Processor recs for Windows 7 desktop/media center?

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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I'm about to build a Windows 7 64-bit machine to do the following:

1. store ~4TB of mp3s, movies, photos, and documents
2. stream audio to speakers connected to Win7 laptop or Squeezebox
3. stream 1080p video to an HTPC-connected TV
4. be constantly running uTorrent
5. ability to rip optical discs (Blu-Ray, DVD)
6. function as backup computer in case laptop breaks
7. store backup image of laptop

Additional attributes:
8. Will sit in a corner of my living room or bedroom without being connected to a keyboard or monitor
9. The data on it will probably be backed up to some sort of NAS or set of USB drives

Does anyone out there have any recommendations for a processor? I don't want to low-ball myself but I don't want to just run out and by an i7 for the hell of it either.

I assumed the smart route would be Intel Sandy Bridge (i3 or i5?) but maybe I'm wrong.

What do you guys think?
 

smakme7757

Golden Member
Nov 20, 2010
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Storage, streaming, ripping are not mega taxing on the CPU. Ripping a Bluray is more or less bottlenecked by the speed of your BluRay drive and storage requirements/file serving are not all the demanding.

You could build a nice cheap AMD setup with an X3/X4 processor which would suit your needs perfectly and be lighter on the wallet. Just get a motherboard with an IGP and you're good to go.

Or

You could get a nice Sandy Bridge setup with an i3 prcessor. You can even get the T version which are 35w parts.

Then you also have a range of atom all in one boards which might even fit the bill.
 

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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Storage, streaming, ripping are not mega taxing on the CPU. Ripping a Bluray is more or less bottlenecked by the speed of your BluRay drive and storage requirements/file serving are not all the demanding.

You could build a nice cheap AMD setup with an X3/X4 processor which would suit your needs perfectly and be lighter on the wallet. Just get a motherboard with an IGP and you're good to go.

Or

You could get a nice Sandy Bridge setup with an i3 prcessor. You can even get the T version which are 35w parts.

Then you also have a range of atom all in one boards which might even fit the bill.

Are all of these CPUs in the same ballpark power consumption-wise?
 

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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And I really didn't have any basis for leaning towards Sandy Bridge other than knowing that it was the "new thing" supposedly offering more faster speeds with less power consumed.

Is that a stupid reason to be leaning towards Sandy Bridge? In general, is that CPU/Mobo combination a little overkill price or capability-wise?
 

smakme7757

Golden Member
Nov 20, 2010
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Are all of these CPUs in the same ballpark power consumption-wise?

It depends on what you get.

For example you can get a i3-2100 which is a 65w part or you could get an i3-2100T which is a 35w part. AMD also offer various variants which are lower power.

I would say that the newer Sandy Bridge T processors will give you the best power saving as the technology is newer than the Phenom II.
 

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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It depends on what you get.

For example you can get a i3-2100 which is a 65w part or you could get an i3-2100T which is a 35w part. AMD also offer various variants which are lower power.

I would say that the newer Sandy Bridge T processors will give you the best power saving as the technology is newer than the Phenom II.

Ah, I see. I didn't realize there were lower power variants with SB.

And do they all have integrated graphics processors? I assume one of those will be enough for streaming 1080p?
 

smakme7757

Golden Member
Nov 20, 2010
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Ah, I see. I didn't realize there were lower power variants with SB.

And do they all have integrated graphics processors? I assume one of those will be enough for streaming 1080p?

They all have Intel HD graphics.

When you say streaming do you mean that all your movies are stored on this box you're going to build and you run the movies from that box on your TV or laptop or PS3?
 

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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They all have Intel HD graphics.

When you say streaming do you mean that all your movies are stored on this box you're going to build and you run the movies from that box on your TV or laptop or PS3?

Yeah, I plan on having this box be my central repository for all things media.

Then, I'll either stream these movies over (hopefully) hard-wire Ethernet to an XBOX 360, custom-built HTPC, or set top box.

Or, I might just have this whole WIndows 7 box be connected to my TV. In that case, this machine would just play the movies straight to the monitor without their touching the network in any fashion.
 

smakme7757

Golden Member
Nov 20, 2010
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Yeah, I plan on having this box be my central repository for all things media.

Then, I'll either stream these movies over (hopefully) hard-wire Ethernet to an XBOX 360, custom-built HTPC, or set top box.

Or, I might just have this whole WIndows 7 box be connected to my TV. In that case, this machine would just play the movies straight to the monitor without their touching the network in any fashion.

If you're just streaming the files then the graphics card really doesn't matter as your just streaming the file to the device playing it; and the device playing it is doing the decoding.

I'm not sure how capable the sandy bridge IGPs are on the lower end CPUs, but google will modst likely have your answer :).
 

Phynaz

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Mar 13, 2006
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i3 would be my recommendation, except if you are looking to to use it as a home theater (directly connected to the TV).

In that case I would frankly wait a month to see what the AMD Llano CPU brings to the table.
 

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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If you're just streaming the files then the graphics card really doesn't matter as your just streaming the file to the device playing it; and the device playing it is doing the decoding.

I'm not sure how capable the sandy bridge IGPs are on the lower end CPUs, but google will modst likely have your answer :).

Good point. I suppose I need to pick whether I'll be streaming or just playing before I worry about the processor's graphics capability.
 

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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i3 would be my recommendation, except if you are looking to to use it as a home theater (directly connected to the TV).

In that case I would frankly wait a month to see what the AMD Llano CPU brings to the table.

Do you think an i5 would do the trick if functioning as an HTPC?
 

Muyoso

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Dec 6, 2005
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I bought a 30 dollar dual core AMD processor that is ULP that does everything you would need. I know it does everything you need, because I actually use it as a server running WHS doing those exact things. So basically, pretty much anything on the market would be enough for you.

The only thing it chokes on is when I try to trans-code video. If you are going to be trans-coding video, you will need something faster.
 

sm625

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May 6, 2011
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I wouldnt trust an E-350. If you get a video that doesnt have a standard codec, it will play like crap and frustrate you to no end. Of those I have many. I would get something that can run in a low power mode but still run at least as fast as an athlon II 240. Having wake-on lan and fully functional sleep modes will make more of a difference.
 
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decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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I wouldnt trust an E-350. If you get a video that doesnt have a standard codec, it will play like crap and frustrate you to no end. Of those I have many. I would get something that can run in a low power mode but still run at least as fast as an athlon II 240. Having wake-on lan and fully functional sleep modes will make more of a difference.

Is there some website out there where I can see the complete list of "current" processors on the market from least fast to fastest?

I have to say I'm a little lost when it comes to knowing how relatively quick an E-350 is compared to an Athlon II 240 or Core i3.
 

nismotigerwvu

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May 13, 2004
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To be honest, you can look around for a used system and be just fine. I do exactly this with a X2 3800+ and a low end gpu with dxva.
 

sm625

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May 6, 2011
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A big letdown with these review sites is that they never tell us how these things run if you completely remove the fan. Because ideally you dont want any fans running. Even if I have to pay $30 for a cheap aftermarket cooler and mess around with undervolting and underclock... if it can get the job done it is probably worth it for something that is going to run for a few years.
 

sm625

Diamond Member
May 6, 2011
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To be honest, you can look around for a used system and be just fine. I do exactly this with a X2 3800+ and a low end gpu with dxva.

I have an x2-3800 system sitting in my closet that I will not use because it idles at 100 watts.
 

decrescendo

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Jun 1, 2011
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To be honest, you can look around for a used system and be just fine. I do exactly this with a X2 3800+ and a low end gpu with dxva.

Well, I currently have a Windows XP desktop machine with an AMD Athlon X2 4200+ processor in it. I built it in the summer of 2006.

The motherboard is having some grounding issues that may or may not be based on the power supply.

However, I think the processor is just fine. You think that processor would be able to push or play 1080P video with a good amount of RAM (4+ GB) in Windows 7?