HTPC processors, I need advice, to many options

jomak123 · Mar 10, 2014

I have read so much about processors. I am only go to use this for HD TV, streaming, DVR, browse...a media sever to break free from Big Cable and the bill that goes with it.

I was reading about AMD mostly then I read i3 are better for performance. I have no idea about i5, i7 and such. I looked at AMD Kaveri, but that seems over kill and a gaming CPU. I am not a gamer. I was looking at using the Cooler Max Elite 130 case.

AMD A6, A8, A10? i3? My question is price with performance. What are the best options, maybe 3 choices?

Please help...thank you.

clutchc · Mar 10, 2014

I recently built a HTPC with that case. The cooling is less than excellent, to say the least. So look for a cool running processor. The i3 series would be the best, since you are not a gamer. Even if you were, the CPU can game great. But it is about the coolest of the processors available short of going to something more of a "specialty".

jomak123 · Mar 10, 2014

clutchc :

I'm not locked on the elite 130, because I know the processor will determine the case in the end. From what I read the i3 is over kill for an HTPC or am I wrong?

Erman Yudhistira · Mar 10, 2014

you can use intel celeron for HTPC. but it is enough for you? if you think i3 is over kill, than pentium G is the most fit for your system. AMD APU is good. but it's hot.

CTurbo · Mar 10, 2014

Budget budget budget?

CTurbo · Mar 10, 2014

I went with an A10-6800k for my HTPC and it does not run hot at all not even a little bit, but am i3 will still run a little cooler probably. The A10 is overkill though. An A6 or A8 would be plenty and even an A4 would work, but may not offer enough processing power if you are going to do other things with the build. A Haswell i3 would work too or the i3-3225 or 3245. Don't consider any other i3. An Ivy Bridge or Haswell Celeron or Pentium would be good if paired with a cheap video card like an HD5450 ot HD6450.

clutchc · Mar 10, 2014

jomak123 :

No, the i3 is not overkill for an HTPC.

The processor won't really determine what case you buy. Any CPU/motherboard that fits a given case will work. With the elite 130, you are not limited to mITX boards at least. You can use a mATX which usually runs less $. The space you want to house the HTPC should determine the size, style of case. Will it be in a small confined area with little air circulation? Will it be close to other heat producing electronics? Etc.

If you decide on an AMD APU, you will have to use an F2, F2+ motherboard that doesn't allow for much upgrade to a faster processor. At least with the Intel Haswel line of processors, you will have a socket that isn't obsolete yet, and has room for future upgrading.

CTurbo · Mar 10, 2014

I like the 35w i3-4130t a lot for a HTPC. You could even go for passive cooling if you have good airflow.

Erman Yudhistira · Mar 10, 2014

i have A10-5800K with xigmatek Achilles cooler. idle is 47C, and full load is 75C. but with stock cooler, the idle is 60C, and full load 105C.

another PC is A6-5400K (with stock cooler), the idle is 58C, full load is 95C. are the softwares wrong? i used HWmonitor and speecy. both have the same reading.

clutchc · Mar 10, 2014

Erman Yudhistira :

It's hard to say. Ever since AMD went to the Bulldozer/Piledriver architechture, their temp readings have been hard to pin down. I've built with several FX processors and APUs. None of them made me feel confident I was getting a true temp reading.

jomak123 · Mar 10, 2014

CTurbo :

I was hoping under $100. I found microcenter (in my area) sells CPU and motherboard combos:

http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

jomak123 · Mar 10, 2014

CTurbo :

Why should I not consider any other i3?

jomak123 · Mar 10, 2014

clutchc :

I was not aware of the AMD issue. I thought I could Kaveri in the future if needed. Why is the Intel not limited?

CTurbo · Mar 10, 2014

fm2+ is not obsolete by any means, but it doesn't offer near as good as an upgrade path that Intel LGA1150 does. I bought a fm2+ motherboard with my A10 6800k so I could upgrade to Kaveri but I'm going to wait for the refresh next year or later this year because I have no reason to upgrade right now.

The i3-3225 and i3 3245 come with HD4000 graphics which is the minimum Intel igpu I trust to use as a full HTPC. The i3 4130 and 4130t come with HD4400 graphics, and the i3 4330 and i3 4340 come with HD4600 graphics. All other i3s come with HD3000 or worse.

clutchc · Mar 10, 2014

jomak123 :

I probably should have made myself clearer. The FM2+ socket is alive and well and does indeed support Kaveri. It's just that AMD has no plans for anything faster than their present APU/Athlon line up for that socket as far as I know. And those chips can't touch the more expensive Intel line for gaming. However, If you were to go with the AM3+ socket, you could at least get into faster processors like the FX-8xxx/9xxx.

Erman Yudhistira · Mar 10, 2014

for minimum bugdet, you can pick :
A6-6400K and Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI FM2 A88X Mini ITX board. or
Intel Pentium G2030 3.0GHz LGA 1155 with Gigabyte GA-H61N-USB3 LGA 1155 H61 Mini ITX

CTurbo · Mar 10, 2014

What's your overall budget for the entire build and do you have any parts already?

jomak123 · Mar 10, 2014

CTurbo :

I have 2 - 4GB DDR3 1600 I believe and a 128GB SSD and 1TB external HDD for now. I don't have a set budget, I would like to balance price and performance. I was looking to spend no more than $150 range on the CPU/Motherboard combo...should add I would like WIFI so I would go over.

tcb1005 · Mar 10, 2014

jomak123 :

A 128gb SSD is unnecessary for an HTPC.

jomak123 · Mar 10, 2014

tcb1005 :

Ok, I'll bite...why is that?

tcb1005 · Mar 10, 2014

jomak123 :

Because with the money the SSD costs, you could buy an even larger hard drive for more movies, especially with 4k right around the corner.

CTurbo · Mar 10, 2014

But he said he already has a ssd right? I think ssds are great for HTPC use because systems with ssds produce less heat and are therefor quieter than those that don't. A lot of miniITX motherboards come with wifi but they're not cheap.

So you need a case, and prefer a miniITX? And you need a motherboard, cpu, and power supply?

tcb1005 · Mar 10, 2014

CTurbo :

A compressed 4k movie is 160Gb. The SSD could store the OS I guess, but won't be able to hold any of these movies.

CTurbo · Mar 10, 2014

+1 ssds are PERFECT for holding windows and programs!

Erman Yudhistira · Mar 11, 2014

are there another online website store in your country that i can search for? microcentre.com doesn't have many option.
The best option for intel are :

Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz LGA 1150 Boxed for $50 and ASRock H87M-ITX LGA 1150 mini ITX Intel Motherboard for $95

For AMD :

A6-6400K for $70 and Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI FM2 A88X Mini ITX board for $110 (over than $150)

HTPC processors, I need advice, to many options

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