Advice on new HTPC 1080p Desktop & Gaming

Mr Latte

Mr Latte

Mr Latte

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Joined
8 Aug 2003
Posts
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Putting new components into my sig spec as my CPU has blown.

Needs:
Im after a fast machine that may have XP and Vista Ultimate installed.

*Best GFX card for mid-high level gaming @1920x1080
Possibly a ATI 3870
Single HDMI video with Audio output allowing 5.1 from DVD/MKV/BD/HD-DVD

* Fast encoding for 1080 files to PS3 video 9 etc
Intel Core 2 Quad LGA775 Q6600 GO SLACR 2.40GHz Retail / Abit IX38 QuadGT / 2GB Corsair Dominator PC2-8500C5 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle

* Is Nvidia better for 1920x1080 desktop and gaming
HIS ATI Radeon HD 3870 XT 512MB GDDR4 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express)

* Would a different PSU be better?
OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply

Appreciate any comments if some of you have similar spec.
 
Mr Latte said:
*Best GFX card for mid-high level gaming @1920x1080
Possibly a ATI 3870
Single HDMI video with Audio output allowing 5.1 from DVD/MKV/BD/HD-DVD
Click to expand...


nVidia 8800GTX - though id imagine that will start to struggle at 1920x1080 with crysis etc, or if not, in the near future.

Bear in mind the HDMI output wont output sound YET afaik, and if it does, atm its still only a standard spdif spec

Mr Latte said:
* Fast encoding for 1080 files to PS3 video 9 etc
Intel Core 2 Quad LGA775 Q6600 GO SLACR 2.40GHz Retail / Abit IX38 QuadGT / 2GB Corsair Dominator PC2-8500C5 DDR2 Dual Channel Kit - Bundle
Click to expand...

Go for Q6600, cheap decent chipset/brand mobo and 4gb ram (PC5300 is fine) if not overclocking much, in fact, id go for 4gb anyway tbh

Mr Latte said:
* Is Nvidia better for 1920x1080 desktop and gaming
HIS ATI Radeon HD 3870 XT 512MB GDDR4 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express)
Click to expand...

Not sure with regards to that new (i assume) card... im a bit out of touch with the latest hardware :o

Mr Latte said:
* Would a different PSU be better?
OCZ StealthXStream 600w Silent SLI Ready ATX2 Power Supply
Click to expand...

If you dont already have the PSU, it seems the corsair/seasonic are still those to go for with regards to noise and performance alike.

Hope thats of some help
 
For gaming I would go for a 8800 GT. The ATI will not be far behind but the audio through HDMI is only worth it if you don't use external surround sound speakers.

A Q6600 is going to be fairly hot and needs better (and more noisy) cooling. It would be better to get dual core processor (E6750 or X2 6000) for the HTPC and get you normal PC to do the encoding.

For a HTPC I would always go for a Nesteq semi-fanless.
 
id hold off on buying a GPU just yet

theres a new one out on the 11th of December which should be faster than the 8800 Ultra if the rumour mills are to be released

its the revamped 8800 GTS based on the same G92 core of the 8800 GT. But if that turns out to be a flop, the ATI 3870 provides (on average) 87 % of the performance of the 8800 GT for 85% of the cost


so the 3870 isnt bad, but it depends how much power your going for :)
 
Thanks so far guys.

I did look at some of the specialist coolers for the quad core but id rather plump the extra few quid into "quad" than get a dual and its a proven overclocker, thats why i wanted decent and fast ram to go with it. I know its way beyond what 1080 needs but gaming is also part of the required enjoyment.

The graphics card is the biggest problem. I havnt been a PC gamer for over 2 years but now as the graphics are once again starting to leave the consoles behind i feel im missing out on some amazing looking games. Whats also fueling this as well is my recently purchased AE2000 1080p projector which makes me drool thinking about some of the latest games on PC (Crysis GOW COD4) and how they would really look stonking in full 1920x1080 on my 80" screen

Therefore Its great to hear of even more new gfx cards shortly arriving particulary as im not wanting to go over the £180 or so on the graphics at this time. On my AV amp id like to connect via standard HDMI Although i thought some of the graphic cards now included audio or some form of audio connection to internally passthrough the HDMI, this i definately need. Im aware that HD/Blue will not benifit from the full PCM audio but i can live with that.

Any other suggestions
 
If you want to O/C a quad in a HTPC I would seriously look a watercooling. Both for cooling performance and the ability to to get it fairly quiet for media playback.
 
If your looking to spend £180 on GFX then the only way to go is for a 8800GT. But you do need to watch out on the length of graphics card your putting in some htpc cases.
 
This is what i hate now with PCs and i used to love the whole hardware thing as a hobbyist. Now i just cant be bothered, i dont mind building the PC and installing etc but reading more into the games such as Crysis its the usual bugs, patches, new drivers and lots of different people having different problems.

I wont be going near watercooling, so its clock it as much as posible on air.
Ive also read the new Nvidia GTs could come with 1GIG of ram and may be a match for the 3870.

Will keep looking into it, part of me misses the PC gaming the other part just doesnt want to get into all that CRAP which it looks PCs will never escape.
 
8800 GT is already faster than 3870

as ive said, it only provides 87 % of the performance of the 8800 GT. the GT is ahead in nearly every test.

the reason why its competitive, is that allthough it provides less performance, its priced a similar ammount lower.
 
MrLOL said:
8800 GT is already faster than 3870

as ive said, it only provides 87 % of the performance of the 8800 GT. the GT is ahead in nearly every test.
Click to expand...

Ah but then how would 2x 3850s in Xfire compare cos these are a similar price.

What bothers me is this is a decent spec but Crysis will just laugh at it.
Is their other upcoming games due that will be the same or is Crysis unique in this respect?
 
Mr Latte said:
Ah but then how would 2x 3850s in Xfire compare cos these are a similar price.

What bothers me is this is a decent spec but Crysis will just laugh at it.
Is their other upcoming games due that will be the same or is Crysis unique in this respect?
Click to expand...


2 x 3870s is about £300

8800 GT is about £200 at the moment, but is in actual fact about a £150 part. Its just retailers inflating the prices due to low stock at the moment. come the new GTS release, nobody will want a GT and the prices will come back down.
 
Its a damn good and pretty big case.
My sig spec only had a single 120mm fan and it never had any heat issues.

Ive read the 3850 take less power, dont know if it runs much cooler/warmer but id take a guess that most people dont watercool neither.

The PC case is well out of the way so noise shouldnt be too big of a problem, if it is then just crank up the 7.1 more.
Really dont know if im going through a fad id love to be gaming on the projector but its madness the specs required.

I know i can buy £250 worth of new mobo ram cpu psu to give me a decent new HTPC base spec, the gaming side certainly is expensive.
Currently the basket with a 3870XT is £600 quids worth.
 
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MrLOL said:
2 x 3870s is about £300

8800 GT is about £200 at the moment, but is in actual fact about a £150 part. Its just retailers inflating the prices due to low stock at the moment. come the new GTS release, nobody will want a GT and the prices will come back down.
Click to expand...


Didnt know that, worth keeping an eye on.
Its madness that even the £300+ graphics cards wont really run Crysis that well, this peeves me of a lot...

EDIT:
No 3850s are about £100 each (not 3870)
 
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Mr Latte said:
Didnt know that, worth keeping an eye on.
Its madness that even a £300+ graphics card wont really run Crysis that well, this peeves me of a lot...
Click to expand...


thing is

how many games are these new cards unable to play ? they can play just about every game excepy crysis.

and thats because imho cyrsis is badly coded using "furthering the industry" as an excuse to write games that fundamentally arent playable on todays systems. Far cry was very similar. The graphics cards available on release couldnt play it with everything turned on.
 
Just wanted to say thanks...

Ive left it a few days to settle and ive come up with the conclusion that for the sake of enjoying 2-3 good games at the moment on the PC, the money i was looking to spend and the fact that its clearly evident the PC hardware/software bug/fixes/drivers/patches situation still hasnt changed really isnt the way i want to go.

I got so sick of all that in the past, i want my gaming to be fun simple and no hassle. Looks like i might just stick to HD video capability and do my usual PC stuff on a much lesser spec.
 
Probably a wise decision mate, you'd want SLi for 1900x1200 with any detail in crysis. I'd look into a 9xxx series card next year, if I ever get enough $ together to update my 720p 37" to a 1080p 46" :D that's my plan!
 
Ste said:
Probably a wise decision mate, you'd want SLi for 1900x1200 with any detail in crysis. I'd look into a 9xxx series card next year, if I ever get enough $ together to update my 720p 37" to a 1080p 46" :D that's my plan!
Click to expand...



Yeah your right, its far too much to spend and not be that dedicated to the PC platform as i used to be.
 
Well decided to go the quiet and more suited HTPC route with reasonably good performance. Its an upgrade from my sig spec keeping a silent/fanless GFX card which will be good enough for HD-DVD & Blu Ray. Doubling my ram and with a bit more CPU oomph.

The bonus is the combined HD-DVD with Blu Ray recorder for £190

1 LG GGW-H20L Super Multi Blu-Ray Writer/HD-ROM Retail kit
1 AMD AM2 Athlon 64 6000+ Dual Core 3.0GHz, 2x 1MB Cache,
4 1GB Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-6400 (800)
1 512MB Gainward 8600GT Bliss SilentFx
1 LN14259 Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe
1 LN19849 550w Corsair VX Series PSU,

Whats the best HD-DVD & Blu Ray software players?
 
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The 8600GT is a good move for onboard purevideo stuff.

Sure it's not worth the extra £60 for the quad considering your encoding though? Even TMPG DVD author multithreads and maxes all 4 cores on my quad, I convert 40minute x264 HDTV ep's to DVD (2pass VBR) at 20minutes each at 3.2ghz :) Also, if you leave it at stock they dont run nearly as hot as people say.
 
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