Building my first HTPC - a few questions

[eummagic]

Hi,

I recently had my MB (Intel 865GBF) blown and upgraded to Intel DH55PJ MB with Intel Core i3 2.93GHz CPU with 2GB DDR3 and have installed Windows7 Ultimate. Currently, not yet purchased a graphics card and would like to know a few things from all members who own a HTPC. Iam planning to use my HTPC only for watching HD movies/music/photos/browsing and No Gaming. My HTPC will be connected to a projector (to be purchased).

1) Graphics card that is suitable for watching HD (1080p - Bluray, MKVs etc) without causing any handshake problems with projectors or signal not detecting etc.
2) Graphics card that is capable of sending HD audio thro HDMI
3) I will be using both 17" LCD widescreen monitor and Projector connected to my HTPC via the VGA & HDMI ports. This helps me switch on/off the projector while browsing thro' media in HTPC and then turn on projector while watching movies. So the graphic card should be capable of sending signals to both VGA/DVI and HDMI.
4) I find Windows Media Centre not detecting my MKV files and had tough time so installed XBMC and happy with it. Any idea, how to boot the HTPC straight to XBMC when starting the HTPC instead of running from Programs.
5) Also, not very particular that I want Win7 OS, if there is much more friendly exclusive HTPC OS/apps for simple accessability, I would prefer to install it.
6) I have temporarily used my old ATX cabinet and would like to upgrade to a compact bed type or HTPC type cabinet that is not expensive.
7) Compatible remote control with IR sensor to control my HTPC and XBMC etc, and where can I get these?

Your suggestions/expertise required...

 

[spirovious]

1 &2.Go for saphire 5700 series-
SAPPHIRE- HOME
SAPPHIRE- HOME

3.It can send signals to both displays with individual resolution.

5.Win 7 is fast.If you install powerDVD,it can play almost all formats.

6.Antec HTPC cases are cheap.

7.HTPC remote can be ordered from ebay India.-
eBay India: Wireless Control Mouse Remote Controller USB Media Pc (item 320561977445 end time 14-Aug-2010 17:04:22 IST)

 

[thevortex]

1) Graphics card that is suitable for watching HD (1080p - Bluray, MKVs etc) without causing any handshake problems with projectors or signal not detecting etc.

If there is no gaming involved then you would be better off trying to see if you can get a motherboard with onboard graphics than with a standalone graphics card. For the Intel platform, I am not sure of the options. But I am sure you can find some.

4) I find Windows Media Centre not detecting my MKV files and had tough time so installed XBMC and happy with it. Any idea, how to boot the HTPC straight to XBMC when starting the HTPC instead of running from Programs.

You can install XBMC as your OS on the computer. Alternatively there is a Linux OS called Element OS which is purpose built for such use. You may try a Live CD to see if you like it.

5) Also, not very particular that I want Win7 OS, if there is much more friendly exclusive HTPC OS/apps for simple accessability, I would prefer to install it.

See above.

6) I have temporarily used my old ATX cabinet and would like to upgrade to a compact bed type or HTPC type cabinet that is not expensive.

Bed type - I am not sure. You are going to have to spend not less than Rs. 8000 if you want one of the branded cabinets out there. I would just go with a normal ATX cabinet if looks are not that important to you.

7) Compatible remote control with IR sensor to control my HTPC and XBMC etc, and where can I get these?

Streamzap remote along with an excellent piece of software called Eventghost.

 

[venkatcr]

Though nVidia and ATI are neck to neck in terms of technology, for the last 12 odd months, ATI has been playing special attention to the HTPC market. In tge past most of the graphic cards were unable to pass through HD audio though their handling of video has been excellent.

With the 5000 series ATI has changed the landscape quiet a lot. At the very budgetary level they have released the 5450 at some 50 odd dollars. This is the ideal GPU for HTPC. It, though, lacks quite a lot of power needed for high end gaming.

A good option is 5650, and if you can afford it, the 5770. This has become one of the most popular GPUs both for HTPC and for gaming. It has the power to show a Blu-Ray in all it's glory, and allows you to have mind blowing graphics for gaming. The 5770 will cost around 9K in India. Be sure to look for 1 to 2 GB of on board RAM. Most cards today come with DDR5.

Cheers

 

[thevortex]

Venkat - how are the drivers for the newer ATI cards? I have been more than frustrated with the quality and stability of their drivers for quite some time now. How has been your experience with the 5770?

 

[venkatcr]

The 5770 has been working without any issues since the day I installed it. I don't remember if it even updated it's driver.

Cheers

 

[thevortex]

Did you install the drivers that came with the package or did you download the latest? Also are you running XP or Windows 7? Quite a lot of the horror stories are about Windows 7.

 

[venkatcr]

I installed the drivers that came with the package, and if I remember right, it automatically updated itself from ATI's site. I am using Windows 7, and I have had no major issues till now.

As a precaution, I have not loaded any application on my HTPC other than the following:

1. Norton AV
2. KM Player
3. PowerDVD 7.x version
4. Google Chrome

I connect the HTPC to the Net once a day, and then disconnect it when I don't see any downloads/updates happening. I don't use the HTPC for surfing or for downloading anything other than application updates. I do all my surfing on my laptop.

Cheers

 

[eummagic]

Thanks for your info...

1 &2.Go for saphire 5700 series-
SAPPHIRE- HOME
SAPPHIRE- HOME
Since, Iam in Cochin don't know whether this brand is available. But I see Asus, XFX, Zebronics brands here. Let me have a check again.

3.It can send signals to both displays with individual resolution.
Only Sapphire has this feature or any other brands that I have mentioned above also does.

5.Win 7 is fast.If you install powerDVD,it can play almost all formats.
Ok, currently I have KMPlayer. Will try PowerDVD also.

6.Antec HTPC cases are cheap.
Infact, Antec came to my mind first when thinking of HTPC cases. When asked about this particular model: Antec Micro Fusion Remote 350 HTPC, it cost 13k plus. Any other brand, not very particular I need a HTPC case, can be bed type or a compact case.
7.HTPC remote can be ordered from ebay India.-
eBay India: Wireless Control Mouse Remote Controller USB Media Pc (item 320561977445 end time 14-Aug-2010 17:04:22 IST)
Thanks, will look into it. BTW, can this control XMBC, since in ebay site its mentioning about Windows media centre only.

 

[eummagic]

Thanks for your suggestions...

1) Graphics card that is suitable for watching HD (1080p - Bluray, MKVs etc) without causing any handshake problems with projectors or signal not detecting etc.

If there is no gaming involved then you would be better off trying to see if you can get a motherboard with onboard graphics than with a standalone graphics card. For the Intel platform, I am not sure of the options. But I am sure you can find some.
I regret that I have not done the homework before my upgrade as you rightly said, but somehow didn't had a plan at that time. Now, I got my old MB serviced to working condition and thought of having a HTPC build using the upgrade. So, now no going back again to MB and decidd to go for a decent graphic card.

4) I find Windows Media Centre not detecting my MKV files and had tough time so installed XBMC and happy with it. Any idea, how to boot the HTPC straight to XBMC when starting the HTPC instead of running from Programs.

You can install XBMC as your OS on the computer. Alternatively there is a Linux OS called Element OS which is purpose built for such use. You may try a Live CD to see if you like it.
Yes, I have tried the Ubuntu live using my USB pen drive. BTW, how to make XBMC as OS. I will also try Element.

5) Also, not very particular that I want Win7 OS, if there is much more friendly exclusive HTPC OS/apps for simple accessability, I would prefer to install it.

See above.

6) I have temporarily used my old ATX cabinet and would like to upgrade to a compact bed type or HTPC type cabinet that is not expensive.

Bed type - I am not sure. You are going to have to spend not less than Rs. 8000 if you want one of the branded cabinets out there. I would just go with a normal ATX cabinet if looks are not that important to you.
Definitely, now after enquiring the rate of Antec HTPC, not very particular about looks, but thought atleast I will have a compact cabinet, preferably bed type like we see in HP/compaq pcs. BTW, my Intel DH55PJ is a micro-ATX MB.

7) Compatible remote control with IR sensor to control my HTPC and XBMC etc, and where can I get these?

Streamzap remote along with an excellent piece of software called Eventghost.
Yes, I do have heard of it but can I get in India at what cost?

 

[eummagic]

Thanks for your indepth info reg graphics card. I also heard from other forums that ATI has an upper hand when handling HD audio pass thro' HDMI especially in ATI 5000 series. In that regard, I was thinking of the XFX ATI 5450 entry level model with 1GB DDR3 @ Rs.3700/- here in Cochin. Will try to get the rate of 5570/DDR5 options and will update.

BTW, what brand graphics card you own and as spirovious mentioned earlier, any ideas whether your card can send signals parallelly to VGA & HDMI ports?

Though nVidia and ATI are neck to neck in terms of technology, for the last 12 odd months, ATI has been playing special attention to the HTPC market. In tge past most of the graphic cards were unable to pass through HD audio though their handling of video has been excellent.

With the 5000 series ATI has changed the landscape quiet a lot. At the very budgetary level they have released the 5450 at some 50 odd dollars. This is the ideal GPU for HTPC. It, though, lacks quite a lot of power needed for high end gaming.

A good option is 5650, and if you can afford it, the 5770. This has become one of the most popular GPUs both for HTPC and for gaming. It has the power to show a Blu-Ray in all it's glory, and allows you to have mind blowing graphics for gaming. The 5770 will cost around 9K in India. Be sure to look for 1 to 2 GB of on board RAM. Most cards today come with DDR5.

Cheers

 

[venkatcr]

BTW, what brand graphics card you own and as spirovious mentioned earlier, any ideas whether your card can send signals parallelly to VGA & HDMI ports?

I use a Gigabyte card. In an online review cards using the 5770 GPU were compared between Gigabyte, Sapphire, and a few other companies. The reviewer could not make out any difference. There was not too much difference in pricing between cards. I picked up Gigabyte as a I got a discount when I picked up a Gigabyte motherboard.

My graphics card does not have VGA output. It only has HDMI and DVI. When you insert a graphics card, the output of the motherboard is also set off.

Cheers

 

[thevortex]

You cannot get Streamzap in India. You have to get it from abroad.

About the OS, you can download a version of XBMC that you can install as a OS from their site.

Other options include Geexbox as well.

 

[thevortex]

Though nVidia and ATI are neck to neck in terms of technology, for the last 12 odd months, ATI has been playing special attention to the HTPC market. In tge past most of the graphic cards were unable to pass through HD audio though their handling of video has been excellent.

With the 5000 series ATI has changed the landscape quiet a lot. At the very budgetary level they have released the 5450 at some 50 odd dollars. This is the ideal GPU for HTPC. It, though, lacks quite a lot of power needed for high end gaming.

A good option is 5650, and if you can afford it, the 5770. This has become one of the most popular GPUs both for HTPC and for gaming. It has the power to show a Blu-Ray in all it's glory, and allows you to have mind blowing graphics for gaming. The 5770 will cost around 9K in India. Be sure to look for 1 to 2 GB of on board RAM. Most cards today come with DDR5.

Cheers

Yes, ATI has been doing well recently - as a value leader. I was actually hanging on before getting some sort of display card to replace my aging X1800 GTO.

Recently did some due diligence, waited and got an NVidia GTX 460 Fermi.

Right now, this is the card to get if you want a mix of home theatre use as well as for gaming. I dont know if it passes audio through HDMI. I did not do much research on that angle as I had no use for that.

At almost the same price of the ATI 5770 it competes with the ATI 5850!

 

[spirovious]

Many of newer graphiccards supports dual view(monitor)& not limited to saphire.
Antec has cabinate for around 5-7k for HTPC without remote.
Even you may get chinese cabinates if available for cheap.

 

[eummagic]

I use a Gigabyte card. In an online review cards using the 5770 GPU were compared between Gigabyte, Sapphire, and a few other companies. The reviewer could not make out any difference. There was not too much difference in pricing between cards. I picked up Gigabyte as a I got a discount when I picked up a Gigabyte motherboard.

My graphics card does not have VGA output. It only has HDMI and DVI. When you insert a graphics card, the output of the motherboard is also set off.

Cheers

Thanks for the info and nice to hear you got discount. BTW, at what price you bought your Gigabyte. I will be getting the rates for XFX/Asus and Sapphire (I doubt whether they deal) tomorrow, so just for comparison purpose.

 

[eummagic]

You cannot get Streamzap in India. You have to get it from abroad.

About the OS, you can download a version of XBMC that you can install as a OS from their site.

Other options include Geexbox as well.

Ok, will try if there is any other similar to Streamzap. What about Logitech Harmony remote (price starts at 3k plus), will it work if I connect a Local USB IR receiver and can control XBMC apps etc?

Also, I still don't understand how to install XBMC as a OS?

BTW, thanks for introducing me to Geexbox - Its cool!

 

[venkatcr]

I purchased the Gigabyte 5770 card with 1GB of DDR5 at a price of Rs.7000. This was purchased in Dubai.

Toms Hardware does a monthly round up of Graphics Cards. It is good reference point. Look it up here.

Cheers

 

[eummagic]

Hi all,

The update.....

I got the rates for Sapphire ATI graphics card HD5550 series, DDR3 1GB=5200/- & DDR5 1GB=5300/-. So, planning to buy the DDR5 1GB option. Regarding cabinet, kindly see my post in this thread here.

Your suggestions/expertise definitely required....

 

[spirovious]

I will still suggest,take a look at 56** seried too.