HTPC Board Options...

[shortie87]

Hi Guys,

First post here so please excuse me if this has been answered somewhere else and I've not found it!

I'm looking to build a new system in the near future, to replace my old HP slimline tower from a few years back. The main use for my PC is as a HTPC so I'm going for an entirely passively cooled build.

I am going to use the Streacom FC10 case from SCAN, which uses heatpipes to attach the CPU to the side of the case for cooling, which is why I need help selecting a board...

I am not interested in overclocking, nor SLI/CrossfireX, so I'm not particularly interested in any of these features, and I plan to run a Soundblaster card at some point so sound is not too important (although a SPDIF out onboard would be nice for now...), However, there are a few things I do need...

1. Preferably as low power consumption as possible,
2. Produces as little heat as possible,
3. (the most important one) MUST be clear/no heatsinks in the area between the CPU socket and side of case.

I've been looking at the Gigabyte Z77-D3H and ASUS P8Z77-V LX, but are there any better options I'm missing?

Spec I'm looking at is:

Intel i7 3770T
16/32gb Corsair Vengance Low Profile 1600
Board still to be decided
Crucial 240gb SSD
Slot load BD-RW
Pico PSU 150XT

[MrJim]

If you're not interested in SLI or overclocking, you might be better off going for an H77 other Intel chipset, which might also save you a bit of money too. Are you set on an Intel based system? I can't see anywhere in the documentation for the FC10 whether it supports AMD processors (just the recommended max 65W TDP), but something like the A10 5700 might be an alternative, if compatible with the FC10 cooler.

[MrJim]

3. (the most important one) MUST be clear/no heatsinks in the area between the CPU socket and side of case.

I've just found this riser for the FC10 heatsink, which should make your choice of motherboard much easier:

http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...pid-17048.html

And it does seem to support FM2 processors, should you want to go down that route

[shortie87]

I've had a look at the H77 chipset boards, but scan don't seem to list full size ATX options... The mATX boards come in at roughly the same price as the ATX Z77 boards. I'm pretty set on getting an Intel system now, both of my current home PCs are AMD based, and both are far out-performed by my pretty average Intel based machine at home. You are right though, I'd no doubt save some money going AMD. The better heat performance and processing ability of the Intel are benefits for me though (BD-ripping, Guitar Rig 5 etc.), although I believe AMD have got the edge in terms of built-in graphics at the moment? I think the FC10 is actually rated to 95w TDP, but Streacom recommend sticking to 65w due to the PicoPSU.

[shortie87]

I'd also spotted the riser, but felt it could affect cooling performance... not sure on that one. It is an option, but one I'd rather not use if possible, unless I was to find a great deal on a board with larger heatsinks (which seem to be more expensive anyways...)

[shortie87]

Jimbob you really have planted a seed in my brain now with the AMD options... I can basically buy an A10 5700 CPU, Asus F2A85M LE MB, 8gb DDR3 and a OCZ Vertex 4 120gb SSD for pretty much the same as I'd have spent on an Intel CPU and MB...

In CPU performance terms, what is the gap between the A10 5700 and the i7 3770T? Looking at the specs, probably very little other than an extra 20w TDP...

I use my PC as a guitar amplifier using guitar rig 5 (which can top out my current AMD Athlon X2 4400), so the processor does get a good workout.

[MrJim]

I must admit I don't have any first-hand experience of AMD FM2 APUs, but from what I've read, they are somewhat slower than Intel on the CPU side, but are faster where graphics are concerned. Anecdotally, I've heard it said that AMD graphics offer better picture quality for HTPC users than Intel counterparts, but I've got nothing to back up that statement. The 3770T is likely to excel at multi-threaded workloads as it supports hyperthreading, but I can't find any direct benchmark comparisons between the two processors.

[MrJim]

I've just found this article about Trinity based HTPC, which might prove useful to you:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6335/a...pc-perspective

[shortie87]

I've searched high and low for comparison benchmarks, but all I have came up with is CPUMark, scoring the i7-3770T at 8,908 and the A10-5700 at 4,489. Obviously quite a difference but this won't take into account the graphics... but the very low TDP is a huge benefit for me.

I may have to start building up a collection of all the other parts and hang on until Intel bring out details for their new 8 series chipsets and Haswell chips which are supposed to have much improved graphics and even lower TDP numbers...

EDIT: Just found PassMark graphic scores, Radeon 7660D scores 785, Intel 400 HD scores 498.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The IGP of the AMD chips is better for HTPC use and as Anandtech says Trinity is great for HTPC usage :

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6335/a...pc-perspective

They are testing the 100W TDP A10-5800K and the 65W TDP A10-5700 will be the same for HTPC usage.

I would read through this thread which uses a passive case:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/sho...php?t=18360592

The chap has overclocked the CPU a large amount(over a 1.2GHZ overclock),so imagine if he had not and even undervolted the chip.

Edit!!

Someone linked to the Anandtech article earlier.

[shortie87]

Thanks for the links guys, interesting reading

The case in the other build thread is from the same manufacturer I'm looking at buying from, except smaller and with fewer heat pipes than the model I'm looking at, so it looks like heat may not be as big an issue as I'm expecting!

Looking at the performance of the AMD IGP in a HTPC, I may have to go down the AMD route...

[davesom555]

What form factor were you looking at?

I've recently bought an Asrock Z77E ITX board and it's great. It's got built in wifi (with antenna) and also a spare mSATA slot on the underside of the board. Has 2 SATA 6GB ports. Has some SATA2. Good board you can pick it up for about 120 - maybe less if you shop around. USB3, 2 ram slots, 1 PCI Exp 16.

Should fit in the smallest htpc cases.

Edit: just read about the heat sinks thing - not sure if this meets that criteria or not. You'd have to look this up

[shortie87]

So, I've put together the following spec from SCAN, just as something to work from:

Asus F2A85-M LE,
AMD A10 5700,
128GB OCZ Vertex 4,
16GB (8gb x 2) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Low Profile Jet Black PC3-12800 (1600) CL9,
Streacom ST-FC10B Black Full Aluminium Fanless HTPC Chassis,
150W Pico PSU and AC/DC 12V 150W Adapter Block,
Sony BD-5850H BD Writer.

I already have the PicoPSU, so the total for everything else comes to £620. With an intel board and CPU, that rises to £776. Worth the extra outlay for the Intel?

[shortie87]

Davesom: That looks a nice board, but unfortunately wouldn't go in the chassis I want to use due to the CPU socket being on the wrong side! As far as form factor is concerned, the case will take ATX, mATX and Mini-ITX boards, so in theory I'm spoilt for choice...

[MrJim]

I already have the PicoPSU, so the total for everything else comes to £620. With an intel board and CPU, that rises to £776. Worth the extra outlay for the Intel?

It depends on the workload you give the processor I think. The 5700 APU might be 'good enough' for your needs, or not; if you're running processor intensive highly threaded workloads, the 3770T might be a better fit. Probably you're the only person who can decide whether the Intel system is worth the extra outlay

Incidentally, if it were my money I probably wouldn't go for the Vertex 4, based purely on the poor reliability comments I've read on this forum. Although it performs well, I've also read that the performance drops off quite a bit once it gets filled up with data. My preference is for the Samsung 830 or 840 Pro drives at the moment (not the 840 Basic though), although the latter are more expensive & have had a few firmware issues too (which I think are sorted out now). Just my opinion though

[DanceswithUnix]

I think it is fair to say that going from an X2 4400 (2.2 GHz) to an A10 will be a massive jump in performance.

I recently got an A10 5800K for my home server, and the only thing I can really criticise is the fan it comes with is only quiet when the machine is idle. Thankfully you won't be using that