Quick question re Core i3 2120

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Quick question re Core i3 2120

geekiegeek

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#105835 12-Jul-2012 06:17

Hi all,

Will the GPU on this CPU (HD2000) handle NZ Freeview, i.e. 1080i?

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#654363 12-Jul-2012 10:12

hmmmm now trying to decide between a i3 2120 or do I go up to a i5 3450. Thinking the i5 may be overkill but don't want to be left hanging if the i3 isn't up to it.

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networkn

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#654370 12-Jul-2012 10:15

I wouldn't even think about an I3 for anything other than email and internet :) Is the price significant enough to be taking the risk? If the life of a computer is 4 years, you will get the benefit for the entire 4 years.

geekiegeek

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#654374 12-Jul-2012 10:23

Its $100 difference and the PC will only ever be used as a HTPC.

I'm def temped by the i5 though just because I like fast things. Kind of like owning a car that can go 300kph even though you may never go over 140kph.

networkn

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#654375 12-Jul-2012 10:25

$100 is less than $25 a year. For the one time your I3 might not be up for the task, is it worth the risk?

CYaBro

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#654386 12-Jul-2012 10:46

The two HTPCs I've built for friends only have an i3 in them and they play HD stuff off the satellite fine.
However Freeview UHF is a different beast.

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Zeon

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#654396 12-Jul-2012 10:55

the i3-2100 CPU is very fast - have a number running up to 4-5 virtualized servers. The graphics on them are also easily good enough for 1080i, I think they are even capable of 1440p

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networkn

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#654399 12-Jul-2012 10:56

I tend to be in the better safe than sorry camp. What if something new comes along that requires more power?

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trig42

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#654401 12-Jul-2012 11:02

I would think the i3 is plenty fast enough. If the graphics aren't up to it, you can get a PCIe VGA card for less than the $100 difference that will handle HD video fine.

geekiegeek

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#654443 12-Jul-2012 11:58

Ended up going completely overboard and ordered a i5 3750K which also takes the GPU up to HD4000. Should be plenty of power.

networkn

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#654449 12-Jul-2012 12:10

Good choice well done. I doubt a year from now you will notice the missing money, but you will likely notice the power :)

PANiCnz

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#654705 12-Jul-2012 17:28

Complete overkill for an HTPC.

kiwijunglist

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#654789 12-Jul-2012 20:25

i3-2100 onboard gpu would of been fine for 1080i
otherwise I woulda gone for i3-2105 or i3-2100 + discrete gfx card, anything faster CPU wise is overkill. Even a G620 is fast enough for HTPC.

The extra money you spent on i5 would of been better spent on an i3 + discrete graphics card.

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InspectorGadget

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#654997 13-Jul-2012 12:41

Personally, I think you made the correct decison going with the i5 with the HD4000 graphics. Discrete graphics are no longer necessary for this purpose.

The i3 would have been fine for NZ TV, but as others have pointed out an i5 is better for the sake of future proofing. If NZ broadcasters every get around to showing programmes in higer definitions, then the extra headroom will be useful.

The more powerful processor also gives you more options around using applications like MCEBuddy and other transcoding programmes.

Paul

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#654998 13-Jul-2012 12:43

InspectorGadget: Personally, I think you made the correct decison going with the i5 with the HD4000 graphics. Discrete graphics are no longer necessary for this purpose.

The i3 would have been fine for NZ TV, but as others have pointed out an i5 is better for the sake of future proofing. If NZ broadcasters every get around to showing programmes in higer definitions, then the extra headroom will be useful.

The more powerful processor also gives you more options around using applications like MCEBuddy and other transcoding programmes.

Paul

Exactly my point all along. Short term thinking is almost always more expensive in the long term.

kiwijunglist

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#655023 13-Jul-2012 13:09

hardware acceleration makes high cpu speeds unnecessary. does your motherboard support DTS-HD/True-HD audio, if not you may need to get a gpu in the future regardless.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

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