[dzan]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum. I'm planning on building a HTPC soon and I was wondering: is there linux support for the 'power' of the new Clarckdale processors ( igp )? I read they were so great for HTPC's and a GPU is no longer needed but is this true for one who uses linux too?

I'd go for a 'stronger' clarckdale without gpu if it's true. ( i5... ) but if not I would go for a slow, cheap, efficient gpu ( amd one probably ) with a nvidia gpu so I can use VDPAU..

Need some help here. The CPU only option is preferred if someone can guaranty me it plays all hd content I throw at it. ( I read getting audio over the hdmi out is trouble.. but I don't care about that, i'll hook up the audio seperate then. )

Greets,
dzan

[burritoboy9984]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum. I'm planning on building a HTPC soon and I was wondering: is there linux support for the 'power' of the new Clarckdale processors ( igp )? I read they were so great for HTPC's and a GPU is no longer needed but is this true for one who uses linux too?

I'd go for a 'stronger' clarckdale without gpu if it's true. ( i5... ) but if not I would go for a slow, cheap, efficient gpu ( amd one probably ) with a nvidia gpu so I can use VDPAU..

Need some help here. The CPU only option is preferred if someone can guaranty me it plays all hd content I throw at it. ( I read getting audio over the hdmi out is trouble.. but I don't care about that, i'll hook up the audio seperate then. )

Greets,
dzan

Afaik, it is still under development. With that said, I recommend stick with nvidia until it matures.

-Erik

[Flomaster]

I was in your boat about ready to drop coin on an i3 still plenty powerful from what I have read, but alas I am running Ubuntu and NOT willing to load Windows on my HTPC. so I went with Zotac ionitx-L-E I'll overclock it to 2ghz and it will play anything I throw at it.

since I already have the 4 gigs of DDR3 I can upgrade in the Future should I choose to.

-=Jason=-

[dzan]

Thanks for the replies yet, but sticking with nvidia until it matures is not an option. If i'd go for nvidia I would buy a cheap lowend cpu/mobo combination and then an upgrade later would be expensive.

Will the i3 play hd content yet or not? Will the i5?

[Hannes The Hun]

a) it's "Clarkdale"
b) there's no hardware-assisted GPU HD-decoding available for the integrated IGP, AFAIK not even in windows (yet?)
c) the CPU alone should be capable of doing software-decoding up to 1080p, even the small i3
d) as previous posters said, a fully integrated atom&Ion combo with proper decoding acceleration and HDMI out such as the mentioned zotac IONITX would be a better option

[dzan]

But I'm not interested in Ion/Atom. I want one of the two options I gave myself. So my question comes down to: someone here uses the i5 core or i3 core? Does it work? Does it play all content?

Btw no support in windows neither? Seems strange.

Greets

[Flomaster]

But I'm not interested in Ion/Atom. I want one of the two options I gave myself. So my question comes down to: someone here uses the i5 core or i3 core? Does it work? Does it play all content?

Btw no support in windows neither? Seems strange.

Greets

don't get me wrong I'd love to run an i3 and H55 board, but this thread below swayed my decision. seeing as I have worked with a Zotac Ionitx before thats what I went with for the time being.

Please read this thread>>>>> http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=72615 <<<<<<

I say buy it and try it out, many people are using i3 in an HTPC but likely running WMC an option I'd rather not deal with.

1.buy mobo $100
2. Buy i3 $120
3.buy Nvidia Video card $150

that SHOULD get you up and running but for $370 with out ram and case I'll pass.

-=Jason=-

[dzan]

don't get me wrong I'd love to run an i3 and H55 board, but this thread below swayed my decision. seeing as I have worked with a Zotac Ionitx before thats what I went with for the time being.

Please read this thread>>>>> http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=72615 <<<<<<

I say buy it and try it out, many people are using i3 in an HTPC but likely running WMC an option I'd rather not deal with.

1.buy mobo $100
2. Buy i3 $120
3.buy Nvidia Video card $150

that SHOULD get you up and running but for $370 with out ram and case I'll pass.

-=Jason=-

Thank a lot Flomaster! Really a lot! You also save me from buying one

For everyone reading this thread later on, I quote what convinced me:

Hey guys !

My opinion is to stay away from intel H55 chipsets until the new and three times faster intel solution arrives at the end of this year. http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...item&px=ODAxNA

The reason why i am telling this:

The H55 chipsets don't have enough shader power. This means you won't be able to enjoy the hq video shader based upscalings like lanczos. Even bicubic is not working well.

I tried it on both windows and linux. The framerate to upscale an xvid SD video to 1080p was around 17-20 fps WITHOUT any hw decoding acceleration enabled. Imagine how it would be capable of decoding it with hw acceleration and maybe having also a hw deinterlacing active at the same time.

That was my experience, but i'd be happy if someone could get better results.

Remember, support will come probably it's just not there right now and even if the api is complete the players need to support it.

So I'll go for a nice X2 cpu with a good Nvidia GPU then thank all for the replies!

[poofyhairguy]

No, i3 GPU support sucks in Linux. I can explain more, as I am a Xorg junkie.

Intel used to be the absolute best when it came to open source GPU drivers. Their older GPUs (such as the world's most popular GMA 950) came with excellent open source drivers worked on by the finest minds in that part of the Linux community.

The problem is that on the hardware side Intel's GPU division has proven to be pretty much worthless. They rolled out years of hardware that was barely more powerful than the last generation (see GMA 950 to x3100), and even their best work couldn't properly accelerate x264 like years old Nvidia cards can.

So what did Intel do in their newest integrated GPUs? They gave up. They basically killed the graphics division (the plans for stand alone GPUs have been completely scraped) and instead Intel licensed technology from PowerVR, the company best known for making the Dreamcast GPU.

The problem with PowerVR technology was that much of the technology is covered by patents that aren't allowed to be opensourced. That means that going forward Intel GPUs are basically gonna suck when it comes to Linux support, because they no longer can give everything away in the open drivers.

Now this wouldn't be bad if the closed source drivers that came with the GPUs were good (ala Nvidia) but with the i3 GPUs it is not the case. It is easy to see that Intel is over its head with the licensed technology, and that the failure of its internal GPU department to ever make a competitive GPU on its own will inadvertently make its Linux drivers a minefield of legalities. Linux Xorg developers hate messes like that, so many are moving development efforts to AMD cards because even though AMD won't open source their closed drivers (licensed tech too they say) they have released all the data on the cards needed to write the drivers. Of course that takes some time.

So the answer for most Linux buffs is to use AMD cards where you want an "install and go" experience in Linux.

The answer for us Media Center Linux buffs is to only use Nvidia cards, because even though the drivers are closed Nvidia's linux acceleration technology is literally years ahead of anyone else (including open source AMD driver developers). Once you get into the Xorg community you realize that there is maybe 50 people maximum in the world who have the knowledge to make good display drivers in Linux, and you also realize that at least 20 of those people work for Nvidia.

So stick to what works- Nvidia- and avoid Intel GPUs for the time being....

[dzan]

No, i3 GPU support sucks in Linux. I can explain more, as I am a Xorg junkie.

Intel used to be the absolute best when it came to open source GPU drivers. Their older GPUs (such as the world's most popular GMA 950) came with excellent open source drivers worked on by the finest minds in that part of the Linux community.

The problem is that on the hardware side Intel's GPU division has proven to be pretty much worthless. They rolled out years of hardware that was barely more powerful than the last generation (see GMA 950 to x3100), and even their best work couldn't properly accelerate x264 like years old Nvidia cards can.

So what did Intel do in their newest integrated GPUs? They gave up. They basically killed the graphics division (the plans for stand alone GPUs have been completely scraped) and instead Intel licensed technology from PowerVR, the company best known for making the Dreamcast GPU.

The problem with PowerVR technology was that much of the technology is covered by patents that aren't allowed to be opensourced. That means that going forward Intel GPUs are basically gonna suck when it comes to Linux support, because they no longer can give everything away in the open drivers.

Now this wouldn't be bad if the closed source drivers that came with the GPUs were good (ala Nvidia) but with the i3 GPUs it is not the case. It is easy to see that Intel is over its head with the licensed technology, and that the failure of its internal GPU department to ever make a competitive GPU on its own will inadvertently make its Linux drivers a minefield of legalities. Linux Xorg developers hate messes like that, so many are moving development efforts to AMD cards because even though AMD won't open source their closed drivers (licensed tech too they say) they have released all the data on the cards needed to write the drivers. Of course that takes some time.

So the answer for most Linux buffs is to use AMD cards where you want an "install and go" experience in Linux.

The answer for us Media Center Linux buffs is to only use Nvidia cards, because even though the drivers are closed Nvidia's linux acceleration technology is literally years ahead of anyone else (including open source AMD driver developers). Once you get into the Xorg community you realize that there is maybe 50 people maximum in the world who have the knowledge to make good display drivers in Linux, and you also realize that at least 20 of those people work for Nvidia.

So stick to what works- Nvidia- and avoid Intel GPUs for the time being....

Thanks a lot for your explanation poofyhairguy, I really am glad you took the time for it. I'm myself into opensource development but I am unfamiliar with the 'gpu driver scene'

So nvidia it will be!

[dzan]

Sorry to revive my old thread but does anyone know if the latest linux kernel release changes anything? It states it now has hardware support for h264 and vc2 ( or something ) for Intel G45 chipsets...

[burritoboy9984]

Supported and "working" aren't always the same. But just fyi, the G45 and the board you picked out are not the same thing.

-Erik