Minimum upgrade for 1080p

Phelptwan

Phelptwan

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Jul 20, 2002
Messages
6,804
Well...I'm running into a problem. 1080p is killing my HTPC. I'm guessing it's mostly the processor. Processor pegs at 100% during playback, and playback stutters constantly.

Setup:
DFI NF3-Ultra 250gb
AMD 3700+ (skt754)
1gb DDR3200
8500gt
WD 80gb Sata
LG Blu-Ray

So, what are the minimum requirements to run some 1080p mkv files? I figure I can probably keep the 8500gt, but I'm guessing I'll have to get a new mobo/processor/ram.
 
mkv and Blu-Ray. The rips I make work fine on my gaming rig.
 
My rig does 1080p mkv's quite nicely, it is not much better than yours. It would not do 1080p with the old 7800GT. It looks to me like your bottleneck is systemic. the socket 754 mobo is limiting you in processor choices and that's one of the main issues you have (along with quantity of memory) I'm not sure whether the 8500 can handle the stress of 1080p or not. Are you using Mediaplayer Classic? that seems to run files more smoothly than Windows Mediaplayer - but I still think your system will not be able to handle 1080p without a complete upgrade.
 
RagingSamster said:
My rig does 1080p mkv's quite nicely, it is not much better than yours. It would not do 1080p with the old 7800GT. It looks to me like your bottleneck is systemic. the socket 754 mobo is limiting you in processor choices and that's one of the main issues you have (along with quantity of memory) I'm not sure whether the 8500 can handle the stress of 1080p or not. Are you using Mediaplayer Classic? that seems to run files more smoothly than Windows Mediaplayer - but I still think your system will not be able to handle 1080p without a complete upgrade.
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I'm running mpc with FFDSHOW, AC3 Filter, coreavc. I've also tried VLC, but it's completely worthless running vlc.
 
VLC n. (slang)[vee ell see] Suckage incarnate, not good, very bad. "I stepped barefoot into a fresh pile and look at all the VLC that squished between my toes."
 
I'm using a 8600GT for Blu-Ray playback and it runs fine. Unless it's encoded in VC-1, the CPU doesn't get touched. I haven't played mkv files, so I can't say about that. I would try upgrading the GPU first.
 
even slow dual cores can sometimes stutter when playing blu ray or hd dvd disks. if you're looking for consistently flawless hard media play back i would suggest a dual core amd cpu no slower than 2.2 ghz, a pentium d no slower than 3ghz, or a c2d no slower than 1.8ghz.
 
With some HD formats you might not be able to get graphics acceleration, so you'll want a decent processor for 1080p playback. The 5000+ seems to be the perfect choice from my experiences and many others I've recommended it to. The graphics card, such as a 8500/8600/9600 nvidia will do the formats that support hardware decoding. I'm using a 8600GT in my HTPC, and it does all the Blu-ray and HD DVD movies you can throw at it without a hitch.

Anyhow, you're in luck since everything is so cheap with AMD now.
processor - $87
mobo - $70
ram - $40
 
The 8500gt is able to do h264 hardware decoding so that might fix the problem, even though a newer processor/ram/mobo wouldn't be bad either. CoreAVC isn't that great in my opinion when compared to Cyberlink's decoder, so try to get that if you can. What I've found that works for me for hardware decoding x264 mkv is using MPC + Cyberlink H264 Decoder + Haali. I have a much beefier system (8800gt, E8400) but I barely get a blip (1-2%) in terms of processor usage which shows how much offloading the card is doing. Not sure how much the 8500gt will offload, but it could be enough to keep your system alive for awhile longer.
 
There are many x264 encodes that don't work with the Cyberlink decoder, so you won't always get hardware acceleration.
 
8500gt is fine and so would a 8400gs even. I use a E2140 OC'ed to 3.3Ghz at 3.5125V and it runs HD DVD, Bluray discs, and MKV's with no stutter whatsoever. ;)
 
w1retap said:
There are many x264 encodes that don't work with the Cyberlink decoder, so you won't always get hardware acceleration.
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Things have gotten much better with compatibility in the past few months as people have figured out the correct settings to get hardware acceleration enabled on their encodes.
 
I'll second the response above . . .

60 dollar mobo and 60 dollar e2xxx will fix your problems after a hefty overclock.
 
Overclocking is lame for a HTPC. It puts more heat into the system which you need to expel, thus usually more noise, and the added uncertainty of stability when you watch movies. Totally unnecessary when you can spend $30 more and have a perfect solution without the need to overclock.
 
Cactus Jack said:
Things have gotten much better with compatibility in the past few months as people have figured out the correct settings to get hardware acceleration enabled on their encodes.
Click to expand...
It all depends on many factors. You can't always put all your eggs in one basket.
 
w1retap said:
Overclocking is lame for a HTPC. It puts more heat into the system which you need to expel, thus usually more noise, and the added uncertainty of stability when you watch movies. Totally unnecessary when you can spend $30 more and have a perfect solution without the need to overclock.
Click to expand...

I'm going to have to agree with this as well. The current processor is capable of 3.1 on air, but this thing is running 24/7, so I'd like it to have no quirks...
 
w1retap said:
Overclocking is lame for a HTPC. It puts more heat into the system which you need to expel, thus usually more noise, and the added uncertainty of stability when you watch movies. Totally unnecessary when you can spend $30 more and have a perfect solution without the need to overclock.
Click to expand...

You don't have to overclock a cpu to its highest potential. Why not just set it to something similar to the $30 more cpu? Then you would have similar amounts of heat. Noise doesn't come from the cpu and if you use the stock hsf you get the same noise as the $30 more combination. No need to worry about stability if you know how to overclock and follow thru
 
needmorecarnitine said:
You don't have to overclock a cpu to its highest potential. Why not just set it to something similar to the $30 more cpu? Then you would have similar amounts of heat. Noise doesn't come from the cpu and if you use the stock hsf you get the same noise as the $30 more combination. No need to worry about stability if you know how to overclock and follow thru
Click to expand...
Overclocking still causes uncertainty and instability. I've been overclocking since P1's came out with the jumper pins you set on the motherboard. It's an art to get something just right so it's stable, and then usually down the road it still becomes unstable. Definitely not worth it in a situation where you're trying to watch movies in a theater setting and everything has to be perfect. It would be awesome to have a bunch of guests over to watch a high def movie to show off your system, then have it freeze/restart/bsod. ;) :p
 
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