Would integrated graphics be enough for an HTPC?

[bovinda]

Hey guys, the mobo on my HTPC just died, so I think it might be time for a cheap upgrade.

I want to build an HTPC that will just basically be used for office work (MS office-type stuff) and, more importantly, HTPC functioning (hi-def and standard TV, DVD playback, media center functionality).

I want graphics that will be quiet and quick for those functions. Would integrated graphics be enough?

If so, can you recommend a quiet (preferably passively-cooled) mobo with good integrated graphics?

If not, can you recommend a quiet (preferably passively-cooled) graphics card that will serve these functions?

Thanks guys! :beer:

 

[swtethan]

cheapest way would be buying a ATI HD 2400pro or nividia geforce 8400gs

intergrated graphics wont be able to handle HDTV unless your cpu is a monster.

 

[aka1nas]

Originally posted by: swtethan
cheapest way would be buying a ATI HD 2400pro or nividia geforce 8400gs

intergrated graphics wont be able to handle HDTV unless your cpu is a monster.

What about the newer AMD 690G or Nvidia 7050PV boards? They all claim HD decode acceleration. They look potentially tasty coupled with a cheap AM2 dual-core and a few gigs of DDR2.

 

[milan03]

Originally posted by: aka1nas

Originally posted by: swtethan
cheapest way would be buying a ATI HD 2400pro or nividia geforce 8400gs

intergrated graphics wont be able to handle HDTV unless your cpu is a monster.

What about the newer AMD 690G or Nvidia 7050PV boards? They all claim HD decode acceleration. They look potentially tasty coupled with a cheap AM2 dual-core and a few gigs of DDR2.

mmmm no.

 

[stepone]

mmmm Yes.

The 690G with a decent X2 cpu & 2gb's of ram will handle 720P HD fine. So if your TV is 720P (lets face it most are) then that's the best choice.

However if you want full 1080P & or do some light gaming then you'll want a graphics card like the ATI 2600 pro which does full hardware HD decode, has hdmi & there are several passive options like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814161186

Hope that helps

 

[heyheybooboo]

Would integrated graphics be enough?
In the overwhelming majority of cases - YES - for ""hi-def and standard TV, DVD playback, media center functionality""

If so, can you recommend a quiet (preferably passively-cooled) mobo with good integrated graphics?
GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H AM2 AMD 690G $80

If not, can you recommend a quiet (preferably passively-cooled) graphics card that will serve these functions?
When you are ready for vc1/h264 HDDVD/BluRay the ATI 2600/2400 or nVidia 8600/8500 will substantially remove 80-90% of decodong off the cpu.

Check out the AVS Forum

What tuner are you using? How about your frontend? Do you want PVR function? What is the basis of your current rig?

 

[taltamir]

where are you gonna find integrated graphics with DVI output? they all output VGA only. Thats your biggest problem right there.

Decoding is done by the CPU anyways unless you use one of a few specific programs... and there are some really really efficient codecs so it shouldn't be a problem with any modern CPU.

 

[heyheybooboo]

Originally posted by: taltamir
where are you gonna find integrated graphics with DVI output? they all output VGA only. Thats your biggest problem right there.

Decoding is done by the CPU anyways unless you use one of a few specific programs... and there are some really really efficient codecs so it shouldn't be a problem with any modern CPU.

The Gigabyte 690g IGP mobo has both DVI and HDMI connectivity.

 

[nubian1]

Originally posted by: taltamir
where are you gonna find integrated graphics with DVI output? they all output VGA only. Thats your biggest problem right there.

Decoding is done by the CPU anyways unless you use one of a few specific programs... and there are some really really efficient codecs so it shouldn't be a problem with any modern CPU.

I just setup a system with an Nvidia 7150/630I integrated board which has a dedicated DVI & HDMI out & all I can say is it rocks!! It was an EVGA model found here.

http://www.directcanada.com/pr...77-A1&manufacture=EVGA

Integrated video has come a very long way and 1080i support is available on the 7150 based boards. Hardware based decoding is also easier to come by these days and the 7150 does take a lot of the processing time away from the cpu when used in conjunction with for example the Purevideo codec.

 

[mindless1]

HD video is 2D, even an old Pentium 3 box with integrated video having no acceleration at all beyond generic partial MPEG support, can play HD video fine, if only the CPU were fast enough to decode it. With typical software using a hardware overlay the significance is even less. 30FPS in 2D @ HD res. just isn't demanding in itself, the video was already doing that in the (windows?) GUI all along before playing the video file.

On a multitasking PC scenario, the CPU overhead for HD decoding can be significant (though less so today with multi-core CPUs) but on a HTPC, IF you're not doign something else significantly demanding like simultaneously soft-encoding something you're recording while playing back another file, your CPU is essentially idling away and might as well be put to this use instead of adding a video card that consumes at least as much addt'l power, heat, noise as the CPU would at a higher load.

IMO, an MPEG hardware compression tuner/capture card is the better buy to offload this dual processing.

 

[Peter]

Capture cards don't do DEcompressing, which is what you need to display the stream.

 

[taltamir]

x264 files in HD are a bit more demanding to decode... you need at least an AMD X2 cpu to decode one those without hiccups.
A P3 doesn't cut it.

 

[bovinda]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. Ended up going with a passively cooled 8600 GT from MSI, just to be on the safe side. Aprpeciate all the discussion!