- Feb 19, 2008
- 250
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Hi guys. Long time member and poster here. I have some APU/Mobo questions about an HTPC I want to build. Let me first say that I've built plenty of gaming and office PCs (thanks to Tom's 
), but never an HTPC specific computer. Last week I lugged an i5-750 base rig, with a 5850 in it, into my living room and ran XBMC through my HDTV. I was amazing by the picture quality, and seamless streaming. Anyhow, now I want to build a low cost, windows 7 based, HTPC to stash behind my home theater. I have a microcenter nearby, so I was thinking of taking advantage of their bundle deals. The one I have in mind is the A6-6400k. My questions are basically...
#1 - will the A6-6400K provide high quality 1080p streaming using XMBC. It's a duo core, and I'm unsure if I would need something more powerful. Picture quality is key.
#2 - If the A6 is sufficient for my needs, will any motherboard do, or should I focus my attention to specific specs, or capabilities (HDMI, 7.1 channel sound)? This is my first HTPC so I'm unsure what matters here, or if spending more is warranted. All advice is appreciated.
These are the 4 motherboards I've narrowed my choices to. They are all in stock locally, and qualify for the $40 off bundle savings. Please let me know what your thoughts are.
Thanks in advance.
#1 - $50 - ASUS A55BM-E Socket FM2+ A55 mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/422578/A55BM-E_Socket_FM2_A55_mATX_AMD_Motherboard?ob=1
#2 - $60 - ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Socket FM2+/FM2 mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/424750/FM2A75M_Pro4_Socket_FM2-FM2_mATX_AMD_Motherboard
#3 - $70 - ASUS A78M-A Socket FM2+ A78M mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/429629/A78M-A_Socket_FM2_A78M_mATX_AMD_Motherboard
#4 - $80 - ASUS A88XM-A Socket FM2+/FM2 A88X mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/423952/A88XM-A_Socket_FM2-FM2_A88X_mATX_AMD_Motherboard
), but never an HTPC specific computer. Last week I lugged an i5-750 base rig, with a 5850 in it, into my living room and ran XBMC through my HDTV. I was amazing by the picture quality, and seamless streaming. Anyhow, now I want to build a low cost, windows 7 based, HTPC to stash behind my home theater. I have a microcenter nearby, so I was thinking of taking advantage of their bundle deals. The one I have in mind is the A6-6400k. My questions are basically...#1 - will the A6-6400K provide high quality 1080p streaming using XMBC. It's a duo core, and I'm unsure if I would need something more powerful. Picture quality is key.
#2 - If the A6 is sufficient for my needs, will any motherboard do, or should I focus my attention to specific specs, or capabilities (HDMI, 7.1 channel sound)? This is my first HTPC so I'm unsure what matters here, or if spending more is warranted. All advice is appreciated.
These are the 4 motherboards I've narrowed my choices to. They are all in stock locally, and qualify for the $40 off bundle savings. Please let me know what your thoughts are.
Thanks in advance.
#1 - $50 - ASUS A55BM-E Socket FM2+ A55 mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/422578/A55BM-E_Socket_FM2_A55_mATX_AMD_Motherboard?ob=1
#2 - $60 - ASRock FM2A75M Pro4+ Socket FM2+/FM2 mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/424750/FM2A75M_Pro4_Socket_FM2-FM2_mATX_AMD_Motherboard
#3 - $70 - ASUS A78M-A Socket FM2+ A78M mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/429629/A78M-A_Socket_FM2_A78M_mATX_AMD_Motherboard
#4 - $80 - ASUS A88XM-A Socket FM2+/FM2 A88X mATX
http://www.microcenter.com/product/423952/A88XM-A_Socket_FM2-FM2_A88X_mATX_AMD_Motherboard
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