htpc & file server in one setup

Hey guys, so im going to do a special build that can hold all my files and work as an htpc at the same time, im going to install windows on it,this way i would have an awesome media player that supports everything but i have a few questions on the htpc side.

1-how much processing power would i require to run 1080p +3D +48fps (future proof), i saw some pretty neat motherboards that have enough sata to cover my file server needs, i will be getting an hdmi enabled motherboard with integrated graphics

2-sound, someone told me that i don't need a sound card in it to get good sound because hdmi is digital and that means it directly outputs the audio as is, so in a way im getting high quality audio with the on board hdmi ? is this true?

3- lets say that hdmi didn't output high quality audio, and i need a soundcard, how can i get my sound card output on hdmi?

4-picture quality, how will the picture quality be compared to a high end standalone blueray player? i will either use Vlc or Cyberlink Power Dvd

i would also appreciate if you guys recommend me any cheap and power efficient boards that have at least 5 sata ports

Edit:never mind about finding a board, i will be using my old Gigabyte GA-EP45T-UD3LR

For 1080P you'll use hardware accelerated video decoding with a good media player, like XBMC which supports DXVA. I don't know anything about 3D.

You don't need a sound card, sound will be good. You can always add one later if you are somehow dissatisfied.

If you do get a soundcard and want output over HDMI, you'll need to use S/PDIF headers to connect from sound card to video card.

Picture quality will be equivalent to bluray player.

Not sure on boards for your purpose. What form factor may help others make recommendations.

I actually have been shocked how well my HTPC has worked, and how much more power it has than it really could ever need. Just started using it as a music server yesterday and am working out the thought of making it a whole media/file server, but would need more storage (have over 1tb just in audio files right now to handle). T

he HDMI output is better than what you get on broadcast TV (obviously since it's 1080p capable) and is no different than my Samsung Blu-Ray standalone. Don't worry about 3D unless you mean 3D rendering for games or other apps- anything that can handle 1080p can also handle the processing power requirement for 3D; it's just a software issue one way or the other from what I've read people experience. Audio is going to depend on the board you buy, but every Asus board I've owned in the past year has had very good onboard- not sure if that is true with every reputable brand now or not. Just FYI, you may well want to use the actual audio jacks instead of HDMI if you really have a desire for options with audio output; the HDMI audio is never as good to my ears as keeping the audio and video untangled.

The real question I'd be considering is whether you are going with a true GPU or want to go the APU route. If you want a compact, silent system, APU might be the smarter way to go. I had to buy an aftermarket passive heatsink for my HD 6670 to fix the fan annoyance. Below is my rig piece by piece- I'd say I'm very happy with all of it, but you could probably go with a little less power and not worry about heat as much as I've had to.

Case- CM Elite 343
Mobo- Asus M5A88-M
PSU- Antec Earthwatts 430w
CPU- Athlon II X3 455
GPU: Asus HD 6670 (replaced cooler)
Memory: 12gb Crucial 1333mhz (leftover 4gb tossed onto original 8gb)
OS: Intel 330 120gb
HDD: WD Blue 1tb, WD Blue 500gb, WD Blue 320gb
Cooler: Xigmatek Loki (bios fan speed set to 50%)
Fans: Rear Silenx 92mm 1300rpm, Front Logisys 120mm 1300rpm
Opitcal: Pioneer BD-R
Wireless: Asus PCE-N15

The 6670 is WAY overkill for just playing HD video, and the processor only sees real work when encoding media for storage.

quick question, would a GT210 be enough for uncompressed movies 3D ? not those compressed pirated crap, if not then how about a 610 ?

Should do. I run a GT 520 and it plays blu-ray straight from the disc without an issue.

OCMusicJunkie said:

Just FYI, you may well want to use the actual audio jacks instead of HDMI if you really have a desire for options with audio output; the HDMI audio is never as good to my ears as keeping the audio and video untangled

Click to expand...

This could be due to other issues. HDMI is putting out a digital audio signal, so its one to one with the file you are playing. If it doesn't sound as good as what you are comparing to, it could be calibration, post processing, or something else with the way you have the setup working. There isn't anything inherently wrong though with HDMI, so whatever the issue you hear, would be some other variable that isn't directly HDMI.

awesome, i was more worried about 3D playback

I.M.O.G. said:

This could be due to other issues. HDMI is putting out a digital audio signal, so its one to one with the file you are playing. If it doesn't sound as good as what you are comparing to, it could be calibration, post processing, or something else with the way you have the setup working. There isn't anything inherently wrong though with HDMI, so whatever the issue you hear, would be some other variable that isn't directly HDMI.

Click to expand...

I know that my knowledge base for digital audio is far behind that of the stuff that was being used back when I was first buying my first stereo gear, so I guess that my perceptions about HDMI could be due to some other factor. I only know that from my experience, the option of sending the video to my 32" LCD and then out to a stereo unit produces nowhere near the same quality as feeding the stereo output straight into my amp. Would it just be an issue of whether or not the TV is capable of doing an adequate job handling the digital input, or is there something else I am possibly not considering?

I've even thought about doing the whole dedicated sound card thing just to get better quality for my music files, but would be very happy if I could get the improvement just by changing the HDMI setup somehow...

How is it getting from the TV to the stereo unit? Optical out?

I.M.O.G. said:

This could be due to other issues. HDMI is putting out a digital audio signal, so its one to one with the file you are playing. If it doesn't sound as good as what you are comparing to, it could be calibration, post processing, or something else with the way you have the setup working. There isn't anything inherently wrong though with HDMI, so whatever the issue you hear, would be some other variable that isn't directly HDMI.

Click to expand...

also alot of newer receivers decode the audio streams themselves depending on what formats they support.