Refreshing an aging HTPC

[acraigl]

What do you think about this combo? I do a lot of commercial skipping and video converting, so I want more power out of an HTPC. My current rig seems to barely handle these tasks, especially on heavy recording days. On the upside my existing configuration is extremely stable, so I hate messing with a working solution. Thoughts welcomed...

MSI Z68MA-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130612

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115072

Due to my case, I'll also need some low-profile memory and new HDDs -- in support of the 6GB/s bus. I don't feel the need to go to SSD just yet -- for an always on PC, I'm not concerned with startup times, and the bulk of the drive activity is on the recorded tv drive (too big for SSD anyway).

[lithium630]

What do you think about this combo? I do a lot of commercial skipping and video converting, so I want more power out of an HTPC. My current rig seems to barely handle these tasks, especially on heavy recording days. On the upside my existing configuration is extremely stable, so I hate messing with a working solution. Thoughts welcomed...

MSI Z68MA-G45 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813130612

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819115072

Due to my case, I'll also need some low-profile memory and new HDDs -- in support of the 6GB/s bus. I don't feel the need to go to SSD just yet -- for an always on PC, I'm not concerned with startup times, and the bulk of the drive activity is on the recorded tv drive (too big for SSD anyway).

An I5 processor should be more than enough for an HTPC. An SSD as a boot drive improves a lot more than boot times but there is already a lengthy threat on that.

[adam1991]

(did I see a Freudian slip there? )

[richard1980]

An SSD as a boot drive improves a lot more than boot times but there is already a lengthy threat on that.

I mean no harm....

[STC]

Hehe

[lithium630]

An SSD as a boot drive improves a lot more than boot times but there is already a lengthy threat on that.

I mean no harm....

Stupid Swype.

[tommo]

an ssd does a lot more than improve boot times.

I'd get an i3 and put the savings into an ssd boot drive that will actually make use of the 6GB/s bus.

[acraigl]

I cheaped out after learning that my board (with a BIOS update) supported the Phenom II x6 processor series. I purchased a Phenom II x6 1045T for about $120. It runs natively at 2.7 Ghz, but I overclocked it (via my mobo's hardware overclock switch) to 3.1Ghz. Still running cool. Super improvement in video encoding, too. What used to be nearly realtime (it took 60 minutes to convert a 60 minute show), now takes a third to one quarter of the time. One test encode I did prior to the change took 38 minutes. After, it took 12.

Nicest part was I did not have reinstall windows. In fact the only issue I had was related to DRM after I tried tuning DCT channels. The new CPU broke the DRM scheme. After some very panic-ed research, I simply used an MS provided 'resetDRM.exe' tool to repair the DRM and restore the channels. Downside, I lost all copy-protected media, but I only had a few random movies. Nothing to bellyache over.

[barnabas1969]

One thing to consider would be how quiet you want this PC to be. A 95W CPU might require more cooling, and therefore more noise. Especially if you're putting it in a small case.

I'm running a quad-core i5-760 @ 2.8GHz, which is 65 watts, and my HTPC is silent. It also does just fine with 8 tuners, 4 extenders, and commercial skipping all running at the same time.

For video conversion, I use a separate PC so as not to interfere with the HTPC.

[acraigl]

One thing to consider would be how quiet you want this PC to be. A 95W CPU might require more cooling, and therefore more noise. Especially if you're putting it in a small case.

I'm running a quad-core i5-760 @ 2.8GHz, which is 65 watts, and my HTPC is silent. It also does just fine with 8 tuners, 4 extenders, and commercial skipping all running at the same time.

For video conversion, I use a separate PC so as not to interfere with the HTPC.

That's a good point, but I'm pleased to say this is is near-silent as well. I literally have to stick my head in the case to even tell it's on. My former CPU was also 95W and this one is more efficient as it stays cooler overall. Through a combination of an aftermarket heatsink/fan (Scythe rev B) and a few BIOS settings, this is behaving rather nicely -- no outbursts whatsoever.

On the interference front, there were times I'd see some lag when processing video, but this always happened as a lowest priority thread. Rarely, if ever, did actual video viewing become compromised. Selecting menus, and guide, however, did slow during video encoding. This new processor seems to have fixed that as well, likely due to the extra cores and better architecture.