[il_marcello]

Hi to all,

I looked through the threads in this forum to get some insight, but I'm really overwhelmed with the amount of information and I'm a bit lost.

As I mentioned in another thread I was building an HTPC based on the asus e35m1-i deluxe motherboard, but I had to return it because it choked on any HD video. It was choppy with 720p, unbearable with 1080p videos. Not sure if it was a defective unit or some error on my part, but I really tried everything.

So now I want to build a powerful HTPC that will allow me to view HD video smoothly, run twonkymedia DLNA server fot the TVs in other rooms of the house and a web server for development.

I will be using linux (probably xubuntu). I am wondering what would be the best mobo/processor/graphic card combo for the job.

I don't have big budget restrictions, so I'd rather spend a few € more but have a durable system. The only restriction is that it should be a mini-itx mobo, so that I can reuse the old case.

Any suggestion?

Thanks!
Marcello

[Emisand]

Hi,

For Linux I would recommend you to get an nVidia dGPU.
You can get a Low Profile GT 430, or a GT 520.

If you want powerful graphics, 4K movies capable, then you can get a Low Profile GT 640.

If you want a regular sized video card, then you can get a GTX 650, it i's capable of decoding any video, even 4K and also most of the games.

So I see you will use a mini-itx mobo, then you can one of this:
- Gigabyte Z77N-WIFI
- Gigabyte H77N-WIFI

Those 2 motherboards are great because they have WIFI, but they also have 2x 1 Gbps Ethernet NIC, so that's great for the media server or SMB/NFS server.
They also have optical output, if you want to bitstream audio using optical interface.

Finally, the processor, you can choose any Ivy bridge you like.
If you will only use dedicated graphics, an i3-3220 is fine.
If you want to use integrated graphics, then an i3-3225 is better (it has HD4000 graphics)

[RaggSokk3n]

If you're not going to game you do not need dedicated GPU.
I would go for a i3 3220t in mini itx, it has a good enough igpu and a very powerful CPU.
Pick any h series motherboard for the 1155 socket that has the I/o you need

[il_marcello]

Thank you all for your replies.

So, if I understood correctly an i3 / HD4000 is enough for viewing 1080p video? I see that a i5/HD4000 doesn't cost too much more, would it be worth the difference or would the money be wasted?

Will these combinations require a cooling fan?

Thanks for your patience.
Marcello