A few questions about HTPC processors

[neel]

I was reading the assassin guide, and it is very helpful. There are a few questions that I still have, though.

Is there any advantage to the $130 Sandy Bridge processor over the similarly priced Ivy Bridge processors? I don't remember the exact models, but I couldn't tell if there was any reason that a person would want to get the older processor at the same price.

The other question I had was regarding cooling fans for the AMD trinity chips. Some of the intel chip sections specifically mention that the intel cooler is sufficient, but there isn't really any mention of coolers in most of the sections. Is an alternate cooler needed for the AMD trinity processors? The reason that I would pick the trinity would be for light gaming.

Thanks in advance.

edit: For the record, the last time I built a computer or really caught up on what was out there was probably about 8 years ago.

 

[Greenlepricon]

There isn't too much difference between those Intel chips, but the Sandy Bridge is just a bit cheaper than Ivy bridge for the same clock speed. The difference is very slight, and I think it's worth an extra $5 for the slightly lower TDP and graphics (if you're using integrated). If you're gaming, from what I understand you'll want a discrete card with Intel.

I'm not too sure about the cooling solution for the Trinity processors, but it's worth trying it and swapping it out if you really don't like it. I'm assuming you won't be overclocking, so maybe stock will work out fine?

Sorry I can't find actual tests for this heatsing, but according to Newegg reviews for the A10-5800k, the best Trinity you can buy, the heatsink can be pretty loud and insufficient for keeping things really cool, but still it might be better to try it out and if right away you notice it's worth dropping some extra cash for a new cooler, then just order one and have that problem fixed within a week. Just something to consider, but aftermarket coolers never hurt either.

 

[neel]

There isn't too much difference between those Intel chips, but the Sandy Bridge is just a bit cheaper than Ivy bridge for the same clock speed. The difference is very slight, and I think it's worth an extra $5 for the slightly lower TDP and graphics (if you're using integrated). If you're gaming, from what I understand you'll want a discrete card with Intel.

I'm not too sure about the cooling solution for the Trinity processors, but it's worth trying it and swapping it out if you really don't like it. I'm assuming you won't be overclocking, so maybe stock will work out fine?

Sorry I can't find actual tests for this heatsing, but according to Newegg reviews for the A10-5800k, the best Trinity you can buy, the heatsink can be pretty loud and insufficient for keeping things really cool, but still it might be better to try it out and if right away you notice it's worth dropping some extra cash for a new cooler, then just order one and have that problem fixed within a week. Just something to consider, but aftermarket coolers never hurt either.

Thanks for the advice. If I do go for the intel chip, I'll definitely go with the newer Ivy bridge. I'm on the fence about whether or not I want to try AMD, however. The extent of my gaming will most likely be limited to some casual items from steam, a few old games that I missed, and perhaps some emulation. At the same time, I hardly play games now, and I am not sure if I really expect that to change. I think sacrificing a small amount of performance to get AMD may be the way to go, though. My best friend (across the country) is constantly asking me to play some older games with him.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

So long as you use a 65W trinity the stock cooler should be enough. I am not sure of the 100W versions considering the size of the cooler required to properly cool my old i7-920 system (~100W waste power...)

As for Ivy, four things:

1) Lower TDP, hence lower power consumption
2) Slightly more efficient then Sandy at equivalent frequency (~5%)
3) MUCH better integrated graphics that fully support DirectX11 and OpenCL (HD2500/4000 vs HD2000/3000)
4) Supports DDR3-1600 natively

If you want a specific CPU recommendation, the A6-5400K is worth a look. I have already decided on this CPU to power my main media-centre. It will replace a late 2005 Pentium M 750 (1.86GHz) with a HD5450...

 

[neel]

So long as you use a 65W trinity the stock cooler should be enough. I am not sure of the 100W versions considering the size of the cooler required to properly cool my old i7-920 system (~100W waste power...)

As for Ivy, four things:

1) Lower TDP, hence lower power consumption
2) Slightly more efficient then Sandy at equivalent frequency (~5%)
3) MUCH better integrated graphics that fully support DirectX11 and OpenCL (HD2500/4000 vs HD2000/3000)
4) Supports DDR3-1600 natively

If you want a specific CPU recommendation, the A6-5400K is worth a look. I have already decided on this CPU to power my main media-centre. It will replace a late 2005 Pentium M 750 (1.86GHz) with a HD5450...

Thanks for the details. As somebody who hasn't built a computer in almost a decade (and was a novice them), some of those details were lost on me.

I think I will go with the 65W trinity, but I might actually select the fastest one (5700 I think). The increase in price is really not a big deal for me, but the increase in power will be something that I definitely utilize from time to time. I would rather have something that is $60 bucks more but that will support casual gaming for a decent while longer.

I'm going to move forward with planning this out using the trinity processor. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Greenlepricon]

Thanks for the details. As somebody who hasn't built a computer in almost a decade (and was a novice them), some of those details were lost on me.

I think I will go with the 65W trinity, but I might actually select the fastest one (5700 I think). The increase in price is really not a big deal for me, but the increase in power will be something that I definitely utilize from time to time. I would rather have something that is $60 bucks more but that will support casual gaming for a decent while longer.

I'm going to move forward with planning this out using the trinity processor. Thanks for the advice.

The 5700 will be a good choice. It's just the 5800k but undervolted with lower clocks if I'm correct, so you may be able to get similar efficiency with either one. If you aren't thinking about tinkering than you're fine with that one you chose. These processors are very efficient when idle, and can be worse with power when stressed than Intel, but partly because you get the gpu with it. It won't be a big deal most of the time, but regardless, have fun making your new pc. I'm really interested in Trinity builds because I've heard they work very well for this purpose compared to Intel, so good luck on this.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I think I will go with the 65W trinity, but I might actually select the fastest one (5700 I think). The increase in price is really not a big deal for me, but the increase in power will be something that I definitely utilize from time to time. I would rather have something that is $60 bucks more but that will support casual gaming for a decent while longer.

Oh, pricing was secondary to low power consumption in my case. Given that the most demanding thing that it will handle is blu-ray playback, I don't need something especially fancy. Just something that can do decoding and a little post-processing...

(Intel s**** in the post-processing department...)

The 5700 will be a good choice. It's just the 5800k but undervolted with lower clocks if I'm correct, so you may be able to get similar efficiency with either one. If you aren't thinking about tinkering than you're fine with that one you chose. These processors are very efficient when idle, and can be worse with power when stressed than Intel, but partly because you get the gpu with it. It won't be a big deal most of the time, but regardless, have fun making your new pc. I'm really interested in Trinity builds because I've heard they work very well for this purpose compared to Intel, so good luck on this.

Well Anand's review show they have similar idle power consumption. So long as your cooling is adequate, the 5800K should be fine. But I would probably go with the 5700 as it's guaranteed to only put out 65W. Heat build-up can be a headache in smaller cases...