Which processor for a new HTPC build
Which processor for a new HTPC build
Hey,
I am considering doing an HTPC/DVR/PVR machine the right way. (nice looking case, quiet, something that the wife doesn't look at and want to shoot me for). I've got pretty good plans for most everything, but I'm wondering if AMD or Intel is doing best for the low-power processors. This thing won't need a lot of power since I plan to have hardware encoding/decoding and I mainly want something that can be cooled passively, or very lazily if it has to be actively cooled.
So.....AMD or Intel?
I am considering doing an HTPC/DVR/PVR machine the right way. (nice looking case, quiet, something that the wife doesn't look at and want to shoot me for). I've got pretty good plans for most everything, but I'm wondering if AMD or Intel is doing best for the low-power processors. This thing won't need a lot of power since I plan to have hardware encoding/decoding and I mainly want something that can be cooled passively, or very lazily if it has to be actively cooled.
So.....AMD or Intel?
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.0GHz
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
AMD 4850 best bang for the buck. Pair it with a 780g motherboard.
-----------------------------------------------------
- CoolerMaster Elite 330
- Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 @ 3.16ghz (9.5 x 333 @ 1.12 volts)
- Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
- 4 GB G-Skill DDR2 800
- Asus 8800GT 512mb w/Glaciator Fansink
- Antec Trio TruePower 650w
- CoolerMaster Elite 330
- Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 @ 3.16ghz (9.5 x 333 @ 1.12 volts)
- Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
- 4 GB G-Skill DDR2 800
- Asus 8800GT 512mb w/Glaciator Fansink
- Antec Trio TruePower 650w
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
EDIT:
I'm a big dummy and i looked up the processor. Why would AMD/ATI name a processor and a video card the 4850....that's just bad.
I'm a big dummy and i looked up the processor. Why would AMD/ATI name a processor and a video card the 4850....that's just bad.
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.0GHz
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
Actually I think it's called the "4850e" to be precise. My bad.jakegub wrote:EDIT:
I'm a big dummy and i looked up the processor. Why would AMD/ATI name a processor and a video card the 4850....that's just bad.
-----------------------------------------------------
- CoolerMaster Elite 330
- Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 @ 3.16ghz (9.5 x 333 @ 1.12 volts)
- Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
- 4 GB G-Skill DDR2 800
- Asus 8800GT 512mb w/Glaciator Fansink
- Antec Trio TruePower 650w
- CoolerMaster Elite 330
- Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 @ 3.16ghz (9.5 x 333 @ 1.12 volts)
- Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
- 4 GB G-Skill DDR2 800
- Asus 8800GT 512mb w/Glaciator Fansink
- Antec Trio TruePower 650w
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
Here is the HTPC I put together last week. - the case is very nice for a sub $100 HTPC case.. and it blends right in with all my other components. I didnt put a TV tuner in mine because I wouldnt be using it to record TV or capture video. picked up everything from newegg. only thing that hasnt worked out as hoped is the keyboard and mouse. The single doesnt reach my couch about 8-10 feet away. - I use mine for gaming also so I had to go with ah higher end video card.
nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $89.99
Intel E7400 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor $119.99
ZOTAC GeForce 7050 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $44.99
EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB $154
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $5 (nice find with the rebate)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $99
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA $22
OCZ StealthXStream 500W $25
Logitech EX 110 Black USB + PS/2 Standard Cordless Desktop Keyboard & Mouse Kit $30
nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum / Acrylic / Steel HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center / HTPC Case $89.99
Intel E7400 2.8GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor $119.99
ZOTAC GeForce 7050 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard $44.99
EVGA GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB $154
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 $5 (nice find with the rebate)
Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive $99
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner SATA $22
OCZ StealthXStream 500W $25
Logitech EX 110 Black USB + PS/2 Standard Cordless Desktop Keyboard & Mouse Kit $30
Core i5-6500 - Corsair Vengence 16GB DDR4 2133 - MSI 2080Ti - Antec 750W - Crucial 525GB SSD - Windows 10 64bit - ASUS 32" LED
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
Smack it looks like you have a nice HTPC.
I'm going with the Antec Fusion case and I think the 4850e or the 5050e are looking pretty good because of the 45W aspect. Seems more likely to be able to handle passive cooling.
I'm going with the Antec Fusion case and I think the 4850e or the 5050e are looking pretty good because of the 45W aspect. Seems more likely to be able to handle passive cooling.
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.0GHz
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
- Illuminati
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Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
I like the Antec Fusion case with the integrated IR sensor that works with the Logitech Harmony Universal Remotes!
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
I do really like the Antec Fusion case. - I was already a bit higher than what I had hoped to spend so I had to cut costs on the case.
Core i5-6500 - Corsair Vengence 16GB DDR4 2133 - MSI 2080Ti - Antec 750W - Crucial 525GB SSD - Windows 10 64bit - ASUS 32" LED
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
I second that 4850e or 5050e with a 780G combined with a Cooler Master Gemini Dual Cooler. I only put one fan on mine and can't even hear it.
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Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
I recently built a HTPC with an E7400 and a Gigabyte GeForce 9400 mATX. Its a good quiet combo.. even with the stock Intel heatsink. The Case I used was a HEC 7KJ9, its a decent case for under $50.
TooT! TooT!
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
You all have me pretty excited about the 4850e. Also it looks like the 790gx is the best chipset out now so I may be hitting that up.
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 3.0GHz
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3R
2x1gb G.Skill DDR2-800 4-4-3-5
eVGA 8800GT SC with Akimbo cooling Kit
WinXP Pro
Dell 2405fpw @1920x1200
All wrapped up in a Lian-Li PC-G70a
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
I'm surprised no one has asked this yet...
What is your ultimate goal for your HTPC? I have mine setup to run SageTV and record TV for me and that's it, no gaming, etc... Unfortunately I don't have HD satellite so it's all SD video at this point. What I have in it is probably a bit of overkill but I had to do something with my old guts when I put together my C2Q system.
My HTPC history/progression...
1-Athlon T-Bird w/ GeForce 5600nu
2-Sempron 64 w/ GeForce 6800nu
3-Opteron 170 w/ Radeon HD3450
4-C2D E6750 w/ GeForce 8800GTS
What is your ultimate goal for your HTPC? I have mine setup to run SageTV and record TV for me and that's it, no gaming, etc... Unfortunately I don't have HD satellite so it's all SD video at this point. What I have in it is probably a bit of overkill but I had to do something with my old guts when I put together my C2Q system.
My HTPC history/progression...
1-Athlon T-Bird w/ GeForce 5600nu
2-Sempron 64 w/ GeForce 6800nu
3-Opteron 170 w/ Radeon HD3450
4-C2D E6750 w/ GeForce 8800GTS
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
The folks over at AVS forum speak highly of these cpu's for their HTPC builds. If you want to go with something from Intel an E7200 should be more than sufficient. If you think for whatever reason you might need processing cores the now price dropped Q8200 seems pretty good.GI-JOE wrote:AMD 4850 best bang for the buck. Pair it with a 780g motherboard.
- mr_noname111
- Legit Aficionado
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Mon Dec 26, 2005 9:09 pm
Re: Which processor for a new HTPC build
Intel if you are going to game, AMD 4850e if you aren't.
Main Rig: E8400@3600mhz, Asus P5Q, OCZ 4GB, EVGA GTX260 216, Corsair HX520, Antec 300, Samsung 2443BW
HTPC1: E5200@2500mhz, EVGA 780i SLI, OCZ 2GB, Asus 9600GSO, OCZ GameXStream 600W, LG 47LG70 LCD TV
HTPC2: E6500@3300mhz, DFI DK X48 T2RS, Kingston 2GB, Palit 9800GT Green, BFG 550W, Acer H5360 720p 120hz Projector
HTPC1: E5200@2500mhz, EVGA 780i SLI, OCZ 2GB, Asus 9600GSO, OCZ GameXStream 600W, LG 47LG70 LCD TV
HTPC2: E6500@3300mhz, DFI DK X48 T2RS, Kingston 2GB, Palit 9800GT Green, BFG 550W, Acer H5360 720p 120hz Projector