CPU/Mobo Basic Download Rig + Mild HTPC use

F

frankmehta

Explorer
Hi guys. I needed a basic download rig for daily use, where I would also be hooking the same to my 32" full hd LCD for full hd rip watching. Which mobo+cpu would you recommend?? Budget: As less as possible.

Require HDMI, USB 3.0 ports (also need the ones with USB mobile charging even in power off state) and a good, stable, cool and eco friendly mobo.

Please suggest.

Have the following ready:

2 TB internal HDD

Creative XFi Fatal1ty XtremeGamer Pro sound card

Keyboard, Mouse etc.

Cabinet is also there.

Just need the mobo+cpu+RAM+cheap, stable power supply.
 
Intel mobos with USB 3.0(H-55/P-55) costs 7k+. The cheapest socket 1156 CPU the i-3 530 costs ~5.3k(Pentium G9650 is not available in most places in India) So i would suggest the following,

AMD Athlon II X2 245~2.9k
MSI 880GMA-E45/Gigabyte 785GMT-USB3.0~5.7k
Corsair 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz ~ 2.3k
FSP SAGAII 350w~1.5k

Total: ~12.4k

Not sure about the availablity of Gigabyte 880G mobos. If Gigabyte 880GM-USB3.0/Gigabyte 880GMA-UD2H is available for <6k then go for them
 
I am thinking of getting this :

GA-H55M-USB3 - 7.4K
Intel i3 - 530 - 5.3K
Corsair CX400 - 2.7K
Corsair 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz ~ 2.3k(taken from above)

Total - 17.4K

This functions very well as a download Rig too.
 
^^ If USB 3.0 is not essential , then Intel DH55TC would be a good board ( you save almost 2.7k over the gigabyte)

& If you want a small cabinet ( for htpc purpose) then i would say that the CM Elite 100 would also suffice ( This can take itx & micro-atx boards) It has enough juice for running the i3..
 
DarkAngel said:
Intel mobos with USB 3.0(H-55/P-55) costs 7k+. The cheapest socket 1156 CPU the i-3 530 costs ~5.3k(Pentium G9650 is not available in most places in India) So i would suggest the following,

AMD Athlon II X2 245~2.9k

MSI 880GMA-E45/Gigabyte 785GMT-USB3.0~5.7k

Corsair 2GB DDRIII 1333MHz ~ 2.3k

FSP SAGAII 350w~1.5k

Total: ~12.4k

Not sure about the availablity of Gigabyte 880G mobos. If Gigabyte 880GM-USB3.0/Gigabyte 880GMA-UD2H is available for <6k then go for them
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Good suggestion but please note that the IGP will not be able to decode HD videos. Which calls for a low profile GPU from ATI. So keep apart a budget for that as well. :)
 
Desecrator said:
Good suggestion but please note that the IGP will not be able to decode HD videos. Which calls for a low profile GPU from ATI. So keep apart a budget for that as well. :)
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785G or the latest 880g is more than enough to decode h264 & BluRay discs fully...
 
HailStonE said:
785G or the latest 880g is more than enough to decode h264 & BluRay discs fully...
Click to expand...
I quite doubt that since my room-mate's Biostar 785G based mainboard could not decode full-HD rips without stuttering. 720p rips plays just okay'ish - any seeking and it pauses for sometime. We have tried VLC with the GPU acceleration enabled but to no avail. Any pointers otherwise? Apologies for the OT frankie!
 
HailStonE said:
785G or the latest 880g is more than enough to decode h264 & BluRay discs fully...
Click to expand...
1080p still Stutters on 880g.It even stutters on i3-530 to some extent. No current IGP can handle Full-HD playback without a Glitch.

Desecrator said:
I quite doubt that since my room-mate's Biostar 785G based mainboard could not decode full-HD rips without stuttering. 720p rips plays just okay'ish - any seeking and it pauses for sometime. We have tried VLC with the GPU acceleration enabled but to no avail. Any pointers otherwise? Apologies for the OT frankie!
Click to expand...
Have you tried MP Classic + CoreAVC? It Solved majority of my stuttering problems.
 
apextwin146 said:
Have you tried MP Classic + CoreAVC? It Solved majority of my stuttering problems.
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Thanks for the tip. I'll tell my friend about this although he wouldn't be concerned since he has a 19" LCD. :P
 
Desecrator said:
I quite doubt that since my room-mate's Biostar 785G based mainboard could not decode full-HD rips without stuttering. 720p rips plays just okay'ish - any seeking and it pauses for sometime. We have tried VLC with the GPU acceleration enabled but to no avail. Any pointers otherwise? Apologies for the OT frankie!
Click to expand...
There must be some driver problem...Tell him to install latest builds for All mobo drivers & catalyst.. 785G is HD4200 which is UVD2.2 complaint. Its fully HD decoding capable for all L4.1 encoded BD-Rips. Which CPU is he using...
 
HailStonE said:
There must be some driver problem...Tell him to install latest builds for All mobo drivers & catalyst.. 785G is HD4200 which is UVD2.2 complaint. Its fully HD decoding capable for all L4.1 encoded BD-Rips. Which CPU is he using...
Click to expand...
Athlon II X2 240. Maybe that, is the reason why it stutters.
 
Thanks guys. Looking to order the following today:

AMD X2 550 Phenom 2

MSI 890GXM-G65

4 GB DDR3 RAM from Corsair/GSkill/Transcend/Kingston (please suggest)

VIP 400W Power Supply

BY the way, my older M2N VM DVI motherboard (with integrated Nvidia 7025PV graphics) with an AMD Athlon X2 4400+ and 2 gb of DDR2 RAM could play full HD without stuttering. I dunno how people are having trouble with faster mobos and processors and better chipsets.
 
Why not consider FSP SAGA II 350W or gigabyte 460W PSU?...i doubt VIP PSU will be locally available..even if its available i wont recommend it...
 
^Frankie, I say you stay away from those cheap VIP power supplies and get yourself at least a Corsair CX400 or a Seasonic S12 380W. Costs ~3k or perhaps a couple of hundreds less but trust me, it will serve you in the long run considering this system is going to be operational 24x7. If you still want to cut down the expense, get the Gigabyte Superb 460W.

As for the RAM modules, since you are not into overclocking, a pair out of any of those brands you've shortlisted should just work fine. I'd vouch for Corsair and G.Skill though.
 
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