i3 & built in gfx or dual core atom and HW accelerated gfx?

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BottomsUp

Gawd
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Aug 29, 2010
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i think both will play 1080p. If true, I'm thinkng the latter due to lower power consumption, but not sure

To be honest I'm super freaking busy and want to just purchase a nettop so I can plug/play to stream 1080p from my server, but don't have a bluray player so figure I should get one of those too. Problem is that all of the nettops with bluray are >$450

I think a pre-built nettop becomes cost prohibitive >$400 no matter how convienent it is and since I don't have a bluray it seems I should get an all in one instead of a nettop + stand alone bluray don't you think?

TIA
 
BottomsUp said:
Problem is that all of the nettops with bluray are >$450 and may not play all 1080P material
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^^^^ i corrected that one statement for you ;)

and i3 built-in graphics is HW accelerated.

Choice seems clear to me.
 
How does the i3 compare in terms of power consumption? Seems like i3 is the clear choice but I'm puttuing this box in a tight small closet space so I need low heat and low power.

Also do I need a certain chipset for true-HD bit streaming on the i3 or any would work? Was thinking of getting a shuttle size box and using a small SSD so it boots and shuts down fast.

Thx again
 
BottomsUp said:
Also do I need a certain chipset for true-HD bit streaming on the i3 or any would work? Was thinking of getting a shuttle size box and using a small SSD so it boots and shuts down fast.
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In order to use the onboard video of the i3, you need the H55 or H57 chipset. The P55 chipset will not work with the Core i3's onboard video.
 
BottomsUp said:
Also do I need a certain chipset for true-HD bit streaming on the i3 or any would work?
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Not all i3 chips will bitstream. There may be a newer revision that does it, too, but when I was shopping around, only the Clarksdale chip would do it.
 
It's also worth noting that the i3/i5 based graphics can only play back at 24.000, not at 23.976 which can result in judder. This can be extremely irritating if you notice things like that.
 
Not really, especially because Intel basically refuses to admit that there's anything wrong, but the judder issue is a big reason why some people just can't recommend it. AVSforum have several different threads on what they've done to fix it, I just know I notice it and I'm glad I found out about it before I purchased. That would have almost been as bad as when I purchased a 8300 and found out it sucked at 1080i.
 
corei3 I think you will be disappointed with the atom. The power usage/difference is negligible when translated to real money/cost.
 
Remember that Value of somthing also Includes the OS. If you want Windows to be your OS you have to consider the 100 USD or so needed for it on a custom build.

I dont think this is asking too much in that regard http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883108321

Edit: You also said blu ray. Take my advice and stay far away from playing Blu Rays on the PC. If you arent going to rip them use a standalone player that will kick the PCs butt nine ways to sunday.
 
core i3. ion nettops can't bitstream hd audio afaik.

anyway, whats wrong with playing blurays on a pc?
 
bastage said:
Simple answer.. neither..

ASUS M4A88T-I Deluxe AM3 AMD 880G HDMI USB 3.0 Mini ITX + AMD Athlon II X2 210e Regor 2.6GHz Socket AM3 45W Dual-Core FTW
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Some noob spamming his way to 50 posts bumped an older thread, but if the OP is still around he can get the 45w 210e for $35 shipped elsewhere, about $13 less than Newegg. Details here: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1563041

Ewiz has been shipping AD cores lately, which can sometimes be unlocked to Phenom II quads ;)
 
Yea I knew of the deal on ewiz.. I pretty much just always recommend newegg unless its a BIG savings (> $50). I Figure people should be doing at-least a little of there own work tracking down the best prices if they think its worth it.
 
Zachstar said:
2 Channel HDMI only.

I am pro AMD but until they get their HTPC heads out of their butts they simply fail at HTPC work. Maybe with Bobcat.
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yea uhm.. I haven't seen that issue before & a quick google search shows that to be a common issue resolved by the correct driver..
 
bastage said:
yea uhm.. I haven't seen that issue before & a quick google search shows that to be a common issue resolved by the correct driver..
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You can't change what the chipest is lacking with a "correct driver." :rolleyes:

The IGP is limited to 2 channel audio only over HDMI because they don't support an on chip audio chip like their video cards. Some board makers get around this by using one of the higher end audio codec chips that supports DTS connect (or DD Live encoding) allowing you to send DTS or 5.1 DD over the HDMI pipe. Not all support this.

Again, AMD's chipsets ONLY do 2.0 audio over HDMI. :rolleyes:
 
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2952 (Only 2 Channel LPCM)

CE you really need to stop that rolleyes crap btw. Found the same thing finding your post for this link when I (As many other had believed back then) That the 8x series chipsets had the promised LPCM 7.1
 
CrimandEvil said:
You can't change what the chipest is lacking with a "correct driver." :rolleyes:

The IGP is limited to 2 channel audio only over HDMI because they don't support an on chip audio chip like their video cards. Some board makers get around this by using one of the higher end audio codec chips that supports DTS connect (or DD Live encoding) allowing you to send DTS or 5.1 DD over the HDMI pipe. Not all support this.

Again, AMD's chipsets ONLY do 2.0 audio over HDMI. :rolleyes:
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So uhmm.. It cant do anything but 2 channel LCPM over HDMI.. But Anad seems to be pretty clear about getting 5.1 S/PDIF audio over HDMI..

Here is a Direct Quote
As of now, our initial preview coverage and review is incorrect regarding this feature set. For most users, this will not matter, as two-channel LPCM is available along with 5.1 S/PDIF audio outputs through the HDMI port. However, for the serious HTPC crowd, the lack of multi-channel LPCM is a huge drawback when selecting a platform that will be the centerpiece of your media center. The Intel G41/G43/G45 and NVIDIA GF8200/9300 series of chipsets fully support multi-channel LPCM output as does AMD’s own HD 4xxx series of video cards.
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And given that the Next best thing being a clarksdale has issues with the video playback (24.0 instead of 23.976) take your pick.. if you don't want a video card there is a catch either way. & if you are going to use a discrete video card then the whole argument is irrelevant.
 
yea, the 4200's hdmi audio is the equivalent of spdif optical or coaxial. So its not a good solution imo.

however, i do think, if possible, cheap amd dual core + 5450 is a better solution than a core i3.
 
grimreeferx09 said:
yea, the 4200's hdmi audio is the equivalent of spdif optical or coaxial. So its not a good solution imo.

however, i do think, if possible, cheap amd dual core + 5450 is a better solution than a core i3.
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agreed. your performance isn't CPU limited in 99% of htpc tasks, so the cheapest setup that gives you the features you want is pretty much by default the best one. The difference between the i3 graphics and the 5450 far outweighs the irrelevant performance difference between the i3 and a cheap AMD dual core. and actually the price differential is small due to the fact that a clarkdale i3 costs twice as much as an adequate amd chip like the AII X2 240. with 5450's and even 5550's showing up below 50$, its the better option
 
bastage said:
So uhmm.. It cant do anything but 2 channel LCPM over HDMI.. But Anad seems to be pretty clear about getting 5.1 S/PDIF audio over HDMI..

Here is a Direct Quote


And given that the Next best thing being a clarksdale has issues with the video playback (24.0 instead of 23.976) take your pick.. if you don't want a video card there is a catch either way. & if you are going to use a discrete video card then the whole argument is irrelevant.
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Almost ANY mobo these days can do SPDIF. It is easy as pie to do compared to actually decoding the PCM or DD data.

7.1 LPCM is a completely different monster. It is full rate PCM data per channel not trying to stuff 5.1 channels into a 2 channel stream.

The only reason I am actually not 100 percent for the Athlon + Small card idea is because that is another device sucking power in this situation.
 
Zachstar said:
Almost ANY mobo these days can do SPDIF. It is easy as pie to do compared to actually decoding the PCM or DD data.

7.1 LPCM is a completely different monster. It is full rate PCM data per channel not trying to stuff 5.1 channels into a 2 channel stream.

The only reason I am actually not 100 percent for the Athlon + Small card idea is because that is another device sucking power in this situation.
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idle power on a small card is fairly low. You will have a higher power draw at load, but i'd say its worth it. its going to be a substantial increase over an atom dual core, but between an i3 + IGP and the athlon + gpu combo the difference is, again, pretty minor. in fact, the 5450 has a TDP <20w, and idles at 5 or 6w. hardly a dealbreaker.
 
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