>>> Yes, since a htpc doesn't need a powerful cpu (or a powerful gpu) >> >> My learned-this-the-hard-way advice: while this is generally true, if >> you ever come across a 720 or 1080p video that doesn't use a >> hardware-accelerated codec, you would rather the HTPC not sound like >> it's about to launch itself into orbit doing software decoding. > > Completely true. I switched from nvidia-drivers to nouveau and now I > rely on ffmpeg threads to decode 1080p. It works great most of the > time. There are some videos that won't decode via threads, they > return some sort of "cannot parallelize" error. > > I went with this Phenom II X4 3.7Ghz hog: > > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103934 > > I wonder if I'll be able to decode 1080p in software on a single core > now without losing A/V sync. I kinda doubt it. I've been on an > Athlon X2 3.1Ghz. > >> And if you're going to keep it in a cabinet, you would probably also >> rather said cabinet not catch fire (I had to cut holes in the back and >> mount fans). > > I'm discovering that fans which are said to be very quiet actually > are. I'm going to increase my case fans from 0 to 2 along with this > aftermarket CPU cooler: > > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608016 > > Thanks a lot for everyone's help. > > - Grant
I've put together the new system and everything works really well. Here's the Gigabyte motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128490 - Grant
