looking for a low power dual core for HTPC

gsrcrxsi · 10-05-08, 12:34 AM

so i have myself a little HTPC thats been happily running SD vid for a while now with the 1.8GHz celeron processor in it. well i want it to be able to handle HD in the near future so i figure id toss in a 2.0GHz dual core. the 45nm chips seem like the best bet but the thermal ratings are still the same? i thought 45nm vs 65nm was supposed to be less heat and less power? im just worried that my PSU wont handle it. its a CFX12V form factor PSU, so upgrading is nearly not an option, its only a 275W PSU. and undervolting isnt really an option either since the MB is locked down.

ive looked at like the e7200 and i like it, but i could loose a little speed and a little price as well. maybe a chip in the 50 dollar range? and the 65W thing is still bugging me, the celeron is only a 35W chip.

socket 775 please. any suggestions?

White_Pawn · 10-05-08, 01:44 AM

intel atom 330?

otherwise the e7200 is a good choice.

gsrcrxsi · 10-05-08, 12:32 PM

is that atom out yet? performance compared to the other 45nm chips? is it available in s775?

White_Pawn · 10-05-08, 02:58 PM

the atom 330 is out, and it uses a mini-itx form factor and uses the 945 chipset. It isn't very powerful.

There is also the E5200. They can OC to 3.6ghz from what i've seen so far. Although a no-brand name psu might not cut it.

gsrcrxsi · 10-05-08, 10:34 PM

not looking to OC this chip, i just want it to use as little power as possible and still have enough power to run HD content. so im looking for the lowest TDP and lowest voltage

mdamda · 10-06-08, 12:18 AM

You're probably much better off offloading the running of HD content to a capable graphics card like the more recent nvidia 8/9 series or the ati 2600 and up series GPUs.

The Coolest · 10-06-08, 09:03 AM

Atom will not be able to play HD smoothly, even with GPU offloading from tests ran by Evilsizer.

My recommendation for a good HTPC would actually be an AMD based solution if you're willing to go that route.
A 780G based board with one of the 45W dual-cores will do the job with ease. The GPU has UVD built in, meaning that you can offload Blue-Ray\HDDVD movies to the GPU and the CPU will be able to idle, and all other content will play easily using the dual core CPU.
It will draw very little power, and should cost less than an Intel system since you don't have to get a separate video card.

I have a 690G board and a X2 3600+ Brisbane as my HTPC and it plays everything I throw at it without issues, with the 45W chips which are even faster than this chip and a GPU with UVD I think that AMD is currently a good way to go for an HTPC rig.

Rickdstik · 10-06-08, 11:26 AM

e5200/e7200 will both most likely fit that bill, however, as was stated, make sure you have the graphics to handle hd content too. onboard gpu will not cut it, and adding a discrete chip is going to push the psu to its limits.

Evilsizer · 10-06-08, 12:18 PM

go with a amd/780G setup, right now its going to be the most power eff for a HTPC. 45watt dual core and h264/VC1 on 780G is a going to be a good combo. the E1200/E1400 would be the only 2 intel cpu's for cheap i would go with coupled with G45 would be a good way to go. though its price combined vs amd is going to be higher.

Atom 230/330 can handle 480P content but not 720p thats cpu decoding only. ati site did say HD 2000 is able to do h264,vc1 but it seems it cant with 8.6cats. newer cats will not work for some reason on the 2400 pro.

after reading reviews dont go with onboard video if your looking for high IQ the add in a higher end card. the onboard video is just able to do the decoding but not with a high IQ vs add-in cards.

jason4207 · 10-06-08, 01:58 PM

I've got my E5200 running in my file server at 2GHz 0.856v P95 stable. TDP is just a rating...not actual output.

phistyle · 10-06-08, 02:27 PM

I agree....go for an amd 780g setup...I have a 790gx board and it's pretty much the same chipset as the 780g with just 200mhz more for IGX...I can play bluray and hd content fine with no problems at all and I also have an amd 45w brisbane be-2400 chip...

gsrcrxsi · 10-07-08, 09:42 PM

this is a linux based HTPC setup (mythtv) offloading it to the vid card (XvMC) is buggy at best. my vid card is only a 7200GS which should be fine. a 2.4GHz P4 can handle HD, so any 2.0+ GHz dual core should be able to handle 1080p with ease.

gsrcrxsi · 10-07-08, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason4207

I've got my E5200 running in my file server at 2GHz 0.856v P95 stable. TDP is just a rating...not actual output.

my MB gives me NO overclocking or underclocking options. as far as i know there arent any hard mods to reduce clock speed and voltage.

ghost_recon88 · 10-07-08, 10:36 PM

+1 for an AMD 780G setup.

deathman20 · 10-08-08, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jason4207

I've got my E5200 running in my file server at 2GHz 0.856v P95 stable. TDP is just a rating...not actual output.

Agree'd getting a CPU and just dropping the voltage would do lots to reduce output. Even thuogh most C2D's say 65W, if the most powerful one is 65W in its class, and the lowest one still has the same TDP, i really doubt it uses the same amount of power.

I've been searching for sometime now but still have yet to make my mind up on what to get. Atom though sadly won't be a solution, it is too slow for Hi-Def needs.

Socket eh? · 10-08-08, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsrcrxsi

my MB gives me NO overclocking or underclocking options. as far as i know there arent any hard mods to reduce clock speed and voltage.

RMClock.

gsrcrxsi · 10-08-08, 12:09 PM

explain, if its a program to run in the os, its linux.

and im not gonna rebuild the system to be centered around AMD, this is a very specialized system, picoBTX board and intel chip with a VERY small case. if i changed to AMD id have to change everything. maybe if i built a second machine i could go that route, but its not practical for a replacement, when i can just change the processor.

Socket eh? · 10-08-08, 12:21 PM

http://forum.rightmark.org/topic.cgi?id=6:796

Bottom post has some info.

Evilsizer · 10-08-08, 01:18 PM

umm where are you seeing a PICO-BTX mobo from intel? if this is a LGA775 cpu you could pad mod it for a lower fsb, same thing with the voltage.

gsrcrxsi · 10-09-08, 02:00 PM

my MB is pico-BTX and it made by intel with an LGA775 socket. i went with this form factor because it has everything i want and nothing i dont all in a very small package. i initially wanted to use a mATX board, but the case i decided on was pico-BTX so i went that route, and it worked out very well.

here is my board and setup:

http://www.intel.com/products/mother...65pz/index.htm

setup:

AOpen B200 case w/ 275W PSU
7200GS fanless/passive cooler

10-05-08, 12:34 AM	Thread Starter #1
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	looking for a low power dual core for HTPC so i have myself a little HTPC thats been happily running SD vid for a while now with the 1.8GHz celeron processor in it. well i want it to be able to handle HD in the near future so i figure id toss in a 2.0GHz dual core. the 45nm chips seem like the best bet but the thermal ratings are still the same? i thought 45nm vs 65nm was supposed to be less heat and less power? im just worried that my PSU wont handle it. its a CFX12V form factor PSU, so upgrading is nearly not an option, its only a 275W PSU. and undervolting isnt really an option either since the MB is locked down. ive looked at like the e7200 and i like it, but i could loose a little speed and a little price as well. maybe a chip in the 50 dollar range? and the 65W thing is still bugging me, the celeron is only a 35W chip. socket 775 please. any suggestions? __________________ MAIN: AOpen case \| E6700 \| Intel DG965PZ \| 8GB Crucial DDR2-800 \| 2x Intel X-25M 80GB RAID-0 \| 275w PSU HTPC: Antec Fusion Remote \| E5200 \| Intel DG33TL \| EVGA GT430 \| 4GB Corsair DDR2-800 \| OZ 60GB Vertex 2 \| 2x WD 2TB Green \| Dynex 400w LAPTOP: Asus G60VT \| P7450 \| nVidia GTX260M \| 4GB DDR2-800 \| 320GB 7200rpm HEAT
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10-05-08, 01:44 AM	#2
White_Pawn Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada	intel atom 330? otherwise the e7200 is a good choice. __________________ - - M a i n R i g - - E2140 @ 375 x 8 = 3ghz w/ 1.3375v ^Tuniq Tower 120^ Gigabyte P35-S3L powercolor HD4890 @ 850/975 OCZ System 1337s 2x1 5-5-5-15 2T @ 450mhz. 2TB 7200.12+ Seagate Silverstone Decathalon 650W Modular
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10-05-08, 12:32 PM	Thread Starter #3
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	is that atom out yet? performance compared to the other 45nm chips? is it available in s775? __________________ MAIN: AOpen case \| E6700 \| Intel DG965PZ \| 8GB Crucial DDR2-800 \| 2x Intel X-25M 80GB RAID-0 \| 275w PSU HTPC: Antec Fusion Remote \| E5200 \| Intel DG33TL \| EVGA GT430 \| 4GB Corsair DDR2-800 \| OZ 60GB Vertex 2 \| 2x WD 2TB Green \| Dynex 400w LAPTOP: Asus G60VT \| P7450 \| nVidia GTX260M \| 4GB DDR2-800 \| 320GB 7200rpm HEAT
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10-05-08, 02:58 PM	#4
White_Pawn Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Vancouver, Canada	the atom 330 is out, and it uses a mini-itx form factor and uses the 945 chipset. It isn't very powerful. There is also the E5200. They can OC to 3.6ghz from what i've seen so far. Although a no-brand name psu might not cut it. __________________ - - M a i n R i g - - E2140 @ 375 x 8 = 3ghz w/ 1.3375v ^Tuniq Tower 120^ Gigabyte P35-S3L powercolor HD4890 @ 850/975 OCZ System 1337s 2x1 5-5-5-15 2T @ 450mhz. 2TB 7200.12+ Seagate Silverstone Decathalon 650W Modular
	QUOTE Thanks

10-05-08, 10:34 PM	Thread Starter #5
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	not looking to OC this chip, i just want it to use as little power as possible and still have enough power to run HD content. so im looking for the lowest TDP and lowest voltage __________________ MAIN: AOpen case \| E6700 \| Intel DG965PZ \| 8GB Crucial DDR2-800 \| 2x Intel X-25M 80GB RAID-0 \| 275w PSU HTPC: Antec Fusion Remote \| E5200 \| Intel DG33TL \| EVGA GT430 \| 4GB Corsair DDR2-800 \| OZ 60GB Vertex 2 \| 2x WD 2TB Green \| Dynex 400w LAPTOP: Asus G60VT \| P7450 \| nVidia GTX260M \| 4GB DDR2-800 \| 320GB 7200rpm HEAT
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10-06-08, 12:18 AM	#6
mdamda Member Join Date: Feb 2008	You're probably much better off offloading the running of HD content to a capable graphics card like the more recent nvidia 8/9 series or the ati 2600 and up series GPUs. __________________ CPU: Q6600 @ 3.40 Ghz (378x9) Mobo: Gigabyte X38-DS5 RAM: 4x1GB Corsair XMS2 DDR2-800 PSU: HEC 550watt
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10-06-08, 09:03 AM	#7
The Coolest Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Tel Aviv, Israel	Atom will not be able to play HD smoothly, even with GPU offloading from tests ran by Evilsizer. My recommendation for a good HTPC would actually be an AMD based solution if you're willing to go that route. A 780G based board with one of the 45W dual-cores will do the job with ease. The GPU has UVD built in, meaning that you can offload Blue-Ray\HDDVD movies to the GPU and the CPU will be able to idle, and all other content will play easily using the dual core CPU. It will draw very little power, and should cost less than an Intel system since you don't have to get a separate video card. I have a 690G board and a X2 3600+ Brisbane as my HTPC and it plays everything I throw at it without issues, with the 45W chips which are even faster than this chip and a GPU with UVD I think that AMD is currently a good way to go for an HTPC rig. __________________ "<The_Coolest> You can't unwaste wasted CPU cycles" - Start FOLDing now! Main rig: Core i7 2600K 3.4GHz @ 4.5GHz (Scythe Mugen2) / Mobo: Biostar TP67XE / SSD: Crucial M4 128GB (+ HDDs) / GPU: HD5450 or 8800 Ultra / Mem: 4x4GB DDR3-1600 G.Skill 4GBXL RipJaws X - 16GB total / PSU: Seasonic S12II 620W. Secondary rig: Core i3 540 3.06GHz @ Stock / Mobo: MSI H55M-ED55 / GPU: Integrated / Mem: 2x2GB DDR3-1600 G.Skill 4GBRL RipJaws - 4GB total / PSU: FSP ATX350-PNR 350W. Core Temp - Accurate temperature monitor for Intel's Core/Core 2 and AMD64 processors Heatware
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10-06-08, 11:26 AM	#8
Rickdstik Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Dallas, TX	e5200/e7200 will both most likely fit that bill, however, as was stated, make sure you have the graphics to handle hd content too. onboard gpu will not cut it, and adding a discrete chip is going to push the psu to its limits. __________________ Current SETI Farm: Red Core I7 930 15x200 @ 1.00v, Asus Sabertooth x58, 6x4GB Kingston HyperX DDR3-1600, 2x Radeon 5850, Corsair H50 Lian Li PC-V600FR Alienware m11x-r1 u7300 @ 6.5x266 1.73GHz GeForce 335m Lab 6xCore i3-540s stock speed Corei7-2600 Webserver
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10-06-08, 12:18 PM	#9
Evilsizer Senior Fourm Spammer Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Austin,Texas	go with a amd/780G setup, right now its going to be the most power eff for a HTPC. 45watt dual core and h264/VC1 on 780G is a going to be a good combo. the E1200/E1400 would be the only 2 intel cpu's for cheap i would go with coupled with G45 would be a good way to go. though its price combined vs amd is going to be higher. Atom 230/330 can handle 480P content but not 720p thats cpu decoding only. ati site did say HD 2000 is able to do h264,vc1 but it seems it cant with 8.6cats. newer cats will not work for some reason on the 2400 pro. after reading reviews dont go with onboard video if your looking for high IQ the add in a higher end card. the onboard video is just able to do the decoding but not with a high IQ vs add-in cards. __________________ i7 920@3.6ghz \| Asus R2G \| GK F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH \| Galaxy GTX660 GC \| C650TX \| OCZ VERTEX EX 120GB, VERTEX 250GB i3 330m \| Jetway NF98 \| 2x2gig DDR3-1066 \| pico 120WI i5 2450 \| Jetway JNF9G-QM77 \| 2x2gig DDR3-1333 \| WIP "I Love To Camp!" "Commensing Shock Therapy!" I'm jonnyGURU of jonnyGURU.com and we don't overload PSU's - JonnyGURU HeatWare
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10-06-08, 01:58 PM	#10
jason4207 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Concord, NC	I've got my E5200 running in my file server at 2GHz 0.856v P95 stable. TDP is just a rating...not actual output. __________________ MAIN RIG: 3570K @ 4.5GHz 1.272v H100i Extreme4-Z77 8GB-G.Skill @ 2200MHz 9-11-11-28 1.60v CM_430-Elite GTX670_DCuII_TOP @ 1358/7244 1.212v Xplosion-DTS 256GB-Samsung_830 1TB-Black Seasonic_X-750 27.5"-1200P-LCD Z5500-5.1 \|\| PLV-Z4_720P_Projector_95" Paradigm_6.1_DTS-ES G9_Mouse Logitech_Illuminated_KB Logitech_G27_Wheel+Microsim_Racing_Pod *HEAT* GAMING HTPC: i3-550 @ 4.5GHz 1.35v H70 MSI_H55M-ED55 4GB-G.Skill @ 1875MHz 7-9-7-23 1T GTS450 @ 970/1940/2100 240GB_Sandisk_Extreme 640GB_Blue Corsair_CX430 Panny 42S2 1080P Plasma unRAID FILE SERVER: E5200-M0 @ 2GHz 0.856v MSIP43Neo3-F 4GB-Corsair @ 800MHz CM590 Antec550W 19TB-Parity_Protected_Storage / 1TB-Cache / 2TB-Parity / 10x2TB 2x1TB
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10-06-08, 02:27 PM	#11
phistyle Registered Join Date: Mar 2005	I agree....go for an amd 780g setup...I have a 790gx board and it's pretty much the same chipset as the 780g with just 200mhz more for IGX...I can play bluray and hd content fine with no problems at all and I also have an amd 45w brisbane be-2400 chip... __________________ AMD BE-2400 oc' 2.7ghz Ninja Mini /w 2 Sharkloon Silent Eagle 1000 80mm DFI LP JR 790GX-M2RS G. Skill 8gb ddr2 800 Seagate 1tb Sata II hd Silverstone ST70F 700w Lian-Li v350 /w 2 Scythe Slipstream 800 rpm, 1 Sharkoon Silent Eagle 1000 80mm, 3 Scythe Mini Kaze 40mm Vista Ultimate 64bit
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10-07-08, 09:42 PM	Thread Starter #12
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	this is a linux based HTPC setup (mythtv) offloading it to the vid card (XvMC) is buggy at best. my vid card is only a 7200GS which should be fine. a 2.4GHz P4 can handle HD, so any 2.0+ GHz dual core should be able to handle 1080p with ease. __________________ MAIN: AOpen case \| E6700 \| Intel DG965PZ \| 8GB Crucial DDR2-800 \| 2x Intel X-25M 80GB RAID-0 \| 275w PSU HTPC: Antec Fusion Remote \| E5200 \| Intel DG33TL \| EVGA GT430 \| 4GB Corsair DDR2-800 \| OZ 60GB Vertex 2 \| 2x WD 2TB Green \| Dynex 400w LAPTOP: Asus G60VT \| P7450 \| nVidia GTX260M \| 4GB DDR2-800 \| 320GB 7200rpm HEAT
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10-07-08, 10:36 PM	#14
ghost_recon88 Senior Jedi Master Premium Member #9 Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Michigan	+1 for an AMD 780G setup.
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10-08-08, 12:09 PM	Thread Starter #17
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	explain, if its a program to run in the os, its linux. and im not gonna rebuild the system to be centered around AMD, this is a very specialized system, picoBTX board and intel chip with a VERY small case. if i changed to AMD id have to change everything. maybe if i built a second machine i could go that route, but its not practical for a replacement, when i can just change the processor. __________________ MAIN: AOpen case \| E6700 \| Intel DG965PZ \| 8GB Crucial DDR2-800 \| 2x Intel X-25M 80GB RAID-0 \| 275w PSU HTPC: Antec Fusion Remote \| E5200 \| Intel DG33TL \| EVGA GT430 \| 4GB Corsair DDR2-800 \| OZ 60GB Vertex 2 \| 2x WD 2TB Green \| Dynex 400w LAPTOP: Asus G60VT \| P7450 \| nVidia GTX260M \| 4GB DDR2-800 \| 320GB 7200rpm HEAT
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10-08-08, 12:21 PM	#18
Socket eh? Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Canada (South Korea)	http://forum.rightmark.org/topic.cgi?id=6:796 Bottom post has some info. __________________ [Alienware M15x] \| i7 940XM 3.2GHz - 4GHz - 5850m 800/1100 1.05v \| \| 8GB DDR3-1333 - WD5000BEKT - Samsung 2494HM \| The coin is still turning.
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10-08-08, 01:18 PM	#19
Evilsizer Senior Fourm Spammer Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Austin,Texas	umm where are you seeing a PICO-BTX mobo from intel? if this is a LGA775 cpu you could pad mod it for a lower fsb, same thing with the voltage. __________________ i7 920@3.6ghz \| Asus R2G \| GK F3-12800CL7D-4GBRH \| Galaxy GTX660 GC \| C650TX \| OCZ VERTEX EX 120GB, VERTEX 250GB i3 330m \| Jetway NF98 \| 2x2gig DDR3-1066 \| pico 120WI i5 2450 \| Jetway JNF9G-QM77 \| 2x2gig DDR3-1333 \| WIP "I Love To Camp!" "Commensing Shock Therapy!" I'm jonnyGURU of jonnyGURU.com and we don't overload PSU's - JonnyGURU HeatWare
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10-09-08, 02:00 PM	Thread Starter #20
gsrcrxsi Member Join Date: Feb 2008	my MB is pico-BTX and it made by intel with an LGA775 socket. i went with this form factor because it has everything i want and nothing i dont all in a very small package. i initially wanted to use a mATX board, but the case i decided on was pico-BTX so i went that route, and it worked out very well. here is my board and setup: http://www.intel.com/products/mother...65pz/index.htm setup: AOpen B200 case w/ 275W PSU 7200GS fanless/passive cooler __________________ MAIN: AOpen case \| E6700 \| Intel DG965PZ \| 8GB Crucial DDR2-800 \| 2x Intel X-25M 80GB RAID-0 \| 275w PSU HTPC: Antec Fusion Remote \| E5200 \| Intel DG33TL \| EVGA GT430 \| 4GB Corsair DDR2-800 \| OZ 60GB Vertex 2 \| 2x WD 2TB Green \| Dynex 400w LAPTOP: Asus G60VT \| P7450 \| nVidia GTX260M \| 4GB DDR2-800 \| 320GB 7200rpm HEAT
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