Need a Mini ITX Solution for 1080p Playback - LOWEST COST

m-jeri

m-jeri

A Nobody.
Skilled
Hi All..

Looking to build a dedicated PS3 Media Server that can "STREAM" 1080p FULL HD Videos and the

occastional download.

Mini ITX ONLY. Only need CPU/GPU/MOBO + RAM + HDD.

1. Q: What is your budget?

1. 10K MAX --> CPU/GPU/MOBO that can do 1080p streaming + 1/2 GB RAM + 250 GB HDD

2. Q: What is your existing hardware configuration

None

3. Q: Which hardware will you be keeping

1. Cabinet - APEX MI - 100 mini ITX + PSU

4. Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy

1. CPU/MOBO - Intel D510/Zotac NM10

2. RAM & HDD - Seconds from somewhere.

3. Broadcom HD Crystal from logicsupply.com, most prolly(If the base system is not capable of pulling 1080p and yea its in the 10k budget)

5. Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future.

1. Yes, will upgrade the following maybe

2. SATA HDD backplane

3. HDD - 2 TB Seagate LP & 2.5" for OS

4. RAM - 2GB

6. Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)

1. Open to online purchase

7. Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market

1. Yes

8. Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

1. HTPC

2. Download rig, 24x7 operation

3. STREAMING 1080p HD movies, watching most prolly no. I like the ps3 UI.

9. Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

1. NO WD. Lol

10. Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?

No

11. Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage

NA

12. Q: Are you looking to overclock?

1. No

13. Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?

1. Windows 7 64 bit / WHS

Please help out..

m-J
 
Get the

-Intel D510MO.

-2GB DDR2 from Kingston should be suffient.

-Broadcom Crystal HD decoder Chip

-Stay away from Windows 7 64 Bit instead use 32 bit

-HDD get the 2 TB Hitachi(if available) or Segate or WD 2TBs

Note: if you find the Crystal HD chip too expensive then get the nVidia 8400GS or 9400GT PCI (not pci express) from ebay global Buy
 
what do you mean by streaming exactly? Streaming over a network (wifi, Lan) to some other device attached to television. If yes

Then you don't need any gfx card on this machine.
 
I need to STREAM & TRANSCODING 1080p content over a wired gigabit network.. 30 ~ 40 GB files without stutter thats all this machine needs to do.

I know there is no need of gfx, i didnt include it. I included broadcom only for the decoding part.
 
I've done a couple of mini-itx builds and IMHO the effort that needs to be put in and the returns on investment for going small not to mention the restrictions on future expansion are just not worth the effort. You'd be better off going the micro-atx way where the on-board graphics chips on even the cheapest integrated boards would surpass that on some of the more expensive mini-itx ones. Plus Cooler-Master makes the Elite 100 micro-atx case that is about 1 foot square that can be tucked away in a corner. And you can easily bring the build around 10K. Just my humble opinion.
 
tvarad, I agree. :) . mini-itx restricts future expandability. Your solution looks viable. :)

@m-jeri, buddy, I have been sourcing my m-itx boards from Panache (x1) and Logic Supply (x1) . Panache was slow to process the order and for Logic Supply, I was charged heavy import duty (arnd 1200 for 7K board), not their fault though.

BTW, the Intel D510MO has Realtek Gigabit ethernet which is crappy for gigabit performance. I have the same in my D945GCLF2 File Server and I ended up ordering Intel Pro/1000 Gigabit Ethernet. It's better to choose a board with built-in Intel Gigabit ethernet.

Coming to your question :

It's available here : Lynx-India. Intel D510MO

Personally I have never bought from Lynx, so I can not recommend. ;) . But it's worth a try.

Alternates to Atom boards could be :

1. Intel DG45FC + Celeron OR Cheapest Core 2 Duo

2. Intel DH57JG + Core i3

Works out a little costly but worth the price. You may not even need Crystal HD decoder. :)

BTW, me too located in Hyderabad, near Kondapur. Where are you putting up?
 
Actually... as u said.. what are the options in Micro-ATX.

and couldnt find CM ELite 100 in indian sites.. who are selling them.

and no.. wont be buying from lynx. better than not building a PC. :S
 
m-jeri said:
Actually... as u said.. what are the options in Micro-ATX.

and couldnt find CM ELite 100 in indian sites.. who are selling them.

and no.. wont be buying from lynx. better than not building a PC. :S
Click to expand...

I picked up a CM Elite 100 from Ankit on SP Road, Bangalore (I think the damage was around Rs 2000 or so). I'm pretty sure any local computer shop stocking Cooler Master products will have it too. Be advised that it is a very compact case so you will need a low-profile cooler for one thing and you have to make sure that the connectors/wiring etc. don't interfere with hard disk placement etc.. For a micro-atx board & CPU, I would suggest a 785G based board and a Sempron 140 (whose second core can be unlocked using the ACC trick described elsewhere) or go for a regular Athlon II (I use a 45W AMD 4805E that I sourced from the U.S.). Others can recommend a better AMD or Intel combo. Use standard memory and hard disk. For smooth 1080P playback, there are a number of sites that show you how to optimize your hardware for 1080P playback typically using MPC-HC, but I used the following site and now I can play smooth video on my ancient 690G based system too (dig around the guy's site for other tweaking options). Most of my 1080 stuff is mkv based, so YMMV.

Watching H.264 videos using DXVA

I am sure other readers can come up with more current or better suggestions as I have lost track of the latest HW developments.

Coming back to the Atom platform, the fundamental problem I have with it is that it doesn't have legs for doing more than one job at a time (believe me, there will come a time when you need it). I recently built a foxconn Atom 330 Ion based system and the thing would choke if I opened one or two browser windows while watching a movie. It's now gathering dust.
 
You could look at ASUS AT3N7A-1 Mini ITX with INTEL ATOM 330,2gb ddr2 ram,with i ball nettop cabinet i am assuming that you have a HDD here the cost come come nearly 15k.
 
well i used a 945GCLF2 about a year back. It easily handles utorrent in background, Word, Mozilla, Winamp all together. never felt any slouch at all.

but anyways if for 10k i can manager a MicroATX then nothing like it..

If anyone can suggest a MicroATX for under 10k including the CM Elite 100..
 
tvarad said:
Coming back to the Atom platform, the fundamental problem I have with it is that it doesn't have legs for doing more than one job at a time (believe me, there will come a time when you need it). I recently built a foxconn Atom 330 Ion based system and the thing would choke if I opened one or two browser windows while watching a movie. It's now gathering dust.
Click to expand...

The Atom was never built for doing Multitasking.

It's purpose was to save energy and provide a solution to do daily tasks like Word processing, Web Browsing, playing Music watch SD Video's etc...

It was the manufacturers who redesigned the layouts so that it could provide much more at very low operating costs.
 
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