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[Mini-ITX] A6-3500 (3x2.1Ghz/2.4Ghz) + HD6530D
(2012-08-20, 16:50)Palmer Wrote: Well so maybe there will be some really good deals soon on AMD FM1 CPU's and AMD FM1 Mobo's as companies try to clear out old stock before the new AMD Trinity chips ship and FM2 Mobo's.
It might be the other way around. Since they stop making FM1 mobo, it'll be harder to find. They might raise the price due to short supply.....

>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
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Hello,

I am interested in building my first HTPC and through eskro's awesome guide I found this thread. This build looks very promising but I have a few questions.

I am planning to run Linux (Ubuntu) with XBMC and in your guide you mention some problems with A6 CPU. What are exactly the problems? Is it not recommend to use this build with Linux? I do not want to run Windows bloatware.

What about the noise? I've read a few posts here in this thread where people complain about the loud noise. Is the noise acceptable? I do not want to have a jet engine next to my TV. Smile

Also, I want to use the HTPC mainly to watch 1080p movies from my NAS (over ethernet).

Thanks for your help!
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Linux, XBMC and AMD Llano now plays perfectly. I did some test and it proved positive. I didn't tried 10-bit anime material though.

If you're concerned about noise, replace the PSU with a picoPSU (laptop style power brick). It will cool down a lot your HTPC and you'll then be able to slow down your fans.
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Thank you for your answer Smile

Do I have to use some special software/driver so Linux is working properly?

How much output power should the picoPSU give?
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After re-reading your 1st post, I suggest that you use OpenElec or XBMCbuntu (both are open-source). Support for AMD is baked in. For a typical installation of Linux + XBMC, I'm not 100% sure where the development is (that's what you wanted inyour 1st post I think). I guess that the latest distributions should be hassle-free, but I can't confirm. If you only need XBMC, use OpenElec. If you need a desktop, go with XBMCbuntu. With this last option, you still have the option of having a desktop and browse the internet etc... which is really close to a custom Linux + XBMC installation.

Some caveats to the Linux + AMD support : http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=ar...xbmc&num=1 and http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=ne...px=MTEyNDk
In other words, it works with most media files but you'll get problem with more exotic ones.

For the picoPSU, I have a 120W. I did some tests and at full load, it never went over ~85W. So 90W should be enough for most minimal setup. if you have lots of HDD, optical drive, etc... I'd go with 120W.
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Your answers are very helpful, I would give you rep if I could Smile

Yes, I planned to use Ubuntu and then install XBMC on it. I think most videos are going to be .mkv. I will read your links and read more about XBMCbuntu, thanks.
I just want to make sure that everything works alright and I am not wasting any money. I don't need any optical drive and I still have a 120GB SSD laying around so.. Smile
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I had a linux setup for my htpc (this build) for a while, and it worked reasonably well, but I ended up moving back to windows (free win8 license for now with the preview version).

I found the audio and video to work out of the box with a regular Ubuntu desktop install (12.04) and XBMC installed. Performance was great, but I got a bit frustrated with some configuration issues. Not that it was impossible or even particularly difficult, but I didn't have the time to spend dealing with it.

The XBMCbuntu setup would bypass that though, as it's designed to work out of the box.

If you're going with this build, though, I very strongly recommend ditching the built in power supply and replacing it with a picoPSU. It's a little bit more upfront $, but the laptop brick cuts out the PSU fan, and opens space in the case allowing you to fit a larger (and much quieter) cpu cooler; though without the PSU in the case, you can run the stock AMD cooler very slowly so it's whisper quiet.
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You have convinced me to buy a PSU. Can I just use it out of the box or do I need to do some special installment?

Can you tell a bit more about these configuration issues?
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The psu will work out of the box, and but only has one molex 4 pin and one sata power port. Depends on how many and what drives you're installing, and but you can get adaptors (molex to sata) and splitters get however many accessory power cables you need. They're really cheap, but and readily available everywhere.

The configuration issues I had were, and we'll, and entirely my own fault really. What I wanted was really better suited to simply installing xbmcbuntu, and but at the time I was having troubles with that. So, instead I just installed Ubuntu then xbmc... However, can from there I was ended to have xbmc autostart, and sort out some audio configuration problems, set up Samba to allow access to my media from other networked devices (my HTPCis also my server ).... It was certainly within my capabilities to do - I've spent the a lot of time playing with Ubuntu off and on over the years - but I work long hours, I have a baby daughter who loves her Dora The Explorer, and and a wife at home during the day with all our media on said HTPC.

It was just quicker and easier to install Win8, and xbmc, and then push a link into my startup folder.

With that being said, I'm setting up xbmcbuntu alongside Win8 now, and going to migrate when it's ready, because with the addition of two Raspberry Pi satellite systems it'll be easier to maintain Linux in the long run. Particularly given how the Consumer Preview version I'm currently running will expire and cannot be upgraded.
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(2012-08-28, 21:35)zxz0O0 Wrote: Your answers are very helpful, I would give you rep if I could Smile

Yes, I planned to use Ubuntu and then install XBMC on it. I think most videos are going to be .mkv. I will read your links and read more about XBMCbuntu, thanks.
I just want to make sure that everything works alright and I am not wasting any money. I don't need any optical drive and I still have a 120GB SSD laying around so.. Smile

From the links, only x264 files with a profile > 5.1 will cause problems (under linux only, Windows is fine). So,maybe check the profile of your files if they are lower than 5.1 and you'll be fine. Keep also in mind that this setup doesn't seem to play 1080p60. So if you have Home Videos recorded at 60 frames per second at a 1080 resolution, you'll need a beefier CPU.

No optical drive + a SSD means that you'll be fine with a 90W picoPSU (if you don't plan to add other parts later on).
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Shouldn't the GPU render the video? As far as I know my current movies are recorded at 29frames but I do not want a HTPC that's 'old' again in 1year so I think I am going to buy a better setup.

This one: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?pid...post842075 also looks very promising, though I am probably going to use a newer GPU (Nvidia GT610?). So the question is now is the CPU or GPU stressed when playing a movie (on Linux, NVIDIA GPU)? Is the i3-2105 from the link ok or should I go with a i5 (assuming that I also want to play videos with 60fps).
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"However, the integrated GPU is still not powerful enough for 1080p60 H.264 decoding. If your usage scenario involves playback of such files, it is strongly suggested that one of the quad core APUs be picked up so that you have enough oomph for multi-threaded software decode. High quality madVR rendering is not possible with the integrated GPU, nor is possible with the Intel Sandy Bridge HD 2000/HD 3000 series. You'll need a more potent discrete GPU to help with such scenarios."

Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5906/amd-l...rs-guide/5

Keep in mind that 1080p60 are rare. Even if I had the possibility with my camera I'm not sure I would go for 60p. It eats a lot of space! I use 1080i60, and my A6-3500 is able to decode it through the GPU (but I use Windows, so this might be different under Linux).

If you want to play 1080p60 from the GPU, you'll have to look at benchmark results to be sure... as far as I know, there's not much cards able to play that (but I hvent searched lately). Now, if you want to play 1080p60 through the CPU, again, try to see which APU is able to do so (or which CPU from intel).

Some more info: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4380/discr...hootout/11 They suggest either the AMD 6570 of GT 430 for HTPC purpose.

Don't know about newer card though... but the GT610 seems to be a rebadged GT520 (which Anadtech doesn't recommend for HTPC purpose, see 2nd link) : http://www.anandtech.com/Show/Index/5845...nto-retail

This thread has lots of info on the capabilities of the Llano APU: http://www.avsforum.com/t/1333378/amd-ll...-htpc-chip
I'm sure you'll get info on which APU is able to do 1080p60

edit - Anyway, food for thought, with all that being said... if you can confirm that GT430 can decode 1080p60, go with it. And no need for a heavy CPU if everything is GPU decoded. At least, if you mostly use XBMC. My A6-3500 is around 5-10% with 100% of my media files, so I don't need a faster CPU, just a good driver support from AMD on my W7 OS.
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Alright, I checked some benchmarks and read your links, thanks. I am probably going to take GT 630 or GT 640 (would this one even fit?). What do you think about it? Also what PSU would I have to use if the GPU and the CPU both have a TDP of 65W?

So one of these two GPUs paired with an i3 would be a pretty good HTPC, right? Or should I take i5?
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The i5 is overkill in my opinion. My A6-3500 is slower than a i3 and I'm happy with its speed. Btw, some people just use their i3, without the hardware decoding of the integrated Intel GPU. Until you have material in 1080p60, you could opt for software decode only. The i3 is powerful enough to do 1080p without too much sweat. That's an option you could consider for the short-term and you'll have maybe a better choice of card in 1 or 2 yr when you need it.. ?

What is interesting with the GT430 is the option to go for passive cooling on this GPU, not sure about the 6xx series... you'll have to check and decide if you want another fan in your HTPC for the GPU if there's no passive cooling on the 6xx series.. Another fan will add noise. Do you have an open cabinet? Where will you place your HTPC?
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That's a great idea. I will just order the i3 and see how it works. If I need additional power (maybe in the future) I will order a dedicated graphics card. Thank you Smile
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[Mini-ITX] A6-3500 (3x2.1Ghz/2.4Ghz) + HD6530D3