Would this motherboard be able to play 1080p? (1 Viewer)

[F3NG3R]

Hey

I found this mobo when looking for the cheapest way to build a full HD htpc.

ASRock Motherboard - Product - ALiveNF7G-FullHD R3.0 - Overview

But I don't know if it'll be able to handle 1080p movies?

You're also very welcome to give me some advices about htpc hardware. Must admit i dont really know much about it, only that my current setup is a bit laggy when playing normal divx files:

AMD Athlon 64 3400+
1 GB memory
GeForce 6800LE 128 MB
200 GB sata HD

My goal is to end up with a mediacenter that can view and record analog and digital tv (no need for HD yet, but I would like to have the posibility to upgrade later), and playback full HD 1080p even while recording.

I've decided to use Antec Fusion Black as the case, so hardware suggestions will have to fit that case.

Thank you in advance

 

[lloydsmart]

The page you linked to says "Nvidia PureVideo Ready", so that means it does support DXVA (hardware acceleration for video decoding), so yes, it should be able to handle 1080p with the right codecs installed (MPC). hth

 

[Spragleknas]

1080p is not the biggset problem - 1080i is worse.

I would recommend you to get either:
AMD:
780G w/HD3200 from ATI
or 8200/8300 IGP from nVidia
+ a HT3 capable CPU (AM2+), like the 7750 (cheapest HT3)

Intel:
9300/9400 IGP from nvidia
+ a e5200/e5300 or better.

 

[F3NG3R]

So buying this mobo:

Newegg.com - ASUS M3N78-EM AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8300 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards

And this cpu

Newegg.com - AMD Athlon 64 X2 7750 Kuma 2.7GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 95W Dual-Core black edition Processor - Processors - Desktops

should do?

 

[Spragleknas]

Yup

Or you could save som bucks going for a less Watt demanding and cheaper 4x50E and later (if/when needed) get a PhenomII (45nm).

Personaly I'd go for the 9300IGP + Intel e5200 (but I do like AMD/ATi)

 

[F3NG3R]

But i can see that the 9300 mobo is a bit pricier.. is it worth that?

 

[lloydsmart]

I went with the ASUS M3N78-PRO, very similar to the one you found on Newegg. I went a bit overboard with the processor, going for the Phenom X4 9950, but the one you suggested should do the job fine. I've had great results with this board and can't praise it enough. I'm using the HDMI output and getting beautiful 1080p and 7.1ch uncompressed surround greatness, all with a CPU load of about 5%!

It's your call weather to go for the 9300. I prefer AMD for CPUs and Nvidia for graphics, but I know a lot of people seem to go for Intel CPUs nowadays so if that appeals to you go for the 9300.

 

[Paranoid Delusion]

and make sure you use 2 sticks of matching memory, otherwise all above a bit of a waste

Might be tempted to go with gigabyte rather than Asus, better standby support from what I have read

 

[Spragleknas]

And better audio, I'd think
(But often more expensive)

 

[F3NG3R]

Thanks for all your replies

I think I'll buy this set of hardware:

ASUS M3N78-EM AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8300 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard
Athlon X2 5050e 1 MB (AMD Processor in a Box (PIB)) (Cooler (fansink))
OCZ Technology 4GB KIT DDR2 PC2-8500 1066MHz CL5
Antec NeoPower 500W ATX12V v2.2

And the Antec Fusion case.

Would that work as intended?