Intel 3000 HD sufficient for HTPC?

HWright001

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Hello all! I'm trying to setup a nice HTPC and I've really run into a hard choice I must make...

You see, I bought a Shuttle SH67H3 (Socket LGA 1155) xpc barebone (case and motherboard).

Link to case\mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101117&Tpk=shuttle%20SH67H3

I think the whole idea behind the product is to pair it with an Intel HD-capable processor so you can bypass buying a GPU. So, being the "must-have-the-best" illness that I have gotten recently, I bought a Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge (LGA1155, obviously) processor.

Link to processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

Keep in mind both of these items are more-or-less non-refundable. In other words, I'm "stuck" with this.

Now the problem:

The Shuttle has exactly 1 PCIe-x16 slot I can use and 1 PCIe-1x slot I can use RIGHT next to each other.

I really wanted this as a full service HTPC, so I also bought one of these: a Ceton InfiniTV 4 Quad-tuner (Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815706001) that will fits in the PCIe-1x slot.

The problem is what to do with the PCIe-16x card. I managed to fit a PNY Vergo GT 430 into the slot with a little bit of the effort, but the heatsinnk almost touches the Centon InfiniTV 4. I'm mainly worried about airflow and heat building up at the back of the system due to the close proximity. According to many, the TV Tuner will run as hot as 60 C in a "normal" system with decent airflow, so I would hate to think how hot it might get in mine.

Should I take out the GT 430 and just run on Intel HD 3000? That would give the TV tuner room "all to itself" at the back of the system so heat would probably not nearly be as bad. I just plan to use this machine on my 1900x1080 40" LCD display as an HD video player and DVR. I do not plan on doing any gaming on it, but I do plan on watching/ripping blu-rays.

Should I just run off the Intel HD 3000 or do I need a dedicated video card?
 

^Agreed.

Firstly, welcome to Toms.

There are two caveats with using the Sandy Bridge integrated video:

#1 Intel's drivers have been horrid lately. Many have reported system freezes or bluescreens with some of the later drivers. Here is one example. So be sure to research which driver will work best for you.

#2 If you plan to watch blu-rays at 24p , Intel's Sandy Bridge has a flaw that doesn't allow perfect 23.976 Hz refresh rate. There is a work around that gets you close (disable Win7 UAC), but it's not perfect. Read more about it here. This matters mostly for A/V aficionados. You probably won't notice any difference.
 

browsingtheworld

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You include a link to one forum where one person claims they had a problem and nobody even responded. Somehow I have the impression that Intel, which owns 50% of the video card market, either don't have a problem or has already addressed it.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/04/nvidia-losing-ground-to-amd-and-intel-in-gpu-market-share/

How many people actually set their display to 24hz or even change it from 60hz.
 


How about this:
http://communities.intel.com/thread/20439?start=0&tstart=0
http://intel-openport.hosted.jivesoftware.com/thread/11878?start=0&tstart=0
http://vip.asus.com/forum/view.aspx?id=20110606101736164&board_id=1&model=P8Z68-V+PRO&page=1&SLanguage=en-us

And about the 24p thing, I said it matters to A/V aficionados which you are obviously not. The OP should be aware of any comparable differences between using the 430 and the Intel integrated.
 

browsingtheworld

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Forum cred at Tom's :pfff:
Google this: "site:jonnyguru.com tom's hardware"

But yeah you keep looking pro in Tom's :lol:

The first forum post was never resolved and BSOD errors could be just about anything :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

The second link is a thread that's from 2010 and isn't even about Sandy Bridge :lol: :lol: :lol:

But:
Intel's drivers have been horrid lately.

Yep the largest semiconductor company in the world haven't resolved the issue that affects 50% of all computers yet you are the only person that knows about it?
 
The thread was started in 2010. It's still active, 16 pages long, and certainly is about Sandy Bridge with SB related posts a couple days ago. Seriously, advising someone to research the best driver to use is hardly worth ridicule.

I've seen you give some good advice in other threads. You don't need to regress to trolling.
 

browsingtheworld

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You're scaring this guy away from the SB Intel HD series when we're 99.9% sure it won't be a problem. Plus it's not like the Intel HD graphics costs anything extra.

But you might scare the guy into buying an unnecessary video card when he should at the very least try the HD graphics because he's probably not going to experience these issues.
 
I think you misunderstood my intentions. I clearly said:


Also note, the OP already has the 430 card. No money has been wasted. We are in agreement that SB makes a very nice HTPC setup.

So, back to the OP's original question: Yes, the HD3000 will work just fine for HTPC media playback.
 

computernugget

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since shuttle pcs have low airflow the heat produces from the video card is causing your tv card to heat up. and yes the hd3000 graphics is more than enough for htpc.

hopefully intel starts putting hd3000 graphics in all their cpu's sucks that you have to spend alot to get it
 
It's nice that they added the HD3000 to the new i3-2105. It makes more sense to have the stronger integrated graphics paired with the lower end CPU's since they are more likely to use it.

I have 3 TV tuners and they definitely vary in heat output. One of them really puts off some heat. I don't have first hand experience with the Ceton tuner, so I can't say if that's the case.
 

HWright001

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Thanks all for the quick and useful replies. I really like Nvidia and the idea of just running a system without a PCIe video card is so strange and foreign to me that I just might try my current setup of both the 430 and the TV Tuner right next to each other and just keep a close eye on both temps.

While I do have the GT 430 on hand, I can still return it to the store for a full refund for about 20 more days, so I do still have a choice.

Also note that the InfiTV 4 is 4 HD tuners on one card, so I'm not doubting peoples claims that it runs very hot.
 

computernugget

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they did? tight. i guess its so they can compete with the new AMD apu's that launched recently.
 


If you can switch it for a GT520, I would advice you to do so, even if the price difference is like 10 bucks more 8)

You can check this if you want also: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4380/discrete-htpc-gpus-shootout

Cheers!
 

MediaCenter

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From everything I've been researching on this topic... As long as both your CPU and your motherboard support the new intel hd3000 video processing, you are better off NOT using a discreet card. The onboard video in the 1155 sandybridge gives you great performance through HDMI-out, which also carries the audio. Adding in a discreet card, you are also adding additional heat, additional noise, additional power consumption and losing alternative uses for that pci slot (my vote would be for a USB 3.0 interface card, or a SSD if you had the bread). Stick with the on-board video, intel has done well (though don't settle for HD2000). Enjoy your HDCP compliant blu-ray drive, get 8GB of DDR3. Then install a media center extension called "media browser" for the most advanced and gorgeous way to navigate and play your media.

Remember, both the CPU and the Motherboard must support HD3000, or it will run at the lower of the two's chipsets, HD2000, or the original Intel HD graphics.

I'll be jealous to hear you're rocking an H67 second generation core i-series sandybridge with HD3000, SATA3 SSD hosting your Windows 7 Ultimate x64 SP1 and program data, and the latest toys hooked up to your USB 3.0 ports. If you build it, I will cum.
 

mikel321

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Where do you get, or can you get reliable, information as to whether an HP laptop that advertises HD 3000 actually has the motherboard that actually supports it? The reason I ask is that I bought an HP desktop based on the capabilities of the specified hardware only to find that HP had disabled some functions in the BIOS.