Asrock IonStar 330

JudgeC · 9 Oct 2009 at 12:25

I am looking to get one of these as an HTPC.

It's duties will be streaming MPG2 & MKV files from my NAS, watching iPlayer/Sky Player stuff and as a PVR.

I was wondering if anyone who has one of these could let me know their experiences of the above and let me know what OS/Applications they are running.

Cheers

JudgeC

JudgeC · 16 Oct 2009 at 09:56

I bit the bullet and so far I am very impressed with the ASRock Ion system.
It's running Windows 7 RC and I am playing around with various players/codecs to get best performance for HD playback.

One question for people who have upgraded the ASRock to 4GB, which memory did you opt for.

[RB] · 16 Oct 2009 at 12:40

I initially went for the OCUK Value stuff but the Asrock really doesn't seem to like it.

I ended up swapping this with some older OCZ stuff from my Dad's PC and it's all running fine now.

JudgeC · 16 Oct 2009 at 13:21

I might order up 4GB of Kingston HyperX PC6400, did you notice a big increase in general performance from the upgrade.
Also, what O/S are you running on yours

[RB] · 16 Oct 2009 at 13:54

Was Initially running the Win 7 64bit Enterprise Trial on the 2GB.

Did a full reinstall of the same again with the 4GB.

I wouldn't say it made a massive difference but it's allowed me to boost the dedicated Graphics RAM to 512MB and thing do certainly feel 'snappier'.

chippy08 · 16 Oct 2009 at 16:22

I am also looking at getting the Asrock IonStar 330 but still not sure if to just build something small my self cant decide which way to go as these small cases seem exspensive.

Spooter · 16 Oct 2009 at 16:40

I built this with the use of the members market and OCUK.

Hardware list

Gigabyte GA-GC330UD - MM
Intel Atom 330
Sugo SG06 - MM
2 GB PC2-6400
1TB Samsung Eco

Total Cost of Server £195

Its currently used for.

Firefly Media Server - Itunes Server
Samba Shares
Torrent downloads through transmission - installed but never really used

I also plan to put mediatomb or another to stream to my PS3.

chippy08 · 16 Oct 2009 at 17:00

Spooter said:
I built this with the use of the members market and OCUK.

Hardware list

Gigabyte GA-GC330UD - MM
Intel Atom 330
Sugo SG06 - MM
2 GB PC2-6400
1TB Samsung Eco

Total Cost of Server £195

Its currently used for.

Firefly Media Server - Itunes Server
Samba Shares
Torrent downloads through transmission - installed but never really used

I also plan to put mediatomb or another to stream to my PS3.

sounds cheap to put together i just want something small under the tv just to play some hd content in to tv. I got memory and hard drive already so just case and board i suppose which might be cheap on members market.
Did you use built in graphics ?

[RB] · 16 Oct 2009 at 17:14

Only problem is with that board, you get no HDMI/DVI ports so you're limited to the VGA.

I mainly chose the Asrock due to it's minimalist, clean looks and small footprint.

Keep your eye out as I managed to pick mine up for £220 which is a bit of bargain really considering the features and spec of the unit.

chippy08 · 16 Oct 2009 at 18:55

[RB];15108283 said:
Only problem is with that board, you get no HDMI/DVI ports so you're limited to the VGA.

I mainly chose the Asrock due to it's minimalist, clean looks and small footprint.

Keep your eye out as I managed to pick mine up for £220 which is a bit of bargain really considering the features and spec of the unit.

I have seen them at £230 new which is a very tempting price.

Spooter · 16 Oct 2009 at 19:31

Yes that is a good price to play HD content on my board you will need a PCI graphics card like the ATI 2400 HD.

I went for this option as I can upgrade by getting just a new board in the future.

JudgeC · 19 Oct 2009 at 10:53

[RB}, what software/codecs are you running for HD movie playback.
I have been trying various combinations, including Media Portal, MPC-HC & MCE with Shark007 codec pack.
The results have been mixed and it's a case of finding the best mix of performance with ease of access and usability.

[RB] · 19 Oct 2009 at 11:28

To be quite honest I've not really set it up fully - I'm waiting for my copy of Win 7 to arrive before I go mad with the tweaking!

I've been playing with basic media centre and playing a few bits and bobs with VLC.

It may be best to post in the Home Cinema & Hi-fi sub-forum as I'm sure you'll get a good responce. (I think there are a few threads on the subject open already).

I'll try and post back with my results when I've set things up properly.

Rich_L · 19 Oct 2009 at 13:38

Got on of these running Win7, it's brilliant, simply

I use a combination of MPC-HC and CoreAVC Pro, had to play around a bit with the AC3 filter to get surround-sound running through HDMI though, but it works perfectly now, decodes HD video flawlessly.

Also, IIRC one of the Win7 audio updates 'breaks' the audio so it will only output AC3 pass-through out of the optical and not through HDMI. Think that's right anyway

Got it sitting on an old glass mini Hi-fi stand, and have a 4-port USB hub (see below) stuck on the bottom of the stand, to give v. handy 4 x front USB ports

[RB] · 19 Oct 2009 at 14:14

Rich_L said:
Got on of these running Win7, it's brilliant, simply

I use a combination of MPC-HC and CoreAVC Pro, had to play around a bit with the AC3 filter to get surround-sound running through HDMI though, but it works perfectly now, decodes HD video flawlessly.

Also, IIRC one of the Win7 audio updates 'breaks' the audio so it will only output AC3 pass-through out of the optical and not through HDMI. Think that's right anyway

Got it sitting on an old glass mini Hi-fi stand, and have a 4-port USB hub (see below) stuck on the bottom of the stand, to give v. handy 4 x front USB ports

The USB hub looks like a good idea!

That's my only criticism with the unit really - the lack of font mounted USB ports!

chippy08 · 20 Oct 2009 at 01:53

Rich_L said:
Got on of these running Win7, it's brilliant, simply

I use a combination of MPC-HC and CoreAVC Pro, had to play around a bit with the AC3 filter to get surround-sound running through HDMI though, but it works perfectly now, decodes HD video flawlessly.

Also, IIRC one of the Win7 audio updates 'breaks' the audio so it will only output AC3 pass-through out of the optical and not through HDMI. Think that's right anyway

Got it sitting on an old glass mini Hi-fi stand, and have a 4-port USB hub (see below) stuck on the bottom of the stand, to give v. handy 4 x front USB ports

What is it ?

[RB] · 20 Oct 2009 at 13:35

It's a USB hub? :confused:

(Am I missing something

)

Clown · 20 Oct 2009 at 14:19

It's a harmonica.

chippy08 · 20 Oct 2009 at 19:48

Rich_L said:
Got on of these running Win7, it's brilliant, simply

I use a combination of MPC-HC and CoreAVC Pro, had to play around a bit with the AC3 filter to get surround-sound running through HDMI though, but it works perfectly now, decodes HD video flawlessly.

Also, IIRC one of the Win7 audio updates 'breaks' the audio so it will only output AC3 pass-through out of the optical and not through HDMI. Think that's right anyway

Got it sitting on an old glass mini Hi-fi stand, and have a 4-port USB hub (see below) stuck on the bottom of the stand, to give v. handy 4 x front USB ports

How do you find the Asrock IonStar 330 ?