a6 build, do i need a gpu?
#1
so i'm looking at these A6 chips and can't get my head around the fact they have onboard graphics...

where do i plug my monitor/tv into if the graphics are on the chip?

i want to give em a try since i can cut down on the costs by not getting a graphics card but dont quite understand how it will work lol.
Image
Reply
#2
Look at Beer's A6-3500 build here:

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=128009

The Processor and GPU are integrated into one chip and the motherboard has HDMI output on it from the GPU. The A6-3500 is everything you need in a HTPC!
HTPC 1 - AMD A8-3870K, ASRock A75M, Silverstone ML03B, Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR3 1866, Crucial M4 64GB SSD
HTPC 2 - HP Stream Mini, 6GB Ram
unRAID 6 Server - Intel Celeron G1610, 20TB Storage

Reply
#3
awesome just what i needed to know. think i'll give it a go!
Image
Reply
#4
(2012-04-27, 07:11)frieten Wrote: so i'm looking at these A6 chips and can't get my head around the fact they have onboard graphics...
Onboard graphic card is a lot better these days than the older onboard graphic card. The A6 APU equipped with a handsome HD6530D, and it can playback just about anything that the discrete HD6450 can....


(2012-04-27, 07:11)frieten Wrote: where do i plug my monitor/tv into if the graphics are on the chip?
You can simply connects it this way......onboard HDMI output to HDTV HDMI input via 1 HDMI cable. If you have AVR you can connects it this way.....onboard HDMi output to AVR HDMI input and then from AVR HDMI output to HDTV HDMI input via 2 HDMI cables.....

>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
Reply
#5
just use HDMI and the rest is magic Smile
Reply
#6
...but as far as I know, the magic will work well only under Windows, right? Linux is still a challenge when it comes to drivers for the Radeon HDxxxx GPU... unless I'm unaware of new developments in making Radeon a Linux-friendly beast
Reply
#7
well, i wouldnt call linux APU friendly,
but ive seen many users now using these APU's for their linux builds.
specially OpenELEC version of XBMC.
im no linux guru, in fact, i cant stand it Tongue
im just used to windows and i just know how it works.
but again, under Linux, u might encounter issues here and there
but so far, i see that people are able to surpass them,
Reply
#8
(2012-04-27, 16:31)bluray Wrote:
(2012-04-27, 07:11)frieten Wrote: so i'm looking at these A6 chips and can't get my head around the fact they have onboard graphics...
Onboard graphic card is a lot better these days than the older onboard graphic card. The A6 APU equipped with a handsome HD6530D, and it can playback just about anything that the discrete HD6450 can....


(2012-04-27, 07:11)frieten Wrote: where do i plug my monitor/tv into if the graphics are on the chip?
You can simply connects it this way......onboard HDMI output to HDTV HDMI input via 1 HDMI cable. If you have AVR you can connects it this way.....onboard HDMi output to AVR HDMI input and then from AVR HDMI output to HDTV HDMI input via 2 HDMI cables.....

ok this makes more sense, so if i have a reciever i need to go from onboard HDMI on motherboard, to the reciever, then from that to the tv. makes more sense.
i was just going to go from motherboard to tv, then optical from motherboard to reciever.

Image
Reply
#9
I use the A6-3500 APU with XBMCbuntu, haven't had any problems with graphics thus far. Only related issue I've found is the Catalyst Control Center in Linux doesn't seem to have settings for overscan, so my desktop goes off the screen in ubuntu, but XBMC looks great, and I'm sure I'll fix the ubuntu resolution eventually.

I fiddled with vertical sync settings a bit, and in the BIOS I changed the memory dedicated to the GPU from Auto to 512MB. When it was on auto I seemed to have some issues with waking up from suspend. I was disappointed you can't allocate a full Gig to the GPU, but 512 seems to be enough so far for any HD videos I watch.
Reply
#10
512 is all u need for 1080P Smile

and dont play with overscan settings...

use your HDTV official remote and play with the aspect ratio instead.

Reply
#11
Ahhh, adjust TV settings rather than the GPU settings? I'll give that a shot. Thanks for the tip.
Reply
#12
(2012-05-05, 21:45)eskro Wrote: and dont play with overscan settings...

use your HDTV official remote and play with the aspect ratio instead.

I don't think all TVs have the capability to change the screen to make XBMC "fit". I have a Mits 65" DLP and I don't know of a way to make the screen properly fit without adjusting overscan via the GPU driver. In the manual it even shows there will be a problem..
If there is a better way, I'm all ears Smile

Image
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
Reply
#13
well lemme tell you,
i bought a new HDTV to make XBMC fit the 1080P screen without using overscan settings!
i chose one that knew had such a 'Fit Screen' feature Smile
Reply
#14
(2012-05-07, 01:27)eskro Wrote: well lemme tell you,
i bought a new HDTV to make XBMC fit the 1080P screen without using overscan settings!
i chose one that knew had such a 'Fit Screen' feature Smile

Again, not all TVs have that feature I suspect most in service today do not. If the TV is true 1080p (has exactly 1920x1080 pixels) then there will be a 1x1 pixel ratio and no over/under scan at all. If that is not the case then what the TV is doing is scaling the image, same thing the GPU is doing - except if the GPU is AMD or NVIDIA I'd lay a bet the GPU is doing a better (more pixel accurate / better PQ) job at it.

I'm not saying not to use your TV but depending on the size and accuracy/PQ of the TV itself, you may or may not notice a difference.
I'm not an expert but I play one at work.
Reply
#15
(2012-05-06, 22:02)Livin Wrote:
(2012-05-05, 21:45)eskro Wrote: and dont play with overscan settings...

use your HDTV official remote and play with the aspect ratio instead.

I don't think all TVs have the capability to change the screen to make XBMC "fit". I have a Mits 65" DLP and I don't know of a way to make the screen properly fit without adjusting overscan via the GPU driver. In the manual it even shows there will be a problem..
If there is a better way, I'm all ears Smile
I'm afraid that the GPU overscan is your only option, and it's the only option on two of my LCD's too.....

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

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
a6 build, do i need a gpu?0