New HTPC: Which Ryzen CPU?

[g0dM@n]

I shouldn't have put a wanted add in classifieds as I feel like I won't find what I'm looking for there, so I'm going to ask here...

Looking for up to date barebones:
- CPU
- MoBo
- I have tons of DDR3 RAM, but think it's time I move to DDR4

I have a case, a PSU, and plenty of SSD and whatnot.

My current HTPC is way outdated, A6-5200.. IIRC, it's this...
https://www.newegg.com/ecs-kbn-i-520...82E16813135363

It's slow. I'm sick of it. I run Windows 7 so that I can run Windows Media Center to handle my HD HomeRun Prime tuner. More than likely, whatever I pick up will need to support Windows 7. I could swear I've seen newer systems these days that don't support Windows 7 b/c they're stuck with just UEFI. The Windows 10 WMC hacks haven't lasted for me, so hope this makes sense.

I've been eyeing the Ryzen series chips, 2200, 2400, 3200 and 3400.
My goal is 4k without a hitch, and I'm hoping I can pop on Windows 7, if not maybe Windows 8.1. I can't use Windows 10 b/c I can't do Windows Media Center on it, and I need it for my HD Homerun Prime and cable card.

I'm guessing the 2200G fits the bill, but I don't want to cheap out and regret it. I'm looking for the best bang for my buck while making sure I meet the needs/demands. I'm just assuming that the 3400 is overkill. Thanks in advance!

 

[Johan45]

I'd go for either the 2400 or 3400G these two are nearly identical and have the higher count Vega 11 iGPU. They're both 4c--8t CPUs but the 3400G has higher clocks and is slightly newer sporting some minor IPC improvements. For the difference in price I'd go with the newer CPU. Also if you want to stick with W7 then I'd go for a 3xx or 4xx chipset. Driver support for the 5xx series is lacking it's possible but you need an add-in USB card and a PS2 port for installation.

 

[g0dM@n]

Any reason not to go with the 3200G?
It's just an HTPC, no gaming on it. That's why I ask. Thanks.

 

[Johan45]

No there shouldn't be any issues. Just my preference, more threads at higher speeds, better graphics, and better cooling solution. the price difference works out better here now that I've checked Newegg US but it's still not that much more

 

[g0dM@n]

Alright I pulled apart my current HTPC -- dusted the thing off, replaced that wimpy (whiny, screechy) 40mm fan off the CPU heatsink and ziptied a 60mm on it (can you believe I still have a boatload of stuff from my serious OCing days).
I fixed my WMC guide that was messed up and hoping I can squeeze out another month out of this HTPC. I'm thinking I may as well wait for BF / Cyber Monday deals since we are so close.

For now I can use the Smart TV Netflix for 4K, and the Smart TV USB port for 4K MKV files (just have to copy off my server to an external for now).

I wonder if my remaining Win 7 keys will work for Win 8.1 when I build out this new HTPC. I still need Windows Media Center. It saves me ~$50/month b/c I don't have to rent boxes or a DVR. Been doing this for 10 years or so, so you can add up how much I've saved!!

 

[thenewcrash]

This isn't exactly going to be helpful to your situation specifically, but the 2400g is really quite a good little processor, I'm currently running one instead of a 1700x while I wait to snag a 3rd gen Ryzen, and to be quite honest I don't notice it being slower in most things. Obviously heavily threaded tasks suffer, but for day to day use it's great.

 

[Alaric]

Media Center for Windows 8/8.1
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/window_media_center_for_windows_10.html

It claims Windows 10 but I haven't tried it on that. I am running Windows 8.1 on a spare rig and Media Center (above download) works fine on it.

 

[g0dM@n]

Media Center for Windows 8/8.1
https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/window_media_center_for_windows_10.html

It claims Windows 10 but I haven't tried it on that. I am running Windows 8.1 on a spare rig and Media Center (above download) works fine on it.

I've done the W10 WMC hacks. They're short-lived. I eventually became frustrated from the ongoing maintenance, or having to do it every time I did a major W10 upgrade. W7 runs it like a champ, so I figured why not stick it out with W7 until I can't anymore... but thanks. Will keep this handy in case I do go for Win 8.1.

I'm waiting for BF deals since it's not far away and I'm in no rush... currently looking to buy a couple more 10TB Iron Wolf NAS drives to prepare my ZFS for an expansion.

 

[Brutal-Force]

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Comb...&ranSiteID=lw9MynSeamY-PvWXkI9YPq_Q1vii7h2Faw

This was recently on slickdeals. Maybe worth a look.

 

[Ruiner]

I'm still running an overclocked 7400k in my HTPC, It's enough for default level madVR BR playback and Netflix and I wouldn't call it blazing fast but there are only a handful of times that I notice the difference (large windows updates for instance). I've a 200GE rig that's really snappy for the price and strong enough for GOG scale gaming. Unless you are maxxing madVR HTPC isn't very demanding. I've no experience with 4K though.

 

[The Coolest]

I think that this post is going to be a bit offtopic, since we're on a PC overclocking forum.
But for several years now, I've been using ARM based TV Boxes or Single Board Computers (SBCs) for my multimedia needs.
They are silent, extremely low power, very small, support all sorts of audio and video formats, including 4K and HDR. Some newer ones even support 8K.
They are also very cheap, when you compare them to building a full PC.
And some are even overclockable a little bit
I've been a member of the CoreELEC development team for nearly two years now (it's a LibreELEC fork tailored for Amlogic hardware), and I've left HTPCs in the past.
The newer S922X or A311D based boards are very snappy, and would easily rival Atom class HTPC in performance.
My personal recommendation is the Odroid N2, but a more integrated and more expensive option would be the Khadas VIM3 (not VIM3L).
Anyone looking for a new media device should probably give them a look at least.

Since CoreELEC is based on Linux, there's a lot of stuff to tweak and play around with.
And you can run other OS on them as well, such as Ubuntu or Android. I think the Khadas VIM3 even has an official Android TV ROM for it.

 

[Alaric]

I've done the W10 WMC hacks. They're short-lived. I eventually became frustrated from the ongoing maintenance, or having to do it every time I did a major W10 upgrade. W7 runs it like a champ, so I figured why not stick it out with W7 until I can't anymore... but thanks. Will keep this handy in case I do go for Win 8.1.

I'm waiting for BF deals since it's not far away and I'm in no rush... currently looking to buy a couple more 10TB Iron Wolf NAS drives to prepare my ZFS for an expansion.

MC is one of the (many) reasons I don't run Windows 10, but since Windows 8/8.1 came with it at one time it's a pretty easy (and reliable) install. My main rig (also HTPC) is on Windows 7 and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

 

[g0dM@n]

I think that this post is going to be a bit offtopic, since we're on a PC overclocking forum.
But for several years now, I've been using ARM based TV Boxes or Single Board Computers (SBCs) for my multimedia needs.
They are silent, extremely low power, very small, support all sorts of audio and video formats, including 4K and HDR. Some newer ones even support 8K.
They are also very cheap, when you compare them to building a full PC.
And some are even overclockable a little bit
I've been a member of the CoreELEC development team for nearly two years now (it's a LibreELEC fork tailored for Amlogic hardware), and I've left HTPCs in the past.
The newer S922X or A311D based boards are very snappy, and would easily rival Atom class HTPC in performance.
My personal recommendation is the Odroid N2, but a more integrated and more expensive option would be the Khadas VIM3 (not VIM3L).
Anyone looking for a new media device should probably give them a look at least.

Since CoreELEC is based on Linux, there's a lot of stuff to tweak and play around with.
And you can run other OS on them as well, such as Ubuntu or Android. I think the Khadas VIM3 even has an official Android TV ROM for it.

Wow, I'm super late on a reply, but is there a forum/article that can get me started?
Thanks for the info.

And in the meantime I'm tempted to pick up a Ryzen 2700x for $150 right now from Amazon. Hot deal on slickdeals... or a 2600x for $130.

 

[The Coolest]

@g0dM@n
This is our website, there's a link to the forums at the top
https://coreelec.org/

 

[trents]

I think that this post is going to be a bit offtopic, since we're on a PC overclocking forum.
But for several years now, I've been using ARM based TV Boxes or Single Board Computers (SBCs) for my multimedia needs.
They are silent, extremely low power, very small, support all sorts of audio and video formats, including 4K and HDR. Some newer ones even support 8K.
They are also very cheap, when you compare them to building a full PC.
And some are even overclockable a little bit
I've been a member of the CoreELEC development team for nearly two years now (it's a LibreELEC fork tailored for Amlogic hardware), and I've left HTPCs in the past.
The newer S922X or A311D based boards are very snappy, and would easily rival Atom class HTPC in performance.
My personal recommendation is the Odroid N2, but a more integrated and more expensive option would be the Khadas VIM3 (not VIM3L).
Anyone looking for a new media device should probably give them a look at least.

Since CoreELEC is based on Linux, there's a lot of stuff to tweak and play around with.
And you can run other OS on them as well, such as Ubuntu or Android. I think the Khadas VIM3 even has an official Android TV ROM for it.

Sounds like OP wants to run Media Center which is a Windows app.

 

[Phoniatrics]

Which Fluke multimeter https://bestmultimeterreviews.org/best-fluke-multimeter/ best fits your need? Don't be in a rush and be enlightened by reading this review.