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I am considering an upgrade for my XBMC-Linux HTPC. Currently, I am running an Athlon X2 5600+ with 2GB RAM and a 7300GT Nvidia video card. My question is this- What will give me the best performance boost as far as XBMC-Linux (video playback @ 1080p) is concerned:
Upgrading CPU to a quad core 2.5GHz Phenom,
or
Upgrading CPU to a dual core 3.2GHz 6400+ Windsor,
or
Upgrading Video card to a 8500GT, 256MB card
or
Upgrading RAM to 4GB
I guess this all boils down to what XBMC is utilizing more - multiple cores, GPU, clock speed, or memory. I would assume the order of preference would go something like, Clockspeed, multi-core, faster/better video card, memory.
Thoughts?
-Brandon
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At the moment, probably:
Upgrading CPU to a dual core 3.2GHz 6400+ Windsor
but someone who knows better my correct me on that.
Subtitles - Serious Business
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Did AMD ever get off their ass and fix that awful TLB error in the Phenom? Personally I'd ditch it and go Intel E8400. Anyway, the video card should be fine, just go for clocks and two cores is plenty.
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malloc
Team-XBMC Developer
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Have you attempted to output at 1080p? Are you having issues? I wouldn't imagine a system like that would have any issues. Another two gig of ram is probably about $50, where as the other upgrades will run a couple hundred. Perhaps you should upgrade the video card to get HDMI output?
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I would go with the clock speed.
Out of curiosity: How does your current system handle 1080p content? 720p?
NOW: AppleTV+CrystalHD PREVIOUS: HTPC and XBOX (both loudly running XBMC)
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I currently do not have an HDTV, but I would like to have it ready to go when I finally make the purchase.
The other reason why I would want a faster CPU/more cores is I use it for encoding as well, so that is another factor to consider, although not entirely important.
Although Intels seem to be "better", I am still an AMD guy and have to support the underdog. Plus, I already have an AMD motherboard - no point in switching out everything.
For the most part, I am just curious as to what the biggest performance factor is in the current state of XBMC.
If you all think my current setup is just fine for the future, maybe I'll just stick with what I have and wait until it's really necessary.
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The 5600+ X2 should be fine to play 1080p. It's 2.8Ghz, roughly equivalent to a 2.2Ghz C2D with a faster memory bus. I would get the HDTV and see how it works out, then upgrade if necessary, which it probably won't be.
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same question, but in a different context...
I currently use a Popcorn Hour to play my HD material (original Xbox/XBMC for EVERYTHING else). PH is a decent player (especially given the dozen or so watts it pulls max and its size), but its user interface is horrible. Eventually, I plan on building a small PC for XBMC-linux to run everything.
That being said, I am trying to get an idea of when I will be making that switch. One thing that I was thinking might change the hardware profile is linux video drivers. Currently, seems like an ok card will do and spend the money on CPU since that's what's doing all the work. Is there any chance in the next 6 months that linux drivers could evolve to where far more could be offloaded to the GPU, allowing for a lesser computer (thinking power/heat/$$$)? I know no one knows what the linux driver development will be, but is there a train of thought as to whether it even has a shot of actually happening?
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malloc
Team-XBMC Developer
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Linux drivers already support offloading MPEG2 to the GPU. Windows drivers also support H264 offloading. I would ask nVidia/ATI when they plan on putting this in Linux. That being said, we do have a student from Google Summer of Code working on this exact problem for our Linux port, so it should be ready by the end of August.
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The answer is realistically no. But on the bright side, a HD capable XBMC box is really not very expensive-- I built my own for $450 maybe six months ago, and prices have come down since then. If you want to buy from an OEM, Dell routinely has deals on vostro 200s slimline machines that would run XBMC great; I saw one yesterday for $399. Buy that sucker, add a $30 windows MCE remote, install ubuntu, apt-get install xbmc, and bob's your uncle.
