[hdtracer]

Hi Guys,

Ive owned alot of mediaplayers, AC Ryan, HDX 1000, PCH-A300, Mede8er MED600X3D. But stil i am not statisfied, so i am going to build my own HTPC. Everything will be streamed from my Synology NAS, so no harddrive's are needed for storage.

Now i am willing to run openelec on my HTPC, however i heard some people talking that AMD would NOT support HD-audio under openelec. Is this true? and does this count for every AMD processor. And is there any way to go around the problem?
If i cannot run openelec on this system, then how do you guys run xbmc? do you install windows and then install xbmc? please explain.

This is the setup i thought about, feedback is welcome. Remember its only for streaming! no games, no further usage. The htpc should be kept on and in stand by at all times. So no hard power offs.

Case
Fractal Design Node 304

CPU
AMD A6-3670 Black Edition

Motherboard
MSI FM2-A75IA-E53

Memory
Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB 1866MHz CL9

Power supply
be quiet! System Power 7 300W

SSD
Crucial m4 CT064M4SSD2 64GB

Or for openelec i leave the SSD and boot from USB


----- DONE BUILDING Final setup below

Case
Streacom FC8 Evo Black

Powersupply
Mini-box picoPSU 150-XT + 80W Adapter Power Kit

Processor
Intel Core i3 3225 Boxed

Motherboard
Asus P8-H77-I

Memory
Corsair Vengeance LP CML4GX3M2A1600C9

SSD
Crucial m4 CT128M4SSD2 128GB

USB3 Cable
Streacom ST-SC30 USB3.0 INT CB

Thermal paste
Noctua NT-H1

Pictures
http://pho.to/2SRck

[RaggSokk3n]

What in gods name made you think you need an a10 for your needs?
Change it for an a6 and replace the ram with some 1866mhz.
For the install you'll need w7/8 & xbmc for HD audio for now -if you don't need HD audio xbmcbuntu or openelec is fine.
oh, and try the stock cooler before you buy an aftermarket one you might be surprised how efficient and quiet they have become

[PobjoySpecial]

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[hdtracer]

Thanks alot for the quick reply's!

I changed the CPU to the A6. And i upgrade the RAM to 1866mhz. Removed the aftermarket cooler for now, thanks for the tip

I am just really unsure about the video quality differences between AMD and Intel. Wich Intel could i use to replace the A6 and still get the same good video performance?

@PobjoySpecial
I really want to configure, build my own HTPC this time, i dont want to buy a little box again and get stuck at their limitations someday.

[PobjoySpecial]

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[hdtracer]

I must say the i quite like the NUC, however its just that when i build it myself, i can upgrade whenever i feel need to. I can change things the way i want to..

I will keep the NUC in mind tho =) thanks for the hands up.

Can anyone answer my question:
I am just really unsure about the video quality differences between AMD and Intel. Wich Intel could i use to replace the A6 and still get the same good video performance?

[hdtracer]

Would this be a good alternative to run a Intel based HTPC for openelec?
And also important, will this Intel give about the same video quality/performance as the AMD A6?

Case
Fractal Design Node 304

Processor
Intel Core i3 3225 Boxed

Motherboard
ASRock Intel H77 H77M-ITX

Memory
G.Skill Ripjaws F3-10666CL7D-4GBRH

Powersupply
be quiet! System Power 7 300W

Run from USB

[PobjoySpecial]

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[hdtracer]

Virtually all modern Intel processors can software decode HD video, so it's a manageable issue and non-existent under OpenELEC. Intel has poor de-interlacing support under OpenELEC. You'll get bob and the software de-interlacers. Motion-adaptive de-interlacing requires an nVidia GPU. Note that most of the media you think is interlaced is probably telecined and much easier to decode.

The i3-3225 is a popular choice because it uses Intel's most powerful iGPU (HD4000). Their weakest iGPU (HD2000) will do the nuts and bolts of local file streaming just as well, but you get some image post-processing features as you move up. It's a pointless feature IMO, and I don't even know if XBMC can use them without launching an external player.

Get an Inteset receiver to use with the CIR header on the motherboard. You'll be able to turn on your HTPC from off. You can save a few bucks buying a 2GB stick of cheaper memory. An SSD drive will be noticeably faster than a USB drive, unless your motherboard can boot from USB3. I remember hearing that the Node 304 was somewhat loud for a NAS case. Everything seems fine other than that.

What do you mean with bob and the software de-interlacers. I am sorry, but im Dutch and i don't understand that part. Does it mean it wont play correct at some files? i usually just get the 1080p.mkv files. And would it be better to just place a standalone GPU?

Thanks for the information mate, i really appreciate it! As for the case, i am still looking around, havent found that one that makes me totally smile yet.. one with a small display infront would be cool to, so it display's the information of what is playing. Not sure if xbmc would support it tho.

[PobjoySpecial]

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[hdtracer]

Thanks. I get it now

I am deciding between:

AMD system
With Windows 7 + XBMC installed

Or

Intel system
With OpenELEC

What would you do?
Will there be any dramatic speed differences between the two setups in xbmc itself?

[PobjoySpecial]

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[hdtracer]

Cheers, then thats the way ill go.

Btw i found those two cases:
http://www.akasa.com.tw/update.php?tpl=p...K-ITX05-BK
http://www.akasa.com.tw/update.php?tpl=p...K-ITX04-BK

They look pretty neat i think. Will the 120w poweradapter do for the hardware that im using? And will everything fit in smoothly?

[Dougie Fresh]

The first one in your list only support Intel thin mini-ITX motherboards. It's a pretty nice case. I've built two systems in the Euler. Technically, the Euler supports up to 35W TDP processors but a 55W i3-3225 would probably be ok. The case gets very hot to the touch so if you have little ones it's not the best choice.

Some livingroom/lounge worthy HTPC cases can be found here too

[hdtracer]

The first one in your list only support Intel thin mini-ITX motherboards. It's a pretty nice case. I've built two systems in the Euler. Technically, the Euler supports up to 35W TDP processors but a 55W i3-3225 would probably be ok. The case gets very hot to the touch so if you have little ones it's not the best choice.

Some livingroom/lounge worthy HTPC cases can be found here too

Wow, i really do like their cases. However they are not available in the netherlands