GeForce 9400-based mobos better than 780G for HTPC?

[VirtualLarry]

Just curious, new 9300/9400 mobos are starting to appear, but a bit pricey. Are they better than 780G mobos for HTPC duty?

 

[Zap]

You know, there's more to this site than just forums...

The IGP Chronicles Part 3: NVIDIA's GeForce 9300

The HTPC feature set is nearly complete; the only thing we're lacking is the ability to bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA (both of which no chipset currently supports). Flawless HDMI/HDCP repeater compatibility? Check. Fully functional hardware acceleration? Yep. 8-channel LPCM? Of course. Stutter-free 24p playback? It seems so.

 

[imported_Scoop]

It would be my choice, along with an E5200 it's a combo to beat for HTPC. More efficient, less heat, less noise than the AMD solutions.

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

Originally posted by: Zap
You know, there's more to this site than just forums...

The IGP Chronicles Part 3: NVIDIA's GeForce 9300

The HTPC feature set is nearly complete; the only thing we're lacking is the ability to bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA (both of which no chipset currently supports). Flawless HDMI/HDCP repeater compatibility? Check. Fully functional hardware acceleration? Yep. 8-channel LPCM? Of course. Stutter-free 24p playback? It seems so.

That's the big one to me. 780g does not support surround LPCM over HDMI.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: Scoop
It would be my choice, along with an E5200 it's a combo to beat for HTPC. More efficient, less heat, less noise than the AMD solutions.

780g + X2 4850e = 45w @ idle / 75w @ Blu-ray playback (link)

Originally posted by: Flipped Gazelle

That's the big one to me. 780g does not support surround LPCM over HDMI.

You could snag a Radeon HD 4350 with HDMI-out for around $30.

Or (as I do) you may 'bitstream' analog PCM to your receiver.

 

[WT]

I'm looking specifically at the MSI 7411 board with 5 channel 100w per channel audio via a daughtercard as my HTPC upgrade. No way in Hell any 9300/9400 board is going to offer that setup. Its such a well thought out setup that for the first time in a long time I will be passing on an Nvidia board for an upgrade. I've been buying Nv boards for well over 4 years now, so this is indeed something special to get me to switch.