Cheapest 720p Playback Solution?

J

John G.

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 28, 2005
Messages
163
I'm interested in building or buying an HTPC whose only function would be the playback of h.264-encoded 720p playback material. I am not concerned about noise/size/looks, only price. What would be the cheapest way to get a machine capable of high-def decoding?
 
Well, if it's any indication, my Dell Optiplex GX260, which has an Intel Pentium IV 2.4GHz processor, 1GB DDR2 RAM and a 20GB Hard Disk Drive, struggles with even 720p playback (i.e. Quicktime HD 720p Videos). 1080p\i playpack is pretty much a non-event and 420p is probably the only one that looks alright.

So, I'd say you're definately looking in either the AMD Althon64\Sempron 3000+ series or the Intel equivalent. Or of course, Intel Core\Core 2 processors - this of course would be your best option, IMHO.
 
Cheapest would be to build your own. An AM2 system could be done on an extremely low budget since their prices are so low now. A mobo with integrated video (690G) and a X2 3800+ with a gig or two of DDR2 memory would work great.

AMD X2 3800+ - $48
Asus 690G mobo w/ HDMI - $80
Corsair 2GB DDR2-800 - $30 after rebate
 
w1retap said:
Cheapest would be to build your own. An AM2 system could be done on an extremely low budget since their prices are so low now. A mobo with integrated video (690G) and a X2 3800+ with a gig or two of DDR2 memory would work great.

AMD X2 3800+ - $48
Asus 690G mobo w/ HDMI - $80
Corsair 2GB DDR2-800 - $30 after rebate
Click to expand...

Can anyone second this? Just want to be sure...
 
when you say h.264 do you mean x.264 or actual uncompressed raw video. I'd think a X2 3800 would probably cut it but the one I have struggled a bit even with some 720p stuff... well I'll say it did till I put coreavc codec and then both processors started doing the work but it was pushing it.

I'd honestly suggest getting a cheap ati or nvidia card capable of assisting in rendering raw h.264 (which nvidia does) or if you need both h.264 and VC1 (hddvd) then I'd do ati. However everything appears to be pointing towards bluray so nvidia would work fine.

The x2 3800 low wattage version makes an ok system but best bang for the buck would be a core2duo chips are amazingly better and worth the extra change in my opinion. Either way good luck.
 
lol wut. Your X2 3800+ struggles with h264/x264? Even my single core Turion MT-34 can play them back no problem. :p The guy asked for the cheapest workable solution for encoded 720p video only. I even went above what he needs just to be on the safe side.
 
Your X2 3800+ struggles with h264/x264? Even my single core Turion MT-34 can play them back no problem
Click to expand...

Gotta agree, my 3200+ AMD64 handled everything i can remember in 720p with CoreAVC. Only when it came to MBAFF 1080i did it start to get a mess.........i would be very very surprised if a X2 3800+ cannot handle everything you intend to throw at it 720p wise.
 
John G. said:
Can anyone second this? Just want to be sure...
Click to expand...

Second it but replace the 690G mobo with the new 780G mobo.

Oh, and yeah. My 3200+ s939 can handle 720p very well but thats pretty much the limit of it.
 
Oh snap, didn't even realize the new 780G boards were out. Seconded for replacing that option.
 
When you're playing back encoded video, it doesn't always do hardware decoding depending on what software you use. It's better to be on the safe side and go with a quicker processor that isn't much more money.
 
I can confirm that a x2 3800 can smoothly playback 720p and even 1080p with out much effort. I use CCCP codec pack, haali media splitter, and coreavc for h.264 encoded stuff. 1080p uses about 60 - 75% and the 720p video barely uses 25% of the processor. No playback issues and the audio is always perfectly in sync with the video. I use MediaPlayer Classic for playback.

I have a X2 3800+, 4GB RAM, 8800GT w/ XP SP2
 
w1retap, do you think you could also post your suggestions for the cheapest 1080p setup as well. Just trying to get an idea of how much I would be spending.
 
The 780G motherboard will playback 1080p as well, with low CPU utilization. It's quite the bargain.
 
first of all if you have a decent video card that handles hd decoding you can get away with a lower end processor. if you dont (ie onboard video...yhuk) then youll need a better processor as it ends up doing that job. i wouldnt even bother without a good video card. they are so cheap anyways.
 
Rogue71 said:
first of all if you have a decent video card that handles hd decoding you can get away with a lower end processor. if you dont (ie onboard video...yhuk) then youll need a better processor as it ends up doing that job. i wouldnt even bother without a good video card. they are so cheap anyways.
Click to expand...

How about getting a clue next time. The 780G uses the exact same UVD that all of the other 3xx0 series video cards use and it handles 99% of the work for Hidef DVD playback (just like the entire 3xx0 series video cards) with overhead from AACS being handled by the CPU.

Also, the 780G will do H264 playback with a 3200+ Sempron (AM2) but not a 3000+ Sempron (AM2), seems like the 3000 simply doesn't have enough horsepower to handle the AACS decryption.

So, yeah. Why would I spend more money on a GPU when I could have everything I need for a Blue Ray playing HTPC in a 780G mobo? :rolleyes:
 
For 1080p, that looks pretty good Danny, except I'd kick up the processor to a 5000+, just to be on the safe side. The 3800+ to 4200+ range is pushing it with some of the content I've run across that can't be hardware decoded. The 5000+ has enough power to do it all though, BR, HDDVD, mkv, x264, wmvhd, etc.
 
CrimandEvil said:
How about getting a clue next time. The 780G uses the exact same UVD that all of the other 3xx0 series video cards use and it handles 99% of the work for Hidef DVD playback (just like the entire 3xx0 series video cards) with overhead from AACS being handled by the CPU.

Also, the 780G will do H264 playback with a 3200+ Sempron (AM2) but not a 3000+ Sempron (AM2), seems like the 3000 simply doesn't have enough horsepower to handle the AACS decryption.

So, yeah. Why would I spend more money on a GPU when I could have everything I need for a Blue Ray playing HTPC in a 780G mobo? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

well gee i dunno.....maybe i dont want an amd board and i still dont like ati video cards. and i never said anything bad about the 780g, i just prefer to know what im buying is proven not to have compatibilty issues. if you want to build a borderline pc that has no headroom go ahead. i use my htpc for more than just playing movies. i hate integrated boards. that system you quote would serve no purpose to me if it was ever upgraded. not everyone is a penny pincher. the cheapest option most times isnt a real solution.so you go and roll your eyes all you want. i have my opinion and you have yours. i expressed mine without insulting you. so go get yourself a clue.
 
Right now, I'm looking at this:

$99 AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 65W
$99 GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G
$150 LITE-ON Black SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-4O1S-08
$45 G.SKILL 2GB(2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
$69 APEVIA X-QPACK-NW-AL/420 Black/ Silver Aluminum MicroATX 420W Power Supply

Total is $462

Easy to add in an 8800 GTS later if gaming becomes important...
 
Looks like a good solution. Although, I'd be a little bit weary of the PSU they put in the Qpack cases. Mine died the second I plugged it in, lol. I'd go with the case that doesn't come with a PSU, then put in something of a little more quality and quiet.
 
w1retap said:
Looks like a good solution. Although, I'd be a little bit weary of the PSU they put in the Qpack cases. Mine died the second I plugged it in, lol. I'd go with the case that doesn't come with a PSU, then put in something of a little more quality and quiet.
Click to expand...

I concur. Apevia makes some of the shittiest PSUs out there. I use to have an Apevia PSU. Killed 6 hard drives before I finally replaced the fucker.

If size doesn't matter to you that much, I recommend getting this quality case/PSU combo instead:
Antec NSK4480 ATX Case With Antec Earthwatts 380W PSU - $70

Though if size does matter, get this set:
Ultra Microfly mATX Case - $40
Silverstone ST400 400W PSU - $47
----
Total: $87 plus tax and shipping
 
I like that MicroFly case. Do you think it'll take an 8800GTS 512 if I go that route?

Only other addition here is that I wish the case had eSATA support. That's one of the features I liked about the NZXT Rogue...
 
Danny Bui said:
...
Ultra Microfly mATX Case - $40
...
Click to expand...

Oh...my god. Did you watch the video review on that link? What a douche bag. 3D Game man, if you read these forums....you are in fact, a douche bag. Please stop trying to sound like a flight attendant directing me to my exit row while reminding me that my seat is not a flotation device.

3D Game man, if I could, I would have slapped you. Just now. Hard.
 
Llathos said:
Oh...my god. Did you watch the video review on that link? What a douche bag. 3D Game man, if you read these forums....you are in fact, a douche bag. Please stop trying to sound like a flight attendant directing me to my exit row while reminding me that my seat is not a flotation device.

3D Game man, if I could, I would have slapped you. Just now. Hard.
Click to expand...

If you pretend like it's the bastard offspring of William Shatner, it isn't that bad.
 
Llathos said:
I like that MicroFly case. Do you think it'll take an 8800GTS 512 if I go that route?
Click to expand...

Yes I think it will take an 8800GTS:
http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1032009143&postcount=21
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1256178

The 8800GT is the same length as the 8800GTS I believe. So there shouldn't be any problem.

Also, I wouldn't call what 3DGameMan does "reviews". More like just reading off a spec sheet. But I really don't mind him. Can't say I like him too much but don't dislike him enough to want to slap him in the face.
 
Because of size concerns, I'm now looking at the Shuttle G5 3300 as a possible solution. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of choosing my own motherboard for this machine.

The motherboard uses the Intel GMA3100 chipset-- I've heard that this does not have hardware support for h.264 decoding. Would a C2D E4500 (2.2GHz) be able to handle the decoding all on its own?

Would it be able to play 720p video content? What about 1080p?
 
It would do 720p content on the CPU, might struggle with some 1080p stuff. But, I'd go out on a limb to say that 1080p would be fine too, maybe besides some HDDVD/BD titles.
 
w1retap said:
Cheapest would be to build your own. An AM2 system could be done on an extremely low budget since their prices are so low now. A mobo with integrated video (690G) and a X2 3800+ with a gig or two of DDR2 memory would work great.

AMD X2 3800+ - $48
Asus 690G mobo w/ HDMI - $80
Corsair 2GB DDR2-800 - $30 after rebate
Click to expand...

This is what I did (went 5000+/780G though) when my 939 mobo on my HTPC took a dump for the second time. 85 bucks for the CPU, 90 for the mobo, 35 for the memory. I'll be back in business with a lot faster RAM and CPU for around 200 bucks, plus I'll be able to run audio and video through HDMI to my receiver.
 
John G. said:
Because of size concerns, I'm now looking at the Shuttle G5 3300 as a possible solution. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of choosing my own motherboard for this machine.

The motherboard uses the Intel GMA3100 chipset-- I've heard that this does not have hardware support for h.264 decoding. Would a C2D E4500 (2.2GHz) be able to handle the decoding all on its own?

Would it be able to play 720p video content? What about 1080p?
Click to expand...

Add an 8600/8500GT and call it a day.
 
Yup. Add a video card and you'll be okay (I thought this had already been answered).
 
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