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Yes, I probably should qualify my answers. I do think that your tone is unnessary, though...

If you have unlimited funds, I would go with the best of everything. Given that you, like most of us, have a limited supply of $, I would scale back on certain components, and either use those $ on other aspects of the HTPC, or beer =)

ram
I have seen reports of users removing ram sticks one at a time when playing back HD MPEG2 video files, where the performance was essentially constant from 512MB and up. This makes sense, as you are streaming a file from disk that is to large to fit into ram anyways.

In this guide, the author recommends 512 MB ram, after conversations with one of the guys ("Andy") behind ffdshow (sadly in norwegian):
http://www.hardware.no/guider/hele_maskiner/htpc_trinn_for_trinn_-_del_2/13774/2 .Translated:

"7. There is no need for large amounts of memory, 512MB is enough.."

sound card
If you only want a spdif pass-through, any card that can pass a bit-perfect signal will do. I can`t see why an expensive soundblaster give any advantage to more modest spdif equipped cards for pure HTPC use. For gaming, the situation may change somewhat.

If you want analog output, other cards may have better connectors, and more "professional" DAC/drivers/bass management etc.

I had a soundblaster live and was fed up with the 30MB+ driver/bloatware that wasnt stable, and issues with hardware-resampling. The soundblaster label has had a very marked impact on pass through up until recently when I last checked (core running at 48kHz so 96kHz pass through was actually down-sampled, processed, then upsampled!)

graphics
After my post, the thread starter added that he will use the PC for newer PC games. In that case, my original post does not apply. I have yet to see a objective reason why HTPC users should go for anything faster than a passive GF6600GT (for pure video processing), or 6200 or equivalent (for ffdshow processing).

CPU
x2 processors are really expensive. Any application that does not support dual threads will benefit 0 % compared to a single core if that is the only application running. Even a multi-threaded application may see little improvement if the usage is not symmetric. This is confirmed by a test at www.anandtech.com where they had to use many applications at the same time to see significant benefits of dual core vs single core processors. Do you think this is a common use of HTPCs? This may change as applications are changed to reflect the hardware situation, but then processor prices will also drop. A 3000+ will probably be cooler and a lot less expensive that a x2 4800. In 6 months a faster processor thatn the 4800 may be bought for half the price...

PSU
Tests at www.silentpcreview.com shows that even the most power-thirsty systems consume more than 200W at full load. Tests at the same site shows that PSUs have a "sweetspot" where their efficiency peaks. This means that a 600W PSU used in a 150W system will develop more heat than a 300W PSU in the sme system if all other variables are equal. And it will cost far less.

So, chili, I dont know if you still think this is crap, but I have tried to explain my meanings as good as possible, with relevant links where I could remember.

best regards
Knut Inge

<blockquote data-quote="knutinh" data-source="post: 27251" data-attributes="member: 14776">Yes, I probably should qualify my answers. I do think that your tone is unnessary, though...If you have unlimited funds, I would go with the best of everything. Given that you, like most of us, have a limited supply of $, I would scale back on certain components, and either use those $ on other aspects of the HTPC, or beer =)ramI have seen reports of users removing ram sticks one at a time when playing back HD MPEG2 video files, where the performance was essentially constant from 512MB and up. This makes sense, as you are streaming a file from disk that is to large to fit into ram anyways.In this guide, the author recommends 512 MB ram, after conversations with one of the guys (&quot;Andy&quot;) behind ffdshow (sadly in norwegian):<a href="http://www.hardware.no/guider/hele_maskiner/htpc_trinn_for_trinn_-_del_2/13774/2" target="_blank">http://www.hardware.no/guider/hele_maskiner/htpc_trinn_for_trinn_-_del_2/13774/2</a> .Translated:&quot;7. There is no need for large amounts of memory, 512MB is enough..&quot;sound card If you only want a spdif pass-through, any card that can pass a bit-perfect signal will do. I can`t see why an expensive soundblaster give any advantage to more modest spdif equipped cards for pure HTPC use. For gaming, the situation may change somewhat.If you want analog output, other cards may have better connectors, and more &quot;professional&quot; DAC/drivers/bass management etc.I had a soundblaster live and was fed up with the 30MB+ driver/bloatware that wasnt stable, and issues with hardware-resampling. The soundblaster label has had a very marked impact on pass through up until recently when I last checked (core running at 48kHz so 96kHz pass through was actually down-sampled, processed, then upsampled!)graphics After my post, the thread starter added that he will use the PC for newer PC games. In that case, my original post does not apply. I have yet to see a objective reason why HTPC users should go for anything faster than a passive GF6600GT (for pure video processing), or 6200 or equivalent (for ffdshow processing).CPUx2 processors are really expensive. Any application that does not support dual threads will benefit 0 % compared to a single core if that is the only application running. Even a multi-threaded application may see little improvement if the usage is not symmetric. This is confirmed by a test at <a href="http://www.anandtech.com" target="_blank">www.anandtech.com</a> where they had to use many applications at the same time to see significant benefits of dual core vs single core processors. Do you think this is a common use of HTPCs? This may change as applications are changed to reflect the hardware situation, but then processor prices will also drop. A 3000+ will probably be cooler and a lot less expensive that a x2 4800. In 6 months a faster processor thatn the 4800 may be bought for half the price...PSUTests at <a href="http://www.silentpcreview.com" target="_blank">www.silentpcreview.com</a> shows that even the most power-thirsty systems consume more than 200W at full load. Tests at the same site shows that PSUs have a &quot;sweetspot&quot; where their efficiency peaks. This means that a 600W PSU used in a 150W system will develop more heat than a 300W PSU in the sme system if all other variables are equal. And it will cost far less.So, chili, I dont know if you still think this is crap, but I have tried to explain my meanings as good as possible, with relevant links where I could remember.best regardsKnut Inge</blockquote>

[QUOTE="knutinh, post: 27251, member: 14776"] Yes, I probably should qualify my answers. I do think that your tone is unnessary, though... If you have unlimited funds, I would go with the best of everything. Given that you, like most of us, have a limited supply of $, I would scale back on certain components, and either use those $ on other aspects of the HTPC, or beer =) [b]ram[/b] I have seen reports of users removing ram sticks one at a time when playing back HD MPEG2 video files, where the performance was essentially constant from 512MB and up. This makes sense, as you are streaming a file from disk that is to large to fit into ram anyways. In this guide, the author recommends 512 MB ram, after conversations with one of the guys ("Andy") behind ffdshow (sadly in norwegian): [url]http://www.hardware.no/guider/hele_maskiner/htpc_trinn_for_trinn_-_del_2/13774/2[/url] .Translated: "7. There is no need for large amounts of memory, 512MB is enough.." [b]sound card [/b] If you only want a spdif pass-through, any card that can pass a bit-perfect signal will do. I can`t see why an expensive soundblaster give any advantage to more modest spdif equipped cards for pure HTPC use. For gaming, the situation may change somewhat. If you want analog output, other cards may have better connectors, and more "professional" DAC/drivers/bass management etc. I had a soundblaster live and was fed up with the 30MB+ driver/bloatware that wasnt stable, and issues with hardware-resampling. The soundblaster label has had a very marked impact on pass through up until recently when I last checked (core running at 48kHz so 96kHz pass through was actually down-sampled, processed, then upsampled!) [b]graphics [/b] After my post, the thread starter added that he will use the PC for newer PC games. In that case, my original post does not apply. I have yet to see a objective reason why HTPC users should go for anything faster than a passive GF6600GT (for pure video processing), or 6200 or equivalent (for ffdshow processing). [b]CPU[/b] x2 processors are really expensive. Any application that does not support dual threads will benefit 0 % compared to a single core if that is the only application running. Even a multi-threaded application may see little improvement if the usage is not symmetric. This is confirmed by a test at [url]www.anandtech.com[/url] where they had to use many applications at the same time to see significant benefits of dual core vs single core processors. Do you think this is a common use of HTPCs? This may change as applications are changed to reflect the hardware situation, but then processor prices will also drop. A 3000+ will probably be cooler and a lot less expensive that a x2 4800. In 6 months a faster processor thatn the 4800 may be bought for half the price... [b]PSU[/b] Tests at [url]www.silentpcreview.com[/url] shows that even the most power-thirsty systems consume more than 200W at full load. Tests at the same site shows that PSUs have a "sweetspot" where their efficiency peaks. This means that a 600W PSU used in a 150W system will develop more heat than a 300W PSU in the sme system if all other variables are equal. And it will cost far less. So, chili, I dont know if you still think this is crap, but I have tried to explain my meanings as good as possible, with relevant links where I could remember. best regards Knut Inge [/QUOTE]