There is not much price difference between the two different builds, so I am not sure what my best option is.....
1.
Intel Pentium G840 2.8GHz Socket 1155 Processor
Asus GeForce G210 SILENTLow Profile PCI-E Graphics Card
Asus P8H61-M PRO Intel H61 Socket 1155 mATX Motherboard
2.
Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz Socket 1155 3MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor
Asus P8H67-M R3 H67 1155 Socket 8 Channel HD Audio mATX Motherboard
Am I right that the i3 + H67 board is a good combo for media playback?
I am guessing a standalone GPU might offer benefits, but at the expense of heat?
eskro Wrote:i would choose #1
Thanks for the reply eskro, which I appreciate you have a great knowledge in this area. Your guide has really helped me alot!
Just out of interest is there any particular reason why you would go for #1?
Looking at your build I maybe should be looking at AMD options...
Anyone tried the new AMD llano builds? They look interesting
djglenn Wrote:Just out of interest is there any particular reason why you would go for #1?
You will get better drivers support with separate GPU. The intel graphics has some issues remaining - at least when it comes to XBMC.
XBMC really wont utilize the capabilities of the i core such as hyperthreading anyway.
I believe that graphics card will run both audio and video together via single HDMI cable. If not that card then the next step up in eskro's guide will.
djglenn Wrote:I am guessing a standalone GPU might offer benefits, but at the expense of heat?
GT210s are very cool.
if the price is very similar, i'll go with i3 build. the asus p8h67-m might be slightly more expensive than this
asrock h67m, and i preferred asrock bios too. with the possible saving on the asrock mobo, you can install this very low power consumption card ($25)-
radeon hd 5450 1gb. you'll have a very nice htpc.
here more info on hd 5450 card:
GeForce GT 210 vs Radeon HD 5450
I agree... 210 is very low end, even for htpc. Ati 5450 or 6450, or Nvidia 430
Livin Wrote:I agree... 210 is very low end, even for htpc. Ati 5450 or 6450, or Nvidia 430
out of those three cards, i'll go for
hd 6450.
dont buy more then u need,,,,
djglenn Wrote:There is not much price difference between the two different builds, so I am not sure what my best option is.....
1.
Intel Pentium G840 2.8GHz Socket 1155 Processor
Asus GeForce G210 SILENTLow Profile PCI-E Graphics Card
Asus P8H61-M PRO Intel H61 Socket 1155 mATX Motherboard
2.
Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz Socket 1155 3MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor
Asus P8H67-M R3 H67 1155 Socket 8 Channel HD Audio mATX Motherboard
Am I right that the i3 + H67 board is a good combo for media playback?
I am guessing a standalone GPU might offer benefits, but at the expense of heat?
I just completed a build using #2. It is working fine for me. I am not able to perceive any hiccup due to the 24 fps problem using the integrated GPU. Depending on what you will be using your HTPC for, I would suggest starting with either #1 (minus the graphics card) or #2 and only adding the graphics card if you notice problems.
boiler_fan Wrote:I just completed a build using #2. It is working fine for me. I am not able to perceive any hiccup due to the 24 fps problem using the integrated GPU. Depending on what you will be using your HTPC for, I would suggest starting with either #1 (minus the graphics card) or #2 and only adding the graphics card if you notice problems.
Thanks for this info!
Just out of interest, are you running XBOX with the Aeon skin on this setup?
I personally prefer the GT430 cards myself for GPU offloading. I run this setup on two different XBMCs in the older Core 2 Duo line along with AEON MQ3/2 without issues.
djglenn Wrote:Thanks for this info!
Just out of interest, are you running XBOX with the Aeon skin on this setup?
I tried Aeon skin for awhile and it was working fine, but went back to the default skin as I think I like it a little better.
bluray Wrote:out of those three cards, i'll go for hd 6450.
Wait a min....The price difference between a G210 and a HD6450 is £10...
If the 6450 is a better card I will spend the extra tenner...
Would a Intel G840 + HD6450 struggle at all with a Win 7, XBMC / Aeon MQ2 setup?