[emilime75]

Have some questions regarding some older gear. My needs aren't too extreme, I don't think. The goal is smooth playback of 1080P KODI streams, Bluray discs, Netflix in HD and internet browsing using Chrome. I would also like the capability of bitstreaming HD audio(Dolby 5.1+, True HD and DTS Master) along with being able to power on/off the PC using a remote.

The gear in question is an Intel i5-650 Dual Core 3.2 gHz. w/ Hyper Threading, Biostar H55 HD MicroATX and GeForce GTX 550 Ti. I'm looking at buying this along with a 600w Cooler Master power supply for $100 locally. I will have to add ram and an SSD.

The rest of the system will include an Onkyo PR-SC5508 which can handle Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio processing over HDMI.

Will this do what I want? The specs on the mobo and GPU aren't very clear, at least not to me. In some references I've read the GPU is capable of bitstreaming HD audio over HDMI while in others it is not. The mobo has a CIR header and supports the Bio-Remote 2, but it isn't clear if I'll be able to power on/off the PC using an IR remote. From what I've read, some CIR capable mobos are capable of this, some aren't.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Soulbind]

GTX 550 and 560 do bitstream HD audio and decode 1080p video, 570/580 cannot . You're fine. Have no clue about the CIR thing.

[emilime75]

That's great news, thanks. Do you think that CPU/GPU combo will perform well? Meaning smooth playback with no stutters or any other issues? I've built PCs in the past, but never one dedicated to HT/media. Trying to do this on a budget for my first time.

[Soulbind]

That's great news, thanks. Do you think that CPU/GPU combo will perform well? Meaning smooth playback with no stutters or any other issues? I've built PCs in the past, but never one dedicated to HT/media. Trying to do this on a budget for my first time.

Yes, i had a 550 some time ago and it performed well when it came to smooth 24p playback @ 1080p + HD audio. That was circa 2012 i think. Question is, why are you buying this for 100$ + 70$ for SSD\RAM when you can get a Nvidia Shield for 199$ which will do everything you want, and consume 1\10 of the power of this thing (and probably is 1\5 the size) ?

+ do 4K 10bit h265 playback, something that you won't get with the 550ti.

https://shield.nvidia.com/android-tv

[emilime75]

That's great news, thanks. Do you think that CPU/GPU combo will perform well? Meaning smooth playback with no stutters or any other issues? I've built PCs in the past, but never one dedicated to HT/media. Trying to do this on a budget for my first time.

Yes, i had a 550 some time ago and it performed well when it came to smooth 24p playback @ 1080p + HD audio. That was circa 2012 i think. Question is, why are you buying this for 100$ + 70$ for SSD\RAM when you can get a Nvidia Shield for 199$ which will do everything you want, and consume 1\10 of the power of this thing (and probably is 1\5 the size) ?

+ do 4K 10bit h265 playback, something that you won't get with the 550ti.

https://shield.nvidia.com/android-tv

Good question. The answer, primarily, is that I do a lot of RedBox and Netflix Bluray rentals and need Bluray disc playback. So far, I haven't seen a solution to incorporate a Bluray drive and watch the discs through the Shield and I don't want to take the time to rip one every time I come home with a rental. I'm currently using a PS3 for discs and Netflix, and an RPI(B) for Kodi. I was looking for a solution that will combine those into 1 box and offer the same or better performance. The PS3 is great for Blurays and Netflix, the RPI isn't so for KODI. I don't game much so I don't need that capability.

Do you know of a way to play Bluray discs through the Shield?