Building a HTPC for 4K playback
#1
Hey,

Im planing to build a 24/7/365 online mini ITX PC. Mostly it would be used as HTPC, running kodi with 4K videos. (No gaming)
This is the setup I built on paper:

CPU - Ryzen 2700x
MOBO - asrock fatal1ty x470
RAM - corsair 16gb vengeance lpx ddr4 3000mhz cl15 kit
VGA - Geforce GT1030 / 1050 / 1050TI

I want a futureproof (as much as possible) mini PC from HTPC point of view. Is this setup good for that? Im little bit confused about hw requirements, like VRAM. In an other thread, I saw, 1030 (2GB VRAM) would be enough, but more VRAM is needed for example netflix, or for newer type videos, like HDR, h265. My knowledge is quite limited about these new things.
So, in short, will the mentioned cpu-ram-vga (which vga?) be enough for playing the actual -and near future- 4k contents?

Thanks in advance
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#2
We normally have a habit of saying, to not overspend on a HTPC as video techniques change all the time.
Also, more and more dedicated (and cheaper) Android boxes have pretty good video chips in them. Just like new TVs have pretty good GPUs in them (the CPU is a totally different matter...).

So what does future-proof mean to you? How many years?

If you want to go the x86-64 way, there is still the question of "what exactly do you want to watch"?
- "4K" is a more a generic term, assuming you mean 4K HEVC/h.265 videos. But there are also factors like 8 or 10bit video colors, HDR/HDR10/HDR10+, and what else 'they' can come up with.
- The Nvidia cards are pretty capable upto 8K, but that is only in a Windows environment. For Linux, they are pretty much dead meat as it stands now. Also, the GT1030 is NOT certified for Netflix usage. At the same time, AMD Ryzen have pretty good internal GPUs for HTPC use although I don't know their full specifications. Intel internal GPUs have come a long way, but as always, everything has its own quirks.
- There is a new video format coming (AV1), which is still in the works, but for now needs CPU power for decoding. No video card available yet has HW acceleration on that type of video. So a 1700x is handy but pretty much overkill for all the other video types. The same goes for the 16GB internal memory. Kodi can already run on a 512MB Raspberry Pi and 1GB Android box as well, so go figure.
- Of course, it's your money. But for short(er) term purposes, some of those Android boxes might come in handy. Not to mention as well that such an Android box is much cheaper on your electricity bill and its totally quiet next to your television set.
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#3
I forgot to mention that operating system will be win10. Assumption about 4K HEVC/h.265 videos is basically correct. By futureproof, I mean a few (3-5) years.
This PC would also be used as HTPC but not exclusively, meaning strong CPU and RAM is needed anyway. These stronger ryzen CPUs dont have IGP so this is why Im thinking about getting a VGA as well. Ok, if GT 1030 is not enough should go for 1050 or 1050TI ?
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#4
Software support is your issue in the next couple of years. Windows Kodi doesn't yet support HDR passthrough and Windows 10 does not yet support automatic SDR and HDR switching. Other Kodi platforms are more "future -proof" at the moment.
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#5
Oki, thanks for the tips.
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