[housen]

Hi all

Is using an amd setup a good idea for a htpc setup using xbmc ?

So far i've got :

- Athlon II X3 415e : 79 €
- Asus M4A88T-I Deluxe (AMD 880G) 114 €
- 4 GB DDR3-1333 Kit (4096 MB) 22 €
- case MC-1200AN 99€ with 350 W PSU and remote control

Total : 314 €

The cpu has a tdp of 45 W.
Do i need a discrete graphics card or is the onboard video enough for playing hd content ?

Thanks

[Beer40oz]

Yes AMD is good! if you are going to run windows 7 Nvidia 210 or ATI would be good. But if not windows 7 ..... stay away from Nvidia....

[gabbott]

But if not windows 7 ..... stay away from Nvidia....

For linux, nvidia is your only option for gpu acceleration. ATI, on the other hand, is generally not recommended when using linux for the OS.

[Beer40oz]

For linux, nvidia is your only option for gpu acceleration. ATI, on the other hand, is generally not recommended when using linux for the OS.

Oh sorry.... I wrote too fast...... YES FOR LINUX use..... NVIDIA..... sorry...

[housen]

Thanks for the replies.

I've found a G210 card for 28€.
What difference would a G220 card make for a HTPC ?

[LB06]

You'd be able to do 2x spatial-temporal 1080i deinterlacing.

[poofyhairguy]

Basically a GT220 is better for live TV than a Gt210. For plain 1080p content they are the same.

[housen]

Thanks for the replies.

I read different posts on videocards.
Some recommend the ati card HD5450 over geforce.

I came across the Sapphire RADEON HD 6450 with 1GB ddr3 ram (40€.
How does this compare to the other 5450 or the G210 or G220 ?

I think i'll be using windows as my os.

(edit) : I just found out about the AMD A6 3650 with integrated AMD Radeon HD 6530D ;
Does anyone have experience with this cpu ?

[Mallet21]

The 6450 will do HD audio AND 3D while the 5450 will just do HD audio. The GT210 and GT220 are fairly dated at this point. The 6450 + x3 would be a pretty sweet combo.

The A6 is definitely an interesting option just don't know many people who are using them yet.

[Quartermass]

This might be a good read?

[eskro]

I came across the Sapphire RADEON HD 6450 with 1GB ddr3 ram (40€).
How does this compare to the other 5450 or the G210 or G220 ?

The 6450 will playback 3D movies and bitstream hd-audio...

the 5450 will not playback 3D movies but it will bitstream hd-audio...

the 210/220 will not playback 3D movies and will not bitstream hd-audio...

but all those cards will play 1080P without a hitch!

[housen]

Thanks eskro,

i'll think i'll go for the 6450 for this price.

At the beginning of the tread i opted for a M4A88T-I deluxe mobo.
This is a mini ATX.

The case i want can house a micro atx board.
These are cheaper. Can anyone suggest one for the amd Athlon II X3?
I was thinking about Asus M4A88T-M/usb3.