Not another HTPC spec thread(!)

Harpss1ngh · 23 May 2013 at 12:20

Hi All,

I've just bought the following case & accessories:

*Streacom ST-FC5S EVO HTPC Fanless Aluminium Case - Silver

*Streacom Nano 150w HTPC Power Supply/Adapter

*Streacom ST-IRRC Multimedia Remote and Receiver

Can anyone suggest a good future proof Mini ITX motherboard and low power CPU (35w and below) for a HTPC (XBMC running on Ubuntu), streaming Full HD content over the network & BluRay 24P, Bitstream Audio, etc. I've heard the AMD E-450 seems to be the way to go, but is there anything more up to the job for this level of low power consumption?

I see someone has been recommended the following, however 65W TDP seems a bit high/excessive, anyone got any thoughts on this?

1 x AMD A10-5700 3.40GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor **FREE SIMCITY PC GAME** (AD5700OKHJBOX) £95.99
1 x MSI A75IA-E53 AMD A75 Chipset (Socket FM2) DDR3 Mini ITX Motherboard £69.95

Harpss1ngh · 23 May 2013 at 15:26

Shortened the OP.

23 people have no suggestions?

bandyleg · 19 Jun 2013 at 22:37

Im no guru on this but ive been looking at specs for a long time to figure out my own media server build. I think if you can get what you want and it use less than 35 watts you should defo share it with people!

xbmc will have a minimum spec if you look for it and your build needs to be based around that, my personal choice would have been an i3 build but amd have recently launched some new cpu's that are apparently better at the kind of thing your asking for.
That said non of them use 35 watts or less when under load, this link is going back to last november but it shouldnt be too far out. http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/11/26/intel-core-i3-3220-review/7

I hope that maybe helps a little with your requirements range.

If you do find something suitable please let me know.

tjp148 · 23 Jun 2013 at 09:36

I'm inclined to suggest Intel core i3-3220T (the 35w tdp version) but remember the 23.976 fps issue if using IGP...
HTH

Legion · 24 Jun 2013 at 10:32

I had an Asus E-45M1-I Deluxe E-450 based m-ITX HTPC for most of last year.
Power consumption was superb at around 22w loaded.
The downside however with these is that anytime they can't use the igp to accelerate media, it's just a stutter fest.
The CPU part is gutless.

I used win 7 with XMBC as I also wanted more than just a streamer.
Navigation is slow even with an ssd, much more snap in an i3 but then again you have the 23.976 fps issue with intels igp's.

If all you want to do is stream it's ok, the menu's can be a tad slow but it's not horrifically bad.

I run an A10-5700 based HTPC atm, yes it does use more power.
But everything is silky smooth even when it can't use the igp to accelerate media.
Being able to game on it is also fun.

Kabini based ITX boards will be out later in the year, if you don't need to build right now that's what I'd hold out for if you absolutely must have low watts.
A4-5200 is rated at 25w
A4-5000 at 15w

I'll be building a few streamers and a media server out of these when they become available.
Until mobile hardware gets some oomph and XBMC for Android gets more work done on it, Kabini will be the way to go for now.
You could also just buy a streamer and wait for the ultra low power hardware market to get better.

A preview by Anandtech
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6974/amd-kabini-review

Legion · 24 Jun 2013 at 10:46

Edit:double post!