what are my upgrade options??

[digitizer123]

Hi . . . need help here, bought a HTPC on ebay made by Asus called DAV center . . . I like it a lot except it doesn't have enough juice to dicode and display HD Satellite video. Standard def is fine but HD is real jerky and CPU is at or near 100% . . . .

I am looking to upgrade the processor and memory - problem is I can not get info anywhere regarding what processor this MOBO will take - Look at the listing, info anf photos of all the components and let me know what processor I can upgrade to?? would like to put a Athlon dual core in there sufficient enough to do the HD without any proble. Is the built in Nvidia graphics enough for HD . . ?

Here is the Unit . .

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...Item&item=250320780561


CPU/Processor:
AMD Athlon 64 3800+
Mainboard/Chipset:
Asus M2NPV2-DHS with nVidia nForce 4 chipset
Memory:
2x Apacer 256MB PC2-5300 DDR2 (total 512MB RAM), 2x empty DDR2 memory slots (4 slots total)
GPU/Graphics: nVidia GeForce 6150LE integrated graphics
Sound: SoundMax / Analog Devices AD1988B HD Audio with D2 Audio 5.1 channel amplifier
Hard disk: 320GB 7200RPM SATA
Connectivity: (1) HDMI, (1) Component, (1) S-Video, (1) Composite, (1) RCA Audio, (1) Optical Audio, (1) E-SATA, (3) USB, (1) 1394/FireWire, (1) Gigabit Ethernet
Tuners: (2) Hauppauge 1800 PCI-Express dual tuner (HD+Analog) tuners with hardware MPEG encoder (no FM or RCA inputs)

 

[phaxmohdem]

download CPU-Z, it will tell you what socket the Processor is. Though DDR2 Memory would imply AM2 as the probable socket.

 

[mpilchfamily]

DOn't think the Nforce 4 was used on an AM2 board.

Its not the CPU and RAm that you need for the decoding. You need a video card capable of the decoding. But a dual core CPU and another 512 in RAm will go a long way. Problem is finding a socket 939 CPU now days. Basicly the whole system is a wash.

 

[phaxmohdem]

OK, just looked at the auction. I think mpilchfamily is correct.. the GF6150 should have some video decoding functionality built in IIRC, but I doubt it was designed to handle much HD content (especially if its 1080i/p). Perhaps update your video drivers and see what happens?

I'm pretty sure that AM2 boards will accept any dual core Athlon X2 chip (though for a SFF box like that I'd stick to a processor that is 65W TDP or so).

 

[mpilchfamily]

Drivers alone are not going to boostes the prossesing power of the oboard video. A new card is needed. A better card alone will be a big boost to the systems performance. But with the new card you will need a better PSU to support it. May not be possible with that system.