[Windows] XBMC Build
#1
I'm trying to put together a build for XBMC on windows tell me what you guys think?

Antec ISK 300
H55N USB 3
I3-540
MSI GT 430
Replacement Fortron 270 80+ psu
4 GB 1600 G.Skill Ripjaws

What would you change? Or do you guys think I'm all set?

Thanks for the input!
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#2
What SSD for the OS drive?

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#3
I believe that the MSI GT 430 won't fit in that Antec ISK 300 case. Maybe this 32 gig SSD for Win 7 32 bit?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product

What you think Poofy?
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#4
updogg Wrote:I'm trying to put together a build for XBMC on windows tell me what you guys think?

Antec ISK 300
H55N USB 3
I3-540
MSI GT 430
Replacement Fortron 270 80+ psu
4 GB 1600 G.Skill Ripjaws

What would you change? Or do you guys think I'm all set?

Thanks for the input!

A regular PSU (or even an SFF one) won't fit in that case.
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#5
costi makes a good point. You will not fit a third party PSU in that case (without major modding), and the included will not be powerful enough for an i3 + discrete graphics card. I suggest you either change your case, or choose an embedded solution.
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#6
Yes a fortron 270 will fit in place of the included power, and yes the MSI 430 will not fit but the EVGA and PNY versions will.

Here is a picture of the power supply: http://i.imgur.com/kht6Ql.jpg
Picture 2: http://i.imgur.com/mUBLel.jpg

Here is the Graphics card that will fit: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product

You can get the half height adapter from the Evga site.
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#7
Beer40oz Wrote:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product

What you think Poofy?

I'm not poofy but I bet he feels the same: NEVER touch an SSD with jmicron controller inside, I don't even care if it's a new generation one.

for the GT430: please be aware that this thing only makes sense if you really want HD audio bitstreaming and/or some gaming power.
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#8
That wasn't me who posted that (the op) but when I do go SSD for my build it will be sandforce based.

I plan on running XBMC and want the possibility for some light gaming.
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#9
I've looked at benchmark results and the gt 430 and the 5570 and it looks like the 5570 is the better card by a long shot as seen here in this article. http://www.anandtech.com/show/3973/nvidi...e-gt-430/4

Would their be any reason not to go with the 5570 in my case if I don't care about 3D?
This is the card I would go with:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...-_-Product
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#10
updogg Wrote:I've looked at benchmark results and the gt 430 and the 5570 and it looks like the 5570 is the better card by a long shot as seen here in this article. http://www.anandtech.com/show/3973/n...force-gt-430/4

Your link is broke but I have seen the article. By the raw scores of that test AMD is superior but that is due a lot of pulldown tests for weird formats that the Nvidia driver can't do. Technically you should pass all video along to the TV as it is and let the TV do the pulldown in all cases. I guess if you playback a lot of home shot semi-pro video go AMD all the way is what I get from that article.

After lots of testing, reading and buying I have personally come to the conclusion that Nvidia's decoding is much more robust than any other GPU company, including AMD. What tests like those DON'T compare is tone of different encodes. I have a HUGE media library of HD content and I can tell you from playing back on many different HTPCs I have built that nothing beats Nvidia.

In fact, in decoding robustness it goes in this order:

1.CPU
2. Nvidia
3. AMD
4. Broadcom
5. Intel (haven't tried absolutely newest stuff though)

CPU plays everything. So does Nvidia, but sometimes on the worst encodes the Nvidia drop the file (4 out of 1000). I had a 5450 and it played all but maybe 55 out of 1000 on Windows. On those though often it would play, but with visual artifacts or problems. Some of them were for small parts, some the whole movie. These encodes always screwed over the Broadcom and Intels as well, plus many more (10-15%). I will admit though I don't have any camcorder files in my library though.

Technically on Windows 7 with the newest drivers AMD GPUs will deliver quality equal (or better for some home made content) to Nvidia GPUs. Most of my worst encodes were older, and most stuff you find now sticks to standards better. A 5570 is a safe play. but I don't think it is outright a better one. I think GT430 is the best HTPC card on the planet due to Nvidia's superior decoder and its guaranteed futureproof HDMI 1.4.

But for you in this situation go AMD since it is a better deal for you.

Sorry for the long rant, but I have never fully expressed my opinion on the good ole AMD vs Nvidia clash...

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#11
This is exactly the kind of feedback I was looking for, actual user experience tops reviews any day of the week. But in my situation, where 3D doesn't matter and I'll be doing 95% of my own encoding of videos would it matter which I chose? I'm not going to be downloading 1000s of videos encoded in a hundred different formats so should I have to worry?
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