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CPU for HTPC

Gav

Gav

Gav

Associate
Joined
21 Oct 2002
Posts
1,378
Location
Republic of Scotland
What Intel cpu should i be looking at for a decent HTPC.?

Spec:

Gigabyte GA-P35-DS4
2GB Corsair pc6400 ddr2
LG HD-DVD/Blu_Ray combo.
Silverstone HTPC Case
2x 500GB H.Drives


(this is a different pc to the one in my other thread... just in case you were wondering :) )
 
sorry mate... cant stand amd after i had trouble with them in the past..
 
780G AMD based board and a 4850e is the best way too go for a HTPC ive built afew for family members and they run a treat chipset can hardware decode bluray fine so no extra gfx card.

If your set on a Intel cpu a E2200 would be more than enough if u are gonna use a gpu with hardware decoding on it
 
any e21XX. official top end tdp is 65W but in real world tests its around 30-40W.
can be easily overclocked for a bit more grunt!
you'll need a gfx card too with that mobo...

for the record i do believe the amd 780g platform is far superior for a htpc!
 
My HTPC is built around the 780g platform. The CPU runs passively and I have to get down on my hands and knees to actually here any noise coming from the case.

Eats through any kind of HD content you want to throw at it with no need for a discrete graphics card. There is simply no reason to go with an Intel platform for a HTPC right now if you are building from scratch.
 
my HTPC is also AMD around the 780g and very happy i am with it too.

having said that, i think the nv 8200 onboard platform is readily available now for the C2D if you want intel, and that is an equally sweet solution if you want to go that route (i havent tried it myself but the reviews are positive)
 
I should add that i have a radeon HD3450 gfx card for it....

Sorry guys... I would never have another AMD system again after past experience. I would rather pay a bit extra and go the Intel route.
 
lol you mean an AMD/ATI radeon HD3450? ;)

everyone has good and bad experiences of all electronics i guess, however the AM2 780g platform IS a superb setup for a htpc, but each to their own, good luck in your hunt :)
 
Last edited:
Gav said:
Sorry guys... I would never have another AMD system again after past experience. I would rather pay a bit extra and go the Intel route.
Click to expand...

Pray you never have issues with intel then or your options are going to look a little sparse in future ;)

(Another vote for the 780g!)
 
AMD might have the edge on power consumption but as for noise there's no reason you can't cool a C2D quietly.

My current HTPC is based round an E8400 with 2GB of mem and a 3650.
 
Vertigo nowt wrong with that at all, however if starting from scratch surely you want the cheapest to buy and run that you can get which still does the job.

using the onboard 780g you have 1 less card so better airflow, the gigabyte board is fully passive <i assume others are too> and it decodes really well.

that being said, there is no readon why a C2D with the NV 8200 chipset onboard cant do the same, but.....


what ever you decide consider these to round off your system

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article754-page1.html

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article591-page1.html

not sure if ocuk stock them, but if not perhaps they should get onto it.

HTPC's imo are only going to get more popular and these are the daddy for small quiet cooling and practical but "proper media centre" looks
 
i already have a scythe ninja full copper cooler for the 775.

Power consumption isn't really to big a worry as the thing wont be on 24-7
The GA-P35-DS4 is also fully passive and uses heatpipe technology to keep the chipset cool.
 
Not sure about the C2D's, but my Scythe mini-ninja cools my 4850e passively.

If you choose the case that bigmike has linked to Gav (excellent HTPC case btw), the ninja will not fit in it as it is too tall, you will need a mini-ninja.
 
I have everything including a case.. the only thing left to get is a processor. Mainly because I am robbing the q6600 that lives in there at the moment..

:)
 
bigmike20vt said:
Vertigo nowt wrong with that at all, however if starting from scratch surely you want the cheapest to buy and run that you can get which still does the job.

using the onboard 780g you have 1 less card so better airflow, the gigabyte board is fully passive <i assume others are too> and it decodes really well.
Click to expand...
Well unfortunately on-board gfx is a non-starter for me right now as I'm still driving an old CRT and using a custom VGA-SCART RGB connection to do it using Powerstrip and a custom-made cable which requires a Radeon card.

I got the 3650 as it fulfills the current requirement but has full HDMI capability with hardware decoding and audio via HDMI when the time comes for a big plasma :)
 
Vertigo, all 780G boards have VGA and it's ATi 3200 onboard so it would all work the same as your 3650.
By the way the 3650 like the 780G doesn't have full HDMI capability, the audio is only a S/PDIF to HDMI affair so it's 2 channel PCM or AC3/DTS. Need G35/45 8100/8200, 790GX, 48xx, Xonar HDMI, etc for that and not all of those supported protected path for audio so it gets downsmapled.
 
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