Hi all Just wanted to check what your opinions are on these components for a HTPC I'm thinking of building. It will be used to play blu-ray discs (1080p and bit-streaming HD audio) and various web players (Netflix, iPlayer etc). I already have an old micro ATX case and PSU as well as a blu-ray drive so I just need the main components. Also got spare HDDs. Looking for relatively low power and cheap components here's what I've chosen (I could probably go even lower power but I don't want to cut it close as I'm decoding blu-ray discs which can be quite taxing, and I don't want a sluggish OS). As an added benefit If i wanted i could play old or indie games on it too. GPU: Asus HD 6570 1GB - £47 CPU: AMD A4 5300 3.4GHz - £40 MB: Asrock FM2A55M-DGS A55 - £40 RAM: Corsair 4GB DDR3 1600MHz Vengeance LP - £17 Total - £144 Does this sound reasonable? Thanks Igniseus
I would drop the GPU in favor of higher model CPU A10 with a good cooler. As you want the HTPC to be silent if possible. No need for a GPU with an FM2 CPU. Less fans and parts reduce noise and heat production. Even with just that CPU you would be overpowered for just consuming media: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu.php?gpu=Radeon+HD+7480D Also better to spend the GPU £ on higher speed RAM as it affects the iGP in the CPU. Also check this out: ODD Drive that auto reduces speed while watching movies to reduce noise. (possible future upgrade)
Thanks for the advise. The reason I chose a dedicated GPU is for the full, latest HDMI spec and support of bit-streaming DTS-HD Master Audio and the like as well as ensuring smooth stutter free playback of high bit-rate discs. I've read the 6450 card struggles with blu-ray for some so I just don't want to take any chances. As I understand an A10 would have the power to decode the blu-ray without issue but would a cheap motherboard have the required HDMI support I require?.
Its a 5.1 all in one Onkyo set. All my HDMI connections go to its receiver (which supports full HDMI 1.4a, DTS-HD MA etc) and then it outputs via HDMI the video feed to TV.
Oh sweet nice set up I would go with a dedicated sound card instead of a GPU. there are great SUB soundcard but they start at £150 for something worthwhile. could get a Bering for the interim if it doesnt work out with the standard HDMI out put. strange IMO to spend so much on sound and not buy a sound card.
End of teh day if he is using a HiFi seperate system all the PC will used for is a source so long as its clear its fine and runnin it via combined HDMI will do the job nicely, i personally would have favoured a 630/640GTX over the 6570 as you get another Gb of RAM on it
Sadly optical doesnt support DTS-HD MA or Dolby Digital TrueHD, they are HDMI only formats, which was a small part of the reason for buying the Onkyo. For the last few years i've been using my primary gaming PC as a HTPC as well but I have moved my PC out of the living room so its no longer an option, hence the need for new PC. My gaming PC has a 6950 and that was perfect for sending video + bit-streamed audio, hence why i was going to stick with a dedicated GPU solution, would rather do it right even if a little overkill. Plus, its not like I'm playing compressed MKV rips with DTS or AC3 sound.
http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?Model=FM2A55M-DGS is this the MB? There is no HDMI there at all!
Yeah that's the one, no HDMI isn't a problem though if I stick with my plan to use a dedicated GPU for AV output. Will have to use a different MB if I drop the GPU though.
Budget AMD processors are generally a bit slower than similarly priced Intels, though the integrated graphics chip is usually faster. If you're not going to use the integrated GPU, have you considered an Intel CPU? Check out the Celeron G5xx and Pentium G6xx series. I didn't find any benchmarks of the A4-5300 though, so I cannot say for sure whether it's slower.
