[winniwinter]

Hi,

this is my first post here. I am reading for some time now about XBMC.
I'm currently using MediaPortal but I would like to change to XBMC running Ubuntu as OS.

Well what I'm doing with my current HTPC:
- Live-TV
- HD Movies / TV Shows

My files are located on my server where WHS is running on as OS(which might be replaced by ubuntu if XBMC is running smoothly).

Following components should be re-used:
- 60GB OCZ Vertex
- TBS6981 DVB-S TV Card
- PicoPsu

I'm currently struggeling with different setups. Since I'm not a ubuntu geek I would prefer a configuration which runs pretty much out of the box.
As I read this means that I should prefer nvidia gpus? Especially when it comes to Live TV and 1080i material?!


This is what I got currently:

D2700 with Geforce GT 520:
1 x G.Skill SO-DIMM 4GB PC3-8500S CL7-7-7-20 (DDR3-1066) (F3-8500CL7S-4GBSQ)
1 x Zotac D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme, NM10 (PC3-8500S DDR3) (D2700ITXS-A-E)
1 x MS-Tech MC-80AN schwarz, 60W extern, Mini-ITX

Pros:
+ small
+ nvidia gpu

Cons:
- weak CPU
- expensive

AMD E350:
1 x Mushkin Enhanced Silverline Stiletto DIMM 4GB PC3-10667U CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3-1333) (991770)
1 x ASRock E350M1/USB3, A50M (PC3-8500U DDR3)
1 x Scythe Kaze Jyu Slim 1000 (SY1012SL12L)
1 x MS-Tech MC-80AN schwarz, 60W extern, Mini-ITX

Pros:
+ small
+ cheap

Cons:
- weak CPU
- maybe problems when it comes to live-tv?


Intel G530:
1 x Intel Celeron Dual-Core G530, 2x 2.40GHz, boxed (BX80623G530)
2 x Kingston ValueRAM DIMM 2GB PC3-8500U CL7 (DDR3-1066) (KVR1066D3S8N7/2G)
1 x ASUS ENGT520 SL/DI/512MD3(LP), GeForce GT 520, 512MB DDR3, VGA, DVI, HDMI (90-C1CQQF-J0UANABZ)
1 x Intel DH67BL bulk, H67 (B3) (dual PC3-10667U DDR3) (BLKDH67BLB3)
1 x Arctic Cooling Alpine 11 GT Rev. 2 (Sockel 775/1155/1156)
1 x MS-Tech MC-1200 schwarz, 350W SFX12V 2.3

Pros:
+ more powerfull cpu
+ nvidia gpu

Cons:
- way bigger


So the best option for me I think when I look at the HW specs would be the G530. But a no go is the huge case. I don't need a big psu, a 3,5" hdd or a blueRay player...

That's why the second option would be the ION Combo which has good gpu power and is small


What do you think? Any opinions and other hardware possibilities?
As you can see I prefer a itx combo, but only because I can't find a microATX case which is really small...

[Zenith]

So the best option for me I think when I look at the HW specs would be the G530. But a no go is the huge case. I don't need a big psu, a 3,5" hdd or a blueRay player...

You only need to choose an ITX board for intel....

[wsume99]

Like Zenith said, get a mITX motherboard and case (such as Antec ISK 300-150) and use a picoPSU. Then the G530 will be in a much smaller form.

[winniwinter]

You mean no nvidia gpu? Could that lead to problems regarding live tv?

[Zenith]

If you choose a case that has an half size slot you could add an nvidia gpu if you like.

[wsume99]

If you choose a case that has an half size slot you could add an nvidia gpu if you like.

+1

Try the iGPU first and if you're not happy then add the GT520.

[winniwinter]

Well I can't just add the g520 because the pcie slot is used by the tv card

[FernetMenta]

Why do you think the D-2700 has not enough power for what you intend to do with your box. Intel and AMD offers just very basic de-interlacing on Linux. You probably won't be happy with the quality in particular in fast moving scenes.

[winniwinter]

Well because I had a ION 330 a while a go and didn't like the CPU speed (when I was using MediaPortal). Also another guy from a forum said that he had minor lags switching through the menu.

[Zenith]

There are not a lot of choices if you want intel + nvidia gpu + a pci tv card

[FernetMenta]

I do most of my development on a D-2700 (ID80) and have just got my D-2700.itx for my new box. It will also run the tv server.

Note that GUI rendering is done by OpenGL (GPU) not the CPU. If you hit the limits of the GPU you will also observe high load on the CPU.

Also note:
There are some issues with vdpau in current mainline version which can cause occasional stutter. I am in the process of integrating my changes which cure this.

[Zenith]

Zotac D2700-ITX WiFi Supreme

OUCH!
200 euros for an atom board...apart from size...what's the gain?
A g530 (39 euro)+ geforce 610 (34 euro)+ h67 itx board (70 euros) is cheaper and has higher performance...

[FernetMenta]

what's the gain?

If you place a graphics card in the single available pci-e slot you need to look for a USB tv tuner.

It depends on what you intend to do with a HTPC. In my opinion a GT620 is oversized and draws alone 49W. I don't think you get a passive model for €34.

EDIT: my current box in my living room has an E5200, a GT220, and an external tv tuner. It was a lot of work getting the power supply for the tv tuner through the box. (You don't want to have the tuner powered all the time).
Just posting my experience, I won't go for the current setup again.

[Zenith]

You can get a 520 or 610 passive ( 520 rebrand) for 34/37 euro in Germany too

http://geizhals.at/de/712255
http://geizhals.at/de/631074
http://geizhals.at/de/782326

[Nimo]

an i3 with hd2k or hd3k is enough power. or you wait for ivy bridge i3 with better 24p. i use the i3-2120t passive and get without dxva2/dxva round 15% cpu usage with 30gb mkv. at first i want to buy an dedicated gpu but now i dont want (thought about gt520).