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| Thread ID: 102966 | 2009-09-07 22:40:00 | CPU upgrade for XBMC | nofam (9009) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 807884 | 2009-09-08 00:58:00 | Cheers Wrat - can you suggest an AMD equivalent of the E8400 and a MoBo with the 780G chipset? I've never used AMD gear before and know even less about it that I do about Intel (which is Sweet FA!! :p) AMD doesn't have an equivalent for the E8400...:p Here's a decent 780G mobo: www.pricespy.co.nz |
Blam (54) | ||
| 807885 | 2009-09-08 01:00:00 | Hmm, well, there isn't really a direct equivalent... a good motherboard would be something like this (www.computerlounge.co.nz)... I love that board. and CPU maybe this (www.computerlounge.co.nz) or this (www.computerlounge.co.nz). I always recommend people stick with Intel for performance machines these days, but for a HTPC you don't need anything super grunty, and IMO the AMD mobos are better value for money if you don't want to add a graphics card, it really doesn't matter a lot. :p IMO the 780G + SB710 (or SB750 when it comes out) is a perfect combo for a medium level HTPC board. |
wratterus (105) | ||
| 807886 | 2009-09-08 01:22:00 | Yeah I think I'll stick with Intel for this actually; I may (if it becomes easy enough!) end up using this as a PVR as well, and from what I've read, ATI cards don't play well with Freeview. If I was to stick with my E8400 and Gigabyte board, what RAM & PSU would you recommend? @ Blam - SSE4 helps greatly with encoding speeds when transcoding to h.264 (he says, frantically trying to find the link that backs his statement up!! :rolleyes:) |
nofam (9009) | ||
| 807887 | 2009-09-08 01:24:00 | @ Blam - SSE4 helps greatly with encoding speeds when transcoding to h.264 (he says, frantically trying to find the link that backs his statement up!! :rolleyes:) This is true. :p There are many combinations of stuff that's fine - I've had a good run with the following, and they have great warranties, lifetime on the RAM, 3 year on the PSU. It's always good to get a modular PSU for HTPCs, you want the cabling to be as tidy as possible to help with cooling and keep fan noise down. RAM www.computerlounge.co.nz PSU www.computerlounge.co.nz The corsair PSUs are nice and quiet. You may only need to go for the HX520 if you don't get a large graphics card. |
wratterus (105) | ||
| 807888 | 2009-09-08 01:35:00 | This is true. :p There are many combinations of stuff that's fine - I've had a good run with the following, and they have great warranties, lifetime on the RAM, 3 year on the PSU. It's always good to get a modular PSU for HTPCs, you want the cabling to be as tidy as possible to help with cooling and keep fan noise down. RAM www.computerlounge.co.nz PSU www.computerlounge.co.nz The corsair PSUs are nice and quiet. You may only need to go for the HX520 if you don't get a large graphics card. Looking at this card (www.computerlounge.co.nz) - I'll probably get pimp-slapped for wanting a passively cooled card, but I'll be putting it all in a tower case at this stage, so hopefully heat won't become an issue. How many watts is a card like this likely to draw? Just wondering if I can get away with a 450w PSU? |
nofam (9009) | ||
| 807889 | 2009-09-08 01:38:00 | :horrified *slapppp* Jokes... :D I would tend to go for something a wee bit more grunty tbh, like this (www.computerlounge.co.nz), still uber quiet, just thinking about it now though the 9400 would do everything you need, no point in spending money for the sake of it now... /slap :lol: With the 9400 you would get away with a good 450w (www.computerlounge.co.nz) easily. Actually, this from Nvidia... Thermal and Power Specs: Maximum GPU Temperature (in C) 105 C Maximum Graphics Card Power (W) 50 W Minimum System Power Requirement (W) 300 W I think the 9400 wants a minimum of 18a on the +12v rail, so that corsair PSU would be more than enough, seeing as it's got one rail with 33a and threehundreadandsomething watts. |
wratterus (105) | ||
| 807890 | 2009-09-08 03:19:00 | Just thinking Wrat - are the Corsair HX PSU's reasonably quiet? It's not a major, but I thought I'd ask! |
nofam (9009) | ||
| 807891 | 2009-09-08 03:24:00 | Just thinking Wrat - are the Corsair HX PSU's reasonably quiet? Heck yes! I've got the HX620 and it's quieter than the hard drive and CPU fan I'm using. |
bob_doe_nz (92) | ||
| 807892 | 2009-09-08 03:24:00 | They are very quiet, afaik they are the same as Seasonic PSUs which are widely available overseas, and on forums etc I am always seeing them recommended for HTPCs cause they are so quiet. I've installed a lot of HX520s and HX620s into standard desktop PCs, and the PSU is quieter than both the 12cm case fan controlled by the mobo and the stock Intel cooler. And it is a major deal. :p Who wants a noisy HTPC! :groan: |
wratterus (105) | ||
| 807893 | 2009-09-08 04:20:00 | Sweet . Soooo . . . . after a bit more digging, it would seem that the G45 chipset is the way to go: This seems a good board, with dual-channel RAM too ( . tastech . co . nz/product_info . php?products_id=290387" target="_blank">www . tastech . co . nz) . Out of interest, how do genuine Intel MoBo's stack up against Asus/Gigabyte? Is there any particular cooler that's a good option? I've read that these ( . playtech . co . nz/product . php?action=showdetail&id=7964" target="_blank">www . playtech . co . nz) are nice and quiet? |
nofam (9009) | ||
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