[kmkarim]

Hey guys,

Im putting together a pc for the tv room to run xbmc and came up with this:

Case: Nmedia HTPC-5000B
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=35507&vpn=...a%20System

Motherboard: ASUS M4A88TD-M
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=53570&vpn=...cture=ASUS

Processor: AMD Phenom II X2 555
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=50676&vpn=...acture=AMD

HD: Kingston SSDNow V Series 30GB
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=5...omoid=1026

Power Supply: Corsair Builder Series CMPSU-500CXV2
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=6...omoid=1026


I have a harmony remote but im grabbing this for the IR receiver.
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=48040&vpn=...Mediasonic

This comes out to around 500CAD, which is my price range, wouldn't like to go to much above 500. Im hoping this will handle 1080p playback and I am using the optical out on the motherboard to go to my 5.1 surround system.

Does this look okay?

Thank You!

[eskro]

why not this CASE --> http://ow.ly/1t0HMm $68 ??
its the same one except it doesnt have the card reader,,, who cares right!?

why not this MOBO --> http://ow.ly/1t0Jt8 $63 ??
USB3 is not popular in HTPC's because its not useful & expensive....
you can still use optical audio connection with this mobo!

why not this CPU --> http://ow.ly/1t0I5L $57 ??
its powerful enough to play anything!!
its one of the most bought amd cpu from HTPC users!!

why not this Video Card --> http://ow.ly/1t0I9n $30 ??
the GT210 can eat 1080P movies for breakfest!
it plays even the meanest 1080P movies out there!!
again, its one of the most bought video cards out there!!

why not this PSU --> http://ow.ly/1t0Ib1 $50 ??
430W is already more then what you need!!

why not this RAM --> http://ow.ly/1t0If7 $50 ??
its what im using right now in my HTPC and its flawless!!

why not this SSD --> http://ow.ly/1t0ITh $80 ??
you'll get better performance and its what im using right now in my HTPC and its flawless!!

TOTAL: ($398 + taxes + shipping)

** Flawless 1080P Playback
** Flawless Netflix-HD Playback
** Flawless AEON Skin transitions

good enough??

[kmkarim]

Thanks for the links and advice! Just wondering, is it worth it doing an i3 build over and AMD build?

Thanks!

[eskro]

honestly, i've always said it and i'll say it again,
i3 equiped HTPC's are for those who need quite heavy GAMING capabilities....

[Zon2020]

honestly, i've always said it and i'll say it again,
i3 equiped HTPC's are for those who need quite heavy GAMING capabilities....

Can you explain that? It seems to me that the i3 Sandy Bridge is ideal for people who want a low power, low cost, capable HTPC using the excellent integrated audio and graphics capabilities. A $99 i3-2100 is cheaper than any AMD chip plus discrete graphics card, and it uses a LOT less power and generates a lot less heat, resulting in a lot less need for cooling fans and, consequently a lot less noise. For a little more, an i3-2100T is even lower power yet plenty for an HTPC.

Evidently you don't share that view, but I wonder if you can explain why you disagree.

Indeed, for gaming, one doesn't need the integrated graphics because they will have to buy a discrete graphics card in any event. No one suggests the Sandy Bridge graphics are suitable for gaming, but they are suitable for an HTPC. If I was building a gaming machine, I'd buy at least a i5-2500k, not an i3.

But that's just me.

[eskro]

many use the i3 for gaming...

the lowest i3-2100 CPU price i found was $123 in its retail box!

In the HTPC guide i made i had some i3 + H55 builds in there but i had to remove them because at the time,
many had issues with the CPU onboard video...
altho strong enough, users has issues with certain refresh rates,, i wont go deeper into explanations about that,,,

and about power comsumption, the 2100T is basically a
downclocked version of the 2100...
thats why it consumes less power and thats it costs abit more

i'll still continue to suggest whats in my guide...
i cant potentially suggest something that will lead to headaches and then receive hate posts because some users
arent happy...

what im suggesting works, has been testes, and is safe to buy....

[Zon2020]

First, Micro Center has had the i3-2100 Retail Boxed for $99.99 for several weeks. You can check for yourself on their website:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_produc...id=0359809

If you don't have Micro Center near you, I know that Fry's will honor the Micro Center price, and I expect that other places like Best Buy probably will as well.

Second, I don't know when these "issues" existed or what software was being used, but experience with a first generation i3 and H55 Motherboard is completely irrelevant to the current Sandy Bridge i3 with the integrated HD 2000/3000 GPU and an H67 or Z68 motherboard that allows use of that GPU. This is a whole new ballgame. The reality is that people are making really nice, perfectly functioning Sandy Bridge HTPCs every day.

Third, the 2100t is not just a downclocked 2100 (among other things, it also has a lower voltage core, and uses different dynamic power management for the cpu and gpu cores), but even if it was, so what? The reality is that it blows away an X2 while using dramatically less power, producing dramatically less heat, and negating the need for a heat-producing discrete video card (not to mention the improvements in airflow in a cramped HTPC case that can result from avoiding the addition of a video card). And if you don't like the 2100T, fine, the 2100 is even faster but actually uses little or no additional power in most HTPC activities and is cheaper.

If you like old AMD technology, fine. I think your preferred build would produce a fine HTPC, and you'd certainly know what you're getting. Heck, I can use a Celeron or an old Core 2 Duo, throw in a Radeon 5450, and make an inexpensive and perfectly functional HTPC. But I don't understand at all your suggestion that the i3 isn't at least a viable alternative that people should consider, or your effort to dismiss the huge advantages in terms of power and heat that can result from use of that chip and avoiding a dGPU. Some of us believe that this new chip is in fact a significant step forward.

[eskro]

i really hope people dont think that im against any other HTPC builds
except for those in my starter guide..
because its not the case and thats exactly why
i wrote this specific sentence:

"feel free to swap any parts at any given time because in the end,
everybody has different tastes right!?"

Now, i hope were still good friends after all

but i repeat,
i cant potentially suggest something that will lead to headaches
and then receive hate posts from unhappy users who followed my guide...

that been said, do i think that the new i3 CPU's are s****?
No not at all....
and on the contrary, i really hope that they'll make the perfect HTPC system,,

However, they are still new,,,
and once im %100 sure that they are working without issues
under Windows and LInux,
you bet i'll re-add my i3 builds in my starter guide!!

So no im not trying to dismiss the advantages of an i3 HTPC....
im just saying, once i now for sure that the CPU's onboard video
decodes 1080P without issues, only then,
i3 build will be up and running in my guide!

good?

[Zon2020]

Now, i hope were still good friends after all

Still friends.

No offense meant. I like your posts. I just haven't understood why you often seem so insistent on steering folks away from Sandy Bridge.

If someone is set on using a discrete card, then using the AMD chips makes sense. It's just that to me, heat is the killer with an HTPC, and the integrated graphics together with the low power performance is a solution. This is the first really high performance integrated video in a really impressively performing low power CPU package.

But that's just my take on it.

Hey, maybe Llano will be be even better. After all, AMD/ATI has a lot better track record on graphics than does Intel. But so far, the early reports suggest it's not going to match Intel's performance-per-watt standard.

[eskro]

i'll read some more but so far,
i've read it still has the 24Hz refresh rate issue...
:/
issue described here http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-s...0-tested/7

** onBoard i3 video doesnt output to 23.976 fps....

** Intel has committed to addressing the problem in the next major platform revision, which unfortunately seems to be Ivy Bridge in 2012