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Pentium M , is it enough for HDTV

3265 Views 44 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Ursa, Mar 20, 2005

marling

Discussion Starter · Mar 3, 2005

Thinking of building a new htpc.

I mostly use it for playing TS files and play Dvd's.

My question are , is the Pentium M 1.8 fast enough for this?

Im going to use a 6600Gt but i want to know if the CPU is capable on it's own.

I currently use a AMD 64 3200 and will the Pentium M be just as fast.

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1 - 20 of 45 Posts

shigaloo

· #2 · Mar 3, 2005

Yes it will be OK for mpeg 2 transport streams and dvd. The 6600gt should share some of the load as well.

I assume your thinking about mobo's from either dfi or aopen... Did you know aopen is supposed to release a sonoma based matx board in march? - the i915GM-HFS with dvi and component out onboard plus a pcie x16 slot?

marling

Discussion Starter · #3 · Mar 3, 2005

No i did not know that.

Can't seem find much info about it.

So there will be a integrated graphic card on the mobo.

Or am i missing something here?

shigaloo

· #4 · Mar 3, 2005

the boards you are probably looking at have on board graphics as well, 855gme the g stands for integrated graphics - extreme graphics 2 whihc you should steer clear of

915gm, again the g stands for integrated graphics, but this time intels new gma 900 which dx9 compatible and MAY be OK for HDTV.

sonoma/alviso brings alot to the pentium and I think it worth waiting for, but you'd be early adopter and that brings its own set of issues

a little info on the board here http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/01...n_sonoma_mobo/

marling

Discussion Starter · #5 · Mar 3, 2005

Are there going to be any difference in speed with this new mobo?

Is it the same front bus speed?

I am not going to use the integrated GPU.

I am also thinking of changing the Graphic card from my 6600gt to Gigabytes passive coled 6800 Agp since i don't use component but DVI.

But if it where to be possible to use the integrated GPU i whould save some money and could afford a faster CPU.

And also , AGP x 4 instead of Pci Express, is that a bad thing when using it for HDTV?

The thought of this htpc is that it is to be a 24/7 noisefree thing in my stereo rack.

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shigaloo

· #6 · Mar 3, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by marling
Are there going to be any difference in speed with this new mobo?

there should be, also supports ddr2

Quote:

Originally posted by marling

Is it the same front bus speed?

533 vs 400

Quote:

Originally posted by marling

I am not going to use the integrated GPU.

I am also thinking of changing the Graphic card from my 6600gt to Gigabytes passive coled 6800 Agp since i don't use component but DVI.

But if it where to be possible to use the integrated GPU i whould save some money and could afford a faster CPU.

you should be able to use gma 900, gigabytes passive solutions run hot so you will need good case air flow

Quote:

Originally posted by marling

And also , AGP x 4 instead of Pci Express, is that a bad thing when using it for HDTV?

probably not much of a difference

Quote:

Originally posted by marling

The thought of this htpc is that it is to be a 24/7 noisefree thing in my stereo rack.

either solution is probably a good start

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Ursa

· #7 · Mar 3, 2005

I have the Aopen and a P-M 1.7GHz right now, and you are wasting your time looking at the newer video cards. Both the Gigabyte 6800 passive and a normal 6600GT I tried had horrible pixellation because they are "true" AGP 8x cards, and they do not like 4x at all (it's not a bandwidth issue, it's an electrical issue). By theway, the 6600GT that I tried is LOUD. Really, really LOUD.

That being said, I can do 720p WMV-HD all day with this set-up using a Radeon 9600, and I expect to have a significant amount of overhead released with the new renderless modes for VMR9.

Later,

Bill

marling

Discussion Starter · #8 · Mar 3, 2005

So , maybe it's better to wait for Pci E , and get the Zalman passive coling on a 6600gt.

What i am tryng to build is inspired by this :

http://overklokking.no/art.php?artikkelid=12995&side=1

A Norwegian who has built a silent htpc.

A case built in aluminum with coolers on the side.

Hopefully fan-less!!

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Ursa

· #9 · Mar 3, 2005

The case is similar to the Hush boxes that you can get commercially. Check out www.mini-itx.com for info. The problem with the Via C3-based systems is an extreme lack of power. They will do DVD decoding okay (overlay mode only), but they stink for HD.

As for fanless, remember that the idea is noiseless. Of the three fans that I have in my LC04 case, only one runs all the time (a 7v Panaflo L1A). It is not noiseless, but it is close enough that I can't hear it from across the room. In fact, my HD Tivo is louder (with 2 7200rpm drives).

Later,

Bill

marling

Discussion Starter · #10 · Mar 3, 2005

Yes , it is similar to Hush , and the builder says so himself if you could read Norwegian.

The point is , to build it your self and make it to your liking and not compromise with it.

Make it the ultimate case(in your opinion,that is).

Because there is no such thing as a perfect case , for everyone.

RobsTV

· #11 · Mar 4, 2005

No problems with PM 1.8GHz Dell i9200 (17", 128 meg mr9700, 512meg ram).

Plays all 1080i and 720p WMV-HD flawlessly.

Use it with Sasem USB 2.0 HDTV tuner. Good on 17" lapyop screen great on 94" DLP screen!

This type of laptop might actually be a great HTPC option for many, as it runs stone cold (actually turned off fans as a test for 30 minutes, and temps only hit about 50c). Small footprint, DVI out, S/PDIF or add on Audigy 2 for great 7.1 or DVD-A. Internal DL DVD burner. etc. They go for around $1500 from Dell. The i9300 replaces the i9200, and configured with 256 meg nvidia 6800go, it costs about the same.

atperson100

· #12 · Mar 4, 2005

HDTV plays back fine for me using an Intel Centrino System (1.6ghz P-m, intel wifi, intel extreme graphics 2).. I mainly use VLC to play back HD ts files.. In fact I can stream these files over a wireless network using 802.11g and it still plays back fine.

marling

Discussion Starter · #13 · Mar 5, 2005

Thanks for your replies!

It is likely to be an 1.8 Centrino and to follow shigaloo's suggestion i will wait for the new mobo from Aopen.

Hopefully there will be a passive cooler that fits.

vfrjim

· #14 · Mar 6, 2005

My Pentium-M 1.8 (on my laptop) plays TS file (Wirelessly at that) with no problems with the on-board Mobility 9000 video card, so I think that you will be fine.

DJRobX

· #15 · Mar 6, 2005

Gosh what .TS files are you guys playing?

My Athlon 2500+ can't even play back a 1080i .TS file. I don't know how you can pull it off with a 1.8, unless you're using something like a NVidia 6600GT with the hardware deinterlacing (maybe the Mobility 9000 has that too?)

720P .TS's are fine. So are WMVs (I've never seen a 1080i .WMV, Most are 1080p/24. 1080i/60 would be a lot more work for the computer to deal with)

-- Rob

RobsTV

· #16 · Mar 7, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by DJRobX
Gosh what .TS files are you guys playing?

My Athlon 2500+ can't even play back a 1080i .TS file. I don't know how you can pull it off with a 1.8, unless you're using something like a NVidia 6600GT with the hardware deinterlacing (maybe the Mobility 9000 has that too?)

(snip)

Looking at "gaming" benchmarks, (which might relate to WMV-HD?), a Pentium M 1.8GHz runs about the same as an AMD A64 3400+. I know my 1.8GHz blows away my AMD Mobile 2400+ clocked at 2200MHz. They say general rule of thumb is subtract 200MHz from AMD A64's true speed to equal PM gaming speed (1.8GHz PM equals A64 clocked at 2GHz or a 3200+)

Here are some benchmarks:

http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_cont...ngaming&page=6

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marling

Discussion Starter · #17 · Mar 7, 2005

Im a little worried about Ursa's reply :

"Both the Gigabyte 6800 passive and a normal 6600GT I tried had horrible pixellation because they are "true" AGP 8x cards, and they do not like 4x at all (it's not a bandwidth issue, it's an electrical issue). "

Im not sure if i have the time to wait for the new Aopen mobo with the Pci E slot. Maybe i'll go for Dfi , i need digital spdif.

Any one who can confirm this pixelation issue with AgpX4 and 6600GT.

olyar15

· #18 · Mar 7, 2005

Hmm, that may explain what is happening to me. Been trying for weeks to get my Aopen-based HTPC to work. I have the Leadtek 6600GT AGP card, and it simply won't work with this motherboard. Either got no video signal, or a very distorted image. Thought it might be the card, so I tried it in my gaming computer, and it worked perfectly. Then tried the Radeon 9800Pro from my gaming computer in the Aopen motherboard, and I get a blank screen when booting into Windows.

I have now ordered the MSI Athlon64 mATX board with PCIexpress slot. Will give that a go.

shigaloo

· #19 · Mar 7, 2005

what about a socket 478 to 479 converter?

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mainboa...303164459.html

Ursa

· #20 · Mar 7, 2005

Quote:

Originally posted by shigaloo
what about a socket 478 to 479 converter?

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mainboa...303164459.html

Looks great! I wish it had been out at Christmas time when I was putting together the current incarnation of my HTPC.

Some advice from my experiences:

- The Gigabyte 6800 requires a significant amount of breathing space and cool air flow in the case to operate stably. I put one in my V2 HTPC case, and it would only operate for short periods of time before hard locking, rebooting, BSODing, etc. When I put it into an Antec Sonata, with a 120mm fan blowing directly on it, it was fine. Net lesson: be very careful about air flow considerations inside the case if you are going to give this one a go. Generally speaking, it WILL NOT OPERATE in a fanless environment, unless your ambient air temperature resembles that of an igloo.

- The 6600GT is loud. If you want to use one of these, then do not waste your money with the Pentium M solution. You can get under the noise floor of the 6600GT quite easily with a mainstream A64 solution for a lot less money (especially the new Winchester cores).

- HD and Pentium M: The major limitation for HD performance with my Pentium M system appears to be with memory bandwidth. This is most likely due to the single channel DDR333 limitation of the i855GME chipset used on both the Aopen and DFI motherboards. One can make adjustments to the FSB and multiplier to get back some bandwidth (e.g., cut the multiplier down to 14 - 15, from 17; increase FSB to 133MHz), but this is not my personal ideal situation.

- Generally speaking, any high-end graphics card may have a problem with the i855 chipset. The switch from 4x AGP to 8x AGP was more than just a jump in the bandwidth (voltage for AGP 4x v2.0 was 1.5V, AGP 3.0 is 0.8V). My guess is that the i855 is using AGP 2.0 (too lazy to look), and many of the 8x cards (AGP 3.0 spec) have issues with the 1.5V signaling. They are supposed to be tolerant of 1.5V signaling, as far as I can tell, (per http://www.intel.com/technology/agp/...ep10.pdf]Intel ; see page 39), but with the bridging and what not that is going on, my experience says that reality trumps theory. As always, YMMV.

A more approachable and concise explanation is here: http://www.ertyu.org/~steven_nikkel/...atibility.html

Later,

Bill

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