HTPC System with 785G mobo

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M57

56 posts

Master Geek

#45132 30-Oct-2009 20:29

Hey guys im looking at building a HTPC system that can handle 1080p video playback and maybe even freeview.

Would a Motherboard with the 785G chipset handle this? Im looking at spending about $400 - $500 maybe $600 if needed.

Any info appreciated. Cheers Guys

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#268683 30-Oct-2009 21:52

Search on here and you'll find that about 50% of people have got the 785G chipset working, and the others haven't.

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kiwijunglist

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#269522 3-Nov-2009 09:13

There are a number of factors regarding whether they get it working or not.

785G onboard video is influenced by the type of CPU you have. Since the video card uses shared memory the access to the memory is influenced by the HT speed. The HT speed is influenced by the type of CPU. Basically if you have an HT3 cpu the onboard graphics will run a lot faster than an HT2 CPU. Even if you have dedicated sideport memory of 128mb, there will be times when the onboard video's memory needs overflow into the shared memory.

Another factor is software setup. For hardware acceleration to work, you have to have the correct codec setup and renderer selected in the video software. Also the video being played back must be compatible with dxva standards.

785G chipset will definitely handle 1080P video playback, regardless of your CPU

Freeview is another story, it will handle all channels easily except maybe TV3.
TV3 uses 1080i signal which requires more graphics processing power.
If you use latest version of mediaportal with 1080i HDTV with HT2 CPU you will possibly be underpowered.
If you use latest version of mediaportal with 1080i HDTV with HT3 CPU you probably be ok.
If you use older vesrion of mediaportal (MP1.0 Final) with 1080i HDTV you will probably be ok
If you use a different program to watch 1080i HDTV you might be ok, because latest version of mediaportal is fairly gfx hungry.

I think the thing to get out of this, is with an HT3 CPU your might be ok now, however there is not a lot of spare grunt so you should plan your HTPC to accomodate a discrete graphics card in the future if needed.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#269527 3-Nov-2009 09:27

I would go with this, but I just like the idea of a 10 speaker sound system and a remote control for a motherboard....cool.

Asus M4A785G HTPC/RC

oh and on the shared memory side of things, get enough system memory so that you can spare 512MB for the video card. so I would go with 4GB if running a x64 based OS.

cheers
db

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M57

56 posts

Master Geek

#269665 3-Nov-2009 15:40

so is the 785g chipset the best onboard option at the moment?

dale77

294 posts

Ultimate Geek

#270166 4-Nov-2009 23:20

kiwijunglist: There are a number of factors regarding whether they get it working or not.

I have the earlier 780G, and am very happy with all aspects, from Freeview-HD, all channels including TV3, to blu-ray playback. Only issue is an intermittent reception problem with Freeview HD, which I believe to be transmission or UHF aerial related.

My system uses a 720p TV though, so I can't say I have ever fully experienced 1080p. :-(

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#270167 4-Nov-2009 23:22

could be a difference, also ppl seem to have less issues with evr/vista for hd3200 1080i.

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Deev8

481 posts

Ultimate Geek

#270382 5-Nov-2009 15:59

dale77: I have the earlier 780G, and am very happy with all aspects, from Freeview-HD, all channels including TV3

I've never had a problem with my 780G HTPC either. I'm running GB-PVR on 32 bit Vista.

In fact I've read very few posts from 780G owners saying that they have had problems themselves. On the other hand I've read a lot of second hand reports of issues along the lines of "I've heard / understand / believe that there are issues". It's a shame because onboard video has so many potential advantages for HTPCs - lower power > less heat generated > less cooling required > lower noise > lower cost.

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#270400 5-Nov-2009 16:36

780G + HT2 CPU +XP + 1080i was just ok for pre MP1.0 Final, but after 1.0 Final was too underpowered.

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kiwijunglist

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#270999 8-Nov-2009 13:00

just to update, i setup an HTPC for my brother.
HT3 CPU + AMD 780G + 2GB DDR800 + Win7 Media Centre + PDVD8 H264 Codec, seems to run 1080i HDTV fine.
I had to manually alter the codec merits to force PDVD for H264 and FFDSHOW for audio to get it going smoothly.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

dale77

294 posts

Ultimate Geek

#271079 8-Nov-2009 21:07

kiwijunglist: could be a difference, also ppl seem to have less issues with evr/vista for hd3200 1080i.

O darn. Just upgraded to a 40" 1080p TV, set the HTPC resolution to 1080 and TV3 runs at 30fps in mediaportal... 50fps is full speed.

Grrr. Is this the problem you were having?

Regs

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Snowflake

#271090 8-Nov-2009 21:35

Deev8:
It's a shame because onboard video has so many potential advantages for HTPCs - lower power > less heat generated > less cooling required > lower noise > lower cost.

don't be fooled into thinking onboard runs cooler or makes less noise. since i switched from onboard nvidia to a passively cooled pci-x nvidia my HTPC runs several degrees cooler. Probably because the pci-x cards can run much bigger heatsinks and they are also orientated in the right place for case airflow.

even the lower cost can be a bit of a red herring. you can often get a pci-x gpu and a mobo (without onboard video) for cheaper than a combo board with HD capable GPU.

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#271123 8-Nov-2009 22:42

dale77:
kiwijunglist: could be a difference, also ppl seem to have less issues with evr/vista for hd3200 1080i.

O darn. Just upgraded to a 40" 1080p TV, set the HTPC resolution to 1080 and TV3 runs at 30fps in mediaportal... 50fps is full speed.

Grrr. Is this the problem you were having?

possibly, i was only hitting 30-45fps with TV3 + 780G + HT2 + MP 1.0.2
never tried lowering the display resolution
now it's ok with new video card (HD4670)

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

dale77

294 posts

Ultimate Geek

#271145 8-Nov-2009 23:57

Deev8:
dale77: I have the earlier 780G, and am very happy with all aspects, from Freeview-HD, all channels including TV3

I've never had a problem with my 780G HTPC either. I'm running GB-PVR on 32 bit Vista.

Ok, so I have a problem with 1080i TV3 at 1080 res in mediaportal, since upgrading from a 720p TV.

And, I can confirm that GB-PVR works perfectly on the same system. Sounds like a mediaportal deficiency (bug?) to me.

Shame, mediaportal was working great... So, I guess I have a few options:

1. Try and fix mediaportal
2. Shift TV/Music to GB-PVR
3. Buy a 4670.

kiwijunglist

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#271242 9-Nov-2009 11:29

It's not a mediaportal 'bug' , it's just that mediaportal changed the way textures are rendered in MP1.0.1
There will be no mediaportal 'fix' and they will not revert back to the old texture method (this has been discussed extensively in mediaportal)

So solutions are;

1. Upgrade gfx card
2. Possibly you can get away with new MP with 785G + HT3 CPU + Vista
3. Use GBPVR or W7 MCE
4. Stick to MP 1.0 Final

When I setup W7 MCE for my brother it's actually really good now. You need to use mediabrowser addon and media centre master addons.

HTPC / Home automation (home assistant) enthusiast.

dale77

294 posts

Ultimate Geek

#271357 9-Nov-2009 17:26

kiwijunglist: It's not a mediaportal 'bug' , it's just that mediaportal changed the way textures are rendered in MP1.0.1

I consider it to be a "quality" bug, based on the fact that GB-PVR, Win7 MC, and MP 1.0 can do what MP1.01+ cannot. Also, at least one person on the mp forum has noted that he can "fix" the issue on his system with a bit of user-interface jiggery-pokery (switching to the MP home screen then back, problem solved!). Such reports make this sound even more "buggish".

Fair enough that the mp devs choose to not improve the ability of MP in this area, +1 to the number of people they have annoyed with this decision. MP is a nice product, but I think it was a bad decision by the devs to let pass a significant performance degradation on current hardware. Particularly popular integrated graphics hardware for the HTPC market...

Just sounding off while annoyed... New TV, more work to do on HTPC, grumble grumble.

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