Your next HTPC? Atom + 9400m

C

CrimandEvil

Dick with a heart of gold
Joined
Oct 22, 2003
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Anand Article


This is the same GeForce 9400M that’s used in desktops and notebooks, the very same GeForce 9400M that’s in the new MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air...and NVIDIA is pairing it up with Intel’s Atom processor.
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The reference motherboard is very simple; you’ve got an Intel Atom CPU and a GeForce 9400M next to each other, a single SATA connector and a DDR3 SO-DIMM slot on the other side of the board. And this little thing is powerful enough to play HD video (8 - 25Mbps H.264):
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AWESOME! :D

The only complaint I have is that it needs a Mini PCIe slot so I can slip in a spare wireless card in there.
 
slap a 1tb drive in there and it still wouldn't be bigger then a box of Kleenex. This would be perfect for a powerful media extender.
 
i would use it...... i dont like the DDR3 since DDR2 is sooo cheap...

it needs HDMI w/ audio

looks nice
 
Damn. 25Mbps? My Cloverfield encode peaks at over 60Mbps, and is over 50Mbps for around a minute in a couple places. I take it this thing would choke.

I kinda got excited about it...
 
I'd buy one. You could actually make it small enough to mount to the back of a tv.
 
My Cloverfield encode peaks at over 60Mbps
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Lol, what version of Cloverfield are you watching? At 60Mbps that exceeds Blurays maximum of 40Mbps for video and a 48Mbps total for video/audio.

And this little thing is powerful enough to play HD video (8 - 25Mbps H.264):
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I wouldnt trust the cpu charts you see in the picture with batman playing as its a re-encode and not the bluray (or AAC wouldnt be used as audio) so its possible that it could be a reencode using a very low cpu set of encoding options (no cabac etc).

Still it looks like a nice alternative, especially as a small box just to play movies over the network.
 
CrimandEvil said:
Correct that. Criccio has corrected me via PM, it's a copy he DLed. :rolleyes:
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Thats Anandtech for you.

I'd like to see this thing whacked up with a real Blu-Ray player. Or better yet, some HD-PVR content from Sage just for giggles.
 
valve1138 said:
Thats Anandtech for you.

I'd like to see this thing whacked up with a real Blu-Ray player. Or better yet, some HD-PVR content from Sage just for giggles.
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I meant Criccio's copy of Cloverfield that he was talking about.

Anand's copy seems to have been one on the HDD.
 
CrimandEvil said:
I meant Criccio's copy of Cloverfield that he was talking about.

Anand's copy seems to have been one on the HDD.
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Even then, that sounds like not your typical scene encode, rather done by someone who checked the highest checkbox, and highest slider in every option.

There's a point where more bitrate just makes thing worse.

OT: It seems like this would make a pretty good slightly more powerful Popcorn Hour.
 
movax said:
OT: It seems like this would make a pretty good slightly more powerful Popcorn Hour.
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Exactly what I was thinking.
Even then, that sounds like not your typical scene encode, rather done by someone who checked the highest checkbox, and highest slider in every option.

There's a point where more bitrate just makes thing worse.
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And some people don't seem to understand that; more does not always mean "better." Then again he tells me that there are plenty of people over at HDbits that would tell me I'm very wrong. lol :p
criccio said:
Sorry, but you are unfortunately very wrong.

Ever heard of HDBits.org? Very large community of HD enthusiasts who would disagree with you. There are a very large amount of high ranking members here that are also members there who would probably be able to prove you wrong better then I, but I will just let you do the research on your own if you so choose.

Proper encoding with x264 results in absolutely NO loss of visual quality, or else there would be no reason to do so.
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lol.. wow.

For the record, scene doesn't know how to encode for shit.
 
Excellent, I cant wait to make a media center expander out of this. Or a mini HTPC for the bedroom.
 
wonder what cost is going to be like. This is definitely something that there is a market for. Kudos to nvidia.
 
lol, a 60mb/s rip of a blu-ray...


hahahahahaha, what a waste.
 
Verge said:
lol, a 60mb/s rip of a blu-ray...


hahahahahaha, what a waste.
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thats the scene for you.

well, almost.. we forgot one thing



All.File.Tags.Must.Be.Like.This.And.Fuck.You.If.You.Have.The.Right.Tags.It.Will.Be.Nuked.XVID.RELOADED.ENX.LOL.PROPER.AVI


i hate the scene..
 
I don't think they view to highly of "the scene" in this board...


But you are on the wrong scene.
 
Vader said:
How does the Atom fare running Vista Media Center?
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It doesn't since you have to have a DX9 part for VMC to render it's self properly and the GMA950 that Intel cripples Atom with is just barely able to do it.

The CPU it's self should have no trouble running VMC once you give it a decent IGP.
 
The CPU it's self should have no trouble running VMC once you give it a decent IGP.
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Well..if this becomes affordable..then say goodbye to my extenders..lol...;)
 
...for the record the scene rips better than i can. I suxors at ripping :(
His copy could have been a rip from the IMAX version :p

But I cannot wait to see these things actually manufactured.
 
let's talk about cost...for some, this is going to be a bit more than a glorified DVD player...

right now, VIA's picos are around $250 shipped. Mini ITX Atoms are around $80. i can't imagine myself spending more that $150 for the board, regardless on size or chipset. After that, you can buy a Mini ITX Dual Core Atom and a used 8600 and get some decent specs out of the thing, CUDA and all.

Basically, what pricing is Nvidia proposing? to survive, it has to be CHEAP. Like many people say, even if it DOES make it into mainstream netbooks, few buy netbooks to be power house machines. They just want to surf the net and write documents. it's gotta beat out Intel's current offering price wise, or else few will want to go for it, and if it is prohibitively expensive, fewer still will even try.
 
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