Cheapest possible 1155 cpu to play 4k video

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dane332

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I have to upgrade my father's media center to be able to display and play 4k video. I DO NOT NEED TO BE ABLE TO GAME AT 4K RESOLUTIONS.

Right now it only can go up to 1080p due to its videocard a 5770. It has a core 2 duo dual core and i dont think it can go up to 4k video i feel it struggles with 1080p video right now.

I have a spare 1155 motherboard so i can use so i would to know if i can get a cheap sandy or ivy bridge celeron or Pentium dual core that can play 4k.
 
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TopLuca
playback.png


I think this really answers it.

Read more here : http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/amd-richland-intel-haswell-gpu_7.html
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TopLuca

TopLuca

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Look , First you need a card capable of 4K playback and then you might pick an i3 .

The i3 might not be the best but will certainly stand the test of time.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KYYx6h
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/KYYx6h/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i3-3250 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.94 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $118.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-02 22:26 EDT-0400
 
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Robert Pankiw

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Ganesh from Anandtech suggests using a discrete GPU for now, as there may, or may not, be issues with driving 4k using integrated graphics.

The good news is that the minimum dGPU Ganesh recommends is less expensive than even an i3 (the GT 650 is only $64 at Best Buy in the US.

Which 4k TV does your dad have?

Quick edit: I don't think you'd actually need to change CPUs. If you decide to, I have no doubt that, paired with a dGPU, a Pentium, such as the G2030 (or similar) will be sufficient.
 
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dane332

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yea i already know that i need to upgrade the gpu in fact was most likely going to buy a 650, my dad has a 65 in sony xbr 900b.

however i'm trying to find the cheapest cpu possible . the other guy recommended an i3 which i think its a bit overkill but at the same time i have no reference on what the minimum amount of power 4k requires. do you have any ideas or suggestions robert pankiw?
 
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Robert Pankiw

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Nvidia has a list of which GPUs officially support 4k, so that's a good place to start.

Is this the TV? I only had time to scan it briefly, but it does 4k120, which is insane. You'd need a bit more, seeing as many of the GPUs on NVidias list only do 4k30.

Give me a bit of time and I can give you a better answer.
 
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dane332

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hah yea thats the one. man i must of read this article 3 or so times trying to see if this tv was a good choice for him. (i personally feel he should have waited for more 4k content to come out first)
 
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Robert Pankiw

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TopLuca, that chart doesn't really help anything. OP is already tied to a platform (being an Intel one) so first of all, your chart is redundant, secondly, OP needs to be able to push at least 4k60, if not 4k120

Dane 332, by 4k30, yes I mean 30 frames per second. The problem is that HDMI 1.4 doesn't have the bandwidth necessary for anything higher than 4k30. That's why the TV has HDMI 2.0, which does have the required bandwidth.

To my knowledge, only the new Nvidia GTX 970 and 980 have HDMI 2.0, but I'm still exploring other alternatives.
 
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TopLuca

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It really shows something , The problem with 4k playback is the decoding issues and that has to be done via the CPU which really stresses for a powerful combination for a cpu and gpu . ( compared to an i5 )

Even some people struggle with i7s ( older generation ) so the chart shows that the i3 is capable of 4k playback without much stress really.


BTW Intel HD Graphics 2500 also can decode 4Kp60 (CPU usage of i5-3550 is only 5% at perfect smooth 4Kp60 playback), but GPU usage is very high (~90%) even when outputting video in 1:1 (so 3/4 is cropped in a 1080p display). It looks like post-processing taxes this weak GPU.


 
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dane332

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Robert i greatly appreciate you trying to find a gpu solution for me. i blame myself for even mentioning anything about the gpu in the original post as what i truly wanted to know was how much cpu power was needed for a 4k video playback. topluca's chart shows me that an ivy bridge i3 has more than ample power to go that resolution which means a cheap pentium sandy or ivy will be more than enough.

back to the gpu side of things, sadly i believe you are correct that i need hdmi 2.0 to go 60 frames due to the higher bandwidth. Something hdmi 1.4 does not have which makes it run at 30.

the only cards i know of with hdmi 2.0 are the 970 and 980 that recently came out which are a bit much for a home theatre pc. what i most likly will have to do is buy a cheap 640 (or w/e is the cheapest for 4k playback) and wait for a cheap hdmi 2.0 card to come out next year or so.
 
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Robert Pankiw

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[strike]TopLuca, the issue isn't the CPU right now. The issue is that the TV runs at 120fps, and HDMI 1.4 tops out of 30fps, so even is the CPU utilization were 0.1%, OP still wouldn't be getting the best deal possible.

The CPUs in that chart were the things doing the decoding, by the way, which is why the CPU utilization was unreasonably high. I'm looking for a GPU with H. 265 decoder right now (multi tasking, talking to a friend at the same time), preferably one with HDMi 2.0 (As I already said, GTX 970 / 980 which costs too much).[/strike]


Edit: As I already mentioned, the cheapest option is a GT 650 for just over $60US. AMD also has competent solutions, though I got the impression from you that you didn't want an AMD card, which is fine by me either way, I take no sides except what the numbers show.


TopLuca, I struck out my text because I concede defeat in this. I'm glad, OP, that you learned something though, and that you have a plan to proceed.
 
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TopLuca

TopLuca

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Well in real-world terms sir , Movies run at ~24 FPS and Youtube videos are capped at 30 FPS so searching for something that can get 60 FPS seems rather impractical .


N.B : His original question was about the CPU which I'm answering now , the gpu details came later on.
 
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dane332

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honestly i knew about the hdmi issue coming into this, the only things which would affected the most are him watching sports, video games (he does not play video games so thats a not a problem) , and maybe the obscure home video shot on somebody's fancy camera or something.

i dont think throwing 250 extra dollars at a video card for 30 extra frames is worth it. my best bet i think is to wait for cheap entry level cards with hdmi 2.0. which are not actually good enough since this tv is 120 hz (which i think means it can go 120 frames correct me if i am wrong) and hdmi 2.0 goes 60.

in the end i agree, a cheap video card with a low 30 frames is not going to bring the best out of this tv for him but i dont think there is much else to do right now.
 
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TopLuca

TopLuca

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Its my pleasure sir .

Rob , We're here to help and you've done your part . You can't lose a contest you've not entered ;)

See you around Rob , you're a good lad.
 
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