HTPC mb died...opinions on potential replacement

[TooncesLives]

Well, I went to update the BIOS on my DG965wh, and if failed during the flash. I've tried just about everything that I can think, but at this point I think it's toast. I have a support ticket into Intel, but I don't know if I'll have any luck in getting a replacement or repair on it (I don't like this board too much to begin with).

That being said, if I can't get a replacement board, I have to decide on a potential replacement. I'm looking at the ASUS P5N7A-VM LGA 775 as a potential board (it has gotten great reviews for its blu-ray playback abilities, which I want to add to my system). My concern is having the best video option for blu-ray playback (for now I'll have to reuse the 4gigs of DDR2 800 and E6420 I currently have in the new system). I'm just not sure if using the onboard video on this board is a better option than the R3600 I currently have, or if I'd be further off looking at a different board, and using my R3600. Any opinions on this would be great. Thanks!

 

[dajaga]

get the gigbyte GA-MA78GM-S2H it is one of the most recommended mb on here. it has audio over hdmi, on board video. and if you pair it up with a low wattage athlon 64 x2 proc. great combo

 

[CrimandEvil]

If you are reusing your old parts then the P5N7A-VM would make for a terrific replacement and yes it is better for playback then your 3600.

 

[TooncesLives]

Thanks for the suggestion on the AMD setup, but I will need to reuse these old parts. Hopefully down the road this system will go in my bedroom, and I'll be able to build a better rig for the living room. The video card playback was my main concern, so thanks for clearing that up.

 

[TooncesLives]

Well, Intel did agree to replace my motherboard. What are the thoughts of my current rig for playing blu-ray movies? I would think it should be able to handle smooth playback. I'd like to keep this system for about another year, then look at upgrading.

Also, with blu-ray (and better DVD performance), is ffdshow still the recommended way to go? I've always used my standalone dvd player via hdmi, so I never messed around with it. I'd like to get the best quality playback I can with my 1080p set. Thanks again!