Budget build (1 Viewer)

[ftmining2]

Hi there,

Im building a basic HTPC for my parents. Im looking to not have any overkill at all. Just the basic hardware/lowest cost needed. Usage will be:

Dual dvb-s2 tuner for freesat in the UK
MP plugins for BBC iPlayer/ITVPlayer/4OD/netflix/lovefilm (if there are plugins for these)
Recording of live TV
Firefox, basic browsing, maybe some streetview etc.
Win 7
This system to act as server and client, and also to serve another client via lan

Will not be used for Bluray but possibly the odd DVD
Will not be used for local video like avi/mkv etc.



So pretty basic usage I think, yes? Will this hardware do it?

ASRock H61M-HVS - http://www.asrock.com/mb/overview.asp?model=h61m-hvs
Intel Celeron G550 - http://ark.intel.com/products/53418/Intel-Celeron-Processor-G550-2M-Cache-2_60-GHz
2x2GB of some kind of DDR3 1333Mhz Ram
2TB Samsung F4 Ecogreen
My current 250GB 2.5in 7200rpm laptop HD, but probably some reasonable 64GB SSD later if needed
Some 250W or 300W PSU, or will it need higher/lower?
Some mATX case to be decided


Cant think of anything else right now. Would be grateful for any help.

Many thanks.

 

[kiwijunglist]

250-300W would be plenty for that kind of system
Also look at Intel G6XX cpu eg. Intel G620 and Intel G8XX cpu eg. Intel G850
and also AMD A-4 cpu

 

[Owlsroost]

If it's going to be used for HDTV, I think the AMD 'A' series APUs are probably a better balance of CPU/GPU performance than the low-end Intel parts e.g. http://www.scan.co.uk/products/amd-...e-36ghz-amd-radeon-hd-7540d-760mhz-65w-retail

Tony

 

[kiwijunglist]

^ lots of people say the integrated GPU is better on the AMD 'A' series vs the Budget Intel Series (HD2000 integrated gpu), however they are mostly referring to gaming, not sure if it has the same advantage with HD video (probably does).

I do know that if you wanted 1080i support for within mediaportal I wouldn't recommend the HD2000 gpu, should be fine for 1080P though. If you were wanting 1080i support and integrated intel gpu you would need to look at the cpu's that have HD3000 iGPU eg. Intel i3-2105.

 

[Owlsroost]

Having more GPU stream processors available usually means better quality hardware de-interlacing, and also allows more GPU video noise filtering and sharpening i.e. good 1080i video handling is probably as demanding on the GPU as gaming. This is certainly true for AMD and nVidia, not sure how Intel handles de-interlacing etc.

Tony

 

[kiwijunglist]

ive heard that hd2000 struggles in some environments with deinterlacing 1080i and hd3000 is fine

 

[Owlsroost]

Yes, and the 'Gxxx' series GPU is HD2000 with some features removed and a lower maximum GPU clock frequency.

Tony

 

[ftmining2]

Thank you for the responses guys. I have been having a rethink given what you say and see that my first choice might have been cutting it too fine. I have been looking at both options you discuss and it looks like the AMD A6 w/ A75 mobo will be about £110 and the i3 w/ mobo about £155-£160.

Obviously id rather go with the £110. So just to confirm, the Radeon HD 7540D on the A6 5400k should hopefully handle the 1080i OK then yes? Is it better or worse than the HD 3000? I assume not as powerful, but will I see any difference given my usage?

Thanks again. Definitely saved me a wrong move!

 

[kiwijunglist]

I don't know much about the integrated AMD GPUs, but you could do a forum search "A6 1080i" and "HD 7540D 1080i". I know the onboard HD4250 is supposed to struggle with 1080i.

I can say that HD2000, HD3000, and the AMD option all would have no problem with 1080p

The HD3000 is probably not very good value as the i3-2105 cpu costs a lot more than the i3-2100, at that price you could probably buy a CPU (either i3-2100 or Intel GXX) + HD6450

http://wiki.team-mediaportal.com/4_HTPC/HTPC_Hardware/Video_Cards_(GPUs)/Intel_-_Onboard_GPUs

If you find any useful information or pages regarding 1080i and the onboard AMD graphics then please post the link in the thread and I'll add the information to the wiki.

 

[Owlsroost]

No personal experience of the A6 5400k, but from the reviews I've looked at the onboard GPU seems to be a bit faster than the HD6450, so in theory it should be OK with 1080i to a 1920 x 1080p display.

Tony