[baceira]

Hello,

I'm getting into the world of Kodi.
I'm a little freak with sound systems and now i want to build a new HTPC to connect to my AVR (Onkyo TX-NR616).
So I want to build a system that is capable of HD Audio passthrough and properly play 4k video!
And I don't want to install Windows!

I'm thinking install the Motherboard Asus H97M-PLUS and Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz.
For now i don't want to spend noney in dedicated GPU. I will buy a case from Silverstone, BluRay player and a decent HDD.

My mainly concern is to know if that board and CPU can handle 4k and HD Audio passthrough for my Onkyo.

Any other sugestions are well accepted.

[oWarchild]

Hi @baceira, welcome to the forum!

So I want to build a system that is capable of HD Audio passthrough and properly play 4k video!

I highly suggest you read FAQ: what hardware to get for 4K if you haven't already to understand all caveats associated with 4K playback.

The Onkyo TX-NR616 supports HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 so you are good for 4K protected content up to 4K@60Hz, you should choose a HTPC that ticks those boxes as well. In the x86 land that would mean Intel Skylake with and appropriate motherboard or going for a NVIDIA Maxwell GM206 graphic card (e.g. GTX 960). Note that Intel Skylake is not able to hardware decode HVEC 10-bit.

[baceira]

And if I go to this configuration HD Audio is granted or exists issues about that?

By your words i understand that CPU's with full 4k support there are only the Intel Skylake!

What do you think of the Asus H97M-PLUS and Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz and later upgrade with a decent GPU?

For now my real concern is with HD Audio.

[oWarchild]

Intel CPUs usually support HD Audio but I would read Skylake reviews to be sure. Not sure about the GTX 960.

Not really, Intel Skylake does not support hardware HVEC 10-bit decoding which will be used in 4K blu-ray discs, so I woudn't call it "full 4k support". Sorry to insist but please read FAQ: what hardware to get for 4K to get the full picture.

I don't have any particular opinion about the Asus H97M-PLUS and Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz but in general I wouldn't recommend such a powerful CPU. HTPC's don't need powerful CPUs which consume lots of power and are noisy due to noisier cooling fans. For example, a popular choice in the forum is the Haswell Celeron 2955U Chromebox which can play everything well apart from 4K HEVC. It's more about choosing a processor (or GPU) with the right combination of supported codecs than about choosing powerful CPUs.

[wrxtasy]

I will buy a case from Silverstone, BluRay player.....

Don't buy a BluRay Player otherwise if I'm not mistaken, you will need to run Windows to use it !
Rip BluRays and store them on a NAS, otherwise just use a dedicated stand alone player.

[fatez]

Can a gtx 750ti (first maxwell) play 4k hevc?

[levi.baker88]

If you are even half serious about doing a full blown HTPC and 4k, you need to be looking into the Nvidia 900 series.