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MoBo for my media HTPC


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Hi guys

Could you offer some advice re choice of a replacement atx motherboard for my HTPC. I am looking for a mobo that is 1. a good performer; 2. runs cool.

My present mobo is a micro atx asus pq5-em.  It runs pretty hot and it consequently requires a case fan and a CPU fan to keep it under 60c. Both fans are quiet but are still too moisy for my liking. The CPU (imtel e8500) on the other hand, runs pretty cold in comparrison, it could do with just a CPU fan to cool it to a cosy 45c. I am

wondering whether a replacement atx mobo could run cooler than my micro atx pq5-em and i could therefore disconnect my case fan to reduce noise. Any views would be welcome.   

 

Custom built silent Media PC, Synology DS415+ NAS -> SoTM sms200Ultra/sps500  -> TAD DA1000 DAC/preamp and Bryston 4BSST2 power amp -> Harbeth SHL5 speakers and Velodyne DD10+ subwoofers. PowerQuest Carbon USB cable, Chord Company Chorus interconnects, Chord Company Signature speaker leads, Clearer Audio Silver-Line power leads

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Hi DC - What case are you using? Are you willing to use a Zalman TNN300 silent case? I know they are expensive, but you would get a totally silent server using one. Also, in the realm of high end audio the Zalman case is dirt cheap :~)

 

Have you considered using a mini-itx motherboard like the Intel D945GSEJT? This board with the Broadcom hardware decoder is really nice.

 

http://www.logicsupply.com/search?search_string=D945GSEJT+&search_in_description=on&x=7&y=7&page=1

 

Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems AudiophileStyleStickerWhite2.0.png AudiophileStyleStickerWhite7.1.4.png

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Dear Chris

I have the Silverstone cw01 case already. Not sure how it compares to the zalman case.

I haven't considered getting an atom mobo/CPU so far but it may provide the solution I was looking for. In your experience, will an atom mobo/CPU be powerful enough for my HTPC? I use it for music playback via my lynx aes16e and for HD video 1080p video playback via an nvidia 9550 pcie card. If the atom combo is powerful enough, could u recommend a mobo with at tleast 2 pcie slots?

Thanks

Debt_collector

 

Custom built silent Media PC, Synology DS415+ NAS -> SoTM sms200Ultra/sps500  -> TAD DA1000 DAC/preamp and Bryston 4BSST2 power amp -> Harbeth SHL5 speakers and Velodyne DD10+ subwoofers. PowerQuest Carbon USB cable, Chord Company Chorus interconnects, Chord Company Signature speaker leads, Clearer Audio Silver-Line power leads

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For 1080p playback I would look at Intel Atom board with nVidia ION chipset. This has good (video) hardware accelleration though not all playback software will support it.

 

Eloise

 

Eloise

---

...in my opinion / experience...

While I agree "Everything may matter" working out what actually affects the sound is a trickier thing.

And I agree "Trust your ears" but equally don't allow them to fool you - trust them with a bit of skepticism.

keep your mind open... But mind your brain doesn't fall out.

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Hi guys

Is there a benifit in getting an Atom mobo with an HD video chipset onboard compared to using a dedicated graphics card such as my fanless gt 9500 card? http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512MB-Palit-9500GT-PCI-E-20-(x16)-800MHz-GDDR2-GPU-550MHz-32-Cores-HDTV-D-Sub-DL-DVI-I

Thanks for your advice

 

Custom built silent Media PC, Synology DS415+ NAS -> SoTM sms200Ultra/sps500  -> TAD DA1000 DAC/preamp and Bryston 4BSST2 power amp -> Harbeth SHL5 speakers and Velodyne DD10+ subwoofers. PowerQuest Carbon USB cable, Chord Company Chorus interconnects, Chord Company Signature speaker leads, Clearer Audio Silver-Line power leads

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The two issues I can see about using such a PCIe graphics card with an Intel Atom motherboard is that (a) most Atom motherboards and suitable cases probably wont have the space to accomodate them, and (b) you are then bypassing the whole point of an Atom motherboard in keeping power requirments to a minimum.

 

Also not sure but you may run into PSU problems trying to run a big PCIe card from an Atom Motherboard.

 

Eloise

 

Eloise

---

...in my opinion / experience...

While I agree "Everything may matter" working out what actually affects the sound is a trickier thing.

And I agree "Trust your ears" but equally don't allow them to fool you - trust them with a bit of skepticism.

keep your mind open... But mind your brain doesn't fall out.

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