CPU/Mobo Another HTPC question

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superczar

superczar

Keymaster
So here is another HTPC question.

My current system (AMD 64-3200+ Geforce 6800, Win XP) seems to be doing a good job handling DVDs and HD rips but
a) Is really noisy
b) tends to lose A/V sync in 1080p
c) Looks ugly in its beige box setup next to my AV equipment

So I decided to build a new HTPC that should:

a) handle 1080p videos without issues
b) Run cool & quiet
c) look good

CPU: E2160 - Any other chips that run cooler and can handle 1080p?
MoBo Jetway IN73M2 ( North Bridge NVIDIA GeForce 7100, South Bridge nForce 630i)
RAM 1 GB
GPUI dunno...would the onboard 7100 be sufficient for 1080p..thats the cooles and least noisy option, else folks have recommended the 2400/2600XT in another thread I started
Cabby I dunno..plz recommend
 
Why not go for the Popcorn Hour or a PS3 with Media player PS3 MegaBox Homebrew Project !!!!!!!!!!
 
because my audio system deserves a better Digital -> Analog conversion than the on-board solutions available :P
 
But linear PCM is proven to be better than the basic advantages that bitstream has to offer.......

It's just me i would have opted for PCM in this case as all the Blu-ray and HD media comes in PCM audio or am i wrong

Bought the AV sync problem in the 1080p video's u need a faster HDD & a better CPU too..........
 
Andrew, you are mixing up things....

Whatever format digital audio is in, it needs to be converted to analog before amplification

This can be done using multiple methods but thats deserves a different thread altogether

As for HD media, the audio is typically DD (dolby digital) or DTS encoded (not vanilla PCM)

This needs to be decoded into discrete 5 + 1 (or 6+1) channels either via software (e.g. VLC/KMplayer use DD/DTS decoder plugins..CoreAVC IIRC) or via discrete hardware

I prefer the decoding to be done on my Marantz SR6300 Receivers' internal DD/DTS hardware decoder

Thus I need to do a DD/DTS untouched bitstream output (passthru) to the external decoder for movies

And for 2 channel audio, I need to passthru the PCM stream to the DAC on my external USB sndcard
 
check out my HTPC specs in my sig bro.

it will do just about what u need. a whisper quiet box that plays 1080p the way it should ;)

btw, the biggest contributors to noise in a HTPC is usually the power supply or cpu fan.

i find the default cooler for AMD X2 cpus to be rather noise when on load, so i replaced mine with a Zalman CNPS-8500LED which is near silent. then i also had a slightly noisy coolermaster PSU before, which i had since replaced with the corsair 620hx.

HTPC1.jpg


HTPC2.jpg
 
so the 690G chipset and X2 4200+ handle 1080p vids without any AV sync issues?

BTW where did you get the cabby from :drool:
 
^^ yap, picked it up from home in singapore.. paid abt S$120 (Rs3.3k) for it.. 2nd hand :)

the 690G chipset with a decent X2 cpu will handle 1080p no probs. i'd pair up the board with a X2 5000+ black edition, since it's pretty cheap and very energy efficient..
 
Get the 780G superczar, as i mentioned in another thread. U can pair it with even the cheapest processor as 1080p is done completely by the igp
 
hunt3r said:
Get the 780G superczar, as i mentioned in another thread. U can pair it with even the cheapest processor as 1080p is done completely by the igp
Click to expand...

is 780G available? how much is the board?

Is there any good HTPC casings available in India?
 
780G isnt available

Also, I tried powerlink DVD decoder on KM Player my C2d/Go7400 lappy

(Go7400 handles only part processing of H.264)

With the default decoder on KMP, CPU usage for 1080p is 70-90% (on a decent c2d) while the Go7400 remains throttled down at 0.01 mhz (500mhz clock at full throttle)

with the powerlink decoder, the 7400 clocks up to to 250mhz and CPU usage drops doen to 50-60% for the same file

The 8xxx series handles full decoding for HD so here is what I am planning to do

Pick a 8600GT (Gmano, you can pick a 8500GT too or skip on a GPU for now and pick something later when you want to extend your HTPC for videos too)

Pick a cheap ass proccy like the E2160

Pick a cheap but stable mobo like the n7050 chipset

slap 2Gig of RAM and should be all set for cool & quiet HD decoding

The big qstn that now remains is the Casing
 
superczar said:
780G isnt available

Also, I tried powerlink DVD decoder on KM Player my C2d/Go7400 lappy

(Go7400 handles only part processing of H.264)

With the default decoder on KMP, CPU usage for 1080p is 70-90% (on a decent c2d) while the Go7400 remains throttled down at 0.01 mhz (500mhz clock at full throttle)

with the powerlink decoder, the 7400 clocks up to to 250mhz and CPU usage drops doen to 50-60% for the same file

The 8xxx series handles full decoding for HD so here is what I am planning to do

Pick a 8600GT (Gmano, you can pick a 8500GT too or skip on a GPU for now and pick something later when you want to extend your HTPC for videos too)

Pick a cheap ass proccy like the E2160

Pick a cheap but stable mobo like the n7050 chipset

slap 2Gig of RAM and should be all set for cool & quiet HD decoding

The big qstn that now remains is the Casing
Click to expand...

780G should be available soon. Pair it with AMD's 4850e any EE (energy efficient) Athlon X2 and you are good to go. This is most power efficient and silent mobo+CPU combo that you can get right now. It should be pretty cheap too. Not to add it meets all the requirements of a HTPC system including IGP decoding 1080p Blue Ray/HD DVD videos and providinga plethora of display options.
 
if the silverstone cabby had a slot loading drive it would have lookked like a really big gamecube

BTw sexy cabby you've got there how much does it cost in india?
 
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