I'm building a budget HTPC. Which of the following cpu's is best

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Lazaro

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Jun 10, 2013
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10,510
I want to build an htpc with xbmc. I want to watch live tv and record it. Also watch movies from the device and from a server i have. I might play old games but it's not a requirement. I'm on a budget and I'm wondering if either of the following cpu's are good for my tasks:

Intel Celeron G540 Sandy Bridge 2.5GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G540
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116408

AMD A4-3300 Llano 2.5GHz Socket FM1 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6410D AD3300OJHXBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106013

AMD A4-5300 Trinity 3.4GHz (3.6GHz Turbo) Socket FM2 65W Dual-Core Desktop APU (CPU + GPU) with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 7480D AD5300OKHJBOX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113283

They both have integrated graphics. But I have never recorded live tv before and I'm not sure how much power it takes. Are eather of this any good? If not what would you recommend? Also I haven't decided if I want to go with eather Linux or Windows if that matters. Thank you.

 
Solution
sdogg1m


I recently built a PC with the A3300 and for TV viewing and recording it will be sufficient. You will need a separate capture card for recording. Just about any CPU on the market today can handle HD playback. I would recommend you stay away from Celeron processors as they have always been garbage.

Seven different reviewers used the A3300 for a HTPC build and all of them stated it had no troubles with HD playback...
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Lazaro

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Jun 10, 2013
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10,510


Do you think the amd cpu I chose is good enough or would it be sluggish?
 
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sdogg1m

sdogg1m

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Jun 10, 2013
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I recently built a PC with the A3300 and for TV viewing and recording it will be sufficient. You will need a separate capture card for recording. Just about any CPU on the market today can handle HD playback. I would recommend you stay away from Celeron processors as they have always been garbage.

Seven different reviewers used the A3300 for a HTPC build and all of them stated it had no troubles with HD playback.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=19-106-013&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=true&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&chkPurchaseMark=on&Keywords=htpc&Page=1#scrollFullInfo
 
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Solution
L

Lazaro

Honorable
Jun 10, 2013
6
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10,510


Ok thank you. I will go with the amd chip. If you don't mind, I know is not part of the question, but do you know which tv card is good for what I'm asking? I know they can get expensive and I don't want to overpay if I can help it. And thanks again.
 
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sdogg1m

sdogg1m

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Jun 10, 2013
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You will want to have another person answer this question. It has been years since I had cable and haven't recorded anything.



 
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L

Lazaro

Honorable
Jun 10, 2013
6
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10,510


Ok no problem. Thanks again.
 
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