AMD HTPC Build Advice

[NumberFive]

Hello,

I'm thinking of building a new HTPC around an AMD APU.  

I've tried the Intel Pentium Silver route, and met lots of problems.  Some big, such as graphics driver issues, and some minor, such as the HDMI audio start delay.

I've read that AMD based systems don't suffer from those problems, but would be interested in hearing experiences and opinions.

I'd like my system to be silent (or nearly silent) so would prefer low power and either a passive heatsink or a very slow fan.  A PCI-E slot would be required.  Other than that, again I'd appreciate other users' experiences. 

Thank you

[Graham]

I've tried the Intel Pentium Silver route, and met lots of problems.  Some big, such as graphics driver issues, and some minor, such as the HDMI audio start delay.

I have bought exclusively Intel for about the last ten years or more ... about four systrems ... I have never seen anything that would cause me to switch to AMD.

My current favourites are Asus for boards.  I have bought this fan several times becaiuse it is cheap and close to silent ... (though I suspect all fans hum when the CPU is busy) ... https://www.scan.co.uk/products/arctic-f...-intel-amd

[NumberFive]

Thanks Graham,

Yes this is the sort of thing I am thinking of for cooling.

The issue I had with Intel was the graphical glitches which manifest in the NextPVR TV guide and various other on screen graphics. Only affects modern Intel graphics, never nVidia or AMD. They did eventually (circa 18 months) get a fix released and it appears to work, but the integrated graphics just feels slow to start compared to a 12 year old ATI card / 7 year old nVidia card. Plus, the Intel HDMI audio has a mildly annoying delay starting when the system has been silent, about a quarter second before sound kicks in, enough to miss various sound effects on the system. Also not a problem with nVidia / AMD. So I'm thinking of going for an AMD APU in the next build.

AMD seems to be on the up going by the gaming channels on Youtube, only snag is they don't really have a low power offering like the Pentium Silver.

In saying that, would be interested in advise and lessons learned the hard way etc.

[sub]

The issue I had with Intel was the graphical glitches which manifest in the NextPVR TV guide and various other on screen graphics.  Only affects modern Intel graphics, never nVidia or AMD.

FYI, I have found a work around for these Intel glitches with EVR+OSD. It's an awkward change, but it's on my todo list to implement this in NextPVR.exe.

[NumberFive]

Thanks sub, that's fantastic. Intel claim to have fixed it, but I did experience a driver update which seemed to reintroduce it. Frustrating.

[persim]

I also ran into problems with my Asrock J3455 itx build. Something is odd about the embedded boards where Intel drivers from the Intel site don't work. So you have to rely on everything from the board manufacturers. Lets just say Asrock didn't do a great job with updates. Never got quicksync working which annoyed the hell out of me. Have a feeling Asrock didn't enable it in their drivers.

Switched to an AMD based build and no issues so far. Wanted to go low power and fanless too. Wound up with a 2200ge (had to get from AliExpress as they never sold these individually) and an Arctic Alpine AM4 passive cooler. Also using a pico psu with a laptop brick. Throw in a SSD and it's completely silent.

[NumberFive]

Thanks persim,

That's very useful to hear of your experience. I have been keeping an eye out for a 2200ge and I think I might give it a try via AliExpress like you suggest. I can reuse most components from my Asrock J5005-ITX.

There are just lots of small gremlins with the J5005 build, such as it being a noticable bit slower to start video playback (compared to a 2008 PC) and the HDMI audio issue. This is despite the CPU being able to do a lot of heavy lift in other tasks.