How would this hardware work for XBMC?

[traderstavros]

I see that there is no central location for discussing hardware to work with XMBC so despite being a newly registered user I would create a thread that did just that and kick it off with my question. If this is trampling on forum rules or etiquette please delete this with my apologies. This would be a great place for quick one-off questions though that don't clutter the main forum.

Purpose: Playing 720p (and eventually 1080p) content over HDMI and either coax or optical for audio. No DVR, minimal gaming (if any) but wouldn't mind ability to upgrade to modest gaming.

Processor: Athlon X2 4850e (some research I have done shows that a Core 2 Duo may be needlessly overpowered for this purpose, please correct me if I am wrong here)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H (onboard HDMI on the Radeon HD 3200, has optical out for audio)
Video: Onboard ATI Radeon HD 3200
Audio : Onboard surround on motherboard via optical
Power Supply: undecided, will get appropriate one when decided
RAM: 2 or 4 GB. Have not decided the brand/etc. Minor point IMO, just need to know the minimum and go from there
Hard Drive: 250gb perhaps, not important as will mainly hold the OS and some temporary files with the storage being on externals and/or NAS
Optical Drive: DVD-RW I have laying around until I feel like adding a Blu-ray down the road.
Input: Haven't decided, immaterial at this point.
Case: Haven't decided, immaterial at this point.

My purpose is to get a low cost, well-performing HTPC for HD content, so it has to handle MKV files well enough. So what say you? Will this perform well?

Thanks!

[vcasinha]

Hi,

I have a machine with the following specs:

Motherboard: Asus M3N78-EMH HDMI (Geforce 8200 with HD support)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4050e

It is perfect for 720p, but it fails playing 1080p (MKV or other format).

Hope it helps.

[traderstavros]

Hi,

I have a machine with the following specs:

Motherboard: Asus M3N78-EMH HDMI (Geforce 8200 with HD support)
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 4050e

It is perfect for 720p, but it fails playing 1080p (MKV or other format).

Hope it helps.

Do you believe it is the video card or the lack of a Core 2 Duo?

Thank you for the response.

[Gamester17]

Do you believe it is the video card or the lack of a Core 2 Duo?It is the lack of a powerful processor, XBMC does not feature any GPU hardware acceleration. AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 can probably play most 1080p H.264 videos out there but not all, for that you need an ever faster processor, (and yes the fact is that Intel Core 2 Duo outperforms AMD Athlon 64 X2 running at the same megahertz).

[traderstavros]

It is the lack of a powerful processor, XBMC does not feature any GPU hardware acceleration. AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 can probably play most 1080p H.264 videos out there but not all, for that you need an ever faster processor, (and yes the fact is that Intel Core 2 Duo outperforms AMD Athlon 64 X2 running at the same megahertz).

Thanks gamester, that makes sense as I didn't realize that XBMC didn't do the acceleration. Could you recommend an appropriate C2D as a minimum for good performance so I can have a benchmark to work from?

[o_neill]

Thanks gamester, that makes sense as I didn't realize that XBMC didn't do the acceleration.
Nevertheless there's a project going on concerning GPU-assisted enconding of HD-content: http://xbmc.org/forum/showthread.php?t=33802
But there weren't any new results posted. Anyhow this will take months until it would be usable in XBMC.

I'm also in the process of finding appropriate hardware. There are already a few threads in the forum considering performance and HTPC-hardware. As already mentioned the CPU performance is the key.
My question is: Does XBMC take advantage of multithreaded CPUs? I mean would e.g. an AMD Phenom Quad-Core 4x2600Mhz perform better than a Athlon64 X2 Dual-Core with the same CPU frequency?

[Cam73]

My HTPC is:

Core2Duo E8600 (3.33GHz, 1333MHz FSB, 6Mb cache) - selected for high clock speed as multi core support seems absent at this point.

GeForece 8500GT - with HDMI connector

Onboard digital sound output

(also, 250Gb HDD, 2Gb RAM, Vista Ultimate SP1)

This has played everything ive thrown at it completly shudder free.

I have extracted the m2v file from a bunch of BluRay disks and put them on my server - this setup plays all the blueray files perfectly... the only problem is that XBMC doesnt seem to support the DTS-HD sound track so i can only select from the AC3 audio tracks.. but they play fine)

[Gamester17]

selected for high clock speed as multi core support seems absent at this pointYes, XBMC does currently not scale well with more cores than two, so a higher megahertz dual-core is faster than a lower megahertz quad-core.

Many people have reported that a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0GHz) is able to perfectly playback 99,99% of all 1080p H.264 videos they tried.

XBMC doesnt seem to support the DTS-HD sound track so i can only select from the AC3 audio tracks.. but they play fine)That is correct. FFmpeg (http://www.ffmpeg.org) does not yet support DTS-HD, see: http://xbmc.org/wiki/?title=Codec_and_Format_requests

When FFmpeg add support for it then XBMC will not be far behind support it too.

[xsintill]

My pc has died on me and I am considering to buy a new mainboard and processor.
It would be nice to play 1080p without any problems.

Does anybody know if this is possible with the Intel DG45FC Mini ITX board and a core 2 duo e8600 3.33 processor.

[Player4]

My X2 3800+ EE SFF (2 x 2,0 Ghz) plays, for example, Pirates of the Caribbean - 18 GB .mkv, Blu-ray rip, 1080p flawless. That's with onBoard Nvidia 7050 and just 1 GB RAM.

[traderstavros]

My X2 3800+ EE SFF (2 x 2,0 Ghz) plays, for example, Pirates of the Caribbean - 18 GB .mkv, Blu-ray rip, 1080p flawless. That's with onBoard Nvidia 7050 and just 1 GB RAM.

Interesting. Albeit just confusing me more! Is it possible that it just wasn't 'that' complex of a 1080p copy? AMD is obviously the more affordable route to go and I'm not interested in buying something with more power than I really need.

Newegg has the 5400+ on sale for $77, that is very tempting if it will work.

[Scha]

My HTPC setup (got new parts and upgraded yesterday):
C2D E8400 3.0GHz
ABIT I-N73HD Motherboard
2 x 1 GB RAM
2x 500 GB HDD
Hauppauge PVR-150

All this is shoved into a Antec Fusion V2 and it works VERY well. I got to give two thumbs up to the mother board. Its fairly cheap, and got HDMI and optical output. It also has firewire (which is not yet on all motherboards for some reason) so you can connect digital video cameras.

I just switched from MediaPortal to XBMC and I'm pretty happy so far. I'm going to set up TVEngine3 for the Hauppauge card. I think I read somewhere that XBMC got a plugin for using it as a source. So far I have figured out how to use the Hauppauge remote, and it was a little bit tricky, so if anyone have trouble just PM me and I'll help you out.

[traderstavros]

My HTPC setup (got new parts and upgraded yesterday):
C2D E8400 3.0GHz
ABIT I-N73HD Motherboard
2 x 1 GB RAM
2x 500 GB HDD
Hauppauge PVR-150

All this is shoved into a Antec Fusion V2 and it works VERY well. I got to give two thumbs up to the mother board. Its fairly cheap, and got HDMI and optical output. It also has firewire (which is not yet on all motherboards for some reason) so you can connect digital video cameras.

I just switched from MediaPortal to XBMC and I'm pretty happy so far. I'm going to set up TVEngine3 for the Hauppauge card. I think I read somewhere that XBMC got a plugin for using it as a source. So far I have figured out how to use the Hauppauge remote, and it was a little bit tricky, so if anyone have trouble just PM me and I'll help you out.

How is it doing with 1080p content? Some reviews on Newegg state that it won't do it. Looks like a very affordable solution if it does 1080p fine.

[Gamester17]

My X2 3800+ EE SFF (2 x 2,0 Ghz) plays, for example, Pirates of the Caribbean - 18 GB .mkv, Blu-ray rip, 1080p flawless. That's with onBoard Nvidia 7050 and just 1 GB RAM.Interesting. Albeit just confusing me more! Is it possible that it just wasn't 'that' complex of a 1080p copy? AMD is obviously the more affordable route to go and I'm not interested in buying something with more power than I really needYes that is not only possible, it must be the case if traderstavros really used XBMC to play it back (and not a other software which feature the GPU harware acceleration that XBMC lacks).

The first-generation Blu-ray movies used to be encoded with MPEG-2, not H.264, and MPEG-2 is much less 'complex' than H.264 decode, so it is either that or it is a H.264 video with very low bit-rate (which takes much less processing power to decode that a high bit-rate H.264 video). Most likely though that particular movie was just encoded with MPEG-2.

[traderstavros]

Yes that is not only possible, it must be the case if traderstavros really used XBMC to play it back (and not a other software which feature the GPU harware acceleration that XBMC lacks).

The first-generation Blu-ray movies used to be encoded with MPEG-2, not H.264, and MPEG-2 is much less 'complex' than H.264 decode, so it is either that or it is a H.264 video with very low bit-rate (which takes much less processing power to decode that a high bit-rate H.264 video). Most likely though that particular movie was just encoded with MPEG-2.

Ok, then to absolve all about I'm just going to get a C2D and leaning toward the 8400. Would the Radeon 3200 HD work fine? Is there a good place to see the minimums for hardware? I want to get ordering, but the last thing I want to do is get it all home and realize I can't do what I want with it.

[Gamester17]

Radeon 3200 is good enough but NVIDIA have currently better device drivers and are therefor recommended over ATI/AMD and Intel graphics.
http://xbmc.org/wiki/?title=XBMC_for_Windows_specific_FAQ#Why_is_a_Open GL_2.0_compatible_graphic-controller_the_recommended_minimum_for_XBMC.3F

[traderstavros]

Radeon 3200 is good enough but NVIDIA have currently better device drivers and are therefor recommended over ATI/AMD and Intel graphics.
http://xbmc.org/wiki/?title=XBMC_for_Windows_specific_FAQ#Why_is_a_Open GL_2.0_compatible_graphic-controller_the_recommended_minimum_for_XBMC.3F

At the risk of being spoonfed, but I am not up to date on current hardware. Is there any other certain specs I should note? 512MB? or would less be ok? 256 bit a must?

[FlimtotheFlam]

I have always built computers in the past but I soon realized it is actually cheaper to buy a computer from Dell than build one myself. Now I did wait for the perfect deal and it did take some work but in the end I saved A LOT OF money.

Intel Q6600 Quad Core stock 2.4 Ghz overclocked to 3.0 Ghz(Very easy to do)
1 GB of Ram
250 Gig Hard Drive

is pretty much what I got stock plus a warranty. This ended up costing me only $300. I paid $600 for the whole deal cause it also came with a 24 inch monitor which I just sold on Ebay for $300.

Now I did upgrade it to

3 GB of Ram, 1 TB Hard Drive, montego sound card, and a better video card. Now I was patient and waited for a good deal but right now Dell is offering a pretty good deal also. You can get this deal going right now

Inspiron 518 Intel® Core™ 2 Quad processor Q6600 (8MB L2, 2.4GHz, 1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz (4 DIMM)
Dell Entry Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
No Monitor
ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB supporting HDMI
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16X DVD+/-RW Drive 16DVDRW
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No speaker Option
Microsoft Works 9.0
McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 30-Days
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

for only $441.24 (FREE SHIPPING and No Interest for 3 months)

Now to get this deal you just have to follow this thread over at slickdeals.net

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=912650&highlight=dell

Now once again this CPU could be overclocked to 3.0ghz with stock heatsink fan with zero problems of overheating. This is so much cheaper than going out and getting your own parts

[traderstavros]

I have always built computers in the past but I soon realized it is actually cheaper to buy a computer from Dell than build one myself. Now I did wait for the perfect deal and it did take some work but in the end I saved A LOT OF money.

Intel Q6600 Quad Core stock 2.4 Ghz overclocked to 3.0 Ghz(Very easy to do)
1 GB of Ram
250 Gig Hard Drive

is pretty much what I got stock plus a warranty. This ended up costing me only $300. I paid $600 for the whole deal cause it also came with a 24 inch monitor which I just sold on Ebay for $300.

Now I did upgrade it to

3 GB of Ram, 1 TB Hard Drive, montego sound card, and a better video card. Now I was patient and waited for a good deal but right now Dell is offering a pretty good deal also. You can get this deal going right now

Inspiron 518 Intel® Core™ 2 Quad processor Q6600 (8MB L2, 2.4GHz, 1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz (4 DIMM)
Dell Entry Keyboard and Dell Optical USB Mouse
No Monitor
ATI Radeon HD 3450 256MB supporting HDMI
500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™
16X DVD+/-RW Drive 16DVDRW
Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio
No speaker Option
Microsoft Works 9.0
McAfee SecurityCenter with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 30-Days
1Yr Ltd Hardware Warranty, InHome Service after Remote Diagnosis
Dell Online Backup 2GB for 1 year

for only $441.24 (FREE SHIPPING and No Interest for 3 months)

Now to get this deal you just have to follow this thread over at slickdeals.net

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=912650&highlight=dell

Now once again this CPU could be overclocked to 3.0ghz with stock heatsink fan with zero problems of overheating. This is so much cheaper than going out and getting your own parts

Silly question, can the mobo be ripped out and put into another case or is it Dell specific?

[traderstavros]

Silly question, can the mobo be ripped out and put into another case or is it Dell specific?

Also, if someone could talk about whether or not the video card is appropriate for 1080p or not that would be helpful. Not sure about it being 256mb. I may just order this and then pick up a case. This is perfect...

[FlimtotheFlam]

This video card is made for playing HD content for Blu-Ray in 1080P. Not as much for playing video games in 3D.

You could probably swap out the parts but to be honest it seems foolish. It is easier to just build a wood box around to match your TV set up.

[jacanuck]

With no GPU offloading supported in XBMC (or really any media players out there), the video card isn't going to make as much of a difference for 1080p files as the processor is. It is the processor that will be decoding your mkv or other video files, not the video card GPU.

Currently, GPU offloading is only supported in the programs that are usually bundled with the cards, and only for very specific content (a blue ray disk, in power DVD for example).

[traderstavros]

Thanks to everyone so far for all of the replies, I think I have it narrowed down to what I am going to do. Since the primary purpose is going to be playback of HD content in 720p and down the road for 1080p and NOT gaming initially I am thinking of this set up:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W - $169
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q-EM LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131336 ) - $135
Ram: 2gbs of appropriate

The picks are based on that the money should go more into the CPU as it does all of the encoding and the video card (onboard) should basically just meet the requirements. I want HDMI out so this will do the job. I don't know much about the one on this board but I imagine it'll handle some older light games that I will probably enjoy more than cutting edge and down the road toss a dedicated card in there if I really want to get serious about adding gaming functionality. (I own an Xbox 360, not sure I care SO much about the gaming)

With stalking deal sites and sales I think I can finish this whole rig for under $500 and perhaps even less.

Thoughts? Will this meet my goals appropriately now?

Thanks again for all of the input, as much as you have been handholding me through I think the conversation will be beneficial for future newbs like myself that want to toss a box together.

[FlimtotheFlam]

I still think you should get a Quad Core just cause down the road software will be more programed to take advantage of all the Cores and will make a big difference. Though the Wolfdale 8400 is a good chip. I just like the Q6600 because of its overclocking ability.

[xsintill]

so does anyone have any experience with the Intel DG45FC Mini ITX (http://www.intel.com/Products/Desktop/Motherboards/DG45FC/DG45FC-overview.htm)?
I like to build with a mini itx board but want to know if it works offcourse.

[mitul103]

I still think you should get a Quad Core just cause down the road software will be more programed to take advantage of all the Cores and will make a big difference. Though the Wolfdale 8400 is a good chip. I just like the Q6600 because of its overclocking ability.

If you are concerned about power usage (a valid concern if you are using a small case), the Q6600 uses about 1.5x more power than the E8400. I think a powerful dual core is more than enough for a HTPC unless you are going to be doing video encoding on it.

[xsintill]

hmm on second thought I need to go for an micro atx board that way i can still expand with say a tv card. But this weekend I finally have some time to have a good look at what might be broken in the pc. And after i found out what it is i will go for new board new processor and a htpc case.

[traderstavros]

About ready to pull the trigger but finalizing some last minute specs. Any reason to go to 4 GBs of RAM or just stick to 2GB and put the money toward something else?

[traderstavros]

While finalizing a few minor things I wanted to post the set up and get some last minute critiques. Here is my Newegg wishlist. Note that i will not be buying the processor from them as I can get it $20 cheaper at Microcenter.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=10611828

For the lazy:
Intel C2D E8400 3.0 ghz : $149.99
ASUS P5Q-EM motherboard with onboard video: $134.99
Apevia Black Case with 500W PS : $69.99
2x1GB DDR2 1066 PC2-8500 : $40.99
500GB SATA 7200 RPM : $69.99
Windows Vista MCE Remote: $19.99 (will this work with XP? Put an email into the company)
Samsung DVD-R: $24.99


Net: $510ish

[NotShorty]

Many people have reported that a Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0GHz) is able to perfectly playback 99,99% of all 1080p H.264 videos they tried.

Nice. I was looking into that cpu...

Check here for building a cheap yet capable system.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showpost.php?p=7704554&postcount=2