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<blockquote data-quote="PLeblanc" data-source="post: 16999" data-attributes="member: 11495">I'm thinking along the lines of rtv.&nbsp; Why not look into an xpress200 mobo, with onboard video?&nbsp; That plus an athlon64 venice ought to put you into very small power usage, and not cost an arm and a leg.&nbsp; The xpress200 has the onboard equivalent of an x300, so it should have dxva (hardware assist for mpeg2) and allow you to play all but the most recent games.&nbsp; For example, I've seen some reviews talking abour 14fps with Doom3, but over 30fps with Far Cry.&nbsp; Not bad for onboard graphics!There are supposed to be xpress 200 boards for intel chips too (I only say this based on stuff I read at anandtech), so you don't have to invest in a new processor.&nbsp; But it saves you the cost of a graphics board, and it saves you the extra 50+ watts of a graphics board, and the noise and heat.&nbsp; Isn't this thing going to live in your living room?&nbsp; If so, noise and heat should be a big concern to you.&nbsp; So maybe the cost of the Athlon64, being more energy efficient then the p4, and hence cooler and quieter, isn't such a bad place to put your money.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="PLeblanc, post: 16999, member: 11495"] I'm thinking along the lines of rtv. Why not look into an xpress200 mobo, with onboard video? That plus an athlon64 venice ought to put you into very small power usage, and not cost an arm and a leg. The xpress200 has the onboard equivalent of an x300, so it should have dxva (hardware assist for mpeg2) and allow you to play all but the most recent games. For example, I've seen some reviews talking abour 14fps with Doom3, but over 30fps with Far Cry. Not bad for onboard graphics! There are supposed to be xpress 200 boards for intel chips too (I only say this based on stuff I read at anandtech), so you don't have to invest in a new processor. But it saves you the cost of a graphics board, and it saves you the extra 50+ watts of a graphics board, and the noise and heat. Isn't this thing going to live in your living room? If so, noise and heat should be a big concern to you. So maybe the cost of the Athlon64, being more energy efficient then the p4, and hence cooler and quieter, isn't such a bad place to put your money. [/QUOTE]

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