2012-07-25, 21:54
(2012-07-25, 12:12)allio Wrote: Hello, got a question.
How "snappy" are the menus in a relatively intensive skin with the A6-3500?
I need to replace our HTPC (roommate is moving out and taking it with him) and am looking at building a basic Llano box. I see the A6-3500 is heavily recommended around here as the best choice, but I really want to be sure that it will be buttery smooth in menus. I can't find a good video of the interface on Youtube, but I did find a video of a Core i3 2100 vs an A4-3400 and it's not very encouraging - the A4 visibly jerks and stutters while scrolling through poster view, while the i3 is comparatively zippy and snappy. I know the A6 has a slightly better onboard GPU than the A4, but I'm not sure it's enough to make up a gap that big.
I'd be happy to spend a bit more money to be certain of great performance... but I really don't want to buy an i3 with HD2000/3000 or an A8 now, seeing the i3-3225 with HD4000 and the Trinity A10 are right around the corner. Unfortunately neither of them are available for a few months, and I need something before then! The A6 is cheap enough that I wouldn't mind picking up one now and upgrading in six months if I feel the need, but I really really hate chuggy menus...
XBMC menus are not hardware accelerated so the A6 gpu will have no effect. For fast menu's you need CPU power, even an Intel G530 has more CPU power than an AMD A6-3500 and it is cheaper at just over £30. If you buy an H77 motherboard you will be able to upgrade to the i3-3225 when available as both cpu's use the same 1155 socket. If you buy an A6 today you won't be able to upgrade to Trinity as they use different CPU sockets.
David
(2012-07-25, 17:15)ryanj Wrote: Hi everyone - I've been following this and other threads for a while on this forum but this is my first post.
I'm building a HTPC for my parents in an attempt to get them off of cable - the goal is:
- Easy to use
- Has a remote - It was my understanding with the IR remote I could turn the unit on/off and set it up to control XBMC.
- It will last a few years
Using a combination of the OP suggestions and what I've seen from others I came to the following conclusion:
OS Win 7 64 Ultimate
SDD Crucial M4 64Gb (already bought)
CPU A8-3850
MOBO ASRock A75
PSU Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W
CASE SilverStone
RAM Kingston 1866 2 X 4gb
Cooler Scythe SCBSK-2100
HDD 2TB WD20EARX
IR Kit ASRock Universal Remote
Just a couple of things spring to mind;
1. The ML03 case will take a microATX motherboard which will be cheaper than the miniITX board you have selected.
2. You don't need 1866 RAM, 1600 is generally thought to be the sweet spot and should be cheaper.
David