Lowest Hard were spec for HTPC..

[Kannan_madhu]

Isnt it a waste of money and comuting power when hi end components like quad cores , gaming cards, 500ws smps used in a HTPC ? , only for the purpose of HD video and HD audio (no gaming) . how low the hardware spec can go which will provide smooth media performance ...
lets see some build suggestions from HTPC experts ...

 

[baijuxavior]

You can assemble AMD Fusion based HTPC. The system will consume 20-30W only without compromising on performance. Please see my HTPC thread.

 

[GeorgeO]

One factor to keep in mind is that a higher spec system may be a bit more "future proof" than an entry level one.

 

[sam9s]

Lowest ... mmmm interesting .....

I think the hardware (Proc+Mobo+Ram) I had for my NAS can be taken as the safest lowest end Proc+Mobo+Ram one can get.

This is what I suggest

E2140 Proc + P43 Neo :: 3000......... (USED)
RAM 2GB DDR2 :: 500 ..... NEW
GPU :: GT430 :: ...... 3000 ....NEW
Cabinet + SMPS :: ......... 1200.....NEW
===========================
TOTAL---------------- 7700

We can go even lower if we can find a used GT430 and RAM 1GB DDR2 (instead of two)
subtract around 2000 more => 5700 that the lowest I can think with a dual core proc.
that can provide HD audio/video.

This is ofcourse without the Display. For keyboard mouse you can add another 500

 

[gobble]

how low the hardware spec can go which will provide smooth media performance ...

Depends on a combination of Soft were and Hard were. The chip+mobo has to be capable of full HD playback without stuttering/bottlenecks then the device driver should be well written to support all the features of the hard were without bugs. Thats why you will see sometimes 2ghz cpus failing to playback 1080p smoothly while a DVD player with for example a 400mhz processor and ASIC chip fanless is able to cope smoothly.

So you have to study the chipsets available and narrow down your choice to the few that support full HD playback with low power.

Currently Fusion and possibly the latest Tegra chipset is the way to go.

--G0bble

 

[Kannan_madhu]

SEMPRON Sempron 145 2.8GHz, 1MB, AM3 2100
GF7025 M4N68T-M LE V2 16x,V (256MB),S,L, 2500
2 GB ram ---------------------------------------------- 625
1GB GT520 PCX-16X,D,DDR3 - - 2875
cabinet + smps ---------------------------------------- 1500

how about this config .. and if XBMC live is used to boot from a 4GB or 8GB USB drive will the interface run smooth ?
and how about using an atom motherboard combo with a ati or nvidia card ?

http://www.pcmediacenter.com.au/forum/topic/37338-awesome-xbmc-live-via-usb-drive-only/

 

[sam9s]

would semptron have the juice to encode 1080p h264 videos..... I have my doubts.