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HTPC Component Suggestions? (using a GTX 570 GPU and a Fractal Design Node 304 Case)

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  • Fractal Design
  • Components
  • Gtx
  • Home Theatre
  • GPUs
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November 30, 2013 1:25:46 AM

Hey guys! I've been thinking for a long time about building a HTPC, and I think I have some basic ideas on what I would like to do. I've currently got my TV connected to my main PC via a HDMI cable, but this is kinda messy, so I'm thinking about building a stand alone HTPC.

First, it needs a lot of GPU power, as I run a number of video filters which I have seen choke PCs with less hardware grunt. To that end, I plan to use one of my old GTX 570 GPUs, as when I was using this card in my main PC, it seems to handle the filters no problem. However, there are some assumptions here, as I won't be running 2x cards in SLi like I was before. My assumption is that MediaPortal doesn't use SLi, so I've essentially been running one card the whole time anyway. Or if not, that one GTX 570 will be sufficient.

That's the GPU side of things, next is the case. I really like the look of the Fractal Design Node 304 case, it's a small size, but can still hold up to 6 HDDs and even a full-size GPU! There are a few restrictions though:

  • The GPU can't be any longer than 310mm long. My GTX 570 is 270mm long, so there's no problem there.
  • The PSU can't be longer than 160mm in length or else it will conflict with a full-sized GPU. The website also strongly suggests using a PSU shorter than 160mm in length if you're going to be using a modular PSU, which I'd like to do to save on the number of cables in the case.
  • The mainboard needs to be Mini ITX


  • From here on, I'm looking for suggestions on what I should use for the remaining hardware!

    I'm not sure the hardware I need even needs to be that powerful. I'll be using the GTX 570's CUDA feature to play my videos, so my assumption is the CPU will only need to be the bare minimum as it won't actually be processing the video. Is that a correct assumption? my GTX 570 also requires 550W, I don't know a whole lot about PSUs, but if I were to get a 550W PSU, would nothing work because the GPU is chewing up all the power the PSU can put out?

    I've been looking around to see what short, modular PSUs there are, and so far I've found the Corsair CX-600M and the SilverStone ST55F-G. The CX-600M is the longest, at 149.86mm, but it's still under 160mm.

    Anyway, what remaining hardware would you guys suggest? Thanks!

  • More about : htpc component suggestions gtx 570 gpu fractal design node 304 case

    November 30, 2013 1:45:29 AM

    I'm curious as to what it's doing that uses that much GPU power - you can play FHD video on nearly anything. What filters are you running?

    A 570 is probably going to be pretty loud, so I would be worried about having it in the same room as your TV.

    Various programs can show you GPU usage. Try using one (e.g. MSI Afterburner) and see how much you actually use the 570.

    You shouldn't need much CPU grunt, but you mentioned that you're using some filters, which may be rather CPU intensive.
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    November 30, 2013 2:46:38 AM

    I have five filters (Blur and NR, resize, deband and sharpen) for just SD content, so it can get surprisingly intense. The results look better than a professional SD to HD upscale, so they're worth it.

    Would the CPU even be utilized since I can setup MediaPortal so that LAV is processing the video which in turn uses NVIDIA CUVID as it's hardware accelerator? As to noise, I've been running 2x GTX 570s up until now so running only 1 will be an improvement :D  I'm not expecting it to be silent, but considering the hardware grunt I need, reasonably quiet is good enough :p 
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    November 30, 2013 2:59:26 AM

    While simple H.264 decoding should be doable all in the GPU, I'm still not sure about the filters. You could look at the CPU usage while watching SD content (plugging in a second display temporarily is probably the easiest way to do this). That should give you an idea of what you need.

    I'd be guessing either an Ivy or Haswell i3, though. A pentium or FM2 Athlon x4 are other options.
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    November 30, 2013 11:19:40 PM

    Someone Somewhere said:
    While simple H.264 decoding should be doable all in the GPU, I'm still not sure about the filters. You could look at the CPU usage while watching SD content (plugging in a second display temporarily is probably the easiest way to do this). That should give you an idea of what you need.

    I'd be guessing either an Ivy or Haswell i3, though. A pentium or FM2 Athlon x4 are other options.

    Okay, I've had a look at what my CPU is doing when I play a video that triggers my SD upscale filters in MediaPortal. Here's what it looked like:


    Not a whole lot going on here, MediaPortal only ever used 6% CPU at the most. Does this help?

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    November 30, 2013 11:25:18 PM

    Ok. You should be fine with nearly any CPU then.

    Other question is how much it's actually using your GPU. Does the fan spin up significantly as you use it? Or use Afterburner or something to see what percentage of your GPU is being used.
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    December 1, 2013 12:32:24 AM

    Cool, here's a list of CPUs for sale at my local hardware shop Any suggestions?

    Also, I guess now would also be a good time to think about motherboards. I know I need a Mini ITX, one that matches the socket of the CPU I choose, but is there something I should be aware of when it comes to choosing a suitable motherboard? Like, might one have it's components arranged in such a way that something might get blocked when I put it in the case? I know that the Fractal Design Node 304 case needs a special type of connector on the motherbord in order to connect it's USB 3.0 front ports, so I should get a motherboard that has this feature. And since the case supports 6 HDDs, I figure I might as well get a motherboard that has 6 SATA connectors. I know that my GPU will prevent all of them being used, but at least this gives me the option of using them all if I change to a smaller GPU in the future.

    Okay, I've got some info from MSI Afterburner! Basically, I messed around with MediaPortal for bit before plauing an SD video for a while, here's the results:

    KEEP IN MIND, I'M CURRENTLY USING A GTX 780TI, NOT MY GTX 570! I don't have my GTX 570 plugged in at the moment, but I figured we should still be able to get some useful info anyway. As we can see, GPU usage only hit a max of 40, which I suspect was when I scrolled though MediaPortal's menu at high speed which I know sometimes causes my PC to stutter if my TV isn't set as my primary monitor. When the video itself is playing, it sits at a flat 7. Does this help?
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    December 1, 2013 1:44:08 AM

    OK, using a dedicated GPU is definitely a good idea.

    That store is charging quite a bit. I'd get this:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
    Motherboard: ASRock B85M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($91.00 @ CPL Online)
    Total: $160.00
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-01 20:42 EST+1100)

    You have to pay a whole lot more to get one with 6 SATA ports, so personally I wouldn't bother.
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    December 1, 2013 4:06:39 AM

    Someone Somewhere said:
    OK, using a dedicated GPU is definitely a good idea.

    That store is charging quite a bit. I'd get this:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
    Motherboard: ASRock B85M-ITX Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($91.00 @ CPL Online)
    Total: $160.00
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-01 20:42 EST+1100)

    You have to pay a whole lot more to get one with 6 SATA ports, so personally I wouldn't bother.


    PC hardware is expensive in Australia, Umart is usually the cheapest and often PC Case Gear's price is the same. Sometimes not, in this case we can see that PC Case Gear has the edge. I live nearby Umart, so I often go to them for the sake of convenience :p  Do you think I should spring for a G3420 instead of the G3220? It runs at 3.20GHz instead of 3.0GHz and only costs $4 more (at least on Umart). Or would it be pointless?

    In terms of how much it would cost for a mainboard with 6x SATA ports, the Asus H87I-PLUS is $134.00, that seem like an okay price to you? Realistically, I'm not sure if I would actually install more than 4 drives, at the moment I have 2x 3TB drives and they're holding a million TV shows. But it would be nice to have the option to fully utilize the case. Do you think I'd run into trouble if I wanted to upgrade the mainboard later down the line? Would I even be able to find a mainboard with a LGA1150 socket?

    I think the PSU is the next critical part, as it needs to be shorter than 160mm in length if it's a modular one. Which I think would be a good idea, since a rat's nest of unneeded cables will effect airflow and possibly get in the way of the GPU. Of PSUs of that description, the Corsair CX-600M, Corsair HX-650 and the SilverStone ST55F-G seem to be the shortest, with both under 150mm. There's a bunch of modular PSUs 160mm long, but that's right on the border of Fractal Design's recommendation. Too close for comfort for me.
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