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Bes AMD CPU under $100 for my HTPC upgrade?

post #1 of 14
6/11/09 at 8:35am
Thread Starter 
Hi Guys

I've had my HTPC for over a year now and very happy with it except that I found out that my current AMD 4850e CPU is not powerful enough to run 1080p mkv's via FFDShow (my fav codec BTW). For my mkv's, I'm now using CoreAVC codecs instead of FFDShow as they seem to lower my CPU usage compare to FFDShow.

One of my buddies has a HTPC too and he can play all his 1080p mkv's with FFDShow but I noticed he's got a faster Intel CPU.

This is my current specs:
780g Mobo
AMD 4850e CPU
2G DDR2 RAM
4550 ATI card (doing 5.1 PCM out to my Pioneer AV via HDMI)
WinXPSP3
AnyDVD, Media Classic with FFDShow+CoreAVC
WinDVD BR+

Would upgrading my 'now' old CPU enable smooth playback of my 1080p mkvs?

Also, what would be the best AMD CPU under $100 nowadays?

Thanks!
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post #2 of 14
6/11/09 at 8:51am
Thread Starter 
Would this do the trick?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103234
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post #3 of 14
6/11/09 at 9:38am
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103681

HT 3.0 should be better in CPU video playback.

BTW is there a reason why you don't use MPC-HC Video decoder with DXVA?
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post #4 of 14
6/11/09 at 9:56am
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103244

A little overkill, but within your price range.
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post #5 of 14
6/11/09 at 9:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103681

HT 3.0 should be better in CPU video playback.

BTW is there a reason why you don't use MPC-HC Video decoder with DXVA?

I deffinetly second the athlon II X2.


Also the 4850e w/ a little more voltage can probably overclock up to 2.5ghz+ which should take care of 1080p mkv stuff.
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post #6 of 14
6/11/09 at 12:33pm
Please don't waste your money on a new CPU. Your graphics card is plenty powerful to decode 1080p silky smooth. I would highly recomend you checkout mpc-hc, the program and the stand-alone decoders.
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post #7 of 14
6/11/09 at 1:44pm
I had same issue using AMD 5050e. I use CoreAVC codec, and it solved my issue. CPU usage drop from 80%-100% to 35%-45%. It's not free though, but something you may want to consider.

If you still want to upgrade the CPU, I recommend the new AMD Phenom II X2 550. Slighly above $100.
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post #8 of 14
6/11/09 at 3:01pm
Anyone that would buy a new CPU in this situation just for smooth playback deserves to get smacked. I have an even slower CPU (X2 4000+) with an even worse GPU (ATI 4350) and I can still play every 1080p mkv that I throw at it perfectly with less than 20% CPU. In fact even the integrated graphics (780g) on your motherboard is good enough to play 1080p mkv's without anything else.

All you need is codecs that use hardware acceleration, end of story.

Pleace check out http://mpc-hc.sourceforge.net/.
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post #9 of 14
6/11/09 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103681

HT 3.0 should be better in CPU video playback.

BTW is there a reason why you don't use MPC-HC Video decoder with DXVA?

Hi Renethx

I've read your threads before....anyway, I'm using the oldish MPC....I dont think I have MPC-HC so I'll downloading that tonight.

So MPC-HC supports h/w? And what codecs do I use with that? Or anyone?

Thanks again guys!
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post #10 of 14
6/11/09 at 3:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragster View Post

So MPC-HC supports h/w? And what codecs do I use with that? Or anyone?

Yes, its built-in video decoder (MPC Video Decoder) supports HW for H.264 and VC-1. CPU usage of Athlon X2 4850e at H.264 decode will be 10-40%. All the necessary codecs are built in. But I recommend Haali Media Splitter as the source/splitter filter for MKV. ffdshow Audio Decoder is good for almost all audio codecs. MadFlac for FLAC. MPC Video Decoder is also available as a stand-alone filter (see abr27440's post for download link) so that you can use it with many DirectShow players including Windows Media Center's internal player.
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post #11 of 14
6/11/09 at 8:10pm
your cpu should handle all that with the right codecs and software
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post #12 of 14
6/12/09 at 5:44pm
Thread Starter 
Hey Guys

I got the new MPC-HC now and while now I can play my 1080 mkv's without any stutter, I see CPU usage at 80%!!

In MPC options, under 'external filters', I have MPC Decoder and FFDshow and both of them are set to 'preferred' merit.

Obviously, MPC is not using h/w at this point. How do I force MPC to use H.A?

PS: I downloaded MPC-HC from the link provided by ABR above.

Thanks again.
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post #13 of 14
6/12/09 at 6:10pm
Try blocking FFDshow and then trying the movie. On my back up rig I have just MPC decoder and nothing else. I can play either a blu-ray or hd-dvd rip at 10% CPU usage. My CPU is a x2 3600 brisbane running at stock speeds, video is a HD2600XT.
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post #14 of 14
6/12/09 at 6:18pm
Can you see MPC - Video Decoder in the 'Select Filter' list? Did you registered it manually?

'Prefer' means it (I mean ffdshow Video Decoder) is used instead of the internal filter (MPC - Video Decoder). Use 'Set Merit to' or 'Block' or remove it from the External Filters.
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