Whirlpool

After reading through previous threads and doing a bit of research myself i've put together this system to connect to a 40" 1080p LCD. Just wanting peoples thoughts.

MB - Asus M2A-VM HDMI - $89
CPU - AMD 4200+ - $78
RAM- Corsair 1gb kit (2x512) - $35
HDD - WD 250gb - $72
Network - Netgear WG311 (54mbps) - $27
Blue Ray - Pioneer BDC-S02BK - $199
Case - Antek NSK 1300 mATX (300w PSU) - $115
KB/M - Logitech Cordless Keyboard + Mouse EX110 - $43

Wanting to add a TV Tuner for around $100 but I have had no experience with these so any suggestions would be great.

Also concerned wether the 300w psu will be enough?

Thanks!
Mike

I would recommend one of the digital now tuners. Look at www.xpmediacentre.com.au for more info on media centres and tuners. The new hauppauge hvr 2200 is getting some pretty good write ups on there 2.

My DigitaNow TinyTwin hasn't skipped a beat, so I'd second the recommendation!

300w PSU is heaps, my HTPC barely breaks 100w.

#Street writes...

CPU - AMD 4200+ - $78

Go with something a bit better, that really is borderline for 1080p HD content. Hence you wouldnt want to be doing >=2 things at once.

Klamath writes...

Go with something a bit better, that really is borderline for 1080p HD content. Hence you wouldnt want to be doing >=2 things at once.

My mums HTPC decodes 1080p content fine with a X2 4200+, using that same motherboard (but 2gb of ram)
My HTPC does it fine with an E2160.

Neither have a dedicated graphics card, just have to choose your codecs wisely.

Paul Jenkins writes...

just have to choose your codecs wisely.

Thats why you are better off spending a little extra. The 4800+ can be had for $100 and the 5200+ for $125.

The 4200+ is capable, but you dont want to be on the bottomline, youll run into problems if you want to record TV whilst you watch a movie.

Excellent thanks!

I'll probably go with the TinyTwin then, being USB i'll be able to transport between my main PC and my media centre PC alot easier.

I guess i'll step up to the 4800+ just to be on the safe side.

Is 1gb of ram enough? I'm just trying to keep the cost down as much as possible. I guess if I need more I can always just get some more at a later stage.

#Street writes...

Is 1gb of ram enough?

Yep, 1GB will be fine ;)

Klamath writes...

Thats why you are better off spending a little extra. The 4800+ can be had for $100 and the 5200+ for $125.

...wait what? CoreAVC is USD$7.95. That will play back everything you need. If you're going to be playing back HD-DVD/BluRay, you'll need a software player, so you'd buy PowerDVD Ultra...which does all the remaining codecs.

While sure, if you've got the money it wouldn't hurt for when next 'HD' spec comes out, but 4200+ handles 1080p fine, so long as you aren't just using FFDShow, and didn't use that much that I couldn't do other things (like say, "green button" in Media Center without dropping a frame, which can be fairly intensive)

#Street writes...

MB - Asus M2A-VM HDMI - $89

That's a nice board (my mum has one back in UK) but that chipset has been superseded and the replacement (780G) is not much more expensive but will allow you to run a lesser cpu than 690G did.
forum-replies.cfm?t=917960

If possible up the ram to 2 x 1Gb and I'd upsize the HDD to 500Gb unless you will have network storage etc.

#Street writes...

AMD 4200+ - $78

Intel E2160. Overclock it and should do pretty good.

Netgear WG311 (54mbps) - $27

People generally stay away from CHEAP Netgear products.

WD 250gb - $72

Get 500GB. You'll regret it when you want the extra room.

Perhaps get a Thermaltake Soprano HTPC case, and then an Earthwatts? Run some very nice content then.

Wanting to add a TV Tuner for around $100

I like Leadtek. Dual tuners are probably more the go for you.

chunderman™ writes...

Perhaps get a Thermaltake Soprano HTPC case, and then an Earthwatts? Run some very nice content then.

I like his choice of case (visually) and if he does go with 780G & a low power AM2 CPU (BE2350)? then he may not need a larger PSU.

Get Compro Videomate E650F dual TV tuner card. It has dual tuners, unique power-up-scheduled recording feature and comes with fully functional MCE remote. It is Vista 32/64 bit certified. Falls within your budget :)

#Street writes...

CPU - AMD 4200+ - $78

This CPU is not good enough for HD.

But

MB - Asus M2A-VM HDMI - $89

Get a 780G motherboard around $100-120 so that you can save a graphic card.
Check out this review, HDMI, DVI, HDCP all in one and can play blue ray smooth.

www.tomshardware.com/200...amd_780g_chipset

superforever writes...

This CPU is not good enough for HD.

I have a 4000+ and an 8600GTS. It decodes just fine, although it is lacking in multiple tasks.

superforever writes...

Get a 780G motherboard around $100-120 so that you can save a graphic card.

+1

There are a lot of reviews on these boards lately. Good enough for Blueray/HD DVD even with lower Sempron CPUs.

AMD really made a awesome chipset here. Also it uses very little power.

chunderman™ writes...

I have a 4000+ and an 8600GTS. It decodes just fine, although it is lacking in multiple tasks.

Depends on what HD you mean.

If you talking about recorded HD TV programs yes it will decode fine (because low compression) but if you talk about Blue ray movies or mkv HD files I don't think so.

Thanks for all the info.

Basically i'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible so i'm not gonna go out and buy a fancy case etc. I just want a media pc for around or under $800.

I've just had a look at the review of the Gigabyte 780G motherboard and it sounds a hell of alot better. So I think i'll go with this board and stick with the 4200+ as I wont be doing multitasking at all. Also the 4200+ outperforms the BE-2350, might use a bit more power but the psu should handle it.

I'll upgrade the ram if i need to at a later date.

I have plenty of network storage so hdd doesn't have to be large, just big enough to record a couple of movies before transferring them. 250gb seemed to be the best value cheap hdd.

The Compro Videomate E650F looks good too, although not USB but I wasn't planning on geting USB in the first place. I'll have to look into it a bit more.

#Street writes...

250gb seemed to be the best value cheap hdd.

Get a Samsung 500Gb I think is only around $100.

www.fluidtek.com.au

I have the 4400 AMD with 250gig hard drive and 2 gig generic 800 ram. I have the Compro E700 tv card which is a PCI-E card. I would recommend a pci-e card as it puts very little strain on the cpu.
I run through a 40 inch 1080p and watch up to 4 channels at once while surfing, email etc. And that is with ide harddrive and dvd drive, not sata.
I have a 6600gt card which also does the job fine. The compro has its own remote which is great as it does the tV and also dvd's.
I just bought a Shintaro wireless keyboard with a builtin track ball mouse. It is good as well.

I bought an ezcool dt01 case from Umart www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=6
to keep the price down. You need a psu with rear fan only to fit though. And too many fans can get noisy unless you put it in a cabinet.

I built it on the cheap and it works fine. The dearest part was the tv card at about $140.

venusbluejeans writes...

I have a 6600gt card which also does the job fine.

For HD TV Programs recording, yes it will do fine. I am using AMD 3000+ @2.2, a nVidia FX5900 video card + Leadtek DTV1000 and it is doing fine.

But he is talking about Blue ray which I don't think my PC or your PC can handle it.

[hijacks]
I was thinking of doing the same thing.

Anyone know if any of MSY's cases are small, i did a google image search on a few but they look like normal fat-ass cases... I just want something to lay horizontal under my TV. Only asking about MSY because there's one a five minute walk away from my place and i don't have a car anymore.

Thinking:
ASUS P5N-MX (mATX MB no?)
E2160
2GB Generic (alerady got 1GB)
160GB SATA (already got 2 others, almost full)
512MB 8600GT (Leadtek)
That should be about $370

What's recommended for a mATX case, wireless network card, OS? I was thinking of getting a Gyration KB/M after seeing one a couple years back. They'd be stilla bout $100 right?

Klamath writes...

CPU - AMD 4200+ - $78

Go with something a bit better, that really is borderline for 1080p HD content. Hence you wouldnt want to be doing >=2 things at once.

If you are just using the machine for HDTV and Bluray you do not need a powerful CPU at all (Sempron 2800+ can even manage) if you get a video card (or MB) with a H.264 decoder on it.

See the benchmarks below for a semperon 2800+ running a Ati 2400 card:
en.hardspell.com/doc/sho...d=622&pageid=648

Deus Sceleris writes...

What's recommended for a mATX case,

I've a nsk2480b, which has a good power supply, is pretty quite, looks OK and is pretty cheap 130 bucks. Which MSY are you close too? Scorptech (just around the corner from MSY, Mulgrave) has them!

wireless network card

I've got a dlink USB wireless dongle, allows me to move the device outside my TV cabinet and use all those spare USB ports I never use.

512MB 8600GT (Leadtek)

Ensure it is passively cooled!

160GB SATA

get one Samsung 500gb as they are quite and more disks means more heat and subsequently noise (the mortal enemy of the WAF!)

#Street writes...

Is 1gb of ram enough?

Most on-board graphics cards take memory from the system memory, the 780g chipset can take up to 512mb (a setting in bios) but 256mb would probably work.

If you are trying to tun Vista then you may be running a little tight!

Tim.

adamr writes...

(Sempron 2800+ can even manage) if you get a video card (or MB) with a H.264 decoder on it.

If possible I would recommend the 3 series video card or use the 780G motherboard with build in HD 3200 video card.

#Street writes...

MB - Asus M2A-VM HDMI - $89

I have that board with an AM2 5600+ and it stutters a bit.

I did have an older dvico twin tuner, but I "snapped" the cables and now need to replace it as only one tuner works.

The onboard video and sound are OK, but I will be replacing the GPU with an nvidia 8500 I think for pureHD decoding. The onboard Ati is pretty poor.

The problem is the onboard has a riser card that takes up the Pcie slot - so if you replace this with another card as I'm planning then you lose the spdif output for the sound! - as it's on that riser!

I've not worked out a satisfactory answer yet- as the onboard video is NOT capable of 1080P according to the manual.

Page 10 - "The resolution cannot reach 1080P when playing HD DVD and Blu Ray disc due to mainstream DVD player limit"

God knows what that means, but it would seem to indicate you'll need a better GPU.

DisasterArea writes...

I've not worked out a satisfactory answer yet- as the onboard video is NOT capable of 1080P according to the manual.

If you're using video acceleration, yeah, it'll be crap past 720p. The chipset just can't handle that much processing.

Go for a software decoder like PureAVC/PowerDVD Ultra, you should be okay (I only tested PureAVC on the AM2 system I built)

venusbluejeans writes...

I have the 4400 AMD with 250gig hard drive and 2 gig generic 800 ram. I have the Compro E700 tv card which is a PCI-E card. I would recommend a pci-e card as it puts very little strain on the cpu.
I run through a 40 inch 1080p

thats just what i wanted to hear, i have a 37" 1080p lcdtv that doesnt have a high def tuner, running onto my media centre pc (3200+ 2gig, 7900gt oc, 2TB, a8n-sli - cpu needs upgrading) i was hoping i could get a quality solution for hdtv/dvr solution for this system and it sounds like that compro card is a winner. i certainly might give it a go

Paul Jenkins writes...

PowerDVD Ultra

I thought powerdvd had the chipset acceleration in it, (the nvidia purehd software) - so you don't really get a lot of choice in the matter as to how the decoding is running?

At the moment I've bene using a projector off my xbox, MCE extended from the MCE box...... it solves my resolution output and sound issues quite nicely as a temporary measure.

DisasterArea writes...

I thought powerdvd had the chipset acceleration in it, (the nvidia purehd software) - so you don't really get a lot of choice in the matter as to how the decoding is running?

If you go into the options, you can choose whether hardware acceleration is on or off - for my HTPC (GMA x3000), I had to disable it to get smooth HD-DVD playback.

has anyone found a good hdmi 1.3 solution yet? ... many of the newer TVs support it and that omission the main thing holding me back from building a new htpc

hdmi 1.3 is better colour amongst other things

superforever writes...

Get a 780G motherboard around $100-120 so that you can save a graphic card.
Check out this review, HDMI, DVI, HDCP all in one and can play blue ray smooth.

www.tomshardware.com/200...amd_780g_chipset

Would love to use one of these for a htpc but my tv has rgb/component scart inputs, is there some sort of converter I could use or is a separate video card my only option?

The system looks fine. I'm running 1080p from my Media Centre which is a 2.ghz celeron with 1gb ram. CPU never goes over 30%.

Eeyore writes...

I'm running 1080p from my Media Centre which is a 2.ghz celeron with 1gb ram. CPU never goes over 30%.

It's probably because you have a video card which does the decoding for you.

My P4 2.8G dual core can't play HD DVD...
heck it even struggle to play HD TV with a x1300pro.

Ant234 writes...

It's probably because you have a video card which does the decoding for you.

Nope. Onboard Intel GMA945.

Eeyore writes...

Nope. Onboard Intel GMA945.

then u've got something fishy going on there. can you show us what you were playing, what player, what codec and what OS.

Squallff8aus writes...

then u've got something fishy going on there. can you show us what you were playing, what player, what codec and what OS.

www.team-mediaportal.com

that doesn't answer all the questions though.

Ok, Media Portal has it's own codecs, and it runs on Windows XP. Fairly simple. Anything else?

Oh and content
here - www.microsoft.com/window...entshowcase.aspx

Squallff8aus writes...

can you show us what you were playing,

which 1080p file(s) were you playing exactly?

what codec

in regards to codecs, is it codec internal to the player or external?
if external i want the name for it.

check the edit to my last post

Eeyore writes...

Oh and content
here - www.microsoft.com/window...entshowcase.aspx

so you got one of those 1080p files from there? ok, let me try.

is wireless g enough for HD?

Ant234 writes...

It's probably because you have a video card which does the decoding for you.

I think he is talking about recorded TVs from Media Centre.

superforever writes...

I think he is talking about recorded TVs from Media Centre.

I couldn't even get MCE to record HD with Dvico twin tuners. What tuners would you recommend for HD under MCE/Vista??

Eeyore writes...

Nope. Onboard Intel GMA945.

I think thats utter crap...

Definately not 1080.

Look at the minimum requirement for MediaPortal for HD (even 720p!):
# 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 (or equivalent) processor
# 512 MB of System RAM
# DirectX 9.0 hardware-accelerated GPU with at least 128MB of video memory
sourced:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaPortal

You only made the requirement of 1G ram... which fell way short of CPU + GPU (where all the content processing takes place)

DisasterArea writes...

I couldn't even get MCE to record HD with Dvico twin tuners.

Any reason why? It doesn't support HD?

I am just using Leadtek DTV1000, cheap and quite good and the only thing not good is slow when changing channels. Not very sure whether it is caused of Media Centre software or the card itself is slow.

superforever writes...

I think he is talking about recorded TVs from Media Centre.

Either way, recording or playing HD TV require much more grunt than the poster suggested... take a look at the above wiki link.

DisasterArea writes...

I couldn't even get MCE to record HD with Dvico twin tuners. What tuners would you recommend for HD under MCE/Vista??

I have mine working in MCE...
Haven't played around it enough to get both turners working... but 1 definately works.

Ant234 writes...

Either way, recording or playing HD TV require much more grunt than the poster suggested

I have no problem recording HDTV with my AMD 3000+ @2.2, 2Gb Ram, FX5900 and DTV1000 tv card.

But not play back HD mkv files.

#Street writes...

MB - Asus M2A-VM HDMI - $89

What about then new 780G chipset?

www.tomshardware.com/200...amd_780g_chipset

It's power consumption and HD decoding is top of the class.

Boards with this chipset have already been announced and should be out very soon.

This is the baby I'm waiting for - no need for seperate graphics card with this puppy (unless you want to game as well).

:-)

superforever writes...

DTV1000 tv card.

I was going to buy these, but the website lists driver support as "XP"
I run vista 32bit, and want two running tuners -

It seems to me that you need both a HD capable tuner, and a GPU that can produce 1080P via HDMI to get the best results.

DisasterArea writes...

I was going to buy these, but the website lists driver support as "XP"
I run vista 32bit, and want two running tuners -

Vista drivers here.

www.leadtek.com/eng/supp...?keyword=dtv1000

Also found here people talking about the slow changing channels.
Going to try it.

www.xpmediacentre.com.au...nnel-change.html

superforever writes...

lso found here people talking about the slow changing channels.
Going to try it.

I always foinf the dvico dual digital I had to be slow, then I stopped using it's remote (because I snapped it off the board) and bought the full MCE remote and keybpard - HOW GOOD ARE THEY!?? wow. it was improved.

Do you use the leadtek software, or just let MCE drive them, and do you use the leadtek remote, or the OEM MCE one?

I am considering chucking the one working tuner (I snapped the USB port for the 2nd tuner off my dvico too) and getting a pair of leadteks, but I need to know they'll work.

As I have the ASUS M2A-VM (HDMI) also, at the same time I'm looking to upgrade the GPU to something that can onboard decode 1080P with sound over the HDMI...

Anyone got a setup that works for this? The op design (with onboardd only video) will never play 1080P - and I have a 360HD drive I want to connect.

adamr writes...

If you are just using the machine for HDTV and Bluray you do not need a powerful CPU at all (Sempron 2800+ can even manage) if you get a video card (or MB) with a H.264 decoder on it.

Its cheaper to get a better CPU than to fork out for a dedicated GPU for it. Dont think that motherboard would cope with h.264 and a Sempron.

Klamath writes...

Dont think that motherboard would cope with h.264 and a Sempron

weird though - review www.silentpcreview.com/a...le778-page4.html

The Radeon X1250 integrated graphics chip powered through the video playback section of our test effortlessly until the WVC1 encoded test clip. Though the average CPU usage was only 64% during this test, CPU usage peaked at about 85% on both cores during the most stressful portion of the video. Still, playback was smooth, without visual hiccups

and tyhis using a clocked down :
AMD 64 X2 BE-2400+ processor - 2.3Ghz, 65nm, 45W

Why does this word for the reviewers, yet the mopbo manual says it won't play 1080p due to "DVD limitations"

Ant234 writes...

I think thats utter crap...

Definately not 1080.

Look at the minimum requirement for MediaPortal for HD (even 720p!):
# 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 (or equivalent) processor
# 512 MB of System RAM
# DirectX 9.0 hardware-accelerated GPU with at least 128MB of video memory
sourced:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaPortal

You only made the requirement of 1G ram... which fell way short of CPU + GPU (where all the content processing takes place)

Every thread has it's doubters :P
The most important part of being able to play HD video is video memory bandwidth. You need at least 10GB/s. That is, Bits x Frequency. And luckily the GMA945 does this and more.

DisasterArea writes...

CPU usage peaked at about 85% on both cores during the most stressful portion of the video.

Yeah, a sempron 2800+ single core certainly wouldnt cope there, not to mention the test suite of videos doesnt include a full 1920x1080 resolution video.

Why does this word for the reviewers, yet the mopbo manual says it won't play 1080p due to "DVD limitations"

That is odd...

Klamath writes...

Its cheaper to get a better CPU than to fork out for a dedicated GPU for it. Dont think that motherboard would cope with h.264 and a Sempron.

The new 780G chipset comes with HD 3200 video card build in with HDMI, DVI, etc.

Which can handle 1080p without another video card.

Klamath writes...

That is odd...

I know!!!

I think I'll just hook up my HD drive and see if it works, and if not put in a sapphire HD2400 (66 dollars) as it has HDMI and onboard 5.1 (should I ever need to do this over HDMI)

Shame to do this and bypass the M2AVM-HDMI design on the basis that the onboard doesn't do it. Weird that the manual contradicts reviews! -

Maveri writes...

It's power consumption and HD decoding is top of the class.

Boards with this chipset have already been announced and should be out very soon.

This is the baby I'm waiting for - no need for seperate graphics card with this puppy (unless you want to game as well).

No need to wait, they're already available. I've just put in an order for a Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard and Athlon X2 BE-2350 CPU. Should get them next week.

Incidentally, going with some of the other posts here I thought I'd share my HTPC experience.

Currently I've got a Sempron 3300+ with 1GB DDR400, Asus K8V-VM motherboard and Asus X300 SE graphics card, and under Win XP MCE I was able to play everything I tried without stutter, including a 1080p trailer for the Bourne Ultimatum, as well as plenty of 720p MKV files. However under Vista HP media centre it was struggling even with SD TV, hence the upgrade (will be using A-DATA 2x1GB 800 with the parts above). I think the RAM was the main killer - Vista just couldn't cope with only 1GB - I might actually look for a spare USB stick to use as ReadyBoost to see if that helps until the other parts arrive.

superforever writes...

The new 780G chipset comes with HD 3200 video card build in with HDMI, DVI, etc.

I dont think they are available in australia yet though.

Klamath writes...

I dont think they are available in australia yet though.

Absolutely they are: www.staticice.com.au/cgi...te+ga-ma78gm-s2h

Centrecom were able to order one in for me next week, but a couple of other places have stock in hand as well.

Degrador writes...

Centrecom were able to order one in for me next week, but a couple of other places have stock in hand as well.

+1

Degrador writes...

Centrecom were able to order one in for me next week, but a couple of other places have stock in hand as well.

I also don't think it's in Australia shores yet...
Thats according to 1 of the distributors...

Was advised it will be in Aust on the 12th... which probably explains why you'll get one next week :P

Ant234 writes...

I also don't think it's in Australia shores yet...
Thats according to 1 of the distributors...

There are already in stock in Altech (the distributor).

EDIT:

They have this one

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H (Rev.1.0) M/board - AMD 780G/SB700 chipset, Supports Socket AM2+/ AM2 AMD Phenom FX/Phenom/Athlon 64 FX/Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core/Athlon 64/Sempron processors, 4xDDR2 800/667 (Maximum 16GB), 1x PCI-Express x16, 1x PCI Express x1, 2 x PCI, Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200-based graphics (DX10), Integrated DVI/ HDMI interface with HDCP, 1 x Ultra DMA 133/100/66/33, 5 x Serial ATA 3.0Gb/s with RAID, 1 x eSATA, 10/100/1000 LAN, Up to 12 x USB2.0, 1394, 8-Ch Audio, Micro ATX form factor, Windows Vista Premium Ready

Ant234 writes...

I also don't think it's in Australia shores yet...
Thats according to 1 of the distributors...

Was advised it will be in Aust on the 12th... which probably explains why you'll get one next week :P

The store I ended up buying it from has it in stock according to their online stock counter. There are many stores reporting as such as well (StoneBridge Computing for instance).

superforever writes...

They have this one

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H

Yup, that's the one.

superforever writes...

There are already in stock in Altech (the distributor).

Strange, I just logged in, can't find anything there...

the xls pricelist exist but no stock :(

#Street writes...

doing a bit of research myself i've put together this system to connect to a 40" 1080p LCD. Just wanting peoples thoughts.

MB - Asus M2A-VM HDMI - $89

Well - Ahve you decided yet?
After some work today on my M2AVM (HDMI) I've decided the following.....

I have a 13x66x768 resolution TV, and VGA looks WAY better than HDMI does for using the net. If you use "windows" on your tv and your screen isn't 1080P then forget HDMI I reckon.

I just bought two leadtek DVT100T's which run as a pair happily under vista - only $45 each! IMHO they're way better than the dvico fusion twin I took out to install them.

This mobo's video doesn't do HD decoding, so my HDDVD playing via PowerDVD seemed to be using 80% cpu - that is a LOT for a 5600+ !

I may purchase the sapphire HD2400 which has onboard audio with SPDIF and HDMI/DVI output for $66. PureHD decoding onboard should redress the balance for HD video.

My 50c....

DisasterArea writes...

I have a 13x66x768 resolution TV, and VGA looks WAY better than HDMI does for using the net. If you use "windows" on your tv and your screen isn't 1080P then forget HDMI I reckon.

Huh?? That doesn't make any sense? How can the VGA look better than the HDMI? VGA is an analogue signal which means it can be prone to interference, and if your setup is like mine then if you look close you might see white dots flickering across the screen, but they're too small / fast to notice from further back, meanwhile HDMI wouldn't have this at all... Also, I don't get what using windows and having a 1080p screen would have to do with using HDMI...

IMHO they're way better than the dvico fusion twin I took out to install them.

Why? What difference have you noticed? Not doubting it, just curious...

This mobo's video doesn't do HD decoding, so my HDDVD playing via PowerDVD seemed to be using 80% cpu - that is a LOT for a 5600+ !

Yeah, I was just about to buy an M2A-VM HDMI or GA-MA69GM-S2H but everywhere was out of stock in Melb CBD, and then I found out about the 780G chipset and the GA-MA78GM-S2H motherboard :D

2400 Pro would be a good choice for you to add with the board.

Degrador writes...

can the VGA look better than the HDMI? VGA is an analogue signal which means it can be prone to interference, and if your setup is like mine then if you look close you might see white dots flickering across the screen, but they're too small / fast to notice from further back, meanwhile HDMI wouldn't have this at all... Also, I don't get what using windows and having a 1080p screen would have to do with using HDMI...

Have you ever USED HDMI with a non-native resolution then tried to read text?

Basically you have to run a non-native resolution which your TV will re-scale, so internet explorer / text etc looks utter shite. Practically unusable!

It seems better to run at the screens native resolution , which you can't do with HDMI unless you have a screen with the same physical dot count as one of the "TV" standards of 720P 1080P etc....

TV's exist in 1080P sure, but mine sure as hell isn't one of them, and native resolution over VGA knocks HDMI into a cocked hat, hands down.

I'll have to see if moving images (non windows desktop) are better, but I fail to see how they could be on a non-1080P screen that is.

Perhaps you're using it on a 1080P screen?

DisasterArea writes...

It seems better to run at the screens native resolution , which you can't do with HDMI unless you have a screen with the same physical dot count as one of the "TV" standards of 720P 1080P etc....

Dude, as far as I'm aware, HDMI is basically DVI. Millions of people use DVI for their PC monitors every day. You should still be able to set it to whatever resolution you like, be it 1920x1080 or 1366x768.

DisasterArea writes...

Have you ever USED HDMI with a non-native resolution then tried to read text?

Simple solution. Use native res.

It seems better to run at the screens native resolution , which you can't do with HDMI unless you have a screen with the same physical dot count as one of the "TV" standards of 720P 1080P etc....

Why can't you? As Corvus said, it's basically just DVI in a smaller plug, you should be able to set it to whatever resolution you want.

Perhaps you're using it on a 1080P screen?

Nope, 1366x768, however I'm not using HDMI yet, but I really don't see any issues with using it at all. Currently the VGA cable is connected at 1360x768, and I intend to use the same resolution when I upgrade the HTPC and start using HDMI.

Corvus writes...

Dude, as far as I'm aware, HDMI is basically DVI

Thaen you haven;t any experience with it, because it isn't and you can't

DisasterArea writes...

Thaen you haven;t any experience with it, because it isn't and you can't

I've got friends at work with similar setups that are using HDMI at 1360x768. It's simply an output, there's nothing special about it requiring it to be exactly 720p or 1080p...

DisasterArea writes...

Thaen you haven;t any experience with it, because it isn't and you can't

Sorry buddy, it's you that hasn't had any experience with it. There are laptops with HDMI that can output to any resolution the video card can spit out. It's just an output.

720p, 1080i, 1080p are TV standard resolutions, that's all.

Corvus writes...

it's you that hasn't had any experience with it

Well I've used it on two different machines with my bravia V series - and it doesn't allow a choice of resolutions whatsoever, just "TV" descriptors xxxP xxxxi etc
the resolution is shown, but the nearest is 12xx by xx (can't remember) but it looks absolutely awful.

Seeing as the post thread was about the ASUS M2AVM-HDMI motherboard - and that's what I have also - I thought it relevant to point out it doesn't seem possible.

The catalysyt control centre does NOT let you choose resolutions for HDMI outputs.

DisasterArea writes...

Well I've used it on two different machines with my bravia V series - and it doesn't allow a choice of resolutions whatsoever, just "TV" descriptors xxxP xxxxi etc
the resolution is shown, but the nearest is 12xx by xx (can't remember) but it looks absolutely awful.

Seeing as the post thread was about the ASUS M2AVM-HDMI motherboard - and that's what I have also - I thought it relevant to point out it doesn't seem possible.

The catalysyt control centre does NOT let you choose resolutions for HDMI outputs.

I'd be looking at the manual for your TV, not all TVs support 1360x768 over HDMI. Quite a lot of them will only permit 720p/1080p/etc. If not, then it's an issue specific to that motherboard. There is absolutely no reason why you can't have 1360x768 over HDMI, and plenty of people have done it.

DisasterArea writes...

The catalysyt control centre does NOT let you choose resolutions for HDMI outputs.

It's the TV, not the video card, that determines acceptable resolutions. Sony are very stringent when it comes to this.

Try it on any other brand of panel and I don't think you'll have a problem. :)

Corvus writes...

Try it on any other brand of panel and I don't think you'll have a problem. :)

Well then that sucks! Why do the most expensive toys, that are renowned to be the "best", turn out to be a POS ???

1366x760 over HDMI <should> look better than over VGA, but if the panel won't do it (and it seems the bravia V series do NOT) then over VGA looks pretty fine anyway.

I'd reckon you need a an amd 4600+ at least to decode HD if you dont have HD on your GPU (which the M2A-VM(HDMI) seems not to)

DisasterArea writes...

that are renowned to be the "best"

For that it's all a matter of who you ask :)

1366x760 over HDMI <should> look better than over VGA, but if the panel won't do it (and it seems the bravia V series do NOT) then over VGA looks pretty fine anyway.

Fair enough.

I'd reckon you need a an amd 4600+ at least to decode HD if you dont have HD on your GPU (which the M2A-VM(HDMI) seems not to)

The new 780G chipsets have the full decoding with the onboard. I don't think anyone should look for anything less than one of these for a new HTPC build.

I'm just really glad that nowhere in Melb CBD had that motherboard in stock on Friday or I would've bought it and not found out about the 780G until I got home. Here's hoping my GA-MA78GM-S2H and BE-2350 arrive early next week, or by Friday at the latest (don't see why they wouldn't - the store said they had 5+ in stock of each).

Degrador writes...

The new 780G chipsets have the full decoding with the onboard.

Totally agree. and more than a little peeved at ASUS for selling a 690G board as "HD and blu ray" compatible , mainly they're saying that the card will display it , not that it can decode it. Even the fine print doesn't spell this out!

Poor show really.

Something interesting here regarding "native" resolutions - probably imnportant for a good HD experience...
au.gear.ign.com/articles/712/712352p1.html

DisasterArea writes...

Well then that sucks! Why do the most expensive toys, that are renowned to be the "best", turn out to be a POS ???

Mate I have the 40" bravia x. If found that you have tune the inputs. at first the pic locked crap That was with HDMI from the HTPC and the internal TV tuner.

I tried VGA and that look average at best.

When i went through the tuning process the HDMI at 720p and 1080p looked fanatstic. all inputs.

Now I can surf the net through the TV no problems. I sit 3 - 3.5 m back from the TV and have to used the enlarge fuction in vista but its cool!

Also I have had no issues with any playback 1080I 1080p etc but I am using a 2900xt with aftermarket cooler (tooo loud with the stock) and an e6600 with 2 gig of ram overkill for a HTPC but use what you got I suppose.

I got the PS3 with the bravia and man does Bluray look good! sound is amazing as well.
It is well worth the effort to go 1080p and HDMI if your gear can handle it.
But if your eyes are a bit poor it makes no difference. My mate cannot tell the difference between analog tv and 1080p because his eyes are stuffed. So its a matter of personel experience.

FJ P510 writes...

It is well worth the effort to go 1080p and HDMI if your gear can handle it.

It was hard enough to persuade the mrs a computer was required under the TV.....

HD is something even harder to explain, there are other things to spend money on!

DisasterArea writes...

there are other things to spend money on!

isnt that the truth motorbikes holidays motorbikes house payments etc...

Double income no kids helps.

hold on arnt we supposed to stop spending so inflation goes down nar bugger it

Hmmm suzuki Vstrom here we come

bring on the toys!

Corvus writes...

Try it on any other brand of panel and I don't think you'll have a problem. :)

Can't do 1360 x 768 over HDMI it on my Pioneer plasma either, VGA only.

hmm... i wonder why some people can't do HDMI on certain resolutions..... hdmi is just dvi + sound ........

have you guys tried forcing the video signal on the computer side?

hmm, if you guys have some converters, try hdmi -> dvi -> vga

Squallff8aus writes...

hmm... i wonder why some people can't do HDMI on certain resolutions..... hdmi is just dvi + sound ........

have you guys tried forcing the video signal on the computer side?

hmm, if you guys have some converters, try hdmi -> dvi -> vga

It's the TVs. I think some TV manufacturers just assumed that HDMI would only be used by BluRay / HD-DVD players and the like, that would be outputting in 720p/1080p/other standard TV resolutions. Hence they only bothered to support these resolutions as inputs on HDMI, meanwhile VGA is a dedicated PC input, and hence it supports the native res.

www.entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

How about PowerStrip can it fix the problem?

Just my 2 cents...

my HTPC that I built about 6 months ago

MB - Asus M2NPV-VM (using the onboard VGA output)
CPU - AMD 4400+
RAM - 2GB DDR800 Silicon Power
HDD - 3x320GB WD
Network (onboard gigabit LAN)
Case - Antek NSK4400 (350W PS)
KB - something from auspcmarket - the one with the trackball built on the top right

Plays back 720p MKV's, divx with no issues
Plays back 1080p encoded MKVs possible only CoreAVC - using CCCP codecs stutters

Recommend that you get a 4800+ or a 5200+ CPU just in case for BluRay decoding - I think even though the CPU is capable of doing the software decoding, there is still a requirement to do decryption of the bitstream and that seems to chew up CPU.

BTW.. I have this connected via VGA to a Pioneer 507XDA and it rocks. I haven't done the HDMI route because I don't have an appropriate DVI-HDMI cable, and the necessary mini-stereo to the standard stereo cables. So far everything rocks :) Plus this way, I can use the speakers on the TV for general purpose stuff and have SP/DIF out to my amp @ the same time. I don't have to dick around with driver changers which you have to do if using a 2400/2600 with the audio over HDMI. (I don't have a HDMI switching amp).

FJ P510 writes...

Mate I have the 40" bravia x. If found that you have tune the inputs.

how do you mean "tune the inputs".... any tips? cheers.

dbx writes...

Recommend that you get a 4800+ or a 5200+ CPU just in case for BluRay decoding - I think even though the CPU is capable of doing the software decoding, there is still a requirement to do decryption of the bitstream and that seems to chew up CPU.

Why not just buy a 8500gt and abandon the onboard graphics. It should be able to offload all the bluray processing.
As a side note, my A64 3200+ can handle recording 2 HD channels and playing back a recording at the same time easily. Obviously not 1080P I know.

Vija writes...

Why not just buy a 8500gt and abandon the onboard graphics. It should be able to offload all the bluray processing.
As a side note, my A64 3200+ can handle recording 2 HD channels and playing back a recording at the same time easily. Obviously not 1080P I know.

Skip both and get a 780G chipset motherboard. This can easily handle any decoding task (including 1080p BluRay) with the onboard, even using a low end CPU (eg, I'd expect even a Sempron LE-1100 would be enough, but can't find any benchmarks that test it).

Degrador writes...

Skip both and get a 780G chipset motherboard.

Trouble is, when you've paid for and installed OEM windows you can't just change the mobo - you have to repurchase windows!

That adds about $150 to the cost..., cheapest to pay $66 and get an ati 2400 that has "pureHD" on board.

DisasterArea writes...

Trouble is, when you've paid for and installed OEM windows you can't just change the mobo - you have to repurchase windows!

Not necessarily. They use a system that checks the number of components that have changed. If it's just the motherboard you should be ok to keep using the same version of Windows.

Degrador writes...

If it's just the motherboard you should be ok to keep using the same version of Windows.

I'm 99% certain that isn't the case... Mind you, if you called MS and said that you'd changed motherboards due to failure - they'd have to be total buggers to not relicense the system.

Still, quicker AND cheaper to add a HD GPU than to replace a motherboard and do a total rebuild.

DisasterArea writes...

I'm 99% certain that isn't the case... Mind you, if you called MS and said that you'd changed motherboards due to failure - they'd have to be total buggers to not relicense the system.

I had a bit of a search and looks like you're right - doesn't work for the OEM copies. But anyway, my post there was in reference to buying a new system anyway, ie, didn't already have a HTPC.

Degrador writes...

Skip both and get a 780G chipset motherboard. This can easily handle any decoding task (including 1080p BluRay) with the onboard, even using a low end CPU (eg, I'd expect even a Sempron LE-1100 would be enough, but can't find any benchmarks that test it).

I'm waiting (sort of) for an Intel based mobo that incorporates this chipset, but I will not wait too long. The reasoning is that I thought Intel chips run cooler than their AMd equivalent and in a HTPC, the cooler the better.

I read this article (and Tom's) and whilst they give the 780G chipset a good write up, it does come at a cost compared to the older chipset - it (780G) apparently uses more power! It also falls down in the 3D graphics arena, but who cares, it's not designed for gaming anyhow.