HTPC to Upgrade or Repair

[js1974]

So I started experiencing some issues with the USB Ports on my motherboard that when something is plugged in the system won't power on and I
ve narrowed it down to 2 ports. Now I know sooner or later it will have to be repaired or upgraded there is no way around that.

Here is my current dilemma, My HTPC is an ASRock P55 Pro running a i7 860 and 16GB RAM. It's near impossible to find a 1156 Motherboard used or otherwise and everyone I have found is going to set me back $100 for used up to $200 for new.

I haven't used AMD Chips in a long time not since the P4B days or earlier and I'm out of the loop but for an HTPC I have to assume I can get a bundle Mobo & CPU around the same price as just a replacement or repaired motherboard.

So from you AMD experts out there what would you suggest? I use my HTPC as a full blown media server, Video Rendering and it's also my Streaming server for gaming so it's pretty much an all in one box and was my old gaming system.

 

[Fallen Kell]

I think it is probably getting close to the time to upgrade. If like you mention it is your gaming and rendering system as well as media storage, I think you need to give a little more information about what your current specs are (i.e. do you have a RAID card, how many hard drives are required, what video card(s) do you need to support, etc.) for us to make a good recommendation.

In my mind once you start saying you are doing rendering, and gaming, I immediately think you need 4+ cores. Now the good thing is that your RAM should be fine in a new system, so we are really talking motherboard+CPU (and possibly power supply, but I suspect you are probably fine there as well). I personally have a hard time recommending most AMD systems because I am usually looking at a higher end CPU (like the I7-4770k which isn't really that expensive, but out performs the fastest AMD CPU by about 10-20% while using about 1/3 the power).

 

[Charlie98]

In my mind once you start saying you are doing rendering, and gaming, I immediately think you need 4+ cores.

That's what I was thinking, too... a simple HTPC can easily use a Pentium or Celeron chip, but it looks like the OP is doing more than that. Too bad that isn't a 1155-socket i7... that would give you a lot more options.

 

[js1974]

I think this was slightly misread and that might be my fault.

I use my HTPC as a full blown media server it has a Centon InfiniTV 4 in it. Video Rendering for DVD Ripping and video compression. Streaming server for gaming as it has a Avermedia Live Gamer in it. So it's pretty much an all in one box it does it all for me.

The i7 870 is plenty powerful but since the cost for a new motherboard is ridiculously expensive I'm trying to figure out if at this point I could buy a comparable AMD Board and CPU like a MicroCenter Bundle or if I should just hunt down a $150-$200 board and be done with it.

 

[Charlie98]

...I'm trying to figure out if at this point I could buy a comparable AMD Board and CPU like a MicroCenter Bundle or if I should just hunt down a $150-$200 board and be done with it.

With that kind of budget and a MC nearby... I'd just go to an i5 (non-K) and a reasonable board. Granted, I don't know the in's and out's of AMD these days, I'm an Intel guy.

 

[Fallen Kell]

You won't find a comparable AMD CPU+motherboard for cheaper than a new replacement motherboard. The cheapest AMD CPU that is comparible to your I7 870 is the AMD FX-8350, which will run you $170-180 just for the CPU, and give you almost no performance benefit (aside from a few applications that can properly use more than 4 CPU cores).

At that point, you might as well just upgrade to the latest Intel which will at least give you a performance benefit for your money, as well as significant power and cooling savings which should let you make the system quieter (the AMD chip is 125W TDP whereas something like an i7-4770 is only 84W and idles much lower, as well as being 20-30% faster than the AMD).

Heck, you can get a i7-4765T (a 35W CPU) and still outperform that AMD (not by much), and make your system essentially silent.

 

[js1974]

You won't find a comparable AMD CPU+motherboard for cheaper than a new replacement motherboard. The cheapest AMD CPU that is comparible to your I7 870 is the AMD FX-8350, which will run you $170-180 just for the CPU, and give you almost no performance benefit (aside from a few applications that can properly use more than 4 CPU cores).

At that point, you might as well just upgrade to the latest Intel which will at least give you a performance benefit for your money, as well as significant power and cooling savings which should let you make the system quieter (the AMD chip is 125W TDP whereas something like an i7-4770 is only 84W and idles much lower, as well as being 20-30% faster than the AMD).

Heck, you can get a i7-4765T (a 35W CPU) and still outperform that AMD (not by much), and make your system essentially silent.

That CPU alone is going to set me back $300 and a motherboard that does everything I need it to do and that is another $200. I get where you are going with this but if I was going to do that I would just take my 3930k and make it my media server and upgrade my gaming PC.

Thanks for the suggestions good ideas.

 

[Burpo]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVGA-MOTHER...371369688?pt=Motherboards&hash=item41830a60d8

 

[js1974]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EVGA-MOTHER...371369688?pt=Motherboards&hash=item41830a60d8

Good find, not sure the board will support what I need but going to see if I can make it work!