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Official Sandy Bridge / LGA1155 for HTPCs Thread - Page 73

post #2161 of 2220
3/6/12 at 12:25am
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

I have been thinking of starting my own web site, but creating a good-looking site was an obstacle. I spent some time to learn Adobe Illustrator (Bézier curves [affine algebraic curves]), Photoshop, Dreamweaver, XHTML/CSS and now I have some confidence to create a site from scratch.

This is a really good news. IMO you have a chance to make a world best HTPC reference. Good luck with that.
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post #2162 of 2220
3/6/12 at 3:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevcairiel View Post

Anyway, my new HTPC will probably feature a i5-3570K or maybe even a i7-3770 (with or without K). We'll see how the prices for those end up in real life (just because i'm willing to spend a bit more doesn't mean i pay everything )

An i7 in an HTPC?? Even if it's a gaming HTPC, an i5 would surely be the best choice. Hell, my £35 Celeron can do everything except 2D -> 3D conversion (according to the excellent advice in this thread) and I'm sure an i3 could do that with room to spare.
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post #2163 of 2220
3/6/12 at 4:58am
i3's wont be available until the end of the year, and well, even then i probably wouldn't get one. The only i5 with the HD4000 (which is going to be released in april) is the 3570K , and i reckon the price difference won't be that huge to the i7 3770, so why not. If the diff is too big, i will stick with the 3570K.

Like i explained earlier, i want this thing to last a while, so rather buy one category higher and skip upgrading for one generation longer in the future.
I rather spend a few bucks more now then get annoyed later. Same reason i personally wouldn't get a NVIDIA GT430, but instead got a 450, even if its just for HTPC (although i am hoping that the iGPU can do all i need it for, but the case i picked was choosen with enough room for a full sized GPU)
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post #2164 of 2220
3/6/12 at 7:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by qaq View Post

this is a really good news. Imo you have a chance to make a world best htpc reference. Good luck with that.

+1
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post #2165 of 2220
3/6/12 at 8:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

Source: Donanimhaber.com (a 100% reliable source, based on my recent experience). The Tech Report's opinion. The most shocking news is: Core i3 and Pentium slated for a holiday release!! It looks like AMD Trinity is the winner.

Not sure if my follow-up question to the above post would be OT, but it is a simple one.

I've held off upgrading from my current budget AMD system (AMD Athlon X2 250 CPU + Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 mobo), but would love to get back with Intel and try out their current (for now) SB platform.

Does anyone here know if SB CPUs and/or compatible mobos will drop in price when IVB launches? Besides Slickdeals, are there any good websites that help track down good prices for CPU/mobo combos?

TIA
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post #2166 of 2220
3/6/12 at 9:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad Theimpaler View Post

Not sure if my follow-up question to the above post would be OT, but it is a simple one.

I've held off upgrading from my current budget AMD system (AMD Athlon X2 250 CPU + Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 mobo), but would love to get back with Intel and try out their current (for now) SB platform.

Does anyone here know if SB CPUs and/or compatible mobos will drop in price when IVB launches? Besides Slickdeals, are there any good websites that help track down good prices for CPU/mobo combos?

TIA

The latest I have read is that all SNB motherboards should be able to accept a IVB CPU with a simple bios update from the manufacturer.
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post #2167 of 2220
3/6/12 at 10:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

The latest I have read is that all SNB motherboards should be able to accept a IVB CPU with a simple bios update from the manufacturer.

Thanks for the info. As you can tell, I don't watch the industry as closely as I should so I appreciate your feedback. I assumed that IVB's launch would mean Intel is releasing a new chipset as well. Thanks for the correction
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post #2168 of 2220
3/6/12 at 10:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad Theimpaler View Post

Thanks for the info. As you can tell, I don't watch the industry as closely as I should so I appreciate your feedback. I assumed that IVB's launch would mean Intel is releasing a new chipset as well. Thanks for the correction

They do release a new chipset, however SNB CPUs will work on the new chipset and IVB CPUs on the old one. There is just some new features in the new chipset like native USB3 support and full PCIe 3.0 support that the old one won't get.
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post #2169 of 2220
3/6/12 at 11:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevcairiel View Post

They do release a new chipset, however SNB CPUs will work on the new chipset and IVB CPUs on the old one. There is just some new features in the new chipset like native USB3 support and full PCIe 3.0 support that the old one won't get.

That's two things I've learned today. Thanks a bunch, folks. Still wondering if anyone knows of a good way to track price drops
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post #2170 of 2220
3/6/12 at 2:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad Theimpaler View Post

Not sure if my follow-up question to the above post would be OT, but it is a simple one.

I've held off upgrading from my current budget AMD system (AMD Athlon X2 250 CPU + Asus M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 mobo), but would love to get back with Intel and try out their current (for now) SB platform.

Does anyone here know if SB CPUs and/or compatible mobos will drop in price when IVB launches? Besides Slickdeals, are there any good websites that help track down good prices for CPU/mobo combos?

TIA

You know I replaced my Athlon X2 250 system with a llano system and realize now that I just had money burning a hole in my pocket. The X2 250 did everything I needed just fine. The only difference was a 17W drop in idle power consumption and I no longer need to run my audio through the optical jack. I guess the power savings will pay for it in about 1 to 2 years but, eh.
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post #2171 of 2220
3/6/12 at 2:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad Theimpaler View Post

That's two things I've learned today. Thanks a bunch, folks. Still wondering if anyone knows of a good way to track price drops

Can't help you with a way of tracking price drops. I will say that I wouldn't hold my breath about price drops. I my experience older generation gets more expensive not cheaper. The manufacturer's switch production to the newer stuff so the older hardware loses the economy of scale and gets more expensive. Now if you can time it right you might get some deals just don't count on it.
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post #2172 of 2220
3/6/12 at 6:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffkro View Post

You know I replaced my Athlon X2 250 system with a llano system and realize now that I just had money burning a hole in my pocket. The X2 250 did everything I needed just fine. The only difference was a 17W drop in idle power consumption and I no longer need to run my audio through the optical jack. I guess the power savings will pay for it in about 1 to 2 years but, eh.

I agree that the $60 Athlon X2 250 is decent... no, make that very nice, for the price. My previous system (replaced by the Athlon X2 250) was an Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 with Asus P5KC mobo. The reason I switched was I wanted to upgrade from SATA300/DDR2/USB2.0 to SATA600/DDR3/USB3.0, but at the time (around Q3 2010) it was much cheaper to go the AMD route. As far as the CPUs were concerned, they seemed quite similar in specs (both have 2 cores, with 3GHz clock frequency) so I figured I was moving laterally there.

And guess what... I just had money burning a hole in my pocket too Despite its inferior specs, the Core 2 Duo system (which I donated to my work) is significantly faster than the AMD AX2 250 system in several key applications, for example:

Backing up the OS partition...

On the Intel system, OS partition has appx. 33GB of data. OS is stored on a 500GB SATA300 HDD running in IDE mode. Backup drive resides within the same system and is also a SATA300 HDD running in IDE mode.
Time to create backup image: 25 minutes

On the AMD system, OS partition has appx. 19GB of data. OS is stored on a 64GB SATA600 SSD running in AHCI mode. Backup drive resides within the same system and is a SATA300 HDD running in AHCI mode.
Time to create backup image: 40 minutes

In this example, the backup utility is the Acronis True Image Home 2009 boot CD, which runs under a Linux kernel. Maybe the Linux drivers used in the CD were optimized for Intel SATA controllers, not AMD SATA controllers.

(Maybe I ought to see if switching the AMD system to IDE mode, before running the Acronis boot CD, provides any improvement in the backup performance.)

There are other examples in which the older Intel system outperforms the newer AMD system, so yeah... I think this year's tax return will be spent on an Intel system
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post #2173 of 2220
3/6/12 at 8:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad Theimpaler View Post


I agree that the $60 Athlon X2 250 is decent... no, make that very nice, for the price. My previous system (replaced by the Athlon X2 250) was an Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 with Asus P5KC mobo. The reason I switched was I wanted to upgrade from SATA300/DDR2/USB2.0 to SATA600/DDR3/USB3.0, but at the time (around Q3 2010) it was much cheaper to go the AMD route. As far as the CPUs were concerned, they seemed quite similar in specs (both have 2 cores, with 3GHz clock frequency) so I figured I was moving laterally there.

And guess what... I just had money burning a hole in my pocket too Despite its inferior specs, the Core 2 Duo system (which I donated to my work) is significantly faster than the AMD AX2 250 system in several key applications, for example:

Backing up the OS partition...

On the Intel system, OS partition has appx. 33GB of data. OS is stored on a 500GB SATA300 HDD running in IDE mode. Backup drive resides within the same system and is also a SATA300 HDD running in IDE mode.
Time to create backup image: 25 minutes

On the AMD system, OS partition has appx. 19GB of data. OS is stored on a 64GB SATA600 SSD running in AHCI mode. Backup drive resides within the same system and is a SATA300 HDD running in AHCI mode.
Time to create backup image: 40 minutes

In this example, the backup utility is the Acronis True Image Home 2009 boot CD, which runs under a Linux kernel. Maybe the Linux drivers used in the CD were optimized for Intel SATA controllers, not AMD SATA controllers.

(Maybe I ought to see if switching the AMD system to IDE mode, before running the Acronis boot CD, provides any improvement in the backup performance.)

There are other examples in which the older Intel system outperforms the newer AMD system, so yeah... I think this year's tax return will be spent on an Intel system

Yeah but I just play and record HD video so fast enough is all I needed. To slow is a problem because of the obvious framed drops pauses, but any faster than what is needed doesn't really improve playback. Depends on what you use it for I guess. I only backup data never programs or the OS.
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post #2174 of 2220
3/9/12 at 12:46am
Asrock have got details of their upcoming 7-series motherboards on their website.

Motherboard comparison, Micro-ATX only

Asrock motherboard index

Asus just seem to have their Z77 boards up for now:
http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/Int...1155/Intel_Z77

... as do Gigabyte:
Micro-ATX Z77 comparison


Can't see anything official from MSI or Intel yet, although MSI was showing some boards at Cebit and Intel is known to have the H77EB coming in Micro-ATX form factor.

Looks like Asrock may upsell me on their Pro4-M just so that I avoid the 2 PCI slots on their base H77 mATX model.
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post #2175 of 2220
3/10/12 at 7:08pm
It looks like I won't be able to upgrade to IVB with my current motherboard. http://www.intel.com/support/motherb.../CS-033076.htm My Intel DH67BL is AAG10189-205, and the minimum AA number to support IVB is AAG10189-206 according to that support document. Even with the most up-to-date BIOS and Management Engine, with the older AA, I'm SOL. I had my original motherboard replaced in the middle of last year after the sata ports flaked out, but obviously that happened a little too soon to get me on at least AA-206 or higher.
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post #2176 of 2220
3/11/12 at 3:35am
If your aim is HTPC, then i would urge you to replace the board anyway, because some of the IGP enhancements are done in the boards chipset.
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post #2177 of 2220
3/11/12 at 7:53am
Sub-$100 computer processors are the kind of gravy we like to scoop up and spread on a low-cost PC, secondary system, NAS box, home theater PC, or any other application that doesn't requires a beefy CPU to get the job done. If you feel the same way, you'll be happy to know that at least one of Intel's desktop Ivy Bridge processors can be yours for less than a Benjamin.

Intel will treat budget shoppers to Ivy Bridge by introducing a new member to its Pentium family based on its upcoming architecture, according to Fudzilla. Slated for release in the second quarter of 2012, the upcoming Pentium G870 will boast a 3.1GHz clockspeed and presumably have two processing cores and two threads. At $86, it will be the cheapest 22nm Ivy Bridge chip Intel sells.

The Pentium G870 will replace the G860, a 3GHz dual-core chip based on Intel's 32nm Sandy Bridge architecture.
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post #2178 of 2220
3/11/12 at 11:05am
It was never doubted that the Pentium series will get a Ivy Bridge variant as well, just the when is the question. Latest news say "Holiday 2012"
I think the Celeron series is in doubt, though.
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post #2179 of 2220
3/11/12 at 3:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevcairiel View Post

If your aim is HTPC, then i would urge you to replace the board anyway, because some of the IGP enhancements are done in the boards chipset.

Nothing definitive yet on how the IGP enhancements are going to improve video playback quality.
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post #2180 of 2220
3/11/12 at 4:07pm
Hi!

I finally built a sandy system:

Mobo: MSI Z68A-GD65-G3
CPU: Intel i5 2500K
RAM: Gskill 8GB (2*4GB) RipjawsX DDR3 1600 Mhz)
SSD: OCZ 60 GB Vertex3 series (for system)
OS: Seven 64 Home Premium. (SP 1)


I have two questions:

1) I haven't been able to enable second 4GB ram; PC ignores to open with 8GB RAM. (when I put the second ram, PSU and CPU starts and stops continuously, but I cannot start the system.)

2) I couldn't get any audio from my HDMI 1.3 AVR in extended mode when I want to watch 3D. (HDMI to my 3D TV for video , DVI to HDMI to my AVR for audio)
Is there any way to get HD audio in extended mode?
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post #2181 of 2220
3/11/12 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ricabullah View Post

Hi!

I finally built a sandy system:

Mobo: MSI Z68A-GD65-G3
CPU: Intel i5 2500K
RAM: Gskill 8GB 82*4GB) RipjawsX DDR3 1600 Mhz
SSD: OCZ 60 GB Vertex3 series (for system)
OS: Seven 64 Home Premium.


I have two questions:

1) I haven't been able to enable second 4GB ram; PC ignores to open with 8GB RAM. (when I put the second ram, PSU and CPU starts and stops continuously, but I cannot start the system.)

2) I couldn't get any audio from my HDMI 1.3 AVR in extended mode when I want to watch 3D. (HDMI to my 3D TV, DVI to HDMI to my AVR)
Is there any way to get HD audio in extended mode?

Does it matter which stick is installed or not?

I would run memtest and test your memory, and double check your bios settings.

THe bios should see the ram if it's installed correctly. Once you get this accompished you can test it to make sure it's good.

As far as Audio- You can only send audio to one source. You can stream HDMI to your AVR and carry the audio that way.

Set your TV as the second display or duplicate display; you will need to make sure the HDMI audio output is being sent to the AVR and not the TV if your running dual outs from a single card or motherboard.
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post #2182 of 2220
3/11/12 at 4:27pm
Thanks.

I couldn't find any option to maximize the memory in BIOS settings.
But there should be any.
Selecting the TV as secondary display doesn't help to watch 3D over an HDMI 1.3 AVR. (assuming DVI doesn't allow to send frame-packed 3D BD signals at all; in case HDMI to AVR for audio as primary display, DVI to HDMI to 3D TV for video as secondary display?)

EDIT: Just nVidia gave me the chance of having HD audio with 3D video over the same card in extended mode. I had to use a secondary Ati card to get audio in extended mode with AMD. (BTW, I am told 7***series AMD cards are able to send audio and video at the same time.) Maybe I will have to use a secondary external GPU to get HD audio with multiple GPUs on Intel platform?
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post #2183 of 2220
3/12/12 at 12:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffkro View Post

Nothing definitive yet on how the IGP enhancements are going to improve video playback quality.

And that won't be the case until someone has a board and a CPU in hand and tests HTPC specific work loads.

Anyway, if they did improve the GPU Clock generator for better 24p output, it'll most likely be in the chipset, not the CPU.

I think its funny how everyone doubts that Intel did something good, even if some Intel engineers claim they did changes to improve the situation.
I cannot wait to get a board and CPU and do a full set of tests on it, too bad it'll have to wait until end of April.
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post #2184 of 2220
3/12/12 at 12:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevcairiel View Post

I cannot wait to get a board and CPU and do a full set of tests on it, too bad it'll have to wait until end of April.

To do a complete test, you must acquire a board on release in early April, and do the full tests on the chipset with a Sandy Bridge CPU. That should keep you busy, and take your mind off waiting for the new processors. Then repeat the tests with an Ivy Bridge CPU starting April 29th.

Just a suggestion .

Liking the sound of the G870, but I wonder if Intel will find yet another way to cripple the Pentiums compare with the i3s.

I am finding it annoying really that we are all just having to wait for Intel to condescend to inform us of its plans for the next few weeks. The company has probably already produced tens of millions of processors, handed them out to PC/laptop producers, motherboard manufacturers and review sites, but everyone is under NDA until Intel gives the green light to inform the "great unwashed", i.e. the ultimate customers and users of its products, what and when it will be allowed to buy.
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post #2185 of 2220
3/12/12 at 1:04am
I think "doubt" is a strong word.

I like "skeptical" a little better since they, like me, have largely downplayed the "24p bug" to this point.
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post #2186 of 2220
3/12/12 at 7:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nevcairiel View Post

And that won't be the case until someone has a board and a CPU in hand and tests HTPC specific work loads.

Anyway, if they did improve the GPU Clock generator for better 24p output, it'll most likely be in the chipset, not the CPU.

I think its funny how everyone doubts that Intel did something good, even if some Intel engineers claim they did changes to improve the situation.
I cannot wait to get a board and CPU and do a full set of tests on it, too bad it'll have to wait until end of April.

As reported here the H61/H67/Z68 boards may not necessarily be able to be updated to Ivy Bridge after all.

Depends on the manufacturer and how/if they will let you update the secondary bios on the board.

Credit to ricabullah in renethx's thread.
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post #2187 of 2220
3/13/12 at 12:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

As reported here the H61/H67/Z68 boards may not necessarily be able to be updated to Ivy Bridge after all.

Depends on the manufacturer and how/if they will let you update the secondary bios on the board.

Credit to ricabullah in renethx's thread.

Not sure why you are quoting Nevcairiel. Your link just says that certain 6-series MSI boards will need a BIOS update to support Ivy Bridge, and that if you buy one manufactured before the updated BIOS was available, you obviously need to install a Sandy Bridge CPU in order to be able to update the BIOS. Moreover, for MSI boards with dual BIOS, it appears the secondary BIOS cannot be updated without an SPI Flash Programming device, which would mean any primary BIOS failure would render you unbootable if using an Ivy Bridge CPU on a board manufactured with an older BIOS installed.

On another subject, searching for info on the Pentium G870, and there is nothing official of course, but some rumour sites seem to assume it will just be a new Sandy Bridge core with a speed bump to 3.1 GHz, which would be boring.
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post #2188 of 2220
3/13/12 at 1:59pm
Guys I read this on missingremote:

Quote:


On the back I/O panel we find six USB 2.0, E-SATA, Ethernet, DVI, HDMI 1.4, S/PDIF, five stereo audio and two USB 3.0 connectors. It is worth noting is that with an appropriate DVI-to-HDMI adapter, the DVI port can also function as an HDMI 1.4 port, so the DH67BL is capable of utilizing two HDMI cables to provide HDMI 1.4 to a display and HDMI 1.3 to an audio-video receiver (AVR) simultaneously for those who wish to enjoy a 3D BD and lossless audio but do not have an HDMI 1.4 compatible AVR.

Link:
http://www.missingremote.com/review/...bl-motherboard

I gave it a go with an Ati 5-6 series compatible DVI to HDMI adapter, but I couldn't get any audio over my AVR in extended mode. Intel sends HD audio and frame-packed video streams at the same time over HDMI 1.4. (Only.) Is there any special dongle for Intel that I've missed?

I'd be happy if I got HD audio over my HDMI 1.3 AVR while I was watching 3D Blu-Rays on my 3D TV.

Any ideas?
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post #2189 of 2220
3/13/12 at 4:31pm
There is no special adapter for Intel/NVIDIA, any generic DVI-HDMI adapter will work.
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post #2190 of 2220
3/13/12 at 4:49pm
OK, thanks but it is not the entire response which I expected:

Do you think, audio over an HDMI 1.3 AVR via DVI out of an SNB (with a dongle+HDMI cable or just a DVI to HDMI cable) can be selected as a secondary display? (I mean AVR for sure. )

If "yes," how?

Thanks for your patience!

EDIT: I suppose it is very important for 3D HTPC community to have a 3D capable HTPC without any discrete card but they would like to enjoy with HD audio as well with their existent HDMI 1.3 AVRs. BTW, I'm very happy with my Intel HD graphics 3000 (i5 2500K); I get the same quality with my 430. I'm not a gamer. What is missing here yet is HD audio streaming to my AVR.
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