HTPC - Which motherboard to get?

[enkay18]

Hi Guys - Can you guys recommend me some good motherboards for an HTPC i'm building.

Here's what my requirement is :-

- Compatible with a Core 2 Duo processor

- standard ATX form factor rather than a mini-itx

- support for 7.1 audio

- support for Full HD...blu-ray / HD DVD ...1080p resolution , HDCP, HDMI etc.
(Maybe i can just put in a graphics card, any suggestions? I'm looking for a cheap one which will support the above specs, not really gonna use it for gaming)


I was thinking for going for ASUS P5W Deluxe/WiFi-AP but then I came across ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP ...and then came across ASUS P5K Deluxe/WiFi-AP Which one do you think i should go in for. I don't really care about the remote, etc that is bundled with the P5W deluxe since i'll be going in for a seperate remote anyways.

Cheers!

 

[renethx]

Right now there is no ATX motherboard supporting DVI or HDMI (with or without HDCP key). There are two mATX motherboards with DVI or HDMI, and HDCP key: abit F-I90HD and Intel DG33TL. Basically you should put a good video card having hardware decode enginge in your system (e.g. GeForce 8500 GT, ATI Radeon HD 2400 Pro).

Then you can choose any good stable ATX motherboard with features you want (except for ASUS P5K Deluxe!). For example, ASUS P5B Deluxe, ASUS P5W DH Deluxe or MSI P6N Platinum is a bit older but still good. If you want the latest, GIGABYTE GA-P35-DQ6/DS3P/DS3R is recommended (the best audio codec). See also

Core 2 Motherboard Complete List - With Hardware Recommendations for a HD HTPC.

 

[enkay18]

Thanks for your reply I'll check on that post...

Also do the newer DDR3 motherboards not accept DDR2 RAM ? Since DDR3 ram is expensive currently can't i use the DDR2s and upgrade to DDR3 Later? I guess not..


Also i read somewhere that one of the ASUS motherboards P5W,P5K,P5B ( not sure which one exactly ) does not accept optical drives on the IDE connector present on the motherboard. Is that correct? Will i not be able to connect an IDE hard disk or ATAPI DVD Drive on the IDE connector present on the motherboard?

 

[renethx]

You can't place DDR2 RAM in DDR3 slots. There are several "combo" motherboards that has both DDR3 slots and DDR2 slots. But there is no benefit to DDR3 right now and in near future (in terms of DDR3 speed and chipset limitation) and it will be pricey until 2009.

P965/P35 chipset lacks IDE controller, so almost every P965/P35 motherboard has an external IDE controller, that supports IDE optical drive but may cause problems with IDE HDD (I'm not sure about this point).