HTPC Doubt i3 SB vs Eskros HTPC
#1
Hello!

Ive been following this Forum with tingling fingers just waiting for the moment to buy my HTPC parts! Ive changed my mind over 3 times as to what system build/OS i was going to go with and now im at it again Oo

I was set on going with Eskros personal HTPC build. Well mostly. Without some accessories. but recently i stumbled upon the HTPC Build guide at AVS and read through Assassins recommendations. He is super in favor of Intels SB i3 for HTPC. This build wouldnt require any discrete GPU.

THis is what he said

"Sandy Bridge LGA1155 (3D) Intel i3-2100 - $129
The Sandy Bridge does it all. This CPU is the "latest and greatest" but is also the most expensive option out of all the builds I have listed. It has plenty of power for all 1080p and 3D movies (it will use less than 10% of it power during playback). Advantages over the Clarkdale is the built-in on-board HD AND 3D integrated graphics (yes you read that right --- you don't need a separate video card to watch either 1080p HD OR 3D --- they are built right in to the cpu and motherboard), slightly increased power, and slightly decreased power consumption. These are phenomenal systems if you need the extra power or want to have the best of the best. There is no need to "upgrade" to an i5 or i7 - this CPU is PLENTY."


So my question is. Cost aside at first.... Would it really be a good machine? I read that the 24fps issue is not noticeable. So other than that what are the pros and cons of an i3 build? Im asking this because i havent seen any recommendations here with an i3, they are mostly AMD or slower Intel cpu.

Im almost sure im going the AMD + GT 430 way but want to be sure of all the good options out there! Any help is appreciated!!
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#2
I was told in another thread that the i3s run cooler (and therefore quieter) than other comparable Intel CPUs (C2D/Pentium), but I have no personal experience.

My ears pricked up as soon as I heard "quieter", but having researched it a bit it would seem that even a bottom-of-the-line i3 would add about £40 to my build (i3 vs E5800/E6600) when taking into account both the CPU and MB.

I suppose folk's circumstances are different, but £40 of a difference on a ~£220 build (minus drives) is a pretty big jump for me...
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#3
I was looking at a core i3 for my build, specifically the 2100T (35W TDP as opposed to the regular 2100).

The main reason for my choice was hardware decoding of 1080 media, plenty of processing power, good linux support, possible future encoding abilities with quicksync all without the addition of a discrete graphics card.
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#4
i had some i3 builds in my guide at first...
but back then, i had to remove them,,,
encountered some users who had issues with playback...
yepp, even tho its a strong CPU...

As of today, i dont know,,,
it may be good and without issues what so ever,,
but i dont know,,,
and since i wrote an HTPC guide for new users to follow,
i just cant put a build in there that im not %100 sure its working without issues...
i dont want people to be mad at me Tongue

but like i said, i didnt say its not good,
im just saying i dont know if its %100 without issues...

peace
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#5
There is a bug within the i3 Sandy Bridge that sends out 24 frames per second, while movies currently mostly have 23,976 fps. This difference results in the fact that the processor sends one frame double about once every 40 seconds. This means a frame lasts about 0,08 seconds instead of the 0,4 it should be.

For some people this very small stutter is anoying while some other people dont actually see the stutter.

So there is a chance you dont even see that stutter and then you got one hell of a CPU for the watt it uses. If you do you can always fix it by adding a PCIe graphics card. This costs about 40-50€
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#6
yeah but then, overall build price goes up and it has to stop somewhere Tongue

AMD + GT430 = Safe
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#7
jwlb Wrote:There is a bug within the i3 Sandy Bridge that sends out 24 frames per second, while movies currently mostly have 23,976 fps. This difference results in the fact that the processor sends one frame double about once every 40 seconds. This means a frame lasts about 0,08 seconds instead of the 0,4 it should be.

For some people this very small stutter is anoying while some other people dont actually see the stutter.

So there is a chance you dont even see that stutter and then you got one hell of a CPU for the watt it uses. If you do you can always fix it by adding a PCIe graphics card. This costs about 40-50€

That would be more significant if anyone did exactly 23.976, but apparently they don't. Not Intel, not ATI, not Nvidia.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1333324
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#8
That is actually quite funny. I read enough forums to see the general concensus and they all tell everyone. Dont get i3 without gfx because it stutters every 40 sec or add a gfx as the gt430.

While this posts actually says nvidia is doing a worse job at it. :>
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#9
jwlb Wrote:That is actually quite funny. I read enough forums to see the general concensus and they all tell everyone. Dont get i3 without gfx because it stutters every 40 sec or add a gfx as the gt430.

While this posts actually says nvidia is doing a worse job at it. :>

And a lot of that is driven by the "I hate Intel" mindset that dominates so many online computer forums. How many of those posts about "don't get an i3" are based on anyone actually checking data? I think what that post is pointing out is that the notion that only Intel doesn't do 23.976 correctly is a myth. (He's not saying Intel does it right, he's showing the others don't do it right either.)

Heck, a lot of the criticism of Intel is deserved. They've repeatedly botched their graphics products. But how many of those people posting "you have to have a discrete card" have ever actually used a Sandy Bridge CPU? This isn't a GMA3500 we're talking about.
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#10
And how about that little SATA issue they botched on the SB motherboards?

ATI/Intel have a while to go to catch up in terms of Linux support. My VAAPI test setup crashes on large movies while my GT220 just sits there and hums along.
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
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#11
darkscout Wrote:And how about that little SATA issue they botched on the SB motherboards?

Yeap, biggest (and most expensive) mistake they've made.

But are they they only company to ever have a bug in a chip they released?

And now it's fixed. And it's irrelevant to attractiveness of an i3-2105 and its embedded HD3000 video processor.

When you completely dominate the PC processor and chipset market the way Intel does, the few mistakes they make like the SATA problem are glaring to all.
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#12
yeah i guess that theres no real solution to this...

Eskro, what fps do you get with the x3 and gt210?? Im not even sure if i will notice the skips but since i dont know i just want to make sure i have the best solution possible if the case is that i DO notice them...

I will post my build in a new thread, could you take a look at it? I had to change some parts due to availability where i live.
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HTPC Doubt i3 SB vs Eskros HTPC0