[ShakenNotStured]

Hey all,

Like a million others I am also building my first HTPC this week. I have built many many PCs for myself and family members in the past, but to me the HTPC should be pretty specific in parts and it capabilities. I have read a bit in the forums and their def. seems to be the usualy intel vs. amd fanboys.. but my question is, If I am doing a origen ae M10 build with its external power supply, what is the best CPU I can buy for video output?

I will be strictly using the HTPC for blu ray play back from my home server (powered by a intel i3 2100T). All my gaming is done on my desktop, so I am looking for the best qaulity vdieo/audio playback from my cpu / mobo.

Since I am going with a mini-itx case and using the on board graphics it's a hard decision if I should go with one of the amd llano chips, another 35w sandy like I have in my server, or spend the $$ on an ivy when they release the i3s. I see the i5s and i7s are out... but they seem like a little over kill for HD movie play back, but the 4000 series graphics on those chips sound awesome.

If a cheaper chip can do full 1080 blu ray output no problem I am all for that, but I want to make sure I am going with the best chip I can to for the price and make sure the m10 power supply can power everything.

thoughts on which cpu & mobo are best for the best video out put with my power constraint...

Thanks

[ShakenNotStured]

I came across this 2 part Video as well, which helped spark some more thinking:

Part 1
Part 2

The AMD looks pretty awesome because of it coming with the fanless heatsink which equals no noise! Now I do have a question as I have just recently built my home server. As mentioned above i have a i3 2100T in my server.. Is it more important to have a better CPU in my server or my htpc?? Should I buy a better CPU for my server and throw the i3 2100T into my htpc, or is my server fine with the i3 and I can keep going with researching a bad ass cpu for my htpc?

Still looking for a quiet machine, that can run of the M10s 150 watt external power supply and play awesome HD content.

Thanks

[Dougie Fresh]

I have read a bit in the forums and their def. seems to be the usualy intel vs. amd fanboys.

Maybe you need to go back and read again. I'm sure the frequent contributors won't appreciate being called fanboys.

My POV about these forums is there have been a lot of people here that have been on AMD a long time because not too long ago it was the best value for HTPC. It became a bit of a culture. Just now they are seeing the capabilities of the Intel CPU/GPUs. I chalk that up simply to folks sticking to what's worked for them and giving advice on what's worked for them. Meanwhile, Intel has progressed to the point where their price and integrated GPU make it competitive value for HTPC.That's prompted a lot of discussion and learning by everyone. The bottom line is both AMD and Intel work fine for HTPC and you'll see that reflected in a lot of recent posts.

[assassin]

I have read a bit in the forums and their def. seems to be the usualy intel vs. amd fanboys.

Maybe you need to go back and read again. I'm sure the frequent contributors won't appreciate being called fanboys.

My POV about these forums is there have been a lot of people here that have been on AMD a long time because not too long ago it was the best value for HTPC. It became a bit of a culture. Just now they are seeing the capabilities of the Intel CPU/GPUs. I chalk that up simply to folks sticking to what's worked for them and giving advice on what's worked for them. Meanwhile, Intel has progressed to the point where their price and integrated GPU make it competitive value for HTPC.That's prompted a lot of discussion and learning by everyone. The bottom line is both AMD and Intel work fine for HTPC and you'll see that reflected in a lot of recent posts.

+1

[GortWillSaveUs]

I have read a bit in the forums and their def. seems to be the usualy intel vs. amd fanboys.

Maybe you need to go back and read again. I'm sure the frequent contributors won't appreciate being called fanboys.

My POV about these forums is there have been a lot of people here that have been on AMD a long time because not too long ago it was the best value for HTPC. It became a bit of a culture. Just now they are seeing the capabilities of the Intel CPU/GPUs. I chalk that up simply to folks sticking to what's worked for them and giving advice on what's worked for them. Meanwhile, Intel has progressed to the point where their price and integrated GPU make it competitive value for HTPC.That's prompted a lot of discussion and learning by everyone. The bottom line is both AMD and Intel work fine for HTPC and you'll see that reflected in a lot of recent posts.

Very well stated, and I very much agree!

[ShakenNotStured]

Thank you for the replys.

By no means did I mean to attack any of the regular posters or AMD / INTEL. My main PC that I am using now is running an AMD Phenom II, and I love it. My Server has the intel because at the time it was the lowest power draw chip I could find. I just meant that usually when someone tries one or the other and like it, they will probably become a fan of the make. And why not if it was a good product.

My POV about these forums is there have been a lot of people here that have been on AMD a long time because not too long ago it was the best value for HTPC. It became a bit of a culture.

Reading through other posts I see some car examples i.e... "That’s like comparing a BMW to a Toyota" ... All I meant was, if you buy a BMW and like it, you're likely to buy another and promote it.

And that’s a good thing! That’s why I am asking. If there is a great chip that works then I would love to try it! I just want to make sure I go with something that will work with the case build I am looking at..

It is looking like the A6 or A8 really are the best options, It’s just the 100 watt label on those cpus that make me wonder if the 150 watt power supply from the m10 case is enough.

I want to make sure I am going with the best chip I can to for the price and make sure the m10 power supply can power everything.

thoughts on which cpu & mobo are best for the best video out put with my power constraint...

Thanks

I will do some more browsing today. The goal is to have my parts picked out by the end of the day and order this bad boy up.

[DavidT99]

The AMD A6-3500 that most people who prefer AMD recommend is a 65watt CPU, the Intel i3-21xx is also a 65watt CPU. From what I have read the T versions of the i3 do not draw any less power than the non T versions when used for an HTPC.

David

[GortWillSaveUs]

Whatever you eventually choose,.I wish you good luck and much happiness with the new system.
Please post pictures of your build, it's always exciting to see a build in action and the end result.

[ShakenNotStured]

Thanks David.

I think I will end up going with that a6. The quad core version looks nice, but just a bit too much power. And I can't complain about only having to pay $80 for the 3500.

Gort - I will be sure to get take some pics as I build the mini rig.

-------

quick ?.

I haven't compressed any of my movies. They are all still huge 30Gig Blu rays on my server… I guess I am a purest and want the best video quality I can get out of my movies... And I have read people posting about Decoding and such. I am assuming that because I haven't compressed and the A6-3500 should be good enough that most of the work should be done by my htpc correct? Will I be hindered at all by my server streaming movies with its i3-2100T?
Some blu rays will get a bit choppy here and there when I have tested my xmbc, but I am hoping it is because I am using a 4 year old dell m1330 laptop to play the movies and that the server is doing just fine.
Thanks again.

[Dougie Fresh]

A6-3500 is a great choice. With the small size of the m10, the less heat the better. The 100W AMD APUs run quite a bit hotter than the 65W.

You'll find the "Big Shuriken" as a favorite aftermarket cooler mentioned here. It will not fit in the m10. I have this very similar case, the IWill HT100 and I tried it.

I stream 1080p bluray rips from my little Zacate-based server with a 1.6GHz CPU and there's no problems. You're just sharing the movies, not doing any transcoding, so there's very little work. It's all disk I/O and network I/O, very little CPU if any. I am going to guess that you're spot on with the laptop being the issue.

Good luck -- I agree with the above -- post pictures -- and apologies for my being a curmudgeon .

[ShakenNotStured]

Thanks Dougie Fresh!

I actually really like the case you have and almost bought it myself. But then I saw that it doesn't come with any LCD or power supply and figured by the time I bought those 2 pieces it would be close to the same price as the m10.

Did you retro fit a LCD onto your HT100, if so which one? And are you just using the stock heat sink for the A6 3500 or did you find another small form factor cooler that works?

[bluray]

Reading through other posts I see some car examples i.e... "That’s like comparing a BMW to a Toyota" ... All I meant was, if you buy a BMW and like it, you're likely to buy another and promote it.

I know exactly what you mean.....when a person have good experience with certain product, they tend to promote it....I like both my Intel and AMD HTPC's......you can call me Intel and AMD fanboy all day, and I don't mind it......

The A6-3500 should make good HTPC. If you are planning to do some blu-ray transcoding, you can opt for A6-3600/A8-3800 withquad-core instead. It's still 65w APU......or the faster 65w Intel Core i5-3450S...

It's depending on your budget, and what you want out of your HTPC. Good luck with your HTPC's...!

[ShakenNotStured]

I don't think I will be doing any decoding... at least I hope not. From my set up and what Dougie had mentioned about it just being I/O, it doesn't sounds like I will have to worry about it.

As for cost. I have always been a "do it quality the first time and get longevity out of my purchases/builds". So I don't mind spending some money for an awesome chip, but I also dont think I need to spend $300 just to play movies.. now when I rebuild my gaming PC, then I'll be chasing down the best chip regardless of the $.

Sounds like the A6 is a pretty safe bet for me.

What about case fans. I have looked on silentpcreview for fans but most of theirs are 80mm or 120mm... the m10 only has 60 mm fans =(

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You'll find the "Big Shuriken" as a favorite aftermarket cooler mentioned here. It will not fit in the m10.

will the "Big Shuriken" fit in the Origen AE S10V? I love how small the m10 is, and it looks killer, but I would really like a quiet build.

[bluray]

will the "Big Shuriken" fit in the Origen AE S10V? I love how small the m10 is, and it looks killer, but I would really like a quiet build.

By the way, the M10 is one of my favorite case as I mentioned several times in this thread- What is the most beautiful HTPC case?

Without the optical drive, it seems that it might have enough room for big shuriken CPU cooler.....or this"Scythe SCKZT-1000 80mm" very low profile CPU cooler....

As 60mm case fan, these might be the silencest 60mm case fan and it is very good CFM too- SilenX IXP-34-16 or this less CFM with the lowest dBA- SilenX IXP-34-08 60mm.....

[ShakenNotStured]

As 60mm case fan, these might be the silencest 60mm case fan and it is very good CFM too- SilenX IXP-34-16 or this less CFM with the lowest dBA- SilenX IXP-34-08 60mm.....

awesome. I am going with 2 of the SilenX IXP-34-08 60mm, and if I don't need em, I don't need em.

I am on newegg shopping for parts now...

Which ram should I get? Lowest latency is the best right? I read in a forum someone said the Crucial Ballistix is good for htpc.... normally I just buy the cheapest ram I can find, does it matter what I go with?