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Guide to Building a HTPC, Workstation and Server - Page 100

post #2971 of 18940
8/27/08 at 8:53pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xuivo View Post

Thanks renethx. Some more question though, as for the expension cards, is there a possibility I need more than four in the future? I plan to have a decent video card for occasionnal gaming, something to record TV, what else can I put in it?

Also, have you heard about controlling the HTPC with a Playstation 3 or X-box 360 remotes? In one case, i would need bluetooth, while on the other, RF... Is it feasable? Since I plan to run emulator, it would be great.

Finally, do you suggest to put vista 32 or xp 32 in a HTPC these day? And using the 32 bits limits me to 3.2 GB of ram right?

Oh, and finally... Concerning the sound, I'm I ok with the 7.1 from the video card (HD4850?). Like I've said, my receiver does not internally decode the new format. My PS3 pass those as PCM, so I guess the PS3 is decoding them. Will this card do the same thing? And if I want to use my HTPC as a HDPVR, do I need a sound card then?

If you continue to use just one TV tuner and don't use extra SATA controller cards, then four is enough. (Two of them are PCI which will be outdated soon; by then the mb itself will be outdated too.)

Vista. 32-bit is limited to 4GB max memory (around 3.2GB for application use).

A software player decodes HD audio (Dolby TrueHD etc.) to 5.1 or 7.1 LPCM and HD 4850 sends it over HDMI. You don't need a sound card.
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post #2972 of 18940
8/27/08 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lostclusters View Post

Renethx:

Welcome back, we missed you. How was the vacation? Did you go some where or stay at home?

I stayed at my parents home (a great rural area, many mountains and lakes) with my wife and my 5 year-old son. Had a great time.
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post #2973 of 18940
8/27/08 at 9:56pm
Can a HTPC upconvert DVD video to HDMI like an upconvert DVD player?
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post #2974 of 18940
8/27/08 at 10:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvset View Post

Can a HTPC upconvert DVD video to HDMI like an upconvert DVD player?

Yes, upconvert is no problem. The quality may vary from card to card, however.
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post #2975 of 18940
8/27/08 at 10:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

Yes, upconvert is no problem. The quality may vary from card to card, however.

Do I have to change any setting in order to get the upconvert video? Or it does it automatically? I have the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard with onboard video ATI Radeon HD 3200. I play my video with KMplayer.
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post #2976 of 18940
8/27/08 at 10:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

A good selection. Choose Phenom X3 8450, $104, for better deinterlacing. APEVIA X-QPack is a very popular SFF case. NSK1380 comes with a 80 PLUS 350W custom PSU, while APEVIA 420W ATX PSU is not so good ...

Great!! Only a few questions left...

What do you mean by custom PSU?
Do I understand you correctly that the NSK1380 is ok for my htpc?

Last, is there power enough to add a blue ray player?
What about LG GGC-H20L?

Thank you renethx!
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post #2977 of 18940
8/27/08 at 10:38pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvset View Post

Do I have to change any setting in order to get the upconvert video? Or it does it automatically? I have the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard with onboard video ATI Radeon HD 3200. I play my video with KMplayer.

Upconvert is done automatically.
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post #2978 of 18940
8/27/08 at 10:42pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by slanemyr View Post

What do you mean by custom PSU?
Do I understand you correctly that the NSK1380 is ok for my htpc?

Last, is there power enough to add a blue ray player?
What about LG GGC-H20L?

"Custom" means non-standard. (So if your PSU is dead after the warranty period expired, you have to buy the same model from Antec.)

NSK1380 is fine for your purpose except for this inconvenience, and 350W is plenty enough for a BD player.
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post #2979 of 18940
8/27/08 at 11:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

A good selection. Choose Phenom X3 8450, $104, for better deinterlacing. APEVIA X-QPack is a very popular SFF case. NSK1380 comes with a 80 PLUS 350W custom PSU, while APEVIA 420W ATX PSU is not so good ...

One more thing renethx... Can you please explain better deinterlacing?

Thanks...
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post #2980 of 18940
8/27/08 at 11:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by slanemyr View Post

One more thing renethx... Can you please explain better deinterlacing?

If you play interlaced contents (e.g. many HDTV programs), you have to deinterlace them with either the video card, an external video processor or a HDTV. Radeon HD 3200 (the onboard GPU of GA-MA78GM-S2H) is very good for deinterlacing if it is paired with a Phenom processor.
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post #2981 of 18940
8/28/08 at 12:55am
Does anyone know what setting to set in KMplayer to play video without lag. I have a mp4 HD video that plays with fast and clear picture in Windows Media Player, but it does not show the same in KMplayer.
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post #2982 of 18940
8/28/08 at 3:47am
first of all thx renethx for a GREAT thread..and hope you enjoyed your vacation.....


now onto my question....looking at your recommended premium for full atx amd/amd(page85) i am having a real hard time finding most of the components that you listed....in particular the video and the mobo. tried the typical newegg,tiger,etc....did you happen to list on one of the 100+ pages somewhere the sources for you prices? i want to put one together basicly per your spec as this will be my first htpc (dozen gaming rigs 3-4 years ago so really alot of this stuff is still new to me)but as i stated i am having a real hard time finding the components.
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post #2983 of 18940
8/28/08 at 3:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

I stayed at my parents home (a great rural area, many mountains and lakes) with my wife and my 5 year-old son. Had a great time.


Good for you! Spent last week with my son and wife in Poconos, you just got to get away some time.

Thanks for confirming my P35 is good awhile longer, I really like the way this build came out, though still dealing with Vista issues, but that's a different thread.
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post #2984 of 18940
8/28/08 at 4:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hossk5 View Post

first of all thx renethx for a GREAT thread..and hope you enjoyed your vacation.....


now onto my question....looking at your recommended premium for full atx amd/amd(page85) i am having a real hard time finding most of the components that you listed....in particular the video and the mobo. tried the typical newegg,tiger,etc....did you happen to list on one of the 100+ pages somewhere the sources for you prices? i want to put one together basicly per your spec as this will be my first htpc (dozen gaming rigs 3-4 years ago so really alot of this stuff is still new to me)but as i stated i am having a real hard time finding the components.

  • CPU: Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition HD995ZFAGHBOX 2.6GHz Socket AM2+, $235.
  • CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-01 PLUS, $50.
  • CPU Fan: Scythe S-FLEX S-FDB 120mm Fan SFF21E, $15.
  • Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 AMD 790FX chipset ATX, $212. An alternative is MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX chipset ATX, $150 (four PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, but some of them are lowered to x8 if you use more than two slots).
  • Memory: G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ DDR2-1000 2 x 2GB Kit, $80.
  • Graphics Card: ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4870, $255 (after rebate); two of this card for CrossFireX, $490. An alternative is Radeon HD 4870 X2, $549.
  • HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA, $85.
  • PSU: Enermax MODU82+ 625W EMD625AWT, $145.
  • Case: SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02B-MXR, $363
GA-MA790FX-DS5 is discontinued. Buy MSI K9A2 Platinum or the new Foxconn A79A-S, $230.
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post #2985 of 18940
8/28/08 at 6:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

If you play interlaced contents (e.g. many HDTV programs), you have to deinterlace them with either the video card, an external video processor or a HDTV. Radeon HD 3200 (the onboard GPU of GA-MA78GM-S2H) is very good for deinterlacing if it is paired with a Phenom processor.

Never heard of a video card that sends out a "raw" interlaced 480i/576i ??
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post #2986 of 18940
8/28/08 at 9:56am
Ok, having some problems with the basics. I'm having some trouble displaying my PC desktop on my TV. Any directional help is appreciated.

Overview
PC - Intel P4, Windows XP, NVidia 6800 Ultra, DVI out
AV - Denon 4308ci
TV - Sony KDL 52XBR4

I've attempted to connect and send PC video signal to the TV via DVI-to-HDMI cable to the Denon HDMI input and asign and select the source and nothing. I've changed a number of variable setting including resolutions and nothing.

So, I removed the Denon from the equation and ran the PC DVI-to-HDMI cable directly to the Sony TV's 2nd HDMI input, selected the input as the source on the TVs settings and nothing.

I did set the TV up as a secondary monitor within the NVidia display management interface in Windows.

The NVidia graphics card has only 1 DVI out so it's not like I have it connected to the wrong DVI hookup.

Still all I get is a blank TV screen.

Any direction from you guys?

Many thanks.
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post #2987 of 18940
8/28/08 at 11:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by defazken View Post

Ok, having some problems with the basics. I'm having some trouble displaying my PC desktop on my TV. Any directional help is appreciated.

Overview
PC - Intel P4, Windows XP, NVidia 6800 Ultra, DVI out
AV - Denon 4308ci
TV - Sony KDL 52XBR4

I've attempted to connect and send PC video signal to the TV via DVI-to-HDMI cable to the Denon HDMI input and asign and select the source and nothing. I've changed a number of variable setting including resolutions and nothing.

So, I removed the Denon from the equation and ran the PC DVI-to-HDMI cable directly to the Sony TV's 2nd HDMI input, selected the input as the source on the TVs settings and nothing.

I did set the TV up as a secondary monitor within the NVidia display management interface in Windows.

The NVidia graphics card has only 1 DVI out so it's not like I have it connected to the wrong DVI hookup.

Still all I get is a blank TV screen.

Any direction from you guys?

Many thanks.

Are you sure that the selected resolution is supported by your TV via HDMI? You can dump the EDID info to get a list of supported resolutions. Or it should be in your users guide. Even easier is to make sure you're using something like 1920x1080 @ 60Hz, or some other resoltion you know for sure will be supported.
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post #2988 of 18940
8/28/08 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by defazken View Post

Still all I get is a blank TV screen.

Any direction from you guys?

Many thanks.

Do you get any display when you boot into safe mode or VGA mode? If so, then it's probably an issue between your TV and the Nvidia drivers (assuming you are set up properly in the Nvidia control panel).
If you look at the Nvidia forums, you'll find this is a very common problem for which there are many, many possible fixes. A lot of people (myself included) have not found a solution. Start searching for "BSOD" (black screen of death).
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post #2989 of 18940
8/28/08 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by renethx View Post

  • CPU: Phenom X4 9950 Black Edition HD995ZFAGHBOX 2.6GHz Socket AM2+,
  • CPU Cooler: Thermalright HR-01 PLUS,
  • CPU Fan: Scythe S-FLEX S-FDB 120mm Fan SFF21E, .
  • Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA790FX-DS5 AMD 790FX chipset ATX, An alternative is MSI K9A2 Platinum AMD 790FX chipset ATX, (four PCIe 2.0 x16 slots, but some of them are lowered to x8 if you use more than two slots).
  • Memory: G.SKILL F2-8000CL5D-4GBPQ DDR2-1000 2 x 2GB Kit,
  • Graphics Card: ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4870, two of this card for CrossFireX, $490. An alternative is Radeon HD 4870 X2, $549.
  • HDD: Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB SATA,
  • PSU: Enermax MODU82+ 625W EMD625AWT,
  • Case: SilverStone Crown CW02 SST-CW02B-MXR,
GA-MA790FX-DS5 is discontinued. Buy MSI K9A2 Platinum or the new Foxconn A79A-S,


thx boss, your the best!!!!!!
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post #2990 of 18940
8/28/08 at 3:07pm
Will the 9800GTX+ fit in the Antec Fusion 430?

I just got the 4850 and I have a bunch of issues with it.

I currently have an 8500GT which works great, so if I cant get the issues worked out with the 4850, I think I'll stay with Nvidia.
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post #2991 of 18940
8/28/08 at 5:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gunbunnysoulja View Post

Will the 9800GTX+ fit in the Antec Fusion 430?

No, it's too long (10.5 in).
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post #2992 of 18940
8/28/08 at 9:52pm
This looks like a great system, which of these systems would be the best for true 24p playback? Nvidia, intel or amd?
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post #2993 of 18940
8/28/08 at 10:47pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by agentex View Post

This looks like a great system, which of these systems would be the best for true 24p playback? Nvidia, intel or amd?

Both NVIDIA and ATI work fine. Don't know the best. Somebody started the thread 24p support roundup.
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post #2994 of 18940
8/29/08 at 12:07am
Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with the PC based player market?

I bought the LG HD/BluRay combo player. The CyberLink PowerDVD was bundled with it--a good thing since the player is useless without software. But the OEM version of the player is dumbed down. Only two channel audio, and it wouldn't play recent BluRay discs such as 3:10 to Yuma. I understand a patch was available for the retail version, but not the OEM version.

So I looked into buying the retail version. It lists at $99.00, but since I'd be upgrading from the OEM version, I'd get a discount. I have to pay ONLY $89.00! Suddenly my PC based BluRay player doesn't look like a bargain. I never see this issue mentioned in HTPC articles. Fully featured player software is a chunk of money compared to the price of the drive itself.

My sad tale gets worse. I bought ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre instead, both because I was pissed at CyberMedia, and because the product integrates better with MS MediaCenter. I received download instructions and my invoice from Element 5, but not the registration number required to activate the product. Element 5 disclaims any role in this, referring me back to ArcSoft, but ArcSoft's support options all require that you sign up as a registered user--requiring the very registration number I am trying to get! Catch-22.

It all sours me on the whole HTPC concept. With a stand-alone player, I wouldn't have to deal with these robbers, wouldn't have to put hours of work into it, and my family would find it much easier to operate. Disgouraging.
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post #2995 of 18940
8/29/08 at 1:46am
^^ I'm pretty sure your copy of TotalMedia Theatre came pre-activated through the special download link you were sent.
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post #2996 of 18940
8/29/08 at 11:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Smith View Post

Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with the PC based player market?

I bought the LG HD/BluRay combo player. The CyberLink PowerDVD was bundled with it--a good thing since the player is useless without software. But the OEM version of the player is dumbed down. Only two channel audio, and it wouldn't play recent BluRay discs such as 3:10 to Yuma. I understand a patch was available for the retail version, but not the OEM version.

So I looked into buying the retail version. It lists at $99.00, but since I'd be upgrading from the OEM version, I'd get a discount. I have to pay ONLY $89.00! Suddenly my PC based BluRay player doesn't look like a bargain. I never see this issue mentioned in HTPC articles. Fully featured player software is a chunk of money compared to the price of the drive itself.

My sad tale gets worse. I bought ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre instead, both because I was pissed at CyberMedia, and because the product integrates better with MS MediaCenter. I received download instructions and my invoice from Element 5, but not the registration number required to activate the product. Element 5 disclaims any role in this, referring me back to ArcSoft, but ArcSoft's support options all require that you sign up as a registered user--requiring the very registration number I am trying to get! Catch-22.

It all sours me on the whole HTPC concept. With a stand-alone player, I wouldn't have to deal with these robbers, wouldn't have to put hours of work into it, and my family would find it much easier to operate. Disgouraging.

We have all been there...but it always ends up its your own fault...usually.
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post #2997 of 18940
8/29/08 at 11:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian Smith View Post

Is it just me or is there something seriously wrong with the PC based player market?

I bought the LG HD/BluRay combo player. The CyberLink PowerDVD was bundled with it--a good thing since the player is useless without software. But the OEM version of the player is dumbed down. Only two channel audio, and it wouldn't play recent BluRay discs such as 3:10 to Yuma. I understand a patch was available for the retail version, but not the OEM version.

So I looked into buying the retail version. It lists at $99.00, but since I'd be upgrading from the OEM version, I'd get a discount. I have to pay ONLY $89.00! Suddenly my PC based BluRay player doesn't look like a bargain. I never see this issue mentioned in HTPC articles. Fully featured player software is a chunk of money compared to the price of the drive itself.

My sad tale gets worse. I bought ArcSoft's TotalMedia Theatre instead, both because I was pissed at CyberMedia, and because the product integrates better with MS MediaCenter. I received download instructions and my invoice from Element 5, but not the registration number required to activate the product. Element 5 disclaims any role in this, referring me back to ArcSoft, but ArcSoft's support options all require that you sign up as a registered user--requiring the very registration number I am trying to get! Catch-22.

It all sours me on the whole HTPC concept. With a stand-alone player, I wouldn't have to deal with these robbers, wouldn't have to put hours of work into it, and my family would find it much easier to operate. Disgouraging.

Like BrundleFly said, "we all have been there." My BD HTPC solution ended up costing me over $1000 in upgrades, and I still ended up buying a stand alone player! The truth of the matter is, the HTPC is just not ready for prime time and friendly enough to be in most living/great/media rooms. Anyone who tells you otherwise has either had a custom solution provided for big, big bucks, or is stretching the truth. Sure there are the exceptions, but they are few and far between I think. It's just the way it is. Mine happens to be in my home office, where we watch some movies, but my wife rarely enters to watch any TV. If she wanted to, she get my 10 yr old son to figure it out for her. I'm sure there are things I could automated and make simplier, but I travel all the time, so that impacts my ability to keep things running smoothly. And it always seems like I'm upgrading this or that!
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post #2998 of 18940
8/29/08 at 11:49am
Does anyone know of a comprehensive review of front bay devices, not just fan controllers. Especially interested in ones that have a remote control. Thanks.
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post #2999 of 18940
8/29/08 at 2:49pm
Hi renethx,

Great thread you have going on here! Im planning to build a HTPC which will be used most for SD material in the start which will have to be upscaled to 720p and in near future to 1080p. Also in near future i want to use it for Blueray. Im relativly new to HTPC, so my question is if the midrange profile will be enough if i want to use ffdshow? Should i just go with an onboard gfx or do i need a "real" one?
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post #3000 of 18940
8/29/08 at 4:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon.h.m View Post

Hi renethx,

Great thread you have going on here! Im planning to build a HTPC which will be used most for SD material in the start which will have to be upscaled to 720p and in near future to 1080p. Also in near future i want to use it for Blueray. Im relativly new to HTPC, so my question is if the midrange profile will be enough if i want to use ffdshow? Should i just go with an onboard gfx or do i need a "real" one?

That is a great question and I have been asking the same thing. What is needed for Blu Ray playback is pretty well defined here but I still find SD DVD playback and ffdshow with no limits being a bigger challenge.

Personally, I have practically set my mind on at least using a Core 2 Duo E8500, an ATX board, with a dedicated graphics card like the ATI HD4850. I would think this is enough to do what I want with ffdshow but I would like to know if its overkill. I just don't know.
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