need dual cores?

[oostertoaster]

I'm planning on assembling an HTPC in the near future, and have begun to research the components I should use. I am planning on using the BioStar TForce TF 7050 board (found on newegg here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813138061).
My question is: What processor would you guys recommend (keeping in mind that I don't have unlimited funds! )? Do I need a dual core chip or not? I'm primarily going to be using this box for watching and recording SDTV, with a possible upgrade later on to HDTV. I'll also probably use emulators to play my collection of SNES and N64 games, etc. Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks!

[sub]

To furture proof, I'd definitely try to go with a dual core processor these days (I prefer intel Core2 Duo though). It certainly would help with the slew of new h.264 based video we're starting to see, which requires quite a bit of CPU to play. It doesnt need to be the newest processor. Some of the processors in this family are pretty damn cheap and very powerful.

[stustunz]

i had a quick look at that board you were thinking of
i notice it only has 2 pci slots ,bit limiting as far as adding tuners
the up side is it doesnt have any stupid little motherboard fans

[thisisnotadrill]

When you are looking at a microATX board you are going to be limited in terms of PCI slots. such is life. but at least you can then purchase the NSK2480 case and get a good looking htpc case (not to mention good on the thermal/noise fronts) on the cheap

[stustunz]

that case im sure is bigger than mine Silverstone and i have a full size motherboard
sounds very limiting to me

sorry mine is about 1"(30mm) higher but worth every mm of extra room still looks ok without people thinking why do you have a pc in your lounge
most actually think its a amp

[thisisnotadrill]

its not so much the total case size but the way the interior is divided into three compartments (motherboard, HDD, optical drives + PSU) to maximize airflow over key components and reduce noise. Its up to the reader to decide whether its worth the limitations, but it can only fit mATX boards.

[oostertoaster]

Thanks for the quick reply guys!

My other concern regarding the CPU was the power dissipation. My motherboard choice limits me to Socket AM2 chips. AMD currently offers a Athlon X2 Brisbane with 45W dissipation, but all of there other dual core systems seem to dissipate at least 65W. How big of a deal is this? I'd like my box to be as quiet as possible (obviously), so any thoughts on the processor vs. heat tradeoff?

(FYI, I am also planning on using the NSK2480 like thisisnotadrill mentioned above).

[flyswatta]

less heat = less cooling = less noise
You'll also want a quiet hard drive and quiet power supply fan.

Getting to your earlier question - if you are budget limited, then yes, you can do quite well with a single core processor (for SD/HD in the US). If you want to future proof, then like sub said, dual core.

BTW, I just upgraded my main PC with an ECS mobo with that same graphics chipset (7050PV) and it plays HD effortlessly.

[thisisnotadrill]

the BE-2400 gets most of its power savings by lowering the voltage (1.25V v ~1.35V for 65W brisbane cores). I suspect that the BE-2400 line are just those that binned well enough to be able to run at their rated speed at lower voltages. you could also undervolt a 65W brisbane to potentially achieve 45W thermal performance. if your 65W chip overclocks well at stock voltage you should have a good chance of undervolting without dropping clock frequency by much.

[Deusxmachina]

If a single-core is cheap enough, either via already having one or a friend has one he wants to get rid of or whatever, great, particularly for SDTV since practically anything can handle that. But outright buying a new one, I don't know if there are even any deals on them anymore. ?

When a low-end Core2Duo e2140 is $70 shipped, (don't know what a comparable AMD costs at the moment), it may be hard to get something cheaper that's cheap enough to be worth the bother. Especially when that e2140 is almost guaranteed to overclock to at least 2+ghz. (Mine does 2.8ghz on stock voltage.)

Multiple cores can make a big difference in multimedia applications. Recording, playing, maybe using filters, all the while maybe transcoding a file or having anti-virus software do a scan, etc, it all adds up. Whether the price is worth it or not, see paragraph one.