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Guide to Building a HTPC, Workstation and Server - Page 446

post #13351 of 18935
4/6/10 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacob B View Post

Comments:
TMT 3 Platinum will play AVCHD as well - if you rip your (owned) BD to AVCHD folder and file format, it will play it. This adds compatibility for hardware players like OPPO-BDP83 and PS3.

I would list MediaPortal (MP) as an organizer & player as well - its like Media Center, except its free (open source). It can use external players as well (like TMT). It has more options than WMC, but is also more tricky to set up

MP's coolest feature is the ability to act as a TV server, having TV-tuners added to one single computer acting as the server (could be your media storage server), then all other computers in the house/network can use/access those tuners with the MP client software. If you don't need/want that feature, then WMC 7 is probably the way to go (unless you like to play around with skins, multiple plug-ins, etc)

cheers,
Jacob

Any advantage of media portal compared to mymovies for organization? Also is the OPPO BDP83 better to burn the BD and DVD to your hard drive compared to a standard blue ray drive that would be attached to a HTPC?

Scott
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post #13352 of 18935
4/6/10 at 4:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FguerraG View Post

Hi there!

I have recently added a video card ATI HD5670 to the Gigabyte GA-MA785GMT-UD2H mobo as renethx recommendations (thanks man!)
almost everything works fine, it's just that for some reason I can't enable 1920x1080@60hz it only works @24hz
Thing is that when I start the computer I can't see the Bios, the LCD screen kicks in when windows has already booted

I'm almost sure that this is a resolution problem ,right?

has anybody else had same problem or knows how to fix this

BTW I have tried both original and most recent drivers with the same result also if I switch back to the mobo hdmi out I can enable 60hz just fine
TIA

So , It's just me with this problem?

I have been searching all over for some info and haven't find anything here or ATI forums, Google etc...
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post #13353 of 18935
4/6/10 at 5:41pm
Building my first HTPC from the ground up and more or less following renethx's suggestions. In particular I am using

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail

ASUS P7H55D-M EVO LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

I noticed after I ordered that this RAM is not on the memory qualified vendor list on the ASUS website for this motherboard, and a reviewer on newegg is claiming that they had random BSOD using this RAM until swapping it out for GSkill F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL. The 1GB sticks GSkill F3-12800CL9D-2GBNQ are listed on the memory qualified vendor list. I find it hard to believe the 2GB sticks would not work, but as a noob the last thing I want to do is deal with random BSOD caused by a subtle interaction between RAM and motherboard.

Can someone more experienced reassure me that this combination will be fine and I am just being paranoid or am I better off just swapping it out before I even get started with memory on the approved list. Any tips for verifying that these two items get along before I get too far down the road would also be appreciated. Thanks.
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post #13354 of 18935
4/6/10 at 8:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by QBA View Post

So if I buy this CPU, What motherboard and RAM do you guys recommend me to put together my second HTPC/Server?

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...156,%203.33Ghz

Core i5-660 is overkill for a HTPC/server. Core i3 530 is enough. Mb selection depends on the expansion cards you use (do you use a discrete graphics card? How many HDDs are you going to have?).
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post #13355 of 18935
4/6/10 at 8:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by drebnord View Post

Building my first HTPC from the ground up and more or less following renethx's suggestions. In particular I am using

G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ - Retail

ASUS P7H55D-M EVO LGA 1156 Intel H55 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

This combination worked fine for me. QVL is merely a list of RAM ASUS actually tested. Not being on QVL does not mean that the RAM does not work.
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post #13356 of 18935
4/6/10 at 9:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post


Gefen HDMI Detective Plus (or DVI Detective Plus) should work. Thanks.

or here is the easy way to do it...

-Osarika

hdmiOn is a tiny program that turns the monitor off and on, which resends the EDID data bringing back the TV to life. Suggested usage is to assign the program to a function or hotkey.

http://thydzik.com/tag/hdmion/

As requested, source code is as follows.

#include

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow)
{
// Turn off monitor
SendMessage(HWND_BROADCAST, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_MONITORPOWER, (LPARAM) 2);
// Turn on monitor
SendMessage(HWND_BROADCAST, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_MONITORPOWER, (LPARAM) -1);

return 0;
}
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post #13357 of 18935
4/7/10 at 3:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by FguerraG View Post

So , It's just me with this problem?

I have been searching all over for some info and haven't find anything here or ATI forums, Google etc...

Try the AMD catalyst forum:

http://forums.amd.com/game/categories.cfm?catid=279

That might be the most specific place to find someone who can help.

Good luck. Let us know what you find out.

Marc
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post #13358 of 18935
4/7/10 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by osarika View Post

or here is the easy way to do it...

-Osarika

hdmiOn is a tiny program that turns the monitor off and on, which resends the EDID data bringing back the TV to life. Suggested usage is to assign the program to a function or hotkey.

http://thydzik.com/tag/hdmion/

As requested, source code is as follows.

#include

int WINAPI WinMain(HINSTANCE hInstance, HINSTANCE hPrevInstance, LPSTR lpCmdLine, int nCmdShow)
{
// Turn off monitor
SendMessage(HWND_BROADCAST, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_MONITORPOWER, (LPARAM) 2);
// Turn on monitor
SendMessage(HWND_BROADCAST, WM_SYSCOMMAND, SC_MONITORPOWER, (LPARAM) -1);

return 0;
}

That's an interesting solution - so what it ends up doing is forcing an HDMI handshake. This may be a viable solution for my dad who is having this problem but really doesn't want to spend the money on the HDMI detective.
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post #13359 of 18935
4/7/10 at 6:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

Core i5-660 is overkill for a HTPC/server. Core i3 530 is enough.

Thanks for that I found one i5-530 for 130

http://www.canadacomputers.com/index...75&cid=CPU.840


Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

Mb selection depends on the expansion cards you use (do you use a discrete graphics card? How many HDDs are you going to have?).

I don't even know if I need one graphics card, I hope I can get away without it, to save some cash.

Since I'm buying the i5-530 and I hope the motherboard has built in HDMI, do I still need a graphics card? I'm going to be watching HD content from ripped bluerays, recording OTA HD shows, this computer will be server as well, so my laptop htpc will be recording and demanding HD content on this machine hard drives.

This machine will have an hdmi going straight into the basement TV and one of the xbox360 will be use as a media center extender in this machine as well, for the second basement TV.

Do I still need a video card?

About the hard drives it will have as many as I fit in the case, I'm even thinking into buying the same server case that dbone1026 have to progressively ad as many TBs hdd as I need in the future.

http://usa.chenbro.com/corporatesite...il.php?sku=109

What kind of power supply do I need? I got at home a 4 years old Antec 550W power supply.

I guess I have to buy one or two SATA Controller Cards as well.

thanks again
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post #13360 of 18935
4/7/10 at 7:29am
Thread Starter 
@QBA

It depends on your requirement if a discrete graphics card is necessary or not. Some people prefer Radeon for various reasons (e.g. Clarkdale does not support 23.976Hz). But if you are satisfied with Arrandale, Clarkdale may be enough. I will mention two systems:

- Core i3 530
- MSI H55-GD65 (one PCIe 2.0 x16, one PCIe 1.0 x16 slot that works at x4 if you don't use any of the PCIe x1 slots, at x2 otherwise)
- Onboard video

- Athlon II X2/X3/X4
- ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 (two PCIe x8, one PCIe x4, one PCIe x1, all Gen2.0)
- Onboard video (HDMI audio is limited to DD/DTS) or a discrete graphics, e.g. Radeon HD 5670

Here are a couple of tower cases good for a server. For 15 HDDs, 550W should be enough.
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post #13361 of 18935
4/7/10 at 8:36am
Thanks for the reply Supports renethx,

I think I will go for MSI H55-GD65 with i3 530

I was reading on the MSI USA site that MSI H55-GD65 support "1080 Full-HD multimedia playback". Does this means it doesn't support 1080p?

Sorry but you lost me there with "Radeon vs Arrandale and Clarkdale", I guess those are video/audio card chips or something?

Can I watch HD movies with full 1080p and HD sound by just running an HDMI cable from this mother board into my Yamaha receiver?

Sorry again but I don't understand this part either lol "(one PCIe 2.0 x16, one PCIe 1.0 x16 slot that works at x4 if you don't use any of the PCIe x1 slots, at x2 otherwise)"

How many sata port for sata hard drives does this mother board have? Should I ad a one or two SATA Controller Cards?

What memory should I buy?
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post #13362 of 18935
4/7/10 at 8:54am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by QBA View Post

Thanks for the reply Supports renethx,

I think I will go for MSI H55-GD65 with i3 530

I was reading on the MSI USA site that MSI H55-GD65 support "1080 Full-HD multimedia playback". Does this means it doesn't support 1080p?

Sorry but you lost me there with "Radeon vs Arrandale and Clarkdale", I guess those are video/audio card chips or something?

Can I watch HD movies with full 1080p and HD sound by just running an HDMI cable from this mother board into my Yamaha receiver?

Sorry again but I don't understand this part either lol "(one PCIe 2.0 x16, one PCIe 1.0 x16 slot that works at x4 if you don't use any of the PCIe x1 slots, at x2 otherwise)"

How many sata port for sata hard drives does this mother board have? Should I ad a one or two SATA Controller Cards?

What memory should I buy?

Arrandale is the codename of mobile Core i5-430M and the likes. Clarkdale is the desktop version of Arrandale (Core i3-530 etc.). Yup, I am talking about GPU. If you are already enjoying your ASUS laptop, Clarkdale should be a good choice. The video playback capability of Core i3-530/H55 is identical with your laptop.

You are going to add SATA controller cards (either PCI or PCIe) and depending on the number of HDDs, you may need several expansion slots. MSI H55-GD65 has two PCIe x4 (or higher) slots and two PCI slots. So they should be enough if you don't add a discrete graphics card. For example,

- Onboard SATA: 7
- Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8-port SATA Controller PCI Express x4 Card: 8
- Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 8-port SATA Controller PCI Express x4 Card: 8
- Total: 23 SATA ports.

Note that you can't use two PCIe x1 slots in this case. G.SKILL F3-12800CL9D-4GBNQ DDR3-1600 2 x 2GB Kit is a good choice.
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post #13363 of 18935
4/7/10 at 9:26am
Thanks again for the reply renethx,

About the case, I wonder if I could use the one I got at home for now, and on the future I could upgrade to a bigger one. Can I put the MSI motherboard on the case bellow?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...t-2,725-5.html

Now about the power supply, I think this is the 4 years old power supply I have at home:
http://compreviews.about.com/od/case...TP2EPSTour.htm

Does this motherboard use a different type of connector because is newer? or all those power supplies to mother board connector are still compatibles?

thanks
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post #13364 of 18935
4/7/10 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by doc4140 View Post

Any advantage of media portal compared to mymovies for organization? Also is the OPPO BDP83 better to burn the BD and DVD to your hard drive compared to a standard blue ray drive that would be attached to a HTPC?

Scott

I dont know mymovies well enough to really tell you, i think its a matter if taste.
Its more a question of the whole package - tv, movies, tv series, music etc.
There are much more flexibily in MP, but it comes with a price of complex setup. MP is open source freeware.

The oppo 83 is stand alone blu ray player, which also can play ripped movies via harddisc and dlna network streaming. It cannot burn and does not connect to the playback part of a htpc, only the media server part.
Cheers,
Jacob
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post #13365 of 18935
4/7/10 at 11:14am
Hi Renethx - Do you think the new PICOPSU-150-XT power supply and 150W power brick could handle the Mini-ITX AMD-AMD HTPC build in your March guide (with Athlon II 240 not the 240e)? I think it would solve a noise/heat issue I have in my current build.

If so, what do people do for a backplate?

Thanks,
Lintoc
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post #13366 of 18935
4/7/10 at 12:21pm
What cluster size should i format my whs pool hdd? They are WD 20EADS drives. And why?

What about the OS HDD - WD black scorpio 320gb?

And my tv server/DVR drives - a WD 10EADS and a another black scorpio?

Many thanks,
Jacob
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post #13367 of 18935
4/7/10 at 3:45pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by QBA View Post

Thanks again for the reply renethx,

About the case, I wonder if I could use the one I got at home for now, and on the future I could upgrade to a bigger one. Can I put the MSI motherboard on the case bellow?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...t-2,725-5.html

Now about the power supply, I think this is the 4 years old power supply I have at home:
http://compreviews.about.com/od/case...TP2EPSTour.htm

Does this motherboard use a different type of connector because is newer? or all those power supplies to mother board connector are still compatibles?

thanks

For starters you can use any ATX case. The PSU is good enough for the mb.
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post #13368 of 18935
4/7/10 at 3:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lintoc View Post

Hi Renethx - Do you think the new PICOPSU-150-XT power supply and 150W power brick could handle the Mini-ITX AMD-AMD HTPC build in your March guide (with Athlon II 240 not the 240e)? I think it would solve a noise/heat issue I have in my current build.

If so, what do people do for a backplate?

Thanks,
Lintoc

Yes.
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post #13369 of 18935
4/7/10 at 8:18pm
renethx, just to double check before I buy it.

Is this the same sata controller as the one you suggested earlier?

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37...ure=SuperMicro

thanks
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post #13370 of 18935
4/7/10 at 8:25pm
Lots of posts here. This is for renethx if ya get a chance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by HTElectrical View Post

I need to build a PC for my Toyhauler so I can transfer some of the 800 movies that I currently have saved on my server and have something to watch when I go racing, duning etc.... I figure 3 to 4 terabytes should hold plenty of movies to have a good selection. I have a 23"1080P LCD monitor so I will probably go with HDMI. I plan to purchase a LG HX300 projector when they come out so I can do the outdoor movie thing. So, on to my ?????

I have a new http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131196 P5K-E motherboard sitting here brand new in the box. Would it be worthwhile for me to use this board and go with a Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115056 and since it only has PCI-E x 16 my card choices a re limited. Probably this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814103104
DIAMOND 5670PE51G Radeon HD 5670, or should I just forget using the P5K and upgrade to the new tech?
Thanks in advacne!!!!
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post #13371 of 18935
4/7/10 at 8:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by QBA View Post

renethx, just to double check before I buy it.

Is this the same sata controller as the one you suggested earlier?

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=37...ure=SuperMicro

thanks

Yes.

You need to buy cables (e.g. two SFF-8087 to four SATA forward breakout cables) separately.
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post #13372 of 18935
4/7/10 at 8:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HTElectrical View Post

Lots of posts here. This is for renethx if ya get a chance.

The mb and CPU are good. You can buy a cheaper HD 5670 card like this.
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post #13373 of 18935
4/7/10 at 8:57pm
I didn't think I could use a PCI Express 2.0 x16 card on a board that only had a PCI Express x16 slot. Can I?
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post #13374 of 18935
4/7/10 at 10:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HTElectrical View Post

I didn't think I could use a PCI Express 2.0 x16 card on a board that only had a PCI Express x16 slot. Can I?

Basically PCIe 2.0 cards are backward compatible with PCIe 1.x motherboards.
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post #13375 of 18935
4/8/10 at 2:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jacob B View Post

What cluster size should i format my whs pool hdd? They are WD 20EADS drives. And why?

What about the OS HDD - WD black scorpio 320gb?

And my tv server/DVR drives - a WD 10EADS and a another black scorpio?

Many thanks,
Jacob

Any one?
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post #13376 of 18935
4/8/10 at 4:28am
Thanks - I finally bought a Kill-a-watt, and it draws at most 130w. Nice!
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post #13377 of 18935
4/8/10 at 7:58am
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

Basically PCIe 2.0 cards are backward compatible with PCIe 1.x motherboards.

Ok, thanks!!! Can you recommend a good cooler that won't break the bank? It gets a little warm in the ToyHauler in the summer, and I wanted to keep the CPU at a reasonable temp. Noise really isn't a problem.
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post #13378 of 18935
4/8/10 at 3:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HTElectrical View Post

Ok, thanks!!! Can you recommend a good cooler that won't break the bank? It gets a little warm in the ToyHauler in the summer, and I wanted to keep the CPU at a reasonable temp. Noise really isn't a problem.

Cooler Master Geminii S is a good cooler.
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post #13379 of 18935
4/8/10 at 3:13pm
on sale today (assumeing you get their announcements)

SWEET prices too.
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post #13380 of 18935
4/8/10 at 6:16pm
Finally got all the parts in today and got to start the build. Everything is in and hooked up.

When I hit the power switch, all the fans start running, but I don't hear any beeps and I don't see anything on the monitor (there is no signal detected). Its been a while, but aren't there supposed to be a few beeps to let me know that things are happy? There is a green LED light on the MB that is lit up. Something isn't right here and I'm not sure where or how to start trouble shooting since I can't even get to a bios screen or anything.... help?
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