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[Mini-ITX] A6-3500 (3x2.1Ghz/2.4Ghz) + HD6530D
(2012-08-18, 17:57)Palmer Wrote: Thanks that makes sense, just hard to pass up when I see deals thinking more is always better.
Yeah. I actually found building my htpc to be a really rewarding endeavour overall because of how it differed from traditional PC building. You're making an appliance, basically, and unlike a desktop, more power isnt always useful. You need to balance more than just power vs budget.

For examplw, choosing a processor was interesting for me - the triple core here, or the quad core at the same price and slightly faster.... But at 100w instead of 65. On a desktop, I wouldnt have even considered the A6, but here? That extra 35 watts means needing a bigger power supply, and generating 35 watts more heat in that little box so needing more cooling. More cooling means more noise.

While the design and build lacked the gruntgruntgruntMOARPOWAH fun my desktop builds have, I felt quite a bit more accomplished once it was up and running and my wife happily announced she never wanted crappy cable again. 3 old, ugly set top boxes (dvd player, cable stb, wii for netflix) gone, one smaller, quieter, classier box in tgeir place, with just one remote for everything.
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(2012-08-18, 18:19)Wintersdark Wrote:
(2012-08-18, 17:57)Palmer Wrote: Thanks that makes sense, just hard to pass up when I see deals thinking more is always better.
Yeah. I actually found building my htpc to be a really rewarding endeavour overall because of how it differed from traditional PC building. You're making an appliance, basically, and unlike a desktop, more power isnt always useful. You need to balance more than just power vs budget.

For examplw, choosing a processor was interesting for me - the triple core here, or the quad core at the same price and slightly faster.... But at 100w instead of 65. On a desktop, I wouldnt have even considered the A6, but here? That extra 35 watts means needing a bigger power supply, and generating 35 watts more heat in that little box so needing more cooling. More cooling means more noise.

While the design and build lacked the gruntgruntgruntMOARPOWAH fun my desktop builds have, I felt quite a bit more accomplished once it was up and running and my wife happily announced she never wanted crappy cable again. 3 old, ugly set top boxes (dvd player, cable stb, wii for netflix) gone, one smaller, quieter, classier box in tgeir place, with just one remote for everything.

Sounds really good. This will be my first build and its basically for streaming, downloading videos, web surfing, music, and minor minor(rare) graphic design stuff using Adobe to create basic logos and what not, nothing excessive that should stress the system I hope. Basically this will be used to stream and download tv shoes and movies to watch daily. Since I don't see any crazy technology changes for doing any of this stuff in the near future then this system should last a long time......I hope.
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(2012-08-18, 18:32)Palmer Wrote: Sounds really good. This will be my first build and its basically for streaming, downloading videos, web surfing, music, and minor minor(rare) graphic design stuff using Adobe to create basic logos and what not, nothing excessive that should stress the system I hope. Basically this will be used to stream and download tv shoes and movies to watch daily. Since I don't see any crazy technology changes for doing any of this stuff in the near future then this system should last a long time......I hope.

It's a good choice for that, IMHO. The system is surprisingly capable even at stock settings, and there's a lot of upgrade room should you feel so inclined at a later date. Lots of headroom for more DDR3 ram, and if you go with an external power supply to free up cooling space you could move to a heftier quad-core APU should the need arise. It's even pretty capable for light gaming - the Llano APU's are surprisingly decent. They beat the pants off any intel-based integrated chipsets.

In my opinion, the single best feature AMD offers is the open ended compatibility. You can basically run any AMD compatible cooler from the last decade, and any FM1 processor. That's not an enormous selection now, but if you look at their traditional desktop sockets, the AM3 socket has been going for a LONG time, and allows a very easy upgrade path. I imagine AMD will still with that model for the FM1 socket.
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(2012-08-19, 09:26)Wintersdark Wrote:
(2012-08-18, 18:32)Palmer Wrote: Sounds really good. This will be my first build and its basically for streaming, downloading videos, web surfing, music, and minor minor(rare) graphic design stuff using Adobe to create basic logos and what not, nothing excessive that should stress the system I hope. Basically this will be used to stream and download tv shoes and movies to watch daily. Since I don't see any crazy technology changes for doing any of this stuff in the near future then this system should last a long time......I hope.

It's a good choice for that, IMHO. The system is surprisingly capable even at stock settings, and there's a lot of upgrade room should you feel so inclined at a later date. Lots of headroom for more DDR3 ram, and if you go with an external power supply to free up cooling space you could move to a heftier quad-core APU should the need arise. It's even pretty capable for light gaming - the Llano APU's are surprisingly decent. They beat the pants off any intel-based integrated chipsets.

In my opinion, the single best feature AMD offers is the open ended compatibility. You can basically run any AMD compatible cooler from the last decade, and any FM1 processor. That's not an enormous selection now, but if you look at their traditional desktop sockets, the AM3 socket has been going for a LONG time, and allows a very easy upgrade path. I imagine AMD will still with that model for the FM1 socket.

Actually the llano is rather limited in its upgrade potential. The next step up from the A6-3500 is a quad core but these have a tdp of 100watts and run hot. The next generation APU's will need an FM2 socket so your llano motherboard will also need upgrading. Most people complain that the supplied coolers for the llano APU's are noisy necessitating the purchase of a £30 aftermarket cooler.

I agree that that graphics on llano are better than the Intel igpu's at the same price point but so what..........the Intel graphics are still more than capable for HTPC use.

If you are budget conscious an Intel g530 CPU with a Intel B75 chip set motherboard will be a great htpc and will cost less than the AMD, however the AMD solution is also great its just more expensive.

David

HTPC1: Intel Pentium G620, 4GB RAM, AMD HD6570, Samsung 830 SSD, Silverstone GD05 case.
HTPC2: AMD Athlon II X2 255, 4GB RAM, AMD HD5450, Western Digital HDD, Silverstone ML03 case.
HTPC3: AMD E350, 4GB RAM, AMD HD6310, OCZ Agility 3 SSD, Akasa Crypto case.
Media Server: i3-3220, 8gb RAM, WHS 2011, 8tb capacity, Fractal Design ARC Midi R2 case.
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(2012-08-19, 12:31)DavidT99 Wrote: I agree that that graphics on llano are better than the Intel igpu's at the same price point but so what..........the Intel graphics are still more than capable for HTPC use.

If you are budget conscious an Intel g530 CPU with a Intel B75 chip set motherboard will be a great htpc and will cost less than the AMD, however the AMD solution is also great its just more expensive.
+1......Intel+discrete GPU consume less energy and run cooler too.....Intel kept the same socket, which mean that it is easier to upgrade.....

>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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so basically what your saying is that the intel based system say G530 would potentially need a small graphics card to make sure video runs smooth or no? Ive seen some cards to pick up for around $20 bucks on sale randomly with 1gb ram on board. I have found the A6 3500 for $69.00 which is pretty cheap but then the mini itx mobo is $100 which is kinda high. Any recommendations on an mini itx motherboard for the intel system? I also didn't necessarily like the fact of having to dish out extra cash for a cpu cooler with the A6 3500 adding extra costs, i'm guess the intel stock fan is good enough and quiet?
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(2012-08-19, 18:50)Palmer Wrote: so basically what your saying is that the intel based system say G530 would potentially need a small graphics card to make sure video runs smooth or no?
For blu-ray movie playback, Intel iGPU is enough......

(2012-08-19, 18:50)Palmer Wrote: Any recommendations on an mini itx motherboard for the intel system?
ASRock B75M-ITX LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard

>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
Reply
(2012-08-19, 19:03)bluray Wrote:
(2012-08-19, 18:50)Palmer Wrote: so basically what your saying is that the intel based system say G530 would potentially need a small graphics card to make sure video runs smooth or no?
For blu-ray movie playback, Intel iGPU is enough......

(2012-08-19, 18:50)Palmer Wrote: Any recommendations on an mini itx motherboard for the intel system?
ASRock B75M-ITX LGA 1155 Intel B75 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard

Thanks bluray. It looks like the performance for the G540 is better then the A6 3500 after researching online. This machine will be basically fo internet browsing, streaming video, and playback of downloaded MKV, Divx, mp4, etc etc.

http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=63934&...ure=Others

There is basically no price difference between the G540 and 530 so I guess it won't matter which. Guessing I won't need a video card either since it seems quiet capable and this build should save me some money over the A6 build since I won't need an extra cpu cooler correct?
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(2012-08-19, 19:16)Palmer Wrote: I won't need an extra cpu cooler correct?
Intel CPU cooler is good enough for HTPC.....you can select "Cool N' Quiet" and set fan level to 2 in Bios.....you shouldn't hear any fan at seating area.....

>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
Reply
Can anyone tell me what they think of this HTPC build? Any changes? Is motherboard good enough?

Intel Celeron G540 Dual Core Sandy Bridge Processor 2.5GHZ LGA1155 2MB Cache 65W Retail Box

In Stock 63934 $42.98 $42.98

ASUS P8H61-I Rev 3.0 mITX H61 LGA1155 DDR3 PCI-E16 SATA2 USB3.0 HDMI DVI VGA Audio Mo *IR-$10*
In Stock 62523 $69.98 $69.98

Apex MI-008 mITX Case Glossy Black 1X5.25 1X3.5 1X3.5INT Sfx 250W Front Audio USB
Usually ships in 1-2 business days.
In Stock 32938 $47.30 $47.30

Silenx Effizio Thermistor 120MM Quiet Fan 1400RPM 74CFM 15DBA Fluid Dynamic Bearings 3/4PIN
In Stock 66758 $7.99 $7.99

Mushkin Enhanced Silverline Stiletto 8GB 2X4GB PC3-10666 DDR3-1333 9-9-9-24 Dual Channel Memory Kit
In Stock 55544 $29.99 $29.99

YOUR TOTAL $198.24

I have an 1tb HDD, lightscribe dvd/sd rw drive, and will purchase an 120gb SSD when I see a good sale to all go in this system. Let me know what you think.
From what I can get for pricing this intel build is around $50 plus cheaper then the A6-3500 build, which would require a better cpu fan to replace stock. The CPU is more money and so is the motherboard with the A6-3500 build, at least what I can find
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(2012-08-19, 09:26)Wintersdark Wrote: I imagine AMD will still with that model for the FM1 socket.

Trinity (new version of their APU) will have a new, different, socket FM2. They won't be compatible (i.e. Can't put a Trinity APU on a Fm1 motherboard). Though, for aftermarket cooler, I guess it won't change.

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(2012-08-20, 16:39)Balinus Wrote:
(2012-08-19, 09:26)Wintersdark Wrote: I imagine AMD will still with that model for the FM1 socket.

Trinity (new version of their APU) will have a new, different, socket FM2. They won't be compatible (i.e. Can't put a Trinity APU on a Fm1 motherboard). Though, for aftermarket cooler, I guess it won't change.

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.
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Yes maybe some deals. Though, I paid 95$ for my Asrock mini-ITX motherboard (no rebate, in november 2011) and now it sits at 105$... Smile I guess the rebate will be at 95$... hjehehe
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(2012-08-20, 17:18)Balinus Wrote: Yes maybe some deals. Though, I paid 95$ for my Asrock mini-ITX motherboard (no rebate, in november 2011) and now it sits at 105$... Smile I guess the rebate will be at 95$... hjehehe

Yeah it seems there aren't too many mini itx mobo's around for the FM1 slot and they are all $100 plus, which sucks since there is tons of options for intel based mobo's.
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Yes indeed.

Can't complain with my A6-3500 though Smile
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[Mini-ITX] A6-3500 (3x2.1Ghz/2.4Ghz) + HD6530D3