HTPC parts?

[NightSurge]

I think I've already found my case with the Thermaltake Silver Aluminum MozartTx VE1000SWA. What I am really concerned about is choosing the right video and sound options. Would it be better to go with a motherboard that has onboard HD audio and full 1080p onboard graphics with HDMI and good outputs? Or should I go with an actual sound card, video card, and good motherboard? If you could point me to some good motherboards that have onboard HD graphics with HDMI output and onboard HD audio, that would be great.

 

[ShaolinDreams]

depends on your budget and how anal you are about your sounds lol

I say get a good mobo with onboard sound (myonboard sound works lovely i think why spend another £100+ and somehow squash it in once getting sli) it really depended how much of an audiophile are you whether you want xfi or not. Graphics are much more important in my eyes.. sound does the job thru the 5.1 hifi.

Asus P5N-D - Realtek ALC883 8-channel High Definition Audio CODEC - Coaxial, Optical S/PDIF out

i say im no audiophile so im not sure the difference between S/PDIF and HDMI and whether which you use soundcard hdmi or graphics card hdmi.. maybe someone else could fill us in.

you can always try onboard first and then if not satisfied buy an xfi card.

 

[Baez]

There really aren't too many boards out for Intel that support full HD video and sound. Guess they haven't really focused on tht part of the market yet. AMD still has a lot more coming out.

I'm building an HTPC as well and even though AMD seems to be the better choice I'm still going with Intel because of the performance.

Only boards I've found supporting Intel with onboard HDMI are the cheaper 630i mATX. This is the nicest one I've found so far: Newegg.com - ASUS P5E-VM HDMI LGA 775 Intel G35 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

 

[jakebrick]

Make sure you don't get a cpu that is typically very hot, because some htpc cases can't really have large fans. So I would stick with a dual core, if it were me. I would get a video card too, there are video cards that do hdmi, but there are also really cheap converters that do dvi-hdmi, which will result in the exact same image because they are both digital signals.

I would also presonally get a sound card, with a coaxical or optical output, because those will tie in with a home video receiver well. Some motherboards have coaxical out, but not many.

 

[NightSurge]

I think the mozart case should have plenty of cooling. 5 fans total, with 2 intake fans and 3 output fans. Fits up to 10 total fans (5 rear and 5 front).

 

[UA_Iron]

Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-73PVM-S2H LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards
+
Newegg.com - Intel Celeron E1200 1.6GHz 512KB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors
+
Newegg.com - A-DATA 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Desktop Memory

Thats what I was planning on building. Audio will go through the HDMI cable.

If you look into a graphics card with a built in HDMI - find one that has the SPDIF cable attachment. That you will plug into your motherboard into the graphics card such that the audio goes throuh the HDMI. Otherwise you'll have to deal with more cabling through inferior connectors.

 

[veedubfreak]

I use a gigabyte p35-ds3r with the onboard sound. I just use a digital cable straight to the reciever. MSI 8500GT with dvi/hdmi output. e2180 and 2gb of memory with vista home premium 32. Gets the job done pretty well.

 

[thirdshiftdj]

Universal abit USA - Products
Newegg.com - XFX MG-630i-7109 LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 7100 / nForce 630i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Intel Motherboards

 

[Grievearz]

AMD has every other HTPC motherboard solution blown out of the water with the 780G chipset. If you don't mind running an AMD CPU, this set-up has set records for lowest heat and lowest power usage during HD playback. Source: AMD's New 780G Chipset Has Powerful GPU - Tom's Hardware

Motherboard: Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - AMD Motherboards
*note* This one is special because of the way it handles HD audio, great for an all around DVD/Downloaded content solution

CPU: Newegg.com - AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Brisbane 2.1GHz 2 x 512KB L2 Cache Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors
*Note* 45W processor, easily passively cooled, even when overclocked.

Tuner: Newegg.com - SiliconDust HD Homerun Dual Network HDTV ATSC/QAM Tuner IPC-HDHOMERUN Ethernet Interface - TV Tuners & Video Devices
*Note* Make sure to research this product, it can do anything you throw at it but requires a little bit of computer knowledge and patience to set it up with multiple types of TV (i.e. OTA with QAM and SD TV all at once)

This is just for a low power system. If you're looking for a lot more performance and don't mind some noise, go with this processor:
Newegg.com - AMD Phenom 9850 BLACK EDITION 2.5GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor - CPUs / Processors

It will run WAY hotter so be prepared to actively cool it.
As much as I love Intel for most applications, AMD has the HTPC game under control with low power solutions that tear through HD media.

My Build (Newegg prices YMMV)
Total
$773.94 - $55 (rebates) = 718.94

Items:
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive - OEM
GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H AM2+/AM2 AMD 780G HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail
SiliconDust HD Homerun Dual Network HDTV ATSC/QAM Tuner IPC-HDHOMERUN Ethernet Interface - Retail
LITE-ON Black SATA Blu-ray DVD-ROM Drive Model DH-4O1S-11 - OEM
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply - Retail
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4 - Retail
AMD Athlon X2 BE-2350 Brisbane 2.1GHz Socket AM2 45W Dual-Core Processor Model ADH2350DOBOX - Retail

The PSU is beefy enough to handle a second card later if you decide you'd like to add a 3870 or 3850 for hybrid Xfire.

 

[UA_Iron]

Thats pretty awesome that you can adjust the memory dedicated to the onboard graphics...

AMD might be the way to go for HTPC