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meridius · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-04, 13:58 by meridius.)

hi all

going to be building a htpc for the bedroom and was wanting to know if the i3-4330 was ok to run every single video format out threre as i have alot of full blurays on my server that use full bitrate.

alos would it handle full bluray 3d in the future if xbmc supports it. and will it alos handle the full hd audios as i will be using the built in gfx of the i3

hte last question is there any settings i need to change for the i3 gfx chip as i have another pc that has a ati and i basicly turn all the settings off for the picture as it can cause problems and poor quality

thanks for any help

**Dougie Fresh** · 2013-09-04, 14:22

The first generation Clarkdale i3 could do all this so the fourth generation Haswell i3 will do it no problem.

~~Robotica~~ · 2013-09-04, 14:39

Did you already find (thin) moni-itx mobo's supporting those Haswells?

This Haswell i3 seems the only new Haswell (thnx to hd4000 GPU) with value added for Htpc usage.

meridius · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-04, 21:23 by meridius.)

thanks

wanted the T version but can not find it.

so the haswell chips are fine then ? no problems running anything from video to audio.

i dont know what to go for

Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Socket 1150 Quad Core
or
Intel CPU i3-4330 3.5GHz Socket 1150 Dual Core

as theres only £30 difference in price

i know the i5 is a 84w and the i3 is a 54w so the i3 should run much cooler than the i5 i would of thought. just want it to play all bluray and 3d media types without problems

cheers

**Dougie Fresh** · 2013-09-04, 21:28

No thin mini-ITX motherboards yet Sad

i3 is more than enough. Spend the 30 quid on a bigger SSD.

bobdapunk · 2013-09-04, 21:29

Waiting on the i3-4330T to become available for my combination HTPC/NAS.

**Dougie Fresh** · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-04, 21:34 by Dougie Fresh.)

You can get the i3-4330 and undervolt/underclock it. Any chipset will let you reduce the multiplier. It's increasing the multiplier you need a K chip for. Even w/o the undervolt/underclock at idle and 1080p viewing, the T and non-T will use the same power. It's only at the top end, towards full load, that the non-T uses more power.

~~Robotica~~ · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-06, 19:47 by Robotica.)

Both of them or more than capable (read: Topnotch!) x86 HTPC SoC's; that's easy.

In my opinion it pays of to buy a i3, with a lower TDP, like the Core i3-4130T (if available). The missing extra clockspeed (compared to i5) is excessive for dedicated HTPC-usage like yours (and most others): It won't play any Bluray better nor you will have lag in the GUI. Also, you can add the power consumption savings over the lifetime of your HTPC to your saved 45 pounds ;--)

However, for gaming it might be interesting to choose processors with HD4600 graphics. Besides extra CPU speed, the GPU in there is more powerfull and if you're willing to pay the extra price: Do it!
(in that case I think it's better to buy a AMD A10-6800k (with integrated HD 8670D; around Intel HD5000 performance; more FPS for a better price and an upgrade path to Kaveri with the FM2+ socket / A88X chipset. You even can add an extra 10 pounds to your saving thanks to a cheaper motherboard.)

(@thanks Dougie for your informative posts. Hopefully DQ77KB gets a BIOS update to support those new Haswells)

**Dougie Fresh** · 2013-09-04, 22:19

You're very welcome.

Unfortunately, the DQ77KB is a different socket (SNB/IVB 1155 pins vs Haswell 1150 pins). It'll require a new thin min-ITX motherboard.

meridius · 2013-09-05, 20:43

whats the difference between a intel hd5000 and hd4600 gfx chip for playing movies ?

**Dougie Fresh** · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-05, 20:50 by Dougie Fresh.)

(2013-09-05, 20:43)meridius Wrote: whats the difference between a intel hd5000 and hd4600 gfx chip for playing movies ?

There should be no perceivable difference for HTPC usage. I'd expect some feature differences, maybe better gaming. The HD5000 (Iris) will certainly be much pricier. That's my guess anyway.

HD5000 will only be available in SoC Haswells (so, NUC or if there every is a mini-ITX version or laptops/tablets). It will not be available in a desktop CPU.

~~Robotica~~ · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-05, 23:44 by Robotica.)

(2013-09-05, 20:43)meridius Wrote: whats the difference between a intel hd5000 and hd4600 gfx chip for playing movies ?

Possible higher bitrates for movies but that's a non-issue for standalone devices and for current available content. If you would like to transcode(stream) to multiple devices (which almost ready, GSOC 2013) it might give your more options for future usage.

For now it doesn't bring you anything for htpc usage, except extra costs. Even for gaming it only gives you extra FPS.

bobdapunk · 2013-09-05, 21:03

I'm still leaning towards waiting on the T version. Don't you think that intel will take the chips that are binned to run cooler and perform better underclocked/undervolted to turn into the T version? I will definitely pay $10-20 more for the peace of mind of official 35W tdp - hopefully they drop soon.

meridius · (This post was last modified: 2013-09-05, 22:11 by meridius.)

Thanks both

I have not seen any t versions for sale ?

**Dougie Fresh** · 2013-09-05, 23:08

(2013-09-05, 21:03)bobdapunk Wrote: I'm still leaning towards waiting on the T version. Don't you think that intel will take the chips that are binned to run cooler and perform better underclocked/undervolted to turn into the T version? I will definitely pay $10-20 more for the peace of mind of official 35W tdp - hopefully they drop soon.

I know that AMD used to do this with their "e" processors but I haven't read Intel doing something similar.

At low loads they (Intel CPUs) will all, T or non-T use the same power. Because of the TDP rating, the non-T is allowed to be clocked higher and use more power at the higher state.

When I buy a 'T' processor it's to save money on not having to also buy a low-profile CPU cooler.