New chipset advice

[poopypoo]

Hey, one of my mobos recently fried, and I'm curious about replacements. Thing is, I haven't been keeping up with times and dunno what's what anymore. This is a mATX pc that is primarily a movie box. So, it needs to have a solid video chipset, for now, and a full pci-e slot just in case we feel like pc gaming/emulation on the big screen in the future. My budget for cpu+mobo is usually ~$200 usd, but thats flexiblish. Any input from yall pros? I dont feel like slummin it today!

 

[DarthShader]

Welcome to year 2011, where the IGP isn't on chipsets anymore, but on the CPUs! Sounds like an AMD LLano is perfect for you needs. Has a GPU good enough to play some games at 768p.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128516
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103943

Recommend doing some research on what Llano actualy delivers tough.

 

[poopypoo]

Ha, of course I've heard that there was news on this front, from both camps, i just didnt realize any of the news was good yet! Reading up reading up, always reading up...

 

[DarthShader]

Tom's Hardware got something very timely for you:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/llano-apu-a75-motherboard,review-32254.html

 

[Malo]

You don't even need that powerful for just a movie box. Is this for a htpc only? I tested a 1.6Ghz E-350 Asus ee box over the weekend and with DXVA2 it gobbled up everything I could throw at it. 1080p high bitrate content with 30-40% cpu load. It even streamed it over wireless from my WHS without a hitch.

You can pick up a motherboard/cpu combo miniITX or mATX for $100-120.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131697

The Full PC box I tested, for under $400 for the full system with Windows
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220072

 

[poopypoo]

I agree in theory, but theway we go through computers in this apartment, I'm more comfortable building every box more or less the same. mATX with standard sized fans n power supplies, eerything with multimonitor out and pci-e x16 potential. So of anything breaks, the old new pc becomes the new "htpc" and i only lose a tiny bit of functionality for a few days. The boxes are big but i can hide em well enough behind the xbox360

 

[Malo]

The motherboard I linked is mATX and is one of the only larger E-350 motherboards available, most are miniITX. It has pci-e x16 and multi-monitor out already. If you're going to use it for gaming at all then obviously you want something a lot more beefy (like the Llano's you are speaking of).

 

[Albuquerque]

Yeah, meeting your requested featureset is right down the middle of things that Llano was "born to do." For that workload, you could get a great deal on an A8 series CPU and you'd love it.

In another thread I've been talking about doing eval work on an HP box with an A4-3300 processor -- it picks up a pretty solid 4.5 WEI score, which is amazing (IMO) for a box at this price point. I have my own issues with it for reasons unrelated to your needs, so it probably won't work for me. But for what you're doing? It should be a slam dunk.