Is this enough for HD playback?

[cablechewer]

I was just given some components that might be useful for a HTPC. Since they cost me $0 the price is about right.

I've got an Athlon X2 5050e, an 80+ certified 300watt power supply and 4GB of DDR2-800 RAM.

Am I correct in assuming the CPU is more than powerful enough for HD playback? HD playback is the highest demand I think the system will face. I really like the TDP of 45w so if I select a case properly I can use a passive CPU cooler and eliminate one fan.

Will I be able to get away with an integrated graphics chipset like the 780G or 790 or should I be using a dedicated graphics card like the AMD 4350 or 4650?

Since I got the 3 components above for free I think I will spring for a blue-ray drive instead of just a simple DVD drive. Will I have to give any thought to upgrading my older 720p/1080i LCD TV? I have had the TV at least 4 years (it was bleeding edge at the time and back then I had the money to burn). The TV has an HDMI input, but I don't know if it supports HDCP at all (I know my amplifier does not as it predates the TV by several years).


So

1) is a 5050e with the integrated chipset of the 780 or 790 motherboards sufficient for glitch-free video playback at standard and hi def?

2) is the integrated sound on the most motherboards sufficient to feed to my old 5.1 amplifier? Should I be getting a proper sound card?

3) Do I need to worry about HDCP and the current equipment?


I don't own any blue-ray movies or media at the moment, but I might get some if I have the ability to play them.


Thanks


Cablechewer

 

[forouza1]

You do need to take HDCP in to consideration.

Having an HDMI input should be ok from the TV standpoint. I'd wait on buying a whole new TV but it would be important to know what size the TV is and at what distance do you watch the picture. Refer to this chart for a better understanding.

The graph doesn't project well but here is the link: http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html

Here the link to the article:

http://www.carltonbale.com/2006/11/1080p-does-matter/

A common mistake that is often made is buying a 1080p 42" or smaller TV if you are at or more than 7-8 feet away (fairly typical of a small to medium sized living room) as visually, your eyes will have a difficult time telling the difference between a 1080p TV and a 720p TV. Any closer and you may start to notice the difference.

It is very important to choose your motherboard carefully to make sure it is HDCP compliant if you are gonna go the intergrated graphics route. Look at micro-atx boards as this will give some nice options if you wanna go with a small setup.

It may be worth it to just buy a stand alone graphics card that has DVI (w/ HDCP) or HDMI output as this will give you more choices on your motherboard. The price difference between a MB w/ integrated graphics chip and a dedicated GC w/ conventional MB will probably be awash.

Good luck.

 

[cablechewer]

Ah well the cabinet that protects the TV and its associated wires from my pets might hold a TV of up to 45" (though 40 or 42 is more likely so I can still turn it to reach the wires) and I sit about 10 feet away. With that combination 720p is plenty My only concern will be HDCP compliance. If I run into anything that requires it I will likely have a problem because the existing audio and visual equipment isn't likely to be compliant with HDCP 1.3 (the TV might be 1.1 - I'll have to check tonight, the audio equipment definitely pre-dates the HDMI and HDCP specs).

From the rest of your post I gather that the hardware I was proposing should be sufficient. I will just have to research the compliance issues so that I don't run into any roadblocks later.


Thanks

Cablechewer