Help with a HTPC build

ArchAnGeL · 6 Dec 2007 at 08:20

I am considering building a htpc but all I know about is gaming and high end stuff.

This will replace my xbox1+xbmc as I want to stream hd content.
I also have a 360 but I am frustrated by it's lack of supported formats.

Files will be mostly h.264 as .mkv and other HD as well as the usual divx/xvid

Ideally I want something that has hdmi and will carry sound to my tv but I also want optical out to my amp.

I won't be playing any games on this (perhaps the missus will play a few flash games but that's it). Purely for media and internet.

My tv is 720p but I want to make sure there is enough power for 1080p as I'll probably but a new tv at some point. The TV has no optical out hence the need for optical out from the pc.

OS will probably be Vista and mainly controlled from media centre via the media centre remote and using a wireless keyboard for browsing.

As cheap as reasonable as well please.

So, fire away with the specs and I have a few questions also.

1. a few threads recommend the amd EE cpus such as the 3800. Is this enough on it's own for hd playback or do I need some gfx acceleration? Are the current integrated offerings from ati/invidia sufficient? 2400 pro has also been suggested but I've not seen any with hdmi.

2. I like the look of the SilverStone SST-LC17B but it is ATX and most htpc motherboards seem to be mATX. Will mATX still mount in this case.

3. How powerful psu is required? Which are the quietest.

4. regarding hd hardware acceleration. Does this kick in independent of the ap p used?

ArchAnGeL · 6 Dec 2007 at 10:04

any ideas on an integrated motherboard with hdmi that would be up to the job? (assuming am2 energy efficient 3800)

ArchAnGeL · 6 Dec 2007 at 10:44

yes it supports divx/xvid now and does it well but my xbox1 did that

The problem with the 360 is that you can only play hd as WMV. If you want to play .mkv you have to convert or change to mp4 which the 360 only supports with 2 channel sound. All in all a PITA tbh.

I'm just fed up with waiting for m$ to sort it out properly and the 360 is quite loud.

ArchAnGeL · 6 Dec 2007 at 13:06

ok, I think I am looking at the following:-

AMD AM2 Athlon 64 BE-2350 Brisbane Core, Dual Core 2.1GHz, 1mb Cache, Energy Eff'''' 45W Retail
Antec fusion black (to match my amp and 360 elite)
Asus M2A-VM HDMI
2GB (2x1GB) Corsair TwinX XMS2, DDR2 PC2-5400 CAS 4-4-4-12
Keysonic KB-ACK-540RF v2 Notebook Cordless Keyboard

I have a spare sata drive and dvd rom somewhere. Not planning on using the optical drive as most stuff will be streamed.

any comments given my requirements?

ArchAnGeL · 6 Dec 2007 at 15:07

probably vista as I prefer the media centre in that to xp mce2005. I'm not really bothered about aero glass or any bells and whisltes tbh though.

ArchAnGeL · 6 Dec 2007 at 16:55

that's what my initial thoughts were but i read numerous reviews saying that system would handle 1080p h.264 etc.

So if I were to go for a card would a HD2400 pro or geforce 8400 suffice?

What player software makes use of the hardware acceleration?

Seems to work in wmp11 ok for wmv files but not for .mkv with my 8800gt judging by cpu usage

ArchAnGeL · 6 Dec 2007 at 20:42

Mr Latte said:
OK to address the audio in Vista first...

Well I have Ultimate 64 and i gather it doesnt support 5.1 via digital.
Youd need to use analouge multichannel if your after 5.1 in ultimate.

Not sure if your after this yet you mentioned an amp and tv.

I wasn't aware of that, thanks. I could use multichannel but optical is so much easier I will probably go xp or mce2005 (if it works with that)

ArchAnGeL · 7 Dec 2007 at 07:38

The more I look into this I get concerned about the cpu and it's ability to handle 1080p content without hardware acceleration.

So I am thinking about moving to a e2180 which should handle any decoding itself with a mild overclock. Correct?

Obviously this means I will miss out on any avivo decoding by using an intel chipset but I hope that shouldn't really matter. it's not the end of the world to add a 2400 pro if needed.

Is this a sensible courese of action or overkill?

I know the 2180 will be hotter than the AMD but if I don't increase the volts it should be reasonable cool.

A quick question on the 2400 pro. I think this comes with a dvi>hdmi converter which also has an audio input so that sound is carried over the hdmi cable. Where does the other end of the audio cable plug in? the toslink? If it isn't the toslink can you get simultaneous sound from the toslink at the same time as moving sound over hdmi?

Cheers for the help