CPU/Mobo Mobo with HDMI out?

[cellar_door]

So my current mobo just got fried. Plus its out of warranty.

This motherboard would be used in an HTPC build. Cabinet can handle regular sized mobos though so MiATX is nice but not a necessity.

I would like to pair it with an AMD APU.

Only thing is. Its got to have an HDMI out since I dont want a GPU. All this mobo CPU combo needs to do is play HD videos without issues.

Budget for Mobo + CPU is 10k tops. Ideas??

 

[bssunilreddy]

AMD A8-6600k -6500,
MSI A88XM-E35 -4500.
TOTAL -11,000.

 

[cellar_door]

Hmm. Thanks.

Would I be better off with buying a cheap mobo and CPU and throwing in a baseline GPU for 2k? Or is that CPU+Mobo combo the better deal.

THis is purely an HTPC. Only thing its gonna do is play videos. Most at 720p. Some at 1080.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

The first thing I noticed when taking the motherboard out of the anti-static bag was the lack of a power delivery heatsink. Perhaps it is because I have been reviewing motherboards >$85 for the past three years, but to see a motherboard without such a heatsink seems almost alien. MSI are using a simple 4+1 phase design, but given the heat generation issues we have seen with Kaveri so far, I would have preferred at least a $0.50 effort

The A88XM-E35 does have one significant flaw. This is the lack of power delivery heatsinks, which when using a high-end Kaveri APU can result in restarts during heavy CPU loading. For this review we had to use an extra fan specifically pointed at this area of the motherboard, and for users purchasing this product we recommend similar action. This need for an extra fan on the power delivery seems to be a trend on FM2+ motherboards that we have reviewed, which usually points to a potential flaw in the general design.

Source : www.anandtech.com/show/7914/msi-a88xme35-review/
bssunil still keeps recommending MSI boards for no reason; maybe he's an MSI shill

Back on topic, maybe you could look at the newer Haswell Pentiums, since Quick sync is enabled on them and they can be used to off-load video decoding. There was an interesting test showing them handling 4k vids without a sweat : http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-richland-intel-haswell-gpu_7.html

 

[cellar_door]

Thanks but I think an i3 might be a wee bit too expensive.

I was rooting through some of the old threads in the Build PC section, and this combo (https://www.techenclave.com/community/threads/building-a-htpc.164427/)

Intel G2020 - 3500
Gigabyte GA-H61M-D2H - 3700

Coupled with a Nvidia 210 or some entry level GPU seem worth it?

As I said, only thing it would be doing is videos. I already have a gaming PC for gaming.

 

[Crazy_Eddy]

Haswell Pentium = G3xxx models like the G3220, not the i3. They're about the same price as the G2020.

 

[cellar_door]

Ah ok. Gotcha. Thanks.