Forced HTPC Upgrade: Intel or AMD?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Forced HTPC Upgrade: Intel or AMD?

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#20563 30-Mar-2008 21:03

I am being forced to upgrade due to previous upgrade issues: another story for another day.

I am unfamiliar with the new Intel CPUs & boards. If you were building an upgrade system for minimal cost which way would you go? And why?

I am looking at AMD BE-2350 CPU or Intel similar. Which mobo would you go with? For either variant. I am not looking @ top of line with 2x PCI-E 16 slots, 20 usb ports etc. Just basics which will do FreeviewHD ( I have just bought an Asus EN8500GT video card), full resume from S3 hibernate (with the ability to turn on via usb cordless keyboard/ MCE remote), coax (as this rig will only operate via AV receiver).

There are other requirements but its been a loooong day & I'm tired. I thank you for all suggestions & info, it is much appreciated. I need to get this rig up & running ASAP.

Silverstone LC14 HTPC Case/Intel E4600 CPU/GA-EP35-DS3 MOBO/Asus EN9500GT graphics/2GB RAM/total 2TB HDD space/HVR-2200 & 2X 150MCE tuner cards/LG GGC-H20L BD Drive/MCE2005/Mediaportal/TVServer 1.1.0Final/LG 55"3D LED-TV/Denon AVR-1803 receiver/X1 projector

1 | 2

217 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 2

#119837 31-Mar-2008 10:49

The Intel Core2 Duo CPUs are a good bang for the buck. You may want to look at the newer E8xxx range (the E8200 to E8500) - good performance and lower power consumption.

I've seen a few people on other forums recommend the following Asus board. HDMI output etc, also with the option to put a PCI-Express card in there if you want to offload the HD video processing:
http://www.asus.co.nz/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=584&l4=0&model=1912&modelmenu=1

Note that I don't have either of these myself, so I can't comment personally on their performance. Others may be able to provide a better "I've got xyz and it works fine" response.

Cheers
Buzzy

askelon

942 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 233

ID Verified

#119840 31-Mar-2008 11:03

I'd personally go with AMD. That ASUS board is ok but no good for DVB-T and only has one PCI slot. Depending on your cases size I would recommend going for a full sized ATX motherboard even though their more expensive. Reasons being you can never have enough PCI slots for a HTPC comp - Im using 2xASUS P7131SE cards for my DVB-T and a Happuage PVR150 for Prime. I normally recommend ASUS boards in general though due to their 3 year warranty and tend to be pretty reliable.

mcraenz

1140 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 222

#119846 31-Mar-2008 11:24

I agree, the more PCI slots the better. (More tuners!) I'm about to rebuild my HTPC and I'll be going with a an intel c2d E8400 on a intel media board:

http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/DP35DP/index.htm

It also makes sense to go with a full ATX case if you're planning to line it up with your amplifier/DVD player etc it will look better if its that the same size as thoes compoents. check out the silverstone LC17, they seem to be good value.

Help me build a better way of doing politics in Aotearoa New Zealand

political.nz

Satch

1985 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 259

#119869 31-Mar-2008 12:22

mcraenz: I agree, the more PCI slots the better. (More tuners!) I'm about to rebuild my HTPC and I'll be going with a an intel c2d E8400 on a intel media board:

http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/DP35DP/index.htm

Exactly what I have in my HTPC and they work a treat!

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#119961 31-Mar-2008 16:45

Mr mcraenz, thanks for participating in my dilemma as I've seen you around on numerous forums, especially Mediaportal. I could never get TV3engine to install with my previous HTPC's mobo; oh, which I no longer have

.

mcraenz: I agree, the more PCI slots the better. (More tuners!)

Yes, I have stated in other threads asking for mobo suggestions I need at least 3x PCI2.2 slots. Just forgot this one: had been all day standing on a golf course spotting for for Pennant teams.
Why are tuner card manufacturers so slow on producing PCI-E 1x/2x DVB-T cards. There is one Aussie company that do a dual card but that's no good to us, them being MPEG2 for their HD.

I'm about to rebuild my HTPC and I'll be going with a an intel c2d E8400 on a intel media board:

I would be very interested in your reason(s) for going across to Intel.

http://www.intel.com/products/motherboard/DP35DP/index.htm

It also makes sense to go with a full ATX case if you're planning to line it up with your amplifier/DVD player etc it will look better if its that the same size as thoes compoents. check out the silverstone LC17, they seem to be good value.

Yes, my existing HTPC uses a Silverstone LC14, so a full size ATX mobo is my only consideration.Thanks.

buzzy: The Intel Core2 Duo CPUs are a good bang for the buck. You may want to look at the newer E8xxx range (the E8200 to E8500) - good performance and lower power consumption.

I've seen a few people on other forums recommend the following Asus board. HDMI output etc, also with the option to put a PCI-Express card in there if you want to offload the HD video processing:
http://www.asus.co.nz/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=584&l4=0&model=1912&modelmenu=1

Note that I don't have either of these myself, so I can't comment personally on their performance. Others may be able to provide a better "I've got xyz and it works fine" response.

Cheers
Buzzy
Thanks but it does not suit my needs: mATX & only 1x PCI. I appreciate the suggestion.

askelon: I'd personally go with AMD. That ASUS board is ok but no good for DVB-T and only has one PCI slot. Depending on your cases size I would recommend going for a full sized ATX motherboard even though their more expensive. Reasons being you can never have enough PCI slots for a HTPC comp - Im using 2xASUS P7131SE cards for my DVB-T and a Happuage PVR150 for Prime. I normally recommend ASUS boards in general though due to their 3 year warranty and tend to be pretty reliable.
I've been an AMD man for some years, now. So was looking at possible options as NZPC World mag has pretty good raps on the newer Intel CPUS.

Is there any benefit using one brand for mobo & graphics? As I had just purchased an Asus EN8500GT silent******** card. This is what has caused all this aggravation. http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?ForumId=84&TopicId=20476

I've been looking at this mobo & wondering if anyone has it or seen it in action. http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2607&ModelName=GA-M56S-S3

Will start another thread specifically for this item.

CYaBro

4708 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1182

ID Verified

Trusted

#119964 31-Mar-2008 16:50

I would wait a few more weeks and mainboards with the new AMD 780G chipset should be available in NZ.
All the reviews I've read are raving about this new chipset.

It has an integrated ATI HD3200 graphics card which has hardware decoding for MPEG-2, H.264 and VC-1.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#119967 31-Mar-2008 16:58

CYaBro: I would wait a few more weeks and mainboards with the new AMD 780G chipset should be available in NZ.
All the reviews I've read are raving about this new chipset.

It has an integrated ATI HD3200 graphics card which has hardware decoding for MPEG-2, H.264 and VC-1.

Their timing sucks: or is it my mistiming

I need my HTPC running in as short a time as feasible. Thanks for the headsup.

Question: is there any real difference between the Nvidia & AMD chipsets? Any issues with the AMD variants?

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#119968 31-Mar-2008 17:01

Have just looked at the Intel C2D8400 & it's a little out of my price range at present, seeing as this is unplanned expenditure. $150-odd for an AMD BE-2350 looks more appealing.

buzzy

217 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 2

#119976 31-Mar-2008 17:32

1gkar: Yes, I have stated in other threads asking for mobo suggestions I need at least 3x PCI2.2 slots. Just forgot this one: had been all day standing on a golf course spotting for for Pennant teams.
Why are tuner card manufacturers so slow on producing PCI-E 1x/2x DVB-T cards. There is one Aussie company that do a dual card but that's no good to us, them being MPEG2 for their HD.

At the risk of perverting the original discussion, I didn't think this mattered. The Hauppauge HVR-3000 and 4000 which are in use by other members of the forum are the same ones used in the UK (the UK use MPEG2 for their DVB-T broadcasts). Same situation with the Hauppauge Nova-T cards.

From what I understand, so long as the DVB-T card can tune in to the broadcast, all it has to do is take the incoming stream and hand it off to an application. The card doesn't have to understand the stream. It's the application which does any encoding/decoding, so the application is what needs to understand H.264, MPEG2, etc. Usually this requires appropriate codecs installed.

TerraTec do the 2400i PCI-Express 1x with dual DVB-T tuner. I was very close to buying one of these back in the UK:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/multimedia/review/2005/11/19/Terratec-Cinergy-2400i-DT/p1
http://www.terratec.net/en/products/tv.html

HTH
Buzzy

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#119980 31-Mar-2008 17:46

buzzy:
1gkar: Yes, I have stated in other threads asking for mobo suggestions I need at least 3x PCI2.2 slots. Just forgot this one: had been all day standing on a golf course spotting for for Pennant teams.
Why are tuner card manufacturers so slow on producing PCI-E 1x/2x DVB-T cards. There is one Aussie company that do a dual card but that's no good to us, them being MPEG2 for their HD.

At the risk of perverting the original discussion, I didn't think this mattered. The Hauppauge HVR-3000 and 4000 which are in use by other members of the forum are the same ones used in the UK (the UK use MPEG2 for their DVB-T broadcasts). Same situation with the Hauppauge Nova-T cards.

From what I understand, so long as the DVB-T card can tune in to the broadcast, all it has to do is take the incoming stream and hand it off to an application. The card doesn't have to understand the stream. It's the application which does any encoding/decoding, so the application is what needs to understand H.264, MPEG2, etc. Usually this requires appropriate codecs installed.

TerraTec do the 2400i PCI-Express 1x with dual DVB-T tuner. I was very close to buying one of these back in the UK:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/multimedia/review/2005/11/19/Terratec-Cinergy-2400i-DT/p1
http://www.terratec.net/en/products/tv.html

HTH
Buzzy

You haven't perverted this thread. Another stated on another forum that an Aussie card should work, but you're explanation is more detailed. Thanks. Still, not sure if I want to be the guinea pig. This is the card I was looking at. http://www.digitalnow.com.au/product_pages/DNTVDualS2.html

mcraenz

1140 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 222

#120295 1-Apr-2008 19:07

I've orderd one of these:

http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/techreviews/?p=195

I intend to use it with MediaPortal TV-Server. I'll let you know how I get on. It's avaliable from several retailers in NZ for as low as $134!

Help me build a better way of doing politics in Aotearoa New Zealand

political.nz

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#120364 1-Apr-2008 22:06

mcraenz: I've orderd one of these:

http://www.xpmediacentre.com.au/techreviews/?p=195

I intend to use it with MediaPortal TV-Server. I'll let you know how I get on. It's avaliable from several retailers in NZ for as low as $134!

Very sexy. I like the PCI-E type. You may just have twisted my arm.

With this it may open up the mobo world as I wouldn't have to rely on more PCI slots. Cheers.

Frandrew

10 posts

Wannabe Geek

#121366 5-Apr-2008 18:55

CYaBro: I would wait a few more weeks and mainboards with the new AMD 780G chipset should be available in NZ.
All the reviews I've read are raving about this new chipset.

It has an integrated ATI HD3200 graphics card which has hardware decoding for MPEG-2, H.264 and VC-1.

I purchased one of these earlier this week from DragonPC, with an AMD Athlon64 4200 processor and 1 GB memory (all up cost < $300 inc GST). I used an existing case, power supply, hard drive, and Hauppauge 3000 TV card. I can confirm that I have Freeview HD working perfectly using Windows XP, PowerDVD Ultra, and MediaPortal. The hardware decoding works fine, wih CPU usage of less than 10%. Oh my, the HD test channel looks amazing! Very nice motherboard, although I would prefer 1 more PCI slot (it has two, plus a PCIe x16 and a PCIe x1).

A recommended option for an reasonably priced upgrade!

1gkar

722 posts

Ultimate Geek

#121877 7-Apr-2008 19:03

Frandrew:
CYaBro: I would wait a few more weeks and mainboards with the new AMD 780G chipset should be available in NZ.
All the reviews I've read are raving about this new chipset.

It has an integrated ATI HD3200 graphics card which has hardware decoding for MPEG-2, H.264 and VC-1.

I purchased one of these earlier this week from DragonPC, with an AMD Athlon64 4200 processor and 1 GB memory (all up cost < $300 inc GST). I used an existing case, power supply, hard drive, and Hauppauge 3000 TV card. I can confirm that I have Freeview HD working perfectly using Windows XP, PowerDVD Ultra, and MediaPortal. The hardware decoding works fine, wih CPU usage of less than 10%. Oh my, the HD test channel looks amazing! Very nice motherboard, although I would prefer 1 more PCI slot (it has two, plus a PCIe x16 and a PCIe x1).

A recommended option for an reasonably priced upgrade!

Thanks for the reply. I've already bought an Asus 8500Gt card so that board is probably not viable now. Cheers. Shame as I'm heading ChCh tomorrow.

nzskater

93 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 4

#122539 10-Apr-2008 14:42

I'd recommend a Gigabyte P35-DS3R and an Intel E4500. Runs at 2.2 stock but will hit 3GHz+ on stock voltages with a stock cooler and is WELL enough processing power for a HTPC. 8 SATA headers mean you're never going to run out of room (if you're a hoarder) and if for some reason you decide you need Quad you can throw in a Q6600 and run it at 3GHz.

To those new to overclocking; don't be afraid. The C2D range are extremly flexible when it comes it and can usually run 25% faster with no change other than multi and FSB.

1 | 2