Anand's Home Theater PC - Part I: The First Builds
by Anand Lal Shimpi on May 1, 2008 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
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The Second Try: NVIDIA GeForce 8200
Shortly after building the system I received an ASUS M3N78-EMH HDMI based on NVIDIA's GeForce 8200 chipset; seeing as how the NVIDIA GeForce 8200 chipset supports 8-channel LPCM audio over HDMI, it seemed like a better solution for my needs so I gave it a try.
| Idle Power | H.264 Decode Power | |
| AMD 780G | 53W | 66W |
| NVIDIA GeForce 8200 | 38W | 68W |
Power consumption under load remained unchanged however at idle the GeForce 8200 system pulled significantly less power. This didn't jive with Gary's power consumption numbers, but apparently there may be some issues with the ASUS motherboard inconsistently supplying CPU voltage resulting in power consumption that ranges from significantly lower to on par with the AMD 780G chipset.
Other signs that the GeForce 8200 isn't ready for prime time included basic stability. During its tenure as my HTPC motherboard the Gigabyte 780G never crashed on me while watching a movie, however a few minutes into me playing around with Jet Li's Fearless and the system bluescreened on me. I haven't been able to get it to crash since, but stability is of the utmost importance.
The ASUS GeForce 8200 also spins fans attached to it at faster speeds than the Gigabyte 780G, not because it needs to, it just does. We've already made ASUS aware of the problem, which apparently happens on at least one other 8200 board according to Gary.
Installing the Scythe Andy Samurai Master on the ASUS board proved troublesome, the Socket-AM2 heatsink clip interferes with the heatsink on the chipset.
There's also a good deal of noise coming from the voltage regulators whenever there are certain types of disk accesses. The motherboard emits a high pitched sound in sync with the disk accesses that seems to be worse when using the Supertalent SSD vs. the WD 1TB drive. It's by far the loudest thing about the system when in a case.
The final complaint I have about the GeForce 8200 is the least scientific; for whatever reason the system feels slower at navigating through Media Center than on the 780G. I have to switch back to the AMD 780G to be sure, but it definitely feels like it.
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Anand Lal Shimpi - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
I've got a first generation Blu-ray drive in the machine right now, but my goal is to rip the movies on a separate machine (something much faster) and copy them over the network.If someone brings a Blu-ray movie over it should work right in the machine, but I think I'll need to get either PowerDVD or WinDVD installed for that purpose.
Jaguar36 - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
How come the big push for a silent/energy efficient PC? If you've got a whole rack for it, why not just put the rack in a cabinet on the outside of the theater room, with some good sound proofing and heat control.I've been using Tversity through the 360 for a while now to stream all my content to my TV. It uses the Xbox's UI which is pretty good, and works pretty much flawlessly. It also doesn't require a dedicated HTPC.
Ohh and those speakers look way to small for how big a theater you're building.
ultimatex - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Remember that lazer projectors and Tvs are coming at low prices.irev210 - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Hi Anand,After spending much time playing with HTPC mATX mobo's I have found that the G33 chipset works very well at decoding full VC-1 1080P with any intel core based processor.
However, the 7150 for example is TERRIBLE. I haven't tested the 8200 yet, but it sounds like it is a huge improvement.
You should check out the media-center G33 from gigabyte
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Pr...">http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Mot.../Product...
For a nice HTPC case that does the job without breaking the bank, check out the Antec Fusion. Much cleaner case with a nearly flawless layout.
I would run your 64GB SSD in your HTPC and have all of your HDD's in a server closet in your home. Honestly, you should consider talking to Infrant (now netgear) and go with their six bay readynas. Simple and elegant solution to all of your redundant storage needs, especially how nice the X-RAID feature is... makes it easy to upgrade HDD's with little hassle.
For a HTPC I am not sure why you purchased such a massive case. With the SSD, you have a really nice opportunity to have a 100% silent PC... you could probably get away running all passive cooling.
Anyway, enjoy! The HTPC is the best part of your project!
mikeclaffey - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
I've undertaken a project similar to yours and noticed the xbox360's media extender ability makes it a perfect unit for a 2nd room to access your main HPC. Perhaps you could look at this feature in a future article, it might provide an interesting read for some people.SteelSix - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Holy Crap! I thought the title pic was the home theater of a Hollywood buff, but that's actually your setup! I'm in awe. The design, down to the color selection and the ceiling, just incredible.Suggestion: A Contest!
Five lucky AnandTech members come hang out in your crib and watch a few movies or a game in style. Coach class is fine, we'll bring the beer, and would be just fine leaving our food and drink outside this masterpiece of a room! Seriously, do it.. :)
Anand Lal Shimpi - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
That's not a bad idea :) The picture is just a render, the full thing isn't done yet unfortunately (the ceiling is though :)..).Hopefully by the end of June the theater will be watchable.
Take care,
Anand
Locutus465 - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Hey, I even live in Morrsiville that can't be far from anand ;)crimson117 - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
That would be great! Especially since every movie I've seen in the screenshots of the interfaces etc is a movie I like :)Kromis - Thursday, May 1, 2008 - link
Anand is BALLIN!