Topic: Unofficial HTPC users thread: Tips, Tricks, and everything HTPC

[ProtegeManiac]

You can do this as long as your PC supports standard video resolutions.

I think it does - will check with my brother but I think his GT560 should have the settings for it. I'm actually more familiar with AMD's system (with crossfire APU's, etc) as I was about to build a miniITX rig, plsu the laptop I've been using, but then he volunteered his old Intel-NVidia rig. That's what left me with cash for speakers.

There is a chance. Check for a lipsync/audio delay setting. If your receiver does not have it, then you can use a player with this feature.

Thanks, just checked - lots of media players have it apparently; but I'll have to do some research on how to A/V sync games using the PC's sound settings just in case.  Although given the games I play being off by microseconds isn't probably going to be a liability.


Thanks for the help, really appreciate it. I'm getting dizzy looking at all these features

----

EDIT : My friend in the US bought the GT560Ti from my brother, and my bro replaced it with an HD7850 with HMDI. Can't find the exact version, but based on the gfx card's manual, it can send audio out through HDMI, so at minimum it's HDMI1.3, I think. So problem solved 


...for now anyway; while using Google for the manual I found a lot of threads where the Sapphire card using the same AMD-ATi chip has issues with audio drop-outs, more often with media than games, so it's likely the media player or drivers than an inherent hardware flaw.

[busabos]

Just a quick question, will I notice an improvement on picture quality (clarity, sharpness, detail, etc) if I upgrade my video card?

I'm currently using GTX9800, so far it's working fine.  I'm just thinking of using my other video card (GTX 260) from my main pc since Im not using it anymore for gaming, however if there wont be any noticable improvement, then Id rather not, just to save myself from the hassle of dismantling 2 PCs.

Thanks!

[mangboy]

Question lang mga Gurus planning to build HTPC
What is the most important component specifically for HTPC?
Is it motherboard?,videocard?,processor cpu?,HDD?,PSU?
Your input will give an idea to allocate budget for each component
Thanks!

[defined]

processsor-depend on your needs if you want multi tasking go for quad core
motherboard...choose one that best fit your needs like features ex... usb 3.0,sata 111,frnt usb 3.0,pcie 2.0 etc
video card...depend on needs...if your on gaming/movie you can choose higher cards..
psu...very important but always been neglected..choose reliable psu...80 plus bronze or higher...
HDD...if you want big storage go for higher TB...
ram...4gb ram is ok and suited for most process but higher ram is also very good.

hope it helps...

[DTNS]

I found this while searching the following keywords on Google: "intel i3-3220 3d blu-ray playback"
http://my-htpc.co.uk/shop/article_121-001/my-MediaCentre-3D-Intel-i3-3220-(Ivybridge)-Zeno-fanless-with-64Gb-SSD.html?shop_param=cid%3D4%26aid%3D121-001%26

[raptor]

Question lang mga Gurus planning to build HTPC
What is the most important component specifically for HTPC?
Is it motherboard?,videocard?,processor cpu?,HDD?,PSU?
Your input will give an idea to allocate budget for each component
Thanks!

HTPC is quite a broad definition ... you can basically call any computer an HTPC if you connect it to your big screen or if you're simply watching your movies on it ... if we follow the more general HTPC setup, which is almost a direct equivalent of NMT's today, what you would be looking for is low power, low noise, processor and graphics that can play today's HD and 3D videos, and casing with the right aesthetics to blend with your other AV components.

If your building an HTPC to blend with your AV components, best to start with the casing and PSU ... then the choice of CPU would dictate your choice of motherboard ... new AMD and Intel CPU's have integrated GPU's, i would recommend the AMD A10 FM2 processors - this setup would work on HD movies without the need for discrete GPU ... 4GB memory minimum, at least 8GB recommended ... 450W PSU would work on such a minimalistic setup - look for PSU's with 80%+ efficiency and good reviews in terms of noise produced ... biggest HDD capacity recommended, and a 60GB SSD for the system disk

[≧◉◡◉≦xrampage≧◉◡◉≦]

HTPC is quite a broad definition ... you can basically call any computer an HTPC if you connect it to your big screen or if you're simply watching your movies on it ... if we follow the more general HTPC setup, which is almost a direct equivalent of NMT's today, what you would be looking for is low power, low noise, processor and graphics that can play today's HD and 3D videos, and casing with the right aesthetics to blend with your other AV components.

If your building an HTPC to blend with your AV components, best to start with the casing and PSU ... then the choice of CPU would dictate your choice of motherboard ... new AMD and Intel CPU's have integrated GPU's, i would recommend the AMD A10 FM2 processors - this setup would work on HD movies without the need for discrete GPU ... 4GB memory minimum, at least 8GB recommended ... 450W PSU would work on such a minimalistic setup - look for PSU's with 80%+ efficiency and good reviews in terms of noise produced ... biggest HDD capacity recommended, and a 60GB SSD for the system disk

+1

If you dont want clutter of hdd with usb connection you might want HTPC case with a lot of 3.5 and 5.254 slot.

[raider125jeigh]

how much pinakmura at ok na SSD?? 60gb will be fine

[DTNS]

how much pinakmura at ok na SSD?? 60gb will be fine

+/- 3k ang 60GB. Intel, Corsair, Samsung, and OCZ are good brands.

[≧◉◡◉≦xrampage≧◉◡◉≦]

how much pinakmura at ok na SSD?? 60gb will be fine

Kung madami ka na programs na install mas maganda 120GB or 128GB alam ko nasa 4-5k lang yan.

[ngek2x]

Mga bro pa help naman.
meron akong laptop na HP dm1z(AMD E-350).
pagkinabit ko na yung laptop ko sa AVR (Pio 521) using HDMI
biglang nag BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death ).

[karloff]

Mga bro pa help naman.
meron akong laptop na HP dm1z(AMD E-350).
pagkinabit ko na yung laptop ko sa AVR (Pio 521) using HDMI
biglang nag BSOD (Blue Screen Of Death ).

take note mo ang message sa error code ng BSOD.para madali mag troubleshoot.
katulad nito:
STOP Error 0x00000001 to STOP Error 0x0000005F

[ngek2x]

Ah sige bro check ko mamaya .

[raptor]

take note mo ang message sa error code ng BSOD.para madali mag troubleshoot.
katulad nito:
STOP Error 0x00000001 to STOP Error 0x0000005F

pdvd community is very helpful, but you would get quicker and more detailed answer if you ask pareng Google for that error message

[raider125jeigh]

theres one pick up line i always use sa mga agent ko before haha

derick:para kang google........
agent:bakit TL Derick?
derick:kase asayo lahat ng hinahanap ko e.....kaboooom!!!!

[karloff]

pdvd community is very helpful, but you would get quicker and more detailed answer if you ask pareng Google for that error message

tama ka jan sir, si Google lang katapat. pero di naman sya siguro gano ka technical kaya dito nya ipinost ang inquiry nya.

[raider125jeigh]

tama ka jan sir, si Google lang katapat. pero di naman sya siguro gano ka technical kaya dito nya ipinost ang inquiry nya.

siguro mean lang ni brader raptor...once nakuha nya ung error code mas madale nya makita kay google..
kasi mamaya wala pang sumagot agad saten dito...
just my two cents

[ngek2x]

akala ko common problem lang sya. i tried updating ATI(Vcard) and BIOS.
try ko mamaya pag uwi ko. sana wala ng problem.

[DTNS]

I just found out that the case I plan to buy (the Cooler Master Elite 361) is too long for my AV rack. so I'm changing my plan and going for an ITX build! 


paging Stagea,

you use a TomMade case right? how is its internal temps and psu reliability?

[raptor]

siguro mean lang ni brader raptor...once nakuha nya ung error code mas madale nya makita kay google..
kasi mamaya wala pang sumagot agad saten dito...
just my two cents

yes sir, baka kasi matagalan may sumagot, and likely if he's going to post the error codes here, the other members who would help would likely use google as well

[Stagea]

paging Stagea,

you use a TomMade case right? how is its internal temps and psu reliability?

I don't use one, but we do have one sa MLY. I can't vouch for its reliability as the model we have is really cheaply made. We just needed a computer that'd play music. Paul liked the aesthetics for the price, so we went with that.

The case itself is fairly well designed for its selling price. It'd support a basic computer for entry level use. Thermals are quite good as it comes with 2 buzzing fans (which I very gladly sped down).

Treat the power supply as a 200W unit if you'd want it to work fairly well. I can't imagine how it can deliver its claimed 500W rating.

[ngek2x]

outdate lang ata yung Vcard ko kaya nag BSOD yung Laptop ko.
sorry po next time ma google nalang muna ako before magtanong dito..

installed XBMC + Cdrking Keyboard (BT) = FTW (as of now)
next HTPC na talaga.

[DTNS]

I don't use one, but we do have one sa MLY. I can't vouch for its reliability as the model we have is really cheaply made. We just needed a computer that'd play music. Paul liked the aesthetics for the price, so we went with that.

The case itself is fairly well designed for its selling price. It'd support a basic computer for entry level use. Thermals are quite good as it comes with 2 buzzing fans (which I very gladly sped down).

Treat the power supply as a 200W unit if you'd want it to work fairly well. I can't imagine how it can deliver its claimed 500W rating.

thanks for the feedback! I guess it'll do as a temporary case.   I just get a nicer case when I have the extra funds. I'm aiming for the Fractal Node 304.

[bashi]

I'm adding a new optical drive, meron ba brand mas better sa iba in terms of ripping? I'm converting some of my cd's, meron ba certain brand okay dyan or any brand will do?

[defined]

hmm you can try the samsung,lite-on...pero based on reviews plextor is top of them...kaso di ko sure kung meron locally...

[bashi]

hmm you can try the samsung,lite-on...pero based on reviews plextor is top of them...kaso di ko sure kung meron locally...

thanks, yeah meron plextor though mahirap hanapin na

[Stagea]

I'm adding a new optical drive, meron ba brand mas better sa iba in terms of ripping? I'm converting some of my cd's, meron ba certain brand okay dyan or any brand will do?

A drive that does not cache during DAE is usually better, especially from a performance and software standpoint. In-drive error correction is also a factor.

For the cheap drives, TSST is pretty good.

[Stagea]

hmm you can try the samsung,lite-on...pero based on reviews plextor is top of them...kaso di ko sure kung meron locally...

Plextor was really good a long time ago (they used to be higher spec devices sourced from NEC or Pioneer). The new ones are just rebrands of the same banana.

[bashi]

A drive that does not cache during DAE is usually better, especially from a performance and software standpoint. In-drive error correction is also a factor.

For the cheap drives, TSST is pretty good.

thank you, will definitely check that out, kailangan ko na convert several cd's ko, some nasisira na

[ngek2x]

Mga bro ask ko naman if ano mas ok na VideoCard for my old PC (gagawin kong HTPC)
MSI HD6570 1gb Ddr3  or PowerColor HD6570 2gb  Ddr3? or you can suggest.
budget 3K below