members to share their experiences with the above casings.

Many Thanks

I am using a Silverstone Grandia 2. It's a beautiful case and it fits my 9800gtx with no problem. But I have had a problem fitting the blu-ray drive and the psu. They both want to occupy the same quarter in. This may just be the components I've chosen (LG combo HD and Blu-ray and the Corsair 520w modular).

i recently have a pc. this is my pc config:

gigabyte p965-ds3 v1.1
i think i have e8300
i just bought a ati 3450 ( so this is okay.)

what kind of thing i have to upgrade so i can watch hd movies.

My "Sounds" section (with the image you referenced) is only giving me the options of "Speakers" "Headphones" and "Digital Output Device" which I have found out is the optical out on the back of the mobo which actually works now. It's not giving me an option for HDMI sound through the videocard. Why is that?

It is inconvenient to connect hdmi to the tv and optical out to the receiver (because explaining to other people how to watch a movie will be a continuous hassle), but I'd be willing to do it. However, I keep getting intermittent static on the tv audio (though the receiver seems to be fine). It will be silent for a while, but there there are numerous bursts of static. How can I fix that? I updated the audio drivers already.

Also, if I pick up a discrete sound card, will I be able to hook up the video card and sound card to send the audio though the video card? Is it worth it? Thanks.
The HDMI audio from 9800 is actually Realtek ALC889A, so you won't see another HDMI audio besides ATI HDMI Audio in the Sound dialog box.

I am not sure of the cause of intermittent static. When does static occur? What is the "tv audio"? Audio from the TV speakers or TV programs'audio from the TV tuner installed in your system?

If you use S/PDIF pass-through to the graphics card from a sound card without an internal S/PDIF header, you will need a coaxial S/PDIF bracket (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13331753#post13331753).

Hi All

I am looking to build my 1st HTPC and am looking an intel mATX board.

However I am unsure of which HTPC case I should use as I want something that is slim. But my concern is that the graphics module will have issue fitting into the shortlisted cases. Graphics module I am considering are the 8600 or 8800 range.

As for cases I am shorting listing Silverstone LC02, Silverstone LC11 and Antec Fusion 430. The latter is my preference.

Other points is that I am looking to use one SATA HDD and one optical drive.
GeForce 8600 GT, 8600 GTS, or 8800 GT fits Antec Fusion 430.

i recently have a pc. this is my pc config:

gigabyte p965-ds3 v1.1
i think i have e8300
i just bought a ati 3450 ( so this is okay.)

what kind of thing i have to upgrade so i can watch hd movies.
Do you have any trouble in watching HD movies? Your system looks OK. BTW are your sure your processor is E8300? GA-P965-DS3 does not support FSB 1333 MHz processors (http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/CPUSupport_Model.aspx?ProductID=2417).

There is a code error in ATX Recommended Systems's section.

The HDMI audio from 9800 is actually Realtek ALC889A, so you won't see another HDMI audio besides ATI HDMI Audio in the Sound dialog box.

I am not sure of the cause of intermittent static. When does static occur? What is the "tv audio"? Audio from the TV speakers or TV programs'audio from the TV tuner installed in your system?

If you use S/PDIF pass-through to the graphics card from a sound card without an internal S/PDIF header, you will need a coaxial S/PDIF bracket (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13331753#post13331753).

Thanks Renethx,

But I don't see an initial HDMI audio (nevermind another one ;)). The icon I see seems to relate only to the digital audio from the mobo's optical port (I presume, since that works). How come it's not registering an HDMI audio at all?

The static occurs through the TV speakers. I have muted them and am passing audio through the HT Receiver via optical cable, but the static on the TV speakers almost sounds damaging. It will be quiet and then a harsh jagged sound (not an analog "snowy picture" sound).

If I'm understanding your soundcard comment correctly, I would ahve to buy a soundcard and rig the coax from outside the pc back in through an unused slot and then connect it to the videocard? There isn't a conection similar to SLI where it goes from the top of the sound card to the top of the video card (which is where the video card's audio input is already)?

I'm starting to think I should have gone with the 3870 x2 and avoided this hassle.

B/T/W - my LG Blu-ray combo player is not playing the BR discs. I think it may be the handshake issue you described, but AnyDVD is not helping, or even allowing me to rip the disc to the HD. I keep getting an error. I am trying to work through Slyfox's support to correct it though.

Thanks for all your help!

Fratar

Perhaps I don't understand your problems well. You connect the internal S/PDIF connector to the graphics card, then connect HDMI out from the graphics card to the TV. You have sound. But you hear occasional static noise. Right?

If you connect HDMI out from the graphics card to the receiver, then do you hear such noise from the speakers connected to the receiver?

AFAIK, many sound cards have only external S/PDIF so that you need a S/PDIF bracket if you want to connect to the graphics card.

As for video, do you have a HDCP problem with the onboard video? And does the onboard HDMI audio work well (no static when connected to TV directly)?

BTW the picture below is the Sound dialog box of a system consisting of GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 and GeForce 9600 GT. GA-P35-DS4 has the audio coded ALC889A (the same as yours), but has no onboard graphics. 9600 GT has an internal audio connector and it is connected to the internal S/PDIF header of the mb. There is no HDMI audio icon in the dialog box. But I can hear audio from HDMI from the graphics card just fine. No special setting is required. Just connect the cable internally and select Realtek Digital Output. That's it. The Sound dialog box shows only the actual audio controller (Realtek ALC889A). The graphics card's HDMI is to multiplex video from the GPU and audio from ALC889A's S/PDIF. None of the GeForce cards has an actual audio controller, unlike ATI-AMD.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108125

Fratar

Perhaps I don't understand your problems well. You connect the internal S/PDIF connector to the graphics card, then connect HDMI out from the graphics card to the TV. You have sound. But you hear occasional static noise. Right?

If you connect HDMI out from the graphics card to the receiver, then do you hear such noise from the speakers connected to the receiver?

AFAIK, many sound cards have only external S/PDIF so that you need a S/PDIF bracket if you want to connect to the graphics card.

As for video, do you have a HDCP problem with the onboard video? And does the onboard HDMI audio work well (no static when connected to TV directly)?

BTW the picture below is the Sound dialog box of a system consisting of GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS4 and GeForce 9600 GT. GA-P35-DS4 has the audio coded ALC889A (the same as yours), but has no onboard graphics. 9600 GT has an internal audio connector and it is connected to the internal S/PDIF header of the mb. There is no HDMI audio icon in the dialog box. But I can hear audio from HDMI from the graphics card just fine. No special setting is required. Just connect the cable internally and select Realtek Digital Output. That's it. The Sound dialog box shows only the actual audio controller (Realtek ALC889A). The graphics card's HDMI is to multiplex video from the GPU and audio from ALC889A's S/PDIF. None of the GeForce cards has an actual audio controller, unlike ATI-AMD.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=108125

I apologize for confusing this. Currently, I connect hdmi from the video card to the TV. Audio isn't connected from the spdif header to the videocard because I can't get it to work. However this still makes the TV audio have the static sounds (but I'm not sending audio so I don't understand why that is). My response has been to turn the TV volume to 0 and connect the audio optical cable from the mobo to the HT receiver.

Also, if what you're telling me is that the icon wouldn't identify it as hdmi audio out then it should be working, right? How can I diagnose this problem?

[QUOTE=AbMagFab;13241401]If, for example, my AVR pre-pro features got disabled with LPCM 7.1 like they do with analog multichannel. QUOTE]

Maybe you guys can clear something up for me. I have a good Denon receiver but it doesn't decode any of the new HD audio formats. The most it'll do is DD-EX and DTS-ES. One of my main reasons for building the HTPC was to decode the signals using the computer and send the signals on to the receiver eliminating the need to replace a perfectly good receiver when a new surropund format comes along. I was originally going to use 8ch analogue outs into the receiver but i have learned that this bypasses all of the distance/delay settings in the receiver. Can i output these signals over the optical connection (as LPCM 7.1 i guess) or will it not work? Do i really have a course i can take that is not replacing the receiver ( or gettting a seperate pre/pro)? My receiver can take an HDMI up to 1.3. My video card is an 8600GT and has DVI out. My MoBo is an MSI P6N SLi with an optical out.

Thanks, Craig

Can't do LPCM >2 over optical. If your receiver is HDMI 1.1 or greater and it accepts LPCM, then the PC should, in general, be able to achieve what you want.

Specific details (do I have motherboard/video card capable of LPCM 7.1 over HDMI, will PowerDVD decode the new formats to LPCM, etc.) are the devil.

I apologize for confusing this. Currently, I connect hdmi from the video card to the TV. Audio isn't connected from the spdif header to the videocard because I can't get it to work. However this still makes the TV audio have the static sounds (but I'm not sending audio so I don't understand why that is). My response has been to turn the TV volume to 0 and connect the audio optical cable from the mobo to the HT receiver.

Also, if what you're telling me is that the icon wouldn't identify it as hdmi audio out then it should be working, right? How can I diagnose this problem?
Diagnosing the problem seems to be easy for me. Connect the internal S/PDIF to the graphics card and connect the HDMI of the graphics card to the receiver. (Use a display device other than the TV.) If audio and video are normal, then your HTPC is OK.

Try to use the onboard HDMI video and connect it to the TV. If you still hear static noise (ATI HDMI audio is on of off), then it's your TV that is the problem.

BTW why do you care about the TV speakers if you have a receiver and separate speakers?

GeForce 8600 GT, 8600 GTS, or 8800 GT fits Antec Fusion 430.

Thank you Renethx for confirming that...One more question on Antec Fusion, does it come with a double sata power cable so I can power 2 SATA devices with a single cable?

Thank you Renethx for confirming that...One more question on Antec Fusion, does it come with a double sata power cable so I can power 2 SATA devices with a single cable?
Yes, the PSU comes with one (and only one) cable with 2 SATA connectors.

Diagnosing the problem seems to be easy for me. Connect the internal S/PDIF to the graphics card and connect the HDMI of the graphics card to the receiver. (Use a display device other than the TV.) If audio and video are normal, then your HTPC is OK.

Try to use the onboard HDMI video and connect it to the TV. If you still hear static noise (ATI HDMI audio is on of off), then it's your TV that is the problem.

BTW why do you care about the TV speakers if you have a receiver and separate speakers?

The internal s/pdif to the graphics card and the graphics card hdmi to the receiver hasn't worked and I've tried multiple pin combination on the s/pdif header.

To use the onboard hdmi should I remove the video card completely?

I worry about the tv speakers because I'm afraid that if I damage them I will also damage necessary componants of the display. Fear born of ignorance? Probably, but my limited experience with electronics is that logic only takes you so far (like windows errors that suddenly disappear or appear after multiple reboots but no other changes).

It's frustrating because it shouldn't be this hard. I've very close to taking the whole pile to "PC Farm" and having them fix it. One of my case fans isn't working now either

right!

After wading through the maze of options i could do with a bit of advice from some seasoned HTPC builders!

My basic requirements are Raid 5 so i'm thinking of the Silverstone CW02 case,

i'd like to add the HVR-4000 Hauppauge card so then we're talking 4GB RAM and an appropriate motherboard / GC with HDMI output and a decent dual or quad core chip,

this is for my bedroom setup so the fact that i'll never have 7 speakers therein is irrelevant...i'd still like the choice lol...

i dont mind waiting for the new summer chipsets but if theres as good a solution available now i'd rather get cracking :D

TIA,

In the process of building my machine now. It's assembled and the OS (Vista Ultimate 64) is installed. I've had some issues, especially fitting everything into the case, the Silverstone Grandia 02 (which is beautiful by the way). I have a Corsair 520w modular power supply and the LG multi Blu and HD optical drive bumping together. Basically, I've had to move the LG as far into the case as possible (removing the external open/close button on the case) to get them to fit and I can only get one screw into the optical chassis frame. Also, the Ninja mini cooler was a no go and I had to use the stock cooler with Athlon 6400+. Sorry for the long background, but I placed the cover on the case this morning and the whole thing shut down immediately like a plug was pulled. I didn't notice a spark or hear anything, but I must have been a short somewhere right? How do I find/fix?

Unrelated question, I tried to hook up the audio on the mobo (Gigabyte 780G) to the 9800GTX, but the mobo has 6 pins and the 9800GTX only has two to connect them to. I connected one to the power and the other to the "spdifi" pin. Will it work when I hook it up to my TV HDMI cable. The other pin options were the "spdif" and 2 ground options.

One last question, if my front panal connectors are off, will it do damage or just not work correctly? The cables in the case didn't sync up with the mobo by way of terminology. The case didn't even appear to indicate which was the (- or +) connector. I took a guess that the one with the triangle on it was the negative.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Have you ever replaced any parts and/or confirmed they work in another system since the above occurred?

The whole "shut down immediately like a plug was pulled" would make me very worried unless I have already figured out "WHY?". Next you stated that to get the sound working initially you had connected "one to the power and the other to the "spdifi" pin". There is a chance that connecting the power instead of the ground has already caused damage to your TV, Video card and/or motherboard. Unless you KNOW these items all work in another system, I feel you must assume one of them is bad. So, do you hear static/noise when another source is connected to the same input of the TV? If not, the TV is most likely OK. Next go through each component and isolate it by testing is with another system or replacing it with a new part.


Hope this helps

The internal s/pdif to the graphics card and the graphics card hdmi to the receiver hasn't worked and I've tried multiple pin combination on the s/pdif header.

To use the onboard hdmi should I remove the video card completely?

I worry about the tv speakers because I'm afraid that if I damage them I will also damage necessary componants of the display. Fear born of ignorance? Probably, but my limited experience with electronics is that logic only takes you so far (like windows errors that suddenly disappear or appear after multiple reboots but no other changes).

It's frustrating because it shouldn't be this hard. I've very close to taking the whole pile to "PC Farm" and having them fix it. One of my case fans isn't working now either
You don't have to remove the 9800 card or driver to use the onboard graphics. Just select "Onboard" in "Init Display First" and install ATI graphics driver/ATI HDMI audio driver. Connect the onboard HDMI to the receiver to see if it works. Then you can test your TV speakers.

i want know if i had e4300 cpu. do you recommend me to upgrade with faster cpu or just kept this cpu for htpc?

i want know if i had e4300 cpu. do you recommend me to upgrade with faster cpu or just kept this cpu for htpc?
E4300 is good eough for HTPC.

renethx,
i bought a 2600xt super to use with ma69gm, the problem is that i cant use a hdmi cable with it.
i tried to connect the hdmi cable to the hdmi port, didnt work.
i tried to connect the hdmi cable to the DVI port with hdmi-dvi dongle, didnt work.
whats is wrong with this card?
i brought it to the distributor, they tested it, didnt work, they tried with another card didnt work, they tried with 8600gt, works, they ask me to change with 8600gt. :confused:
will 9600gt gives better picture compare to ATI card? will it support HWA?

thanks
Andy

renethx,
i bought a 2600xt super to use with ma69gm, the problem is that i cant use a hdmi cable with it.
i tried to connect the hdmi cable to the hdmi port, didnt work.
i tried to connect the hdmi cable to the DVI port with hdmi-dvi dongle, didnt work.
whats is wrong with this card?
i brought it to the distributor, they tested it, didnt work, they tried with another card didnt work, they tried with 8600gt, works, they ask me to change with 8600gt. :confused:
will 9600gt gives better picture compare to ATI card? will it support HWA?
Basically 8600 GT/9600 GT is as good as 2600 Pro/XT and 3650. All of them support HA.

E4300 is good eough for HTPC.

do i need to overclock my cpu or not?

do i need to overclock my cpu or not?
If HA works, you don't.

I currently have an HTPC consisting of: Antec 2400 case, Intel E4300 CPU, 2GB RAM, Abit F-I90 mobo, dvd drive. I would like to upgrade to Blu-Ray playback.

The nVidia 8200 chipset for Intel looks promising, but I haven't seen any boards yet not heard when to expect them. Do I need to upgrade my E4300, or will overclocking it suffice? For BluRay drives, I think there is a Lite-On drive with a silver face that I might get, any other suggestions?

I currently have an HTPC consisting of: Antec 2400 case, Intel E4300 CPU, 2GB RAM, Abit F-I90 mobo, dvd drive. I would like to upgrade to Blu-Ray playback.

The nVidia 8200 chipset for Intel looks promising, but I haven't seen any boards yet nor heard when to expect them. Do I need to upgrade my E4300, or will overclocking it suffice? For BluRay drives, I think there is a Lite-On drive with a silver face that I might get, any other suggestions?

Has anyone heard when the 8200 mobos will hit the shelves?

I just bought the recommended low end amd system today with the change of CPU to a 2.8GHz X2 (65w) and the Antec Fusion 430.

My bedroom computer died this morning so I figured why not?!

My computer randomly crashed and reset itself and now when I turn it on it doesn't even go to post, no beeps no display, nothing. Funny thing is I can turn it on via the power button but I then cannot turn it OFF with the power button. Also I tried swapping powersupplies with no luck. Any ideas anyone?

I currently have an HTPC consisting of: Antec 2400 case, Intel E4300 CPU, 2GB RAM, Abit F-I90 mobo, dvd drive. I would like to upgrade to Blu-Ray playback.

The nVidia 8200 chipset for Intel looks promising, but I haven't seen any boards yet not heard when to expect them. Do I need to upgrade my E4300, or will overclocking it suffice? For BluRay drives, I think there is a Lite-On drive with a silver face that I might get, any other suggestions?
GeForce 8200 for Intel motherboards are available in July at the earliest. If you can't wait, buy a discrete graphics card. E4300 is enough. Yes, Lite-on read-only drive is good with Antec case.

Hey guys im new to the HTPC world, and im starting my project just wanted to post my spec for my HD-HTPC and make sure that i had all that i needed to achive what im looking for.. first and foremost im building this so i can archive all by HD media (blu/Hd-Dvd) and play them back in 1080p and with that i want to be able to play back the newest audio codec's via hdmi (True HD,HD-MA...etc) so here my list please feel free to comment and give feedback on my choice's

SILVERSTONE Black LASCALA 10 CS-SST-LC10B ATX Media Center / HTPC
Case
Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Power
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz LGA 775
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
AuzenTech XPlosion 7.1 Sound
ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP ATX Intel Motherboard
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3870 100225L Video Card
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model

total $1200
overkill or where i need to be in order to get what im looking for

thanks in advance

Hey guys im new to the HTPC world, and im starting my project just wanted to post my spec for my HD-HTPC and make sure that i had all that i needed to achive what im looking for.. first and foremost im building this so i can archive all by HD media (blu/Hd-Dvd) and play them back in 1080p and with that i want to be able to play back the newest audio codec's via hdmi (True HD,HD-MA...etc) so here my list please feel free to comment and give feedback on my choice's

SILVERSTONE Black LASCALA 10 CS-SST-LC10B ATX Media Center / HTPC
Case
Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Power
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz LGA 775
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
AuzenTech XPlosion 7.1 Sound
ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP ATX Intel Motherboard
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3870 100225L Video Card
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model

total $1200
overkill or where i need to be in order to get what im looking for

thanks in advance
The graphics card is overkill as the integrated graphics + Q6600 can handle anything you will throw at it. The soundcard is not needed if you are trying to get HD audio from your G35 chipset's HDMI out. The ram is not really overkill but overpriced. You will probably not notice the difference in speed between that and DDR2-800 and the DDR2-800 is probably half the price. The Bluray HDDVD combo is overkill if you do not currently own a large selection of HDDVDs (unless you just want the DVD burning capability) The motherboard is overkill as a cheaper version will do just what you want, unless you want the built in wireless. I would suggest buying 1 small hard drive and one large hard drive in order to seperate your OS/programs and your data incase you ever need to reformat.

Does anyone have a software recommendation for playing back both HD DVD, Blu-Ray and Upsampled DVD?

I was looking at Arcsoft TMT and WinDVD 9.

Suggestions?

Does anyone have a software recommendation for playing back both HD DVD, Blu-Ray and Upsampled DVD?

I was looking at Arcsoft TMT and WinDVD 9.

Suggestions?

I just purchased WinDVD 9 and am thus far very happy with it

The graphics card is overkill as the integrated graphics + Q6600 can handle anything you will throw at it. The soundcard is not needed if you are trying to get HD audio from your G35 chipset's HDMI out. The ram is not really overkill but overpriced. You will probably not notice the difference in speed between that and DDR2-800 and the DDR2-800 is probably half the price. The Bluray HDDVD combo is overkill if you do not currently own a large selection of HDDVDs (unless you just want the DVD burning capability) The motherboard is overkill as a cheaper version will do just what you want, unless you want the built in wireless. I would suggest buying 1 small hard drive and one large hard drive in order to seperate your OS/programs and your data incase you ever need to reformat.

thanks smitty.. so what i understand is i can get the HD codecs without the use of my sound card, and the video card is also not needed.. and i do have a pretty large collection of HD-DVD's and yes the only reason im getting the mother board is the wifi.. thanks a million.. that save me a few bucks for sure

Hey guys im new to the HTPC world, and im starting my project just wanted to post my spec for my HD-HTPC and make sure that i had all that i needed to achive what im looking for.. first and foremost im building this so i can archive all by HD media (blu/Hd-Dvd) and play them back in 1080p and with that i want to be able to play back the newest audio codec's via hdmi (True HD,HD-MA...etc) so here my list please feel free to comment and give feedback on my choice's

SILVERSTONE Black LASCALA 10 CS-SST-LC10B ATX Media Center / HTPC
Case
Antec earthwatts EA500 500W Power
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz LGA 775
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 750GB 3.5" SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard
Drive
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
AuzenTech XPlosion 7.1 Sound
ASUS P5K DELUXE/WIFI-AP ATX Intel Motherboard
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 3870 100225L Video Card
LG Blu-ray/HD DVD-ROM & 16X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model

total $1200
overkill or where i need to be in order to get what im looking for

thanks in advance
- Your system can't play back the newest audio codecs (DD+, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA) via HDMI at full resolutions. There is only one (or two) way to do so in near future (with the upcoming PowerDVD 8.5):

1. Use the ASUS Xonar AV1 or Auzentech X-Fi Prelude + HDMI X-Tension sound card (not a cheap solution).

2. Use a GeForce 8200/8300 mb (for AMD or Intel), an Intel G35 mb or an Intel G45 mb. The newest audio codecs are decoded to LPCM by PowerDVD and sent over HDMI. So you don't need (and can't use) a discrete graphics/sound card. G35 does not support hardware acceleration.

Right now CyberLink has not announced the list of supported motherboard GPUs, so I am not sure if the second option gives full resolution sounds because the HDMI audio controller must be able to decrypt audio data encrypted by PowerDVD. Even if you use AnyDVD HD and the content is not AACS-encrypted any longer so that the encryption-decryption process is not involved, I am not 100% sure if you get full resolution with PowerDVD 8.5. But you surely get 7.1 channel 16-bit/48kHz LPCM over HDMI with these mb GPUs and PowerDVD 7.3/8.0/8.5/TMT/Nero. (But then the only advantage of HDMI audio over S/PDIF is 7.1 surround sounds.)

- The combination of Core 2 Quad Q6600 and ASUS P5K Deluxe is not good from the viewpoint of power consumption and heat output. Core 2 Quad Q9300 runs cooler than Q6600. But unless you do lots of transcoding, Core 2 Duo E8400/E7200 is enough. The ASUS board consumes about 30W more power than the other P35 boards (due to the bad PWM circuitry).

- The performance difference between DDR2-1066 and DDR2-800 is very small in HTPC. You may choose cheaper DDR2-800 modules.

Bah, lost my post.

renethx, it looks like you have a GA-P35-DS4. I, an AMD guy, had a brain fart and picked up a Q6600 for $179 at Frys.com, but don't have a board. I'm considering the GA-EP35-DS4 or similar. Would a Mini Ninja fit (large square size)? Freezer 7 Pro, or Zerotherm you mention in you recommendations are certainly options. I'm looking for one that could use it in a desktop style HTPC case if necessary. I have a couple other PCs and am not sure it this will function as a server or HTPC, doubt if it can handle both.

I already have an abundance of DDR2 RAM and WD 640GB drives.

You have mentioned some really good 3470 video cards. Can these handle all HTPC related tasks or is a 3650 a better choice? Only HTPC stuff, no gaming.

I am copying this time BEFORE submitting.

finally built 1st computer,but have a lil problem with audio,i cant seem to change volume from the sound tab in the bottom right hand corner,if i go lower or higher the volume is still the same,only way to higher or lower is for me to go to the "open volume control" option and control the "wave" tab,that seems to work but it gets annoying sometimes,for example when playing music in winamp or movies in powerdvd8,was wondering if theres a way to fix this,i have keyboard with volume control and would like to take advantage of it instead of going to the "wave"tab and going from there heh,by the way heres my setup


q9450
asus p5e-vm hdmi
8600gts msi(using hdmi to tv)
corsair 2gb memory
250gig seagate
1tb seagate
dvd pioneer burner
antec 2480 case
mini ninja

renethx, incredible work. Thanks! I have been considering building my own HTPC for a while. I currently have an HP z558, and the fan noise is unacceptable with it running Vista. I am looking closely at your recommendations, and I have been reading this thread for quite a while. My question: Are your recommended systems optimized for minimal noise? I realize that you cannot have actually tried all the recommended systems, but noise is my main concern.

I need an HTPC that is QUIET, can handle OTA HD. I don't need Blu-Ray. My z558 actually does what I need, but the noise is loud, plus it runs hot, so I doubt it will ultimately last that long. I am not concerned about price so much, I just want a quiet system that handles OTA HD nicely. Which recommended config do you think is the quietest? Thanks again for the incredible amount of work you have done.

Ken

renethx,

I posted several days ago but nobody took me up on it. I built a system with GA-MA69, 5000 BE, and a Sapphire 3450. I have a Vizio LCD that is 1366X768. I have two issues:

The desktop is not crisp at any HDMI setting I have tried but is fine using VGA.

The bigger issue is that the PC won't output to the LCD after resuming from S3 when connected with the DVI/HDMI cable. I have no issue resuming with VGA. This seems to be very common and I have not found many "fixed" posts on any forum. I have the latest ATI driver. The solution seems to be a DVI Detective ($129) or a remote that can boot the machine from S5 ($89).

I am willing to spend the time and money for one of the above solutions if I can be confident that I can get a significant increase in PQ. Will it make that much of a difference with a 1366x768 TV or should I stick with VGA until I buy a 1920 x 1080 model?

TIA

renethx,

The desktop is not crisp at any HDMI setting I have tried but is fine using VGA.


TIA

did you set the res to 1366*768 when using dvi-hdmi? if you did and the pq
was bad it's likely your tv's fault. I would stick with VGA until 1080p.

i just bought this ram and its running fine but according to pic its not running 4-4-4-12,can someone guide me on which settings need to be change in the dram menu?

asus p5e-vm hdmi motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

renethx, incredible work. Thanks! I have been considering building my own HTPC for a while. I currently have an HP z558, and the fan noise is unacceptable with it running Vista. I am looking closely at your recommendations, and I have been reading this thread for quite a while. My question: Are your recommended systems optimized for minimal noise? I realize that you cannot have actually tried all the recommended systems, but noise is my main concern.

I need an HTPC that is QUIET, can handle OTA HD. I don't need Blu-Ray. My z558 actually does what I need, but the noise is loud, plus it runs hot, so I doubt it will ultimately last that long. I am not concerned about price so much, I just want a quiet system that handles OTA HD nicely. Which recommended config do you think is the quietest? Thanks again for the incredible amount of work you have done.
There are four sources of noise: CPU cooler fan, GPU cooler fan, case fans and PSU fans. I chose components carefully to minimize fan noises. So basically any of my recommendations should be good. For example, Low-End I MicroATX system: no CPU fan (CPU can be cooled passively), no GPU fan, PSU & case fans are very quiet (for most people). In case you don't like the case fans, you can replace them with quieter ones or use Zalman Fan Mate 2 to turn down fan speed.

i just bought this ram and its running fine but according to pic its not running 4-4-4-12,can someone guide me on which settings need to be change in the dram menu?

asus p5e-vm hdmi motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145034

4-4-4-12 is CAS-tRCD-tRP-tRAS.

- CAS = DRAM CAS# Latency (Column Address Strobe): set 4
- tRCD = DRAM RAS# to CAS# Delay: set 4
- tRP = DRAM RAS# Precharge: set 4
- tRAS = DRAM RAS# Activate to Precharge: set 12

You also need to set "DRAM Voltage" to 2.1V.

BTW lower timings affect only memory-intensive tasks like games. I would leave them to default for a HTPC.

thx renethx for that info,hmm the asus book doesnt say anything on how to go into safe mode with this asus board i press f8 and that just gives me boot order of devices not safe mode,anybody know how to do that?

edi:nevermind i just found out how to do it,its a lil tricky heh,u press f8 after u choose device in boot order menu

renethx,

Do you have an update to your Core_2_MB_(2007-11-18).zip spreadsheet by chance? There are a couple newer boards, like DFI, who are usually late in the game. And X38/48 boards?

Robert

There are four sources of noise: CPU cooler fan, GPU cooler fan, case fans and PSU fans. I chose components carefully to minimize fan noises. So basically any of my recommendations should be good. For example, Low-End I MicroATX system: no CPU fan (CPU can be cooled passively), no GPU fan, PSU & case fans are very quiet (for most people). In case you don't like the case fans, you can replace them with quieter ones or use Zalman Fan Mate 2 to turn down fan speed.

You forgot Hard Drive noise. It can be quite considerable.

The Western Digital Green Drives have received the lowest noise levels every recorded by Silent PC Review (SPCR) (http://www.silentpcreview.com/).

You forgot Hard Drive noise. It can be quite considerable.

The Western Digital Green Drives have received the lowest noise levels every recorded by Silent PC Review (SPCR) (http://www.silentpcreview.com/).
Oops! I forgot it. My recommendation Samsung HD501LJ 500GB is almost as quiet as WD GP (Green Power) at idle:

- Samsung HD501LJ: 35.9dB/A at 3m (http://www.storagereview.com/HD501LJ.sr?page=0%2C5)
- WD GP WD10EACS: 35.9dB/A at 3m (http://www.storagereview.com/1000.sr?page=0%2C6)

WD WD5000AACS and WD7500AACS are GP 500GB and GP 750GB. A general consensus (?) is that WD GP is good for storage but not that great for system drive. I am not sure of this point.

renethx,

Do you have an update to your Core_2_MB_(2007-11-18).zip spreadsheet by chance? There are a couple newer boards, like DFI, who are usually late in the game. And X38/48 boards?

Robert
Lately I have not updated the spreadsheet. The next major update will be when Intel 4-Series chipsets are released in June.

Sorry in advance for the crosspost, but I found this HTPC forum after I'd posted in the PZ85U Owners' thread earlier today.
I recently got a Panasonic 50PZ85U 50" plasma display.
I haven't decided on a home theater setup yet (won't go 5.1 surround, not enough room in my NYC apartment for that).
Will try to find high-end SMALL satellites+center+subwoofer;or a soundbar/subwoofer---still much research to do on this.(Like the Definitive Technology so far)

I initially set up my connections:
My Cablevision SA8300HD DVR goes HDMI>HDMI 1 on the TV(works great)
MY PHILIPS DVP5982/37upconverting DVD player goes HDMI>HDMI 2 on the TV(works fine for upconverted SD DVDs to 1080p)
My high-rise apt building's coaxial OTA antenna cable goes into ANTENNA 1 on the TV(does already receive many of the NYC region 1080i broadcasts)
I will be getting an AVR soon perhaps the Onkyo TX-SR705 7.1.

Question: is that I will build a cheap HTPC (I hope below $1000) with some different specs: NO gaming or media encoding and just light internet browsing
(I have 3 other PCs @ home for that.)(This HTPC will be for playing my CDs, .mp3s, FLACs, some .avis; some possible BluRay playback with a drive like the LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-4O1S-11 - OEM ;
with sound going from a PCI card like the HT OMEGA CLARO 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail
out to an AV Receiver thru an Optical S/PDIF OUT, and video going to connect with a DVI-to-HDMI cable to the TV, probably in HDMI 3 (since the PC will be placed on that side of the TV, just until I get the AVR).

In addition,since my building's roof antenna cable feeds me many OTA HDTV local stations, should I consider a TV tuner card to record the occasional HD show to my HDD? What card would you recommend? An s-video input to record my SVHS tapes to DVD would be a plus worth paying for.

Finally what would be the minimal Intel PCU to consider, My first thought was a Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail but some forum experts seem to have BD playback issues with a low end CPU . Anyone recommend an big upgrade here to an Intel Core 2 Duo E4500 Allendale 2.2GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80557E4500 - Retail or Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail?

My parts list so far:
CASE: SILVERSTONE SST-SG01-B Black Aluminum MicroATX Desktop Computer Case - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16811163050)
MB: ASUS P5E-VM HDMI LGA 775 Intel G35 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813131237)
POWER: CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply
(http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16817139003)
CPU: Intel Pentium E2200 Allendale 2.2GHz 1MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - Retail or E4500 or E8400? if necessary
(http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16819116063)
MEMORY: CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail
(http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16820145177)
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
(http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16822136218)
BD:LITE-ON Black 12X DVD-ROM 32X CD-ROM SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-4O1S-11 - OEM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106227)
SOUND:HT OMEGA CLARO 7.1 Channels 24-bit 192KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Retail (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829271002)
KEYBOARD: Logitech diNovo Edge 2-Tone 84 Normal Keys 9 Function Keys USB Bluetooth Wireless Mini Keyboard - Retail
(http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16823126008)



Many thanks for any help or comments.

To my knowledge the 780G chipset scores about 93 of 130 in a HQV test. If I'm not mistaken a graphic card like Geeforce 8600GT or ATI 3650 scores almost 100%. But how visible are the differences? Does it really matter on a 42" or 50" good quality screen? Gaming is of no importance to my.

- Your system can't play back the newest audio codecs (DD+, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD MA) via HDMI at full resolutions. There is only one (or two) way to do so in near future (with the upcoming PowerDVD 8.5):

1. Use the ASUS Xonar AV1 or Auzentech X-Fi Prelude + HDMI X-Tension sound card (not a cheap solution).

2. Use a GeForce 8200/8300 mb (for AMD or Intel), an Intel G35 mb or an Intel G45 mb. The newest audio codecs are decoded to LPCM by PowerDVD and sent over HDMI. So you don't need (and can't use) a discrete graphics/sound card. G35 does not support hardware acceleration.

Right now CyberLink has not announced the list of supported motherboard GPUs, so I am not sure if the second option gives full resolution sounds because the HDMI audio controller must be able to decrypt audio data encrypted by PowerDVD. Even if you use AnyDVD HD and the content is not AACS-encrypted any longer so that the encryption-decryption process is not involved, I am not 100% sure if you get full resolution with PowerDVD 8.5. But you surely get 7.1 channel 16-bit/48kHz LPCM over HDMI with these mb GPUs and PowerDVD 7.3/8.0/8.5/TMT/Nero. (But then the only advantage of HDMI audio over S/PDIF is 7.1 surround sounds.)

- The combination of Core 2 Quad Q6600 and ASUS P5K Deluxe is not good from the viewpoint of power consumption and heat output. Core 2 Quad Q9300 runs cooler than Q6600. But unless you do lots of transcoding, Core 2 Duo E8400/E7200 is enough. The ASUS board consumes about 30W more power than the other P35 boards (due to the bad PWM circuitry).

- The performance difference between DDR2-1066 and DDR2-800 is very small in HTPC. You may choose cheaper DDR2-800 modules.

Thanks Renethx.

My building this system is highly dependent on the new codec's i have a pretty kick butt 7.1 system and i must have that abilty to play these, IMO thats the best thing about the HD world is the new Audio codec's. With that being said i'm willing to go with the ASUS Xonar AV1 if that what going to give me the audio that i desire. i'll save money on DDR201066 by going with the 800, and will go with the Core 2 Duo E8400.

I'm not restricted by a budget so much, but i would like to spend it wisely, with the components that i have listed what would be your recommendations for a system and my requirments.. which mainly is HD playback 1080p, and Audio codec's and able to expand for future

Also whats the difference between Xonar D2 and the Xonar AV1

gcmmia

Well, I would recommend a different, cheaper mb with a discrete grahics card instead of getting a powerful CPU, like Low-End II in MicroATX system. A sound card is unnecessary if you use S/PDIF. You may not get surround sound from some BD movies, though (read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=13368419#post13368419)). Low-End I is better in this respect as the mb supports DTS Connect. Check my guide for TV tuner.

To my knowledge the 780G chipset scores about 93 of 130 in a HQV test. If I'm not mistaken a graphic card like Geeforce 8600GT or ATI 3650 scores almost 100%. But how visible are the differences? Does it really matter on a 42" or 50" good quality screen? Gaming is of no importance to my.
93 is bit-tech.com's result. AnandTech (http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3258&p=4) said "The 8.3 drivers allow the 780G with a Phenom to score 122 out of 130 points and 113 with the 4850e". But it seems that 780G has the same problems as 690G in DVD playback quality (http://blogs.zdnet.com/Ou/?p=714&page=2) (related to jaggies in interlacing). Many users don't notice them, but some do. Please read the 690G thread.

Also whats the difference between Xonar D2 and the Xonar AV1
D2 is a traditional sound card with analog and S/PDIF out/in. It supports the new audio codecs only in analog forms. On the other hand, AV1 takes video signals from a graphics card via HDMI in, muxes them with audio (in full resolutions), then sends the A/V signals over HDMI out.

Oops! I forgot it. My recommendation Samsung HD501LJ 500GB is almost as quiet as WD GP (Green Power) at idle:

- Samsung HD501LJ: 35.9dB/A at 3m (http://www.storagereview.com/HD501LJ.sr?page=0%2C5)
- WD GP WD10EACS: 35.9dB/A at 3m (http://www.storagereview.com/1000.sr?page=0%2C6)

WD WD5000AACS and WD7500AACS are GP 500GB and GP 750GB. A general consensus (?) is that WD GP is good for storage but not that great for system drive. I am not sure of this point.

Wow, nice sound level for that drive! I need a new system drive, so I will look at that one.

I noticed an issue with speed of transfer for the system drive, so I moved my GP to the second, storage, drive. With its power saving ability when not in use, I am a happy camper when I am not playing the ripped DVDs.

I wonder where is that Antec NSK2480 for $75? The best I could find is around $100.
Is it just me or this guide has unrealistic prices?

I need to ask the PC gurus in here a question: My current PC (MSI PT880 Neo-LS):

• Supports 8 memory banks using four 184-pin DDR DIMMs.
• Supports up to 4GB memory size.
• Supports Dual channel DDR266/333/400MHz and up.
• Supports 2.5v DDR SDRAM DIMM.

So can I buy any DDR2 memory, even (especially) much FASTER memory e.g. 800Mhz and expect it should work? According to some things I've read, memory is backward-compatible (it can run slower) but then of course others say "what doe the Mfr recommend".

I need some additional memory Now, but I'd like to buy faster memory that I can use later when I upgrade this old P4 system.

I wonder where is that Antec NSK2480 for $75? The best I could find is around $100.
Is it just me or this guide has unrealistic prices?

Prices fluctuate a lot even within a vendor. The NSK2480 is sometimes on sale or has rebates available, though it's been a while since I've seen any. Other components also have prices that vary a lot: for example, you can get the recommended 2x1GB RAM for $19AR right now from a certain egg-like vendor today. Tomorrow it may go up $10 or more. Froogle and ResellerRatings are good starting places to find low prices and at least have some idea about how reputable the seller is.

• Supports 8 memory banks using four 184-pin DDR DIMMs.

So can I buy any DDR2 memory ?

The bad news is DDR2 and DDR aren't interchangeable. The good news is memory speed is mostly irrelevant in a HTPC.

The 3470 Sapphire silent video card listed on Newegg seems like a decent deal for $39.99 AR. Thoughts?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102728

Also the mutant Mini Ninja on sale with rebate for $19.99. I got it on sale since it will fit in desktop case. I hope it will cool a Q6600.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185046

Newegg is a bad habit for my wallet.

The bad news is DDR2 and DDR aren't interchangeable.No? Well, I guess that's why I asked (because I didn't know the answer)! :o

Rentethx

Im building a gamer/htpc rig board is the asus striker 2 formula GPU lates GX2 that i won in a local contest. Do you see any problem with this board passing sound to the graphic card thru HDMI?

The 3470 Sapphire silent video card listed on Newegg seems like a decent deal for $39.99 AR. Thoughts?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102728

Also the mutant Mini Ninja on sale with rebate for $19.99. I got it on sale since it will fit in desktop case. I hope it will cool a Q6600.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185046

Newegg is a bad habit for my wallet.
3470 is good for HTPC. Unless you overclock Q6600, Ninja Mini is good.

Rentethx

Im building a gamer/htpc rig board is the asus striker 2 formula GPU lates GX2 that i won in a local contest. Do you see any problem with this board passing sound to the graphic card thru HDMI?
The motherboard is OK. But I have seen problems in getting HDMI audio with GeForce cards (no sounds) perhaps because of a driver problem.

renethx,

I posted several days ago but nobody took me up on it. I built a system with GA-MA69, 5000 BE, and a Sapphire 3450. I have a Vizio LCD that is 1366X768. I have two issues:

The desktop is not crisp at any HDMI setting I have tried but is fine using VGA.

The bigger issue is that the PC won't output to the LCD after resuming from S3 when connected with the DVI/HDMI cable. I have no issue resuming with VGA. This seems to be very common and I have not found many "fixed" posts on any forum. I have the latest ATI driver. The solution seems to be a DVI Detective ($129) or a remote that can boot the machine from S5 ($89).

I am willing to spend the time and money for one of the above solutions if I can be confident that I can get a significant increase in PQ. Will it make that much of a difference with a 1366x768 TV or should I stick with VGA until I buy a 1920 x 1080 model?

TIA

The $69 DVI Detective N will suffice. It even passes through HDMI audio. Works great with my 720p projector, huge difference from SD.

/politby

Finally built my first HTPC.

Setup:

Sony KDS-55A3000 Rear Projection TV

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850e
Ram: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Drive: LG Blu-ray/HDDVD SuperMulti Drive
OS: Windows Vista 32 Home Premium
Case: IN WIN IW-BT610T.300BL Black Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply

I'm having the following issues:

1) I can only get the picture to display on my Sony with the VGA port. If I try a straight HDMI connection I get nothing. Anyone know why this is?
2) The desktop doesn't fill the entire TV screen - how do I get it to do so?

I hve set the bios to use the HDMI port and not the DVI. Thanks in advance.

Finally built my first HTPC.

Setup:

Sony KDS-55A3000 Rear Projection TV

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850e
Ram: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Drive: LG Blu-ray/HDDVD SuperMulti Drive
OS: Windows Vista 32 Home Premium
Case: IN WIN IW-BT610T.300BL Black Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply

I'm having the following issues:

1) I can only get the picture to display on my Sony with the VGA port. If I try a straight HDMI connection I get nothing. Anyone know why this is?
2) The desktop doesn't fill the entire TV screen - how do I get it to do so?

I hve set the bios to use the HDMI port and not the DVI. Thanks in advance.
1 - Check the BIOS setting for the primary display port setting. There are options.
2 - Using the Ati display applet, select wide-screen display. (You may also need to change the display setting in Vista to widescreen.)

Power supply unit is getting flaky. Case, Ahanix, takes full size mobo but needs micro atx psu unless I want to mod the case. Any suggestions for a good, solid mATX psu? I would like as much power as I can get but could get by with 400 or even 350. Does an external psu make any sense?

1 - Check the BIOS setting for the primary display port setting. There are options.
2 - Using the Ati display applet, select wide-screen display. (You may also need to change the display setting in Vista to widescreen.)

Thanks for the advice!

1) I have set the bios to use the HDMI out and not DVI. Still no signal. Further thoughts?
2) I believe I have already done this (in the ATI Applet atlest) I will try and reset it in Vista too. The picture I get when set to 1920x1080 is widescreen - it just has a black border around it. I would prefer if the desktop filled the entire screen.

Power supply unit is getting flaky. Case, Ahanix, takes full size mobo but needs micro atx psu unless I want to mod the case. Any suggestions for a good, solid mATX psu? I would like as much power as I can get but could get by with 400 or even 350. Does an external psu make any sense?

Seasonic SS-300SFD 80 Plus (http://www.seasonic.com/product/pc_sfx.jsp) is reviewed by Silent PC Review (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article286-page1.html). The 350W version is not available in US.

Sparkle FSP350-60GNV (http://www.sparklepower.com/proPCPS_Micro.html) 350W (Sparkle is a reputable company, but I can't guarantee the quietness.)

SilenX IXM-35-14 (http://www.silenx.com/ixtremapropsus.asp?sku=ixm-35-14) 350W

SilenX IXM-40-14 (http://www.silenx.com/ixtremapropsus.asp?sku=ixm-40-14) 400W

^ Add Antec Neo HE550 to the list.

^ Add Antec Neo HE550 to the list.
Which list? :confused: carefreepastor asked mATX (SFX) PSU.

I've working on setting up my htpc but i would prefer to use my harmony remote in place of the soundgraph imon pad but i am running into a problem setting it up

I'm attempting to get my harmony 628 setup to replace my soundgraph imon pad but i'm getting this error message when updating the remote.
Invalid protocol -- Context: HarmonyRemote=Harmony628, ConfiguratorName=Media Center PC -- 1 Parameters: Imon Multi Bit Hex 7

Whats going on? Is there somthing I need to update?

Thank you, renethx! I just ordered the 400w silenx.

I've working on setting up my htpc but i would prefer to use my harmony remote in place of the soundgraph imon pad but i am running into a problem setting it up

I'm attempting to get my harmony 628 setup to replace my soundgraph imon pad but i'm getting this error message when updating the remote.
Invalid protocol -- Context: HarmonyRemote=Harmony628, ConfiguratorName=Media Center PC -- 1 Parameters: Imon Multi Bit Hex 7

Whats going on? Is there somthing I need to update?

Have you read this thread "Harmony 676 - Invalid Protocol on Update" (http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/board/message?board.id=programming&thread.id=5202)?

Which list? :confused: carefreepastor asked mATX (SFX) PSU.
My bad. I missed the SFX part. Frankly, I didn't know such a 'little' beast existed. Had lots of microATX mobos, but always in fullsize cases I guess. While my Antec NSK2400 only takes microATX mobos, it does have a full size PSU area. That's what I thought your post was referring to. I learned something.

Does anybody know if this video card will fit in the Antec 2480 case?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121244

i want to know which cpu is better? e2200, e4300 e2160 or e2180

i want to know which cpu is better? e2200, e4300 e2160 or e2180
Playback performance (lower CPU usage):

e2200 > e2180 > e4300 = e2160

i guess all is about the same speed.

Does anybody know if this video card will fit in the Antec 2480 case?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121244

It won't fit NSK2480, about 15mm-20mm higher than the case.

Hi Renethx,

A thousand thanks for all the work you have done and all the good info I have read from you here and elsewhere.

I am considering going with the Silverstone LC-17, but if Antec is coming out with ATX version of NSK 2400 anytime soon I would rather wait..

Any news or new cases for desktop that fit ATX motherboards?

Also.. what are your thoughts on new tv tuner cards and rumor some have something called a "veil" included?

Read good things on new Dvico pci-e HDTV7 dual express card but then read it might have the dreaded secret veil.. new name for broadcast flag??

Finally built my first HTPC.
...
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4850e
Ram: Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
HDD: Western Digital Caviar SE 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s
Drive: LG Blu-ray/HDDVD SuperMulti Drive
OS: Windows Vista 32 Home Premium
Case: IN WIN IW-BT610T.300BL Black Steel MicroATX Desktop Computer Case 300W Power Supply


I have almost exactly the same set of parts laying out on my table now, ready to build my first HTPC, too. Two questions I hoped someone here might be able to help me with:

(1) Any recommendations on a heatsink/fan that would be quiet and fit in this case? The stock fan has a horrible whine, and with a case vent right above the CPU it's very annoying. Only about 2.75" (~70mm) of height available above the CPU's plastic surround thingy.

(2) How large of a partition should I give to the operating system? My employer offers inexpensive access to a vista ultimate license so I think I will be using that.

Thanks!

this is my config:

i have 3450 or 8500gt video card, e4300 and gigabyte p965 motherboard and Thermaltake Bach Media Lab ATX Home Theater PC (VB8000BNS) - New (this case). i was wondering if i put sythec mine or ninja ( not mini version) into the case. if it fits or not.

It won't fit NSK2480, about 15mm-20mm higher than the case.

Thanks!
Any recco on a 9600 with passive cooling?

Hi Renethx,

A thousand thanks for all the work you have done and all the good info I have read from you here and elsewhere.

I am considering going with the Silverstone LC-17, but if Antec is coming out with ATX version of NSK 2400 anytime soon I would rather wait..

Any news or new cases for desktop that fit ATX motherboards?

Also.. what are your thoughts on new tv tuner cards and rumor some have something called a "veil" included?

Read good things on new Dvico pci-e HDTV7 dual express card but then read it might have the dreaded secret veil.. new name for broadcast flag??
Antec Fusion Max (http://www.silentpcreview.com/article796-page1.html) was announced a long time ago (summer 2007), but there is no sign of release. I don't know about "veil".

I have almost exactly the same set of parts laying out on my table now, ready to build my first HTPC, too. Two questions I hoped someone here might be able to help me with:

(1) Any recommendations on a heatsink/fan that would be quiet and fit in this case? The stock fan has a horrible whine, and with a case vent right above the CPU it's very annoying. Only about 2.75" (~70mm) of height available above the CPU's plastic surround thingy.

(2) How large of a partition should I give to the operating system? My employer offers inexpensive access to a vista ultimate license so I think I will be using that.

Thanks!

(1)

- SilverStone NG07-AM2 (SST-NT07-AM2) (http://www.silverstonetek.com/products/p_contents.php?pno=nt07-am2&area=usa) L106 x W80 x H36.5 mm (including 80mm fan), $22 (http://www.sundialmicro.com/silverstone_sstnt07am2_cpu_cooler_1737_1323.html)

(2) 40GB-100GB.

- The Windows Vista Capable hardware requirements: 20GB at least
- The Windows Vista Premium Ready specifications: 40GB at least

this is my config:

i have 3450 or 8500gt video card, e4300 and gigabyte p965 motherboard and Thermaltake Bach Media Lab ATX Home Theater PC (VB8000BNS) - New (this case). i was wondering if i put sythec mine or ninja ( not mini version) into the case. if it fits or not.
They are 10mm-20mm taller than the case.

read that is is coming out late June or July.. Thanks for all the help.

mike

Thanks for this fantastic thread guys

Planning to build an ATX silent HTPC/Media sever (with power fan only in a Tower case), and expect some recommendations from you guys:). This is what I planned:

CPU: Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53GHz Socket 775 (I'll probabaly do some minor OC)
CPU Cooler: Scythe NINJA PLUS Rev. B SCNJ-1100P
CPU Fan: Scythe S-FLEX S-FDB 120mm Fan SFF21E (just in case the system needed)
M/B: GIGABYTE GA-EP35-DS4 Intel P35 chipset
Memory: Crucial Ballistix BL2KIT12864AA804 DDR2-800 2 x 1GB Kit
Graphics Card: ASUS EAH3650 SILENT MAGIC/HTDP/512M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121243
(or any reliable fanless ATI3650, please recommend)
HDD for System: Western Digital WD Caviar SE 160GB WD1600AAJS
HDD for Data: 750G x4, exact Brand/Model not decided yet
PSU: Corsair 520W CMPSU-520HX; 4 x SATA, 2 x PCIe 8-pin

I'll run the system 7/24, are there any bad choice? Please advise!

I hope this is not too dumb and not in the wrong place...

Thanks to this thread I sucessfully built an HTPC that plays everything I want it to. I celebrated by upgrading my LCD to a 47" 1080P unit. I am using an ATI 3650 via DVI/HDMI cable and displaying at 1920X1080. Bluray and upscaled DVD are awesome. DIVX & XVID "HD" and Amazon Unbox videos are not that great. I tried a variety of players and working my way through the ffdshow sticky but didn't get much improvement. They seem to be better at 720P.

Since you can't add data that isn't there, are any of you lowering the DVI output resolution based on the type and resolution of the content being viewed? Say 720p for lower res stuff and 1080P for bluray and DVD? Or do I have more work to do in ffdshow, etc.?

TIA

recycle : could i use celeron 1.2gh in anyway.
server maybe?
or trash it.

recycle : could i use celeron 1.2gh in anyway.
server maybe?
unRAID server

Sorry if asked but just a quick ?

I've been looking at a GPU PCI-E because my onboard GPU isn't quite that great although it does have an HDMI out. I'm looking to do HD-DVD and Bluray playback and ZERO gaming. But I'm only willing to spend <$100 and I couldn't find a card that had HDMI but did have VGA and DVI but it said HDCP Comp. So will it send a 720P signal though the DVI?



Cliffs: Sub $100 card for HD Playback only
Are there any


EDIT: Would this card work?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8520932&productCategoryId=abcat0507002&type=product&tab=2&id=1186007060320#productdetail

Sorry if asked but just a quick ?

I've been looking at a GPU PCI-E because my onboard GPU isn't quite that great although it does have an HDMI out. I'm looking to do HD-DVD and Bluray playback and ZERO gaming. But I'm only willing to spend <$100 and I couldn't find a card that had HDMI but did have VGA and DVI but it said HDCP Comp. So will it send a 720P signal though the DVI?



Cliffs: Sub $100 card for HD Playback only
Are there any

Many GeForce cards support HDMI including audio (S/PDIF pass-through) with a generic DVI-to-HDMI adapter. For example,

- XFX GeForce 8500 GT PV-T86J-YAHG
- XFX GeForce 8600 GT PV-T84J-UAL3
- XFX GeForce 8600 GT PV-T84J-USD4

All the ATI Radeon HD 3450/3470/3650 cards support HDMI (audio controller integrated) with an appropriate DVI-to-HDMI adapter.

Many GeForce cards support HDMI including audio (S/PDIF pass-through) with a generic DVI-to-HDMI adapter. For example,

- XFX GeForce 8500 GT PV-T86J-YAHG
- XFX GeForce 8600 GT PV-T84J-UAL3
- XFX GeForce 8600 GT PV-T84J-USD4

All the ATI Radeon HD 3450/3470/3650 cards support HDMI (audio controller integrated) with an appropriate DVI-to-HDMI adapter.



I'm trying to avoid HDMI. My projector only has 1 HDMI which is in use but does have an open VGA if it's possible to still do HDCP going DVI -> VGA?

Also, I'm good for audio. I have a 5.1 card using SPDIF with Analoge outs.

EDIT: Would this card work?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8520932&productCategoryId=abcat0507002&type=product&tab=2&id=1186007060320#productdetail
Yes, but 8600 GT PV-T84J-UAL3 is better and only $60 (http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3514923&Sku=P450-8676&SRCCODE=COMPGOOBDF&CMP=OTC-GPRODUCTS) and 8600 GT PV-T84J-USD4 only $80 (http://www.compusa.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3495761&sku=P450-8672&srkey=PV-T84J-USD4) (very quiet).

I'm trying to avoid HDMI. My projector only has 1 HDMI which is in use but does have an open VGA if it's possible to still do HDCP going DVI -> VGA?

Also, I'm good for audio. I have a 5.1 card using SPDIF.
Surely you can use a DVI-VGA adapter and then you don't have to worry about HDCP.

Surely you can use a DVI-VGA adapter and then you don't have to worry about HDCP.

But will I still be able to use PowerDvd for BluRay and still get it to play in 720p? Sorry for the noob ?'s but my HD-DVD player was so much more forgiving.

But will I still be able to use PowerDvd for BluRay and still get it to play in 720p? Sorry for the noob ?'s but my HD-DVD player was so much more forgiving.
Yes, you can play BD with Power DVD/VGA/720p projector.

Yes, you can play BD with Power DVD/VGA/720p projector.

Just to make it clear before I go buy it. If I get that 8600GT and get a connector that turns the DVI into VGA and run it to my Optoma HD70 and play a BD @ 720p PowerDvd will play it fine?

Just to make it clear before I go buy it. If I get that 8600GT and get a connector that turns the DVI into VGA and run it to my Optoma HD70 and play a BD @ 720p PowerDvd will play it fine?
I am not sure of good compatibility of GeForce 8600 GT with Optoma HD70. You'd better google (http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Optoma+HD70%22+geforce).

I'm trying to avoid HDMI. My projector only has 1 HDMI which is in use but does have an open VGA if it's possible to still do HDCP going DVI -> VGA?
I'd get a HDMI switch if I were you. Oppo has a nice little 3-port switch for $99. You really won't be happy with VGA I don't think. It's an ole analog signal. It might be acceptable for 720p, but for 1080 you really need a digital interface/connection to a high-quality display device. I've never been happy when I've had to use my VGA port on my 1080p display. But that's just me.

I am not sure of good compatibility of GeForce 8600 GT with Optoma HD70. You'd better google (http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Optoma+HD70%22+geforce).


How about just using a DVI cable from the PC to the projector and just getting rid of the VGA altogether?

How about just using a DVI cable from the PC to the projector and just getting rid of the VGA altogether?
How? Your projector does not have a DVI in, does it?

How? Your projector does not have a DVI in, does it?

LOL, I thought I read it did (it's mounted 10ft and I haven't looked at it in awhile.. Guess I'm going to try and use the onboard GPU + HDMI Switcher + Another 25ft run of HDMI

I hope my onboard GPU can do BluRay, it did HD-DVD fine with no hicups..

Thanks for the advice renethx. But I ended up doing the complete opposite. I bought

Radeon HD3650
IOGEAR GHDMIAS2 HDMI 2 to 1 Auto Switcher
25' of HDMI Cable



Just got it all hooked up and it plays great with my Blu-Ray player. Another thing is the HDMI looks alot more crisp than what I was getting using a VGA cable to my projector. It's easy to see a difference looking at say, yahoo on my projector.

Thanks for the advice renethx. But I ended up doing the complete opposite. I bought

Radeon HD3650
IOGEAR GHDMIAS2 HDMI 2 to 1 Auto Switcher
25' of HDMI Cable



Just got it all hooked up and it plays great with my Blu-Ray player. Another thing is the HDMI looks alot more crisp than what I was getting using a VGA cable to my projector. It's easy to see a difference looking at say, yahoo on my projector.
Glad to hear(and see) that you went the HDMI switch route. I knew you'd be happier with a digital connection to your projector instead of VGA. I've never been a fan of VGA to these hi-res display devices. It may be ok for a game console, but for HDTV of BD/HD discs digital is the far better solution. IQ seems so muted and dull with VGA. DVI/HDMI makes the picture more brilliant and as you say, crisp.

Glad to hear(and see) that you went the HDMI switch route. I knew you'd be happier with a digital connection to your projector instead of VGA. I've never been a fan of VGA to these hi-res display devices. It may be ok for a game console, but for HDTV of BD/HD discs digital is the far better solution. IQ seems so muted and dull with VGA. DVI/HDMI makes the picture more brilliant and as you say, crisp.

Glad I went that route as well. But for my first BD I chose a bad one (Mars Landers). I'm going to look in another forum to find a great reference disc to see.

Glad I went that route as well. But for my first BD I chose a bad one (Mars Landers). I'm going to look in another forum to find a great reference disc to see.
I wish I could recommend something... I'm just getting into BD myself, and don't have much of a library at the moment. I do have Planet Earth on HD which is very, very good, although the audio certainly would stress-test your set up! :D I'm sure the BD transfer is equally as good.

Great resource!

I plan to get SageTV and use this build primarily as a DVR for OTA digital channels. (Looking for freedom from monthly fees and corporate whims.) Eventually, I may swap out the DVD for Blue Ray. I'd definitely like to throw in a Radeon 3870 for gaming at some point in the future. (Would the graphic card have to be low profile?)

Given the above, do you see any issues with the following?

1 Antec Silver/ Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel/ Aluminum plate front bezel Veris Fusion 430 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case with IR receiver - Retail $169.99
1 GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $89.99
1 SiliconDust HD Homerun Dual Network HDTV ATSC/QAM Tuner IPC-HDHOMERUN Ethernet Interface - Retail $179.99
1 AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor Model ADH4850DOBOX - Retail $89.99
1 G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail $44.99
1 SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $99.99
1 IOGEAR GKM541RA Silver/Black USB RF Wireless Slim Keyboard & Mouse Combo Mouse Included - Retail $59.99
1 SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM $26.99
1 Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $99.99
1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM $5.99
1 Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler - Retail $34.99
Subtotal: $902.89

Also, I have a Samsung DLP 56" 1080P (the one with the LEDs) that takes VGA as well as HDMI. Which one is likely to give me the better quality and fewest issues? I don't really have an audio setup in place, so I will be taking the sound straight to the TV.

Ack. Forget the VGA question. I can see it as answered above.

Glad I went that route as well. But for my first BD I chose a bad one (Mars Landers). I'm going to look in another forum to find a great reference disc to see.

check here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=858316

this is a pretty good list

any suggestions on a simple intel based system to play downloaded bluray and hd content? (no gaming or pvr, just minor internet usage.) basically what cpu/mobo + graphics card would be ideal? this would be for use on a 42" 720p plasma.

any suggestions on a simple intel based system to play downloaded bluray and hd content? (no gaming or pvr, just minor internet usage.) basically what cpu/mobo + graphics card would be ideal? this would be for use on a 42" 720p plasma.

Read this post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=940972#MATXSys) on the first page of this thread. "Low-end II." I think the main requirement for playing mkv's (I assume that's what you mean by "downloaded" HD content) is processor power.

Given the above, do you see any issues with the following?

1 Antec Silver/ Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel/ Aluminum plate front bezel Veris Fusion 430 Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case with IR receiver - Retail $169.99
1 GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $89.99
1 SiliconDust HD Homerun Dual Network HDTV ATSC/QAM Tuner IPC-HDHOMERUN Ethernet Interface - Retail $179.99
1 AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor Model ADH4850DOBOX - Retail $89.99
1 G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-6400CL5D-2GBNQ - Retail $44.99
1 SAMSUNG SpinPoint T Series HD501LJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM $99.99
1 IOGEAR GKM541RA Silver/Black USB RF Wireless Slim Keyboard & Mouse Combo Mouse Included - Retail $59.99
1 SAMSUNG 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-S203B - OEM $26.99
1 Microsoft Windows Vista 32-Bit Home Premium for System Builders Single Pack DVD - OEM $99.99
1 Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM $5.99
1 Scythe SCMNJ-1000 80mm Sleeve "NINJA MINI" CPU Cooler - Retail $34.99
Subtotal: $902.89


Might I suggest by get a Blu-ray/DVD burner instead of the Samsung so you can add HD movies to your HTPC collection.
Also, I'm getting ready to build but I'm holding out another month (or two) for the Nvidia 8300 MB or AMD 790GX to hit the streets. If they run any better than the 780 or 8200, and all indications are that they will, it will be worth the wait. Finnally, you might want to consider upgrading the CPU to a Phenom (9550 or 9650) for a little more $ you are adding alot more processor. You probably don't need it for just HTPC duties but you may decide to do more with your PC later.

Six months ago, I purchased the components for a new HTPC. I used many of the recommendations in this guide, including the motherboard from the Mid-Range MicroATX system, the ASUS P5K-VM. I also purchased the Intel Core 2 Duo E6750 CPU and Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM kit.

I recently built a new unRAID server and used an Abit AB9 Pro motherboard, Intel Pentium E2160 CPU and included the Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM kit again.

Everything seemed to be working fine, until just the past few days. My unRAID server was having some problems and reporting "Kernel panic - not syncing: broken padding" messages. I guess a variety of kernel panic messages can indicated hardware problems, but it is not real easy to diagnose. I started performing memory tests to see if the problem was with my RAM sticks. It turns out that one stick was failing the memtest, while the other seemed to be ok. I then left only one 1GB stick in the motherboard and it seemed to run fine. Then I was told on the unRAID forums to check my RAM voltage settings. Several people mentioned that if your RAM voltages are too low, you may run into these sort of problems. This Crucial Ballistix RAM is spec'd to run at 2.2V. The motherboard's default might be as low as 1.8V. I checked and my voltage settings were set to 'Auto' and it was showing it as 2.0V. So I changed it to manual and bumped it up to 2.2V. Now I've put the second 1GB stick back in and have been running fine (but only for a few hours) since.

After being enlightened with this information for my unRAID server, I decided to check if the RAM voltage setting on my HTPC was correct. So I went into the BIOS setup and tried to navigate to the screen where you can make the voltage adjustments. According to the User Manual, you should go to the Advanced menu and pick 'Jumperfree Configuration'. One of the options should include DRAM Voltage. The default setting is 'Auto', but it looks like you can manually set it up to only 2.10V. First off, I don't see any option on my screen to change the DRAM Voltage. Secondarily, since the Crucial Ballistix is spec'd for 2.2V, it won't even let you set it over 2.1V.

Is this RAM a good choice for this motherboard? Has anyone else who owns this motherboard figured out how to change the DRAM voltage setting (I'd at least like to boost it up to 2.1V in case the default is lower)?

Parts I have
67in Samsung DLP w/ VGA port/2 ea HDMI
2 ea Acer Computers 4000+ Dual core, 1gig ram, 250 gig hd
Beyond TV software

WHat would be the best thing to do to build an htpc?

I also have 2 7600 GT video cards.

COX cable with sucky signal

Thanks
T

... Crucial Ballistix 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM kit.
... The default setting is 'Auto', but it looks like you can manually set it up to only 2.10V. On the ASUS P5K-VM, First off, I don't see any option on my screen to change the DRAM Voltage. Secondarily, since the Crucial Ballistix is spec'd for 2.2V, it won't even let you set it over 2.1V.

Is this RAM a good choice for this motherboard? Has anyone else who owns this motherboard figured out how to change the DRAM voltage setting (I'd at least like to boost it up to 2.1V in case the default is lower)?

I had (still have but not using it) the same memory. I didn't like the need to set it to 2.2v when there is a lot of good DDR2-800 and even -1000 that's happy with 2.1 volts, so am using different RAM now, since I decided to go with 2GB sticks.

I have the ABIT IP35 Pro MB and it has a LOT of options for setting RAM voltages and timing - not always the case with other MB's. I don't worry about trying to save a few bucks with cheap memory - there is a lot of very good DDR-2 RAM available right now at very low prices, that will work well with 2.1v.

Ben