Would a new HPTC mobo be better than my old AGP?

sastusbulbas

sastusbulbas

sastusbulbas

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Hi guys I am considering selling some stuff to build a HTPC

I am currently wondering if I should use my Asrock 4CoreDual SataII with an E5200 and an HIS IceQ3850 512 AGP card, with either 2gb of PC-3500 or 4gb of PC-6400 running at 300mhz (only 3 odd gb useable in this mobo), I could stick this in my LS13 case for movie and music storage and playback in a second system.

But would the integrated 4*** graphics of the 785G series motherboards outperform the 3850 AGP set up above? I guess it would be quieter and require less power.

If so, whats recomended?

I was also thinking of running a single 1.5tb Samsung F2 Ecogreen for the OS and all else? Is this OK?

As you can see I could probably sell the stuff above and put it toward a new HTPC set up, but would it be worthwhile?

Cheers,
Steve
 
Well that's what I am wondering :D

I have the system in my signature and a spare PSU, Silverstone HTPC case, HIS AGP 3850 and 2gb Corsiar XMS PC-3500LL plus a couple of coolers and such.

I am planning to build another PC for downstairs and some gaming, but would like a PC in the bedroom again to use for movies and music.

So the old stuff could be used, or sold if the integrated graphics of a new motherboard are as good as the HIS 3850 IceQ agp?

So I guess what I am asking is, would system A be better than system B?

System A (I have this stuff)
Asrock 4CoreDual SataII motherboard (this runs AGP and PCI-E and DDR and DDR2)
Intel E5200 processor
2GB of PC-3500 or 4GB of PC6400 at 300Mhz
HIS IceQ 3850 512MB AGP graphics card

System B (rough guide but I could sell the above kit to help fund this)
Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H motherboard £65?
AMD Athlon II X4 Quad Core 620 processor £76?
With 4gb of Corsair PC-6400 which I have.
No graphics card as I would be using the onboard.

The rest of the components would all be the same anyway, maybe a Samsung Ecogreen f2 for the os and files.
 
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I'd have said system A, since you already have the GFX. It would probably outperform it anyway for reasons not the lest of which is dedicated memory. Is it quiet enough though?

Why the ASRock? The Asus P5KPL-AM would be a better choice i think, since it's cheaper and has very decent onboard audio. The E5200 would be good, but an E3300 would also be good since it's 45nm. But less cache, your choice.
 
What's so funny?

Depends how much you care about gaming. System A will game better, but system B should give better multitasking and snappier windows performance.
 
Well like I said, it will be relagated to HTPC duties upstairs.

Sadly the motherboard I would prefer is the Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-UD2H for DDR2 which I cannot find in stock.

I wanted a Samsung 1.5TB Ecogreen HD154UI but sadly everyone seems to be selling the non desktop specific HD154UI/JP1 and HD154UI/Y.

A BeQuiet modular 450w psu and a AMD Athlon II X4 620 are what I want to add to the above.
 
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