Login at Kodi Home

Spyderturbo007 · 2013-05-20, 16:59

I'm looking to upgrade my HTPC which is a few years old and has always been sluggish (1.6GHz Atom). I'm looking at an i3 with 8GB of RAM and a dedicated video card, unless the on-board Intel HD Graphics can support bitstreaming HD Audio? Last I heard it couldn't, but things do change.

Also, does anyone know of a case that includes an IR sensor? I really like the look of the integrated sensor, as opposed to having to plug in an additional dongle.

How does this look so far:

MSI H61M-P31/W8 LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 with Intel HD Graphics 2000
COOLER MASTER i500 RS500-ACAAB1-US 500W
Windows 7 Ultimate
OCZ SSD (60GB)

Any suggestions on a video card?

cwide · 2013-05-20, 17:32

I cannot recommend a video card, but if it is just an HTPC and not a gaming machine why not just save money and go with the Celeron G1610? Uses less power and is powerful enough for any HTPC function... especially if you are putting in a video card. Also, you really only need 4 GB for HTPC use.

If you are also gaming then ignore my comment.

**Dougie Fresh** · 2013-05-20, 17:50

The integrated GPU of the i3 support HD audio bitstreaming since the Clarkdale CPU (1st generation, i3-2100 being 2nd generation, Ivy Bridge being 3rd).

Spyderturbo007 · 2013-05-20, 18:20

Nope, no gaming at all cwide. I use my Xbox 360 for gaming.

If the i3 supports Bitstreaming then I'll go that route and just swap out the Motherboard with one that has onboard HDMI. Do I need to be concerned with the chipset (H67, Z77, etc) when it comes to bitstreaming?

Any thoughts on a case that contains an internal IR sensor, or does everyone just use a USB dongle?

cwide · 2013-05-20, 18:47

Dougie... can any Sandy/Ivy bridge processor bitstream HD audio?

**Dougie Fresh** · 2013-05-20, 18:49

(2013-05-20, 18:47)cwide Wrote: Dougie... can any Sandy/Ivy bridge processor bitstream HD audio?

I am not aware of any that do not. Even the "lowly" Celeron mobile 847 does it.

Despite what some past ill-informed posters have declared, it's not a function of CPU power but purely a feature of the GPU whether or not it's supported.

Spyderturbo007 · (This post was last modified: 2013-05-20, 19:50 by Spyderturbo007.)

I was searching around and stumbled across a website that sells pretty neat cases. They have one that has an IR receiver window, but it doesn't appear that they sell the IR sensor. Anyone have any experience with this case?

How you power that thing? It looks like it has some type of power brick like you would find with a laptop, but I'm confused at how it attaches to the motherboard. The website doesn't seem too descriptive.

cwide · 2013-05-20, 19:52

(2013-05-20, 19:50)Spyderturbo007 Wrote: I was searching around and stumbled across a website that sells pretty neat cases. They have one that has an IR receiver window, but it doesn't appear that they sell the IR sensor. Anyone have any experience with this case?

How you power that thing? It looks like it has some type of power brick like you would find with a laptop, but I'm confused at how it attaches to the motherboard. The website doesn't seem too descriptive.

Dougie Fresh MIGHT know something about that website.... Rolleyes

Spyderturbo007 · 2013-05-20, 20:04

(2013-05-20, 19:52)cwide Wrote: Dougie Fresh MIGHT know something about that website....

Why the

?

cwide · 2013-05-20, 20:09

I believe he is the vender for that site.

Spyderturbo007 · 2013-05-20, 20:51

I didn't know that, but it would be convenient. Smile

**Dougie Fresh** · (This post was last modified: 2013-05-20, 22:54 by Dougie Fresh.)

The power supply in these cases has two parts: an internal DC-DC powerboard and an external AC-DC adapter (like a laptop). The DC-DC powerboard has a 20+4 pin harness that attaches to the motherboard along with a 4-pin CPU power plug, 1 x SATA power, 1 x Molex power and 1 x "Berg" power. At the rear of the case is a port for plugging the laptop style adapter in which is connected to the internal DC-DC powerboard via an internal power cord.

Here's a link to the powerboard:
http://www.itxcase.net/product_LR1204-120W12VDC-Q.html

Here's a link to the AC adapter:
http://www.itxcase.net/product_E-Mini%20...20070.html

The IR window is designed with Inteset receivers in mind, though there's room for pretty much an internal IR receiver. In my HTPC I took a small USB dongle, broke off the plastic cover and mounted in there with a USB-to-USB header adapter. See http://shop.inteset.com/remotes-receivers for the Inteset IR receivers/remotes. Which one to get depends on the motherboard you choose.

Spyderturbo007 · 2013-05-21, 14:36

Thanks for taking the time to post that for me.

Does your case have a provision for the mounting brackets provided with the Inteset IR receivers? I currently have one for my ASRock board, but my case doesn't have any way to mount the receiver so it's just hanging out the back. Undecided

As for the power supply, would it handle the requirements of an i3 chip, SSD & BDD if I decide to add one later?

Thanks again for your time!

**Dougie Fresh** · 2013-05-21, 20:27

It has a small window in the front and the IR board would be mounted with some double-sided foam tape. Everything is internal.

The 84W AC adapter will power an i3, SSD and notebook BD-ROM with no problem.

Spyderturbo007 · 2013-05-21, 20:42

Thanks for your help. I just placed my order for the E-I7. Right after I hit the pay button, I realized that I never changed my shipping address from the last order I placed. Is there a way you can change that if I PM you my information?

Also, I just wanted to make sure that an ITX motherboard is the only size that will fit? I can't use a micro or mini ATX?