CPU for HTPC

[bluestarCVO]

Hello everyone. I'm building my first HTPC and I'm questioning what CPU/motherboard I should purchase. I will be using the computer mostly to play back my large library of 1080p rips and also to do some streaming. I may or may not use it for the occasional encoding. I want to get something good that will last me a long time, but I also don't want to overkill it. I have been looking at this motherboard: ASUS P8H67-M PRO/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H67 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard. I think it may suite my needs well but I welcome any input or other suggestions, especially in regards to CPU. Also, if I use this motherboard, will it be necessary to purchase a separate video and audio card, or will the onboard give me all I need for HD video and HD audio?

Thanks for the help!

 

[hapkido]

Sandy Bridge CPUs have integrated video. The motherboard should have integrated audio. Both will be enough for HD content. h61 motherboard with a SB pentium should work fine (the difference between h61 and h67 is h61 doesn't have sata 3 and usb 3). Or if your budget allows, get a SB i3.

 

[simon12]

For a HTPC an AMD A series and a FM1 board normally makes more sense due to the better integrated GPU.

 

[IntelEnthusiast]

If you are looking at a small/thin form factor chassis you might looking into some of our new "T" processors like the Intel® Core™ i3-2100T and the Intel Core i5-2390T and the Intel Core i5-2500T. These processors are a little slower than the normal models but have a TDP of 50% or less then the normal model of the processor. You can see them at http://ark.intel.com/compare/53423,53427,52212,53448

Christian Wood
Intel Enthusiast Team

 

[bluestarCVO]

Would an SB i5 be overkill? Should I just stick with a SB i3? Will both suffice for HD audio and HD video without any hiccups? Or should I get dedicated cards?

 

[hapkido]

It probably is overkill. It certainly won't be the difference between whether or no you'll be able to play HD content. And they use 30 more watts under full load. Granted, it will probably rarely be under full load, but it's something to consider. i3 will be more than enough for HTPC.

You could choose to get the low power models, but I'm willing to bet (haven't seen the data, just guessing) the power usage in idle is probably similar (what it will be in most of the time), so you're paying the same money for a less powerful chip. If they were significantly cheaper, like the i3 is compared to the i5, I'd suggest it, but they're not.

Just in case you were considering, I wouldn't go with an AMD APU. The motherboards cost way too much for that platform. And the SB chips are more efficient.

 

[jaguarskx]

The only time when you will notice a difference between an i3 and i5 is when you decide to encode video. Naturally the i5 will be significantly faster if whatever program you use can make use of 4 cores like Handbrake.

 

[bluestarCVO]

Thanks everyone for the input. I think I'm going to go with the SB i3. I believe it will meet my needs. Now I need suggestions on good case and possibly a good fan and heatsink. I'm clueless about cases.

 

[bwrlane]

Sb i5 is overkill. For decoding video, i3 is more than enough. I have a htpc with a non sb 2.4 ghz i5 (dual core), which is more than sufficient. Only situations in which it's worth getting sb i5 instead of i3 are:

- if you do transcoding eg from one format to another
- if you want to stream video to another system on your network eg a ps3 or a dlna tv and need real time conversion.

Having said that I always like my computers to have slightly more powerful CPUs than strictly necessary. They just feel snappier and nicer to use.

 

[jaguarskx]

Having said that I always like my computers to have slightly more powerful CPUs than strictly necessary. They just feel snappier and nicer to use.

Like having an i7-3960k CPU in a PC used strictly for torrent download.

 

[de5_Roy]

my 2 cents on htpc:
AMD A6-3650 Llano 2.6GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6530D AD3650WNGXBOX $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943
AMD A6-3500 Llano 2.1GHz (2.4GHz Max Turbo) Socket FM1 65W Triple-Core Desktop APU with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6530D AD3500OJGXBOX $90
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103951
OUT OF STOCK AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU with DirectX 11 Graphic AMD Radeon HD 6550D AD3850WNGXBOX $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103942
here's a customized list of 15 llano compatible a55 and a75 motherboards from asus, asrock, gigabyte and msi.
llano review
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-a8-3850-llano,2975.html
i like sandy bridge cpus but their igp is nowhere near as good as an amd a8 or a6 apu's. but if you want to use a discreet gfx card, go with a sb core i3 or core i5 + amd radeon hd 6670 (1 gb gddr5) - hd 6850.

 

[hapkido]

You don't need much to play 1080p VIDEOS. Intel SB is where it's at for HTPC right now. Their processors at similar price points outperform the AMD processors. And they're more efficient. Plus the SB motherboards are cheaper. Any savings you could have gotten are completely offset by the motherboard costs. I like AMD, but the CPUs/APUs are just not a good buy right now unless you're buying a laptop.

 

[de5_Roy]

oh, i forgot one thing.
intel igp can't play 23.976 fps videos properly. they settle on 24 fps and usually stutter. don't know if they fixed it yet or not.
all of amd's (or nvidia's) gpus play closer to 23.976 fps.
anandtech's take on a8 for htpc:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4479/amd-a83850-an-htpc-perspective/1
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4479/amd-a83850-an-htpc-perspective/7
only downside for llano - no quick sync. however, you might be able to fix that with a sandy bridge quad core cpu with a discreet amd gfx card (more costly proposition).

 

[evang]

You don't need much to play 1080p VIDEOS. Intel SB is where it's at for HTPC right now. Their processors at similar price points outperform the AMD processors. And they're more efficient. Plus the SB motherboards are cheaper. Any savings you could have gotten are completely offset by the motherboard costs. I like AMD, but the CPUs/APUs are just not a good buy right now unless you're buying a laptop.

Actually the APUs are ideal for HTPC. You can get an a6-3500 for roughly ~$30 less than the cheapest i3 AND it has better graphics (both are 65w tdp). The mobos are relatively the same price-wise (at most 10 dollars cheaper for intel), so idk where you're getting your info from. The only reason the OP would get the i3 is for faster video encoding, otherwise the AMD route would be better suited for video playback.

AMD cpu+mobo ($155+shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103951
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128528

Intel cpu+mobo ($185+shipping)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128522

 

[Major_Trouble]

Thanks everyone for the input. I think I'm going to go with the SB i3. I believe it will meet my needs. Now I need suggestions on good case and possibly a good fan and heatsink. I'm clueless about cases.

I chose the Lian Li PC-C37 MUSE for my HTPC build and I really like it. Nice quality case and does not look out of place under the TV. Put in a 60gb SSD for boot drive, 2TB for storage and using a full sized BD drive behind a hinged cover for BlueRay. The only issue is the side fans (not completely needed) are 70mm and really thin and are the only ones that will fit alongside the MB.

I put a Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile Cooler 3 Heat Pipe on to cool my i3 and it's very quiet.

I also went with a Nesteq ASM X-Zero 400W Heat-piped Cooled PSU. It's a hybrid PSU running fanless unless it get to warm and the fan cuts in. Never heard it fire up yet but safer than running a completely fanless PSU. Bit pricey but nice quality.

Just got the new BlackGold BGT3650 Quad digital tuner to go in and replace 2 x Hauppage tv tuners so I can get free to air HD channels.

If you want me to pm you some pics of the build just say the word.

 

[maddy143ded]

I dont know where you guys keep bringing in Intel Quick-Sync into the consideration here. the only i3 that has quick-sync enabled is i3 2105. and you have not even recommended it. if he goes for i3 2100 then he is better of buying amd APU.
only intel cpus with HD3000 are worth any money...
its sad that i cant find that SKU here in India.

 

[hapkido]

There's nothing WRONG with the AMD APUs, but hd2000 graphics is plenty for decoding 1080p video. In that situation, I say go with the stronger (and more efficient) processor. If the question was "What is a better laptop for general purpose + light gaming?", I'd say get the AMD APU.

As it stands, if you're buying an entry to mid level laptop, buy AMD, if not, buy Intel. This is not from a fanboy perspective. This is from a logical one. Things change, but right now, Intel is the smart buy for processors.

 

[noob2222]

Here is something to think about. If you ever plan on doing 3D 1080p, you will want hdmi 1.4 support, with intel you will need a dedicated video card. A8 apus work right off the motherboard.

 

[de5_Roy]

I dont know where you guys keep bringing in Intel Quick-Sync into the consideration here. the only i3 that has quick-sync enabled is i3 2105. and you have not even recommended it. if he goes for i3 2100 then he is better of buying amd APU.
only intel cpus with HD3000 are worth any money...
its sad that i cant find that SKU here in India.

quick sync is supportted by all of sandy bridge core i3, i5 and i7 series with igp (hd 2000 and hd 3000). low end sandy bridge cpus (only with hd igp) and sb-e (no igp) cpus do not have quick sync.
core i3 2100 supports quick sync with it's hd 2000 igp, so does i3 2105 (hd 3000).

 

[rwpritchett]

Here is something to think about. If you ever plan on doing 3D 1080p, you will want hdmi 1.4 support, with intel you will need a dedicated video card. A8 apus work right off the motherboard.

Sandy Bridge has HDMI 1.4 and it does 3D blu-ray just fine. You must be thinking of the older Clarkdale CPU's.

 

[Uther39]

For HTPC AMD APU Lano CPUx has to be the choice with the quality of there integrated on die GPU.

 

[bluestarCVO]

I chose the Lian Li PC-C37 MUSE for my HTPC build and I really like it. Nice quality case and does not look out of place under the TV. Put in a 60gb SSD for boot drive, 2TB for storage and using a full sized BD drive behind a hinged cover for BlueRay. The only issue is the side fans (not completely needed) are 70mm and really thin and are the only ones that will fit alongside the MB.

I put a Scythe Shuriken Rev.B Quiet Low Profile Cooler 3 Heat Pipe on to cool my i3 and it's very quiet.

I also went with a Nesteq ASM X-Zero 400W Heat-piped Cooled PSU. It's a hybrid PSU running fanless unless it get to warm and the fan cuts in. Never heard it fire up yet but safer than running a completely fanless PSU. Bit pricey but nice quality.

Just got the new BlackGold BGT3650 Quad digital tuner to go in and replace 2 x Hauppage tv tuners so I can get free to air HD channels.

If you want me to pm you some pics of the build just say the word.

Yeah, I would love to see the pics of your setup. Send them my way when you get a chance.

 

[acerace]

None can beat the great value that AMD APU has in HTPC system.

 

[diellur]

You don't even need an i3 chip for an HTPC, and if it's occasional encoding then spending more for something you'll use once in a while adds needless cost. I use a Sandybridge Pentium G620 and it's fine for the task. Heck, even ION is good for the CPU side of things...where it falls down is HD playback!

As has been said already, the SB IGPs have issues with HD playback, in that they stutter every 40 seconds. AMD GPUs (discrete or on Llano) are much better and may stutter once every 8 minutes. A vast difference! Also, if you have an amp, SB IGPs can't bitstream...you need an AMD 5xxx or greater (discrete or Llano). Not sure about the equivalent Nvidia card, I think 4xx series.

Take a look at the HTPC in my sig...it runs fantastically well and plays Bluray rips flawlessly whilst bitstreaming to my amp for DTS-HD or TrueHD. The CPU is low-powered as well, and the system is barely audible. The only reason I have 64GB of storage is because I store everything on a server in a cupboard, in case anyone asks...!

 

[das_stig]

Just built one using old parts aka Pentium E5400, Cheapo Gigabyte board, 4GB DDR3 and ATI 5450 passive cooled and does full 1080 BR rips without breaking a sweat to a 42" TV.

So a cheap Phenom II X2, cheap AM3 mobo, 4GB DDR3 and video card of your choosing is more than enough without spending big bucks.