Which CPU for HTPC

mattchapman

mattchapman

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Dec 30, 2005
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I'm planning my first HTPC build. I'll be using it for 1080p decoding/playback and some moderate gaming. Hoping not to spend more than $125.

CPU suggestions please?

Prefer something low power.

Thanks
 
AMD Athlon II X2 245 Regor 2.9GHz

this will do fine

have one in my main HTPC now with a ceton tuner card, and it will watch 1 HD channel and record 5 more with out issue.

I have a HDhomerun and InfinTV4 card.

it will be changed out for a low power x4 soon though for Remote Potato and MyMovies (to Xbox 360) transcoding/streaming purposes
 
you can get any Core2Duo with 2.0ghz or higher should be fine
 
pentium 4 with a cheap dedicated graphic card will do in case you really wanted to penny pinch on cpu
 
i would go socket775 instead of 478. P4 is too old and once the mobo is died it very hard to find the replacement
 
I also just built an HTPC using an Athlon X2 and love it. I used a MSI m/b, Hauppauge dual tv tuner and a low powered AMD 4000 series card. Works great!!!
 
I've been wanting to build a htpc-ish build.considering a very low end C2D and a 430gt or so
 
i wonder why the love for the intel old CPUs

DDR2 v DDR3 prices make C2Ds more expensive for the same performance and simialr CPU only price
 
I would say Athlon X2 245, just got that for my HTPC as well =D

Strongly recommend it.
 
OK great, the Athlon X2 245 is only $60!
No need for 4 cores then for this purpose (like the Athlon X4 640)?

I plan to use an old nVidia 8800GT I have lying around (unless its too big for the case).
I presume a microATX is the way to go.

Thanks
 
The Core2 CPUs still have amongst the best idle and load power usage alongside good efficiency (Intel has actually been improving upon its Core2 CPUs until very recently); this is, I think, the main reason for their popularity.

Pentium 4s are hot, archaic, and power hungry - certainly not for HTPCs.

AMD dual core AM3 CPUs are also excellent choices, especially the Regors. My favorite AMD HTPC CPUs are actually the Propus quad cores with 45 W TDP, but these are expensive and getting more difficult to find in stock. (The Propus quad cores come in at your given maximum in terms of price.)

If you can wait a bit, it may be worth holding out for Sandy Bridge to mature (aka, be fixed). Each new generation of CPUs tends to see better power management at the forefront of the improvements, Sandy Bridge is no exception.

The TDP of the i-series CPUs may be higher than that of the AMD chips and Core2s, but that rating is for the chip under its full (as designed) load. HTPCs are almost always left on, and idle power draw is far more of a concern then power draw under load. (I stuck with Intel Sandy Bridge here as it will likely be "re-released" first, but AMD's next generation offerings will be just as enticing, I am sure.)
 
Also, 8800 GTs are comparatively loud and power hungry, at least mine is.

So it may be worth getting a low to mid range current generation (or refreshed) video card that fully supports 1.3/4 HDMI output?

I believe this to be more important to a trouble-free HTPC than the CPU, if you plan to use a discrete graphics card, and you do not need to spend much to get performance over your 8800 GT.

So, maybe pick up a cheap AMD CPU and plan to set some aside for the video card upgrade?
 
i just upgraded my htpc and went for the Athlon2 x4 640. yes in some cases it may be overkill, but my bluray rips and mkv conversions are taking HALF the time. for me my htpc is not on 24/7 like my server, so i dont care much about the few dollars more it will take to run. id rather have a bit extra and not need it than save a few dollars a year and complain about how slow it is. amazing how in this part of the forum most people stress on what you need now, and dont leave much room for anything else...i always build the same way....always leave some headroom, because you never know, or at least leave the options open if you ever need (want) to upgrade.
 
Since you're looking at all CPUs, you must not have a mobo or RAM yet. I'd say look for an AM3 cpu, maybe something like the Phenom II 715 or 720 Black Edition. That way you can use cheaper DDR3, and the Black Edition will allow you to over/underclock and/or over/undervolt your CPU easily to match whatever your current or future performance needs will be. Look for a mobo that can unlock the fourth core - you may need the extra performance in the future, especially for transcoding, or keep it off and save some power. Also, look for a mobo with a good onboard video to save some money, unless you plan on gaming on it (in case the 8800 GT is too big).
 
TESLA said:
Also, 8800 GTs are comparatively loud and power hungry, at least mine is.

So it may be worth getting a low to mid range current generation (or refreshed) video card that fully supports 1.3/4 HDMI output?

I believe this to be more important to a trouble-free HTPC than the CPU, if you plan to use a discrete graphics card, and you do not need to spend much to get performance over your 8800 GT.

So, maybe pick up a cheap AMD CPU and plan to set some aside for the video card upgrade?
Click to expand...

Thanks, good info.

Since you're looking at all CPUs, you must not have a mobo or RAM yet. I'd say look for an AM3 cpu, maybe something like the Phenom II 715 or 720 Black Edition. That way you can use cheaper DDR3, and the Black Edition will allow you to over/underclock and/or over/undervolt your CPU easily to match whatever your current or future performance needs will be. Look for a mobo that can unlock the fourth core - you may need the extra performance in the future, especially for transcoding, or keep it off and save some power. Also, look for a mobo with a good onboard video to save some money, unless you plan on gaming on it (in case the 8800 GT is too big).
Click to expand...

Can I not run DDR3 on a Regor for example (which is socket AM3)?
 
mattchapman said:
Thanks, good info.



Can I not run DDR3 on a Regor for example (which is socket AM3)?
Click to expand...

yes you can as long as ur mb supports ddr3

on the 8800gt....i had one in my htpc before i upgraded it. i had major issues with hdmi and my new tv. it didnt want to play nice. turns out that the 8800gt does not support dvi-hdmi. yes you can get it to work in some cases, but if you have a newer tv you might have problems.
 
Rogue71 said:
yes you can as long as ur mb supports ddr3

on the 8800gt....i had one in my htpc before i upgraded it. i had major issues with hdmi and my new tv. it didnt want to play nice. turns out that the 8800gt does not support dvi-hdmi. yes you can get it to work in some cases, but if you have a newer tv you might have problems.
Click to expand...

I'm actually using DVI-HDMI on my 8800GT now and it works fine. It's connected to my 46" Samsung on the second DVI output using a 50-foot cable running into my living room! When I want to watch a movie I simply flip the display output to my HDTV. I felt its time for a dedicated HTPC which is why I'm planning a build.
 
mattchapman said:
I'm actually using DVI-HDMI on my 8800GT now and it works fine. It's connected to my 46" Samsung on the second DVI output using a 50-foot cable running into my living room! When I want to watch a movie I simply flip the display output to my HDTV. I felt its time for a dedicated HTPC which is why I'm planning a build.
Click to expand...

well hey if it works it works. mine stopped working well when i got my new 60' LED tv...hdmi handshake crap-ola. oh well. gave me an excuse to upgrade as i was planning on it anyways. my 5750 works just fine.
 
Brazos is coming out real soon, its supposed to be faster and cheaper than ION.
 
Stoly said:
Brazos is coming out real soon, its supposed to be faster and cheaper than ION.
Click to expand...
This is definitely something to keep an eye on. If I was building a new htpc TODAY, I'd pick a cheap AMD AM3 dual core. The mobos are cheap, the CPU's are cheap, the ram is cheap, and the onboard gpu is halfway decent. team it up with a 5550 or 5570, slap it in a case and you've got yourself a passable htpc for $250-$300 depending on hdd etc. hard to complain about that.
 
Yea, I assumed it was $125 for just the CPU! $300 for a total system might be doable with only a couple re-used parts, but thats the total system floor pretty much.
 
Do the am3 or amd chips in general suffer from the 24p issues as the intels do? If not that would be another plus for the Amds.
 
Egomaniacal1 said:
Do the am3 or amd chips in general suffer from the 24p issues as the intels do? If not that would be another plus for the Amds.
Click to expand...
no, AMD chips out right now don't have the video onboard the CPU, and the IGP on the 880G's doesn't have that problem. Neither will the IGP on the fusion parts. If you want bitstreaming with an AMD rig right now you need a discrete AMD 5xxx,6xxx, or a NV 4xx or newer (excluding the x70's or x80's). With the price differential on the CPU vs an i3 you could buy a 5450 or 5550 though, so its kind of a non-factor from a price standpoint. again, the fusion parts will have bitstreaming with the IGP
 
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