Build Advice New HTPC Build

Oasis Curator

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Apr 9, 2019
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I have an aging LGA 775 socket Asus motherboard, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU and an ATI Radeon 5450 512Mb graphics card running my HTPC.


Recently bought a Sony A8 4k TV but it seems the PC can't handle 4k files locally (although it's okay streaming online). I have checked the Performance and the CPU is at 99% when playing a 4k file, ram is 3GB out of 4GB installed.


OPTION 1:
Replace components.
To what, I have no idea. Don't want to spend a huge amount of money (I don't mind second hand graphics cards) but slightly worried it'll have to have a fan, which means noise.

OPTION 2:
Replace the whole thing with a Nas type setup.


I literally only use this PC to play video files from. No encoding or anything else. Have used it to occasionally rescue our family PC though.

The only reason I use Plex is because there's an app for it on the TV so I can browse my video files like Netflix or Amazon Prime.

If there's another way to achieve this sort of front end, I'm all ears!

Any advice?
 
I have an aging LGA 775 socket Asus motherboard, an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 CPU and an ATI Radeon 5450 512Mb graphics card running my HTPC.


Recently bought a Sony A8 4k TV but it seems the PC can't handle 4k files locally (although it's okay streaming online). I have checked the Performance and the CPU is at 99% when playing a 4k file, ram is 3GB out of 4GB installed.


OPTION 1:
Replace components.
To what, I have no idea. Don't want to spend a huge amount of money (I don't mind second hand graphics cards) but slightly worried it'll have to have a fan, which means noise.

OPTION 2:
Replace the whole thing with a Nas type setup.


I literally only use this PC to play video files from. No encoding or anything else. Have used it to occasionally rescue our family PC though.

The only reason I use Plex is because there's an app for it on the TV so I can browse my video files like Netflix or Amazon Prime.

If there's another way to achieve this sort of front end, I'm all ears!

Any advice?
maybe a 3rd gen/ivy bridge or 4th gen/haswell intel 4c 8t (prefer xeons if you dont use igpu, like 1230/40 v2 or 1230/31 v3) + a asrock h61 or h81 motherboard (depends using haswell or ivy), and a 2x4gb ddr3 ram, also a gt 1030 or gtx 1050, to handle that 4k stream fluently at very minimum.
 

Oasis Curator

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Apr 9, 2019
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Hmm - that graphics card is a little overkill for a HTPC isn't it?
It's more expensive than the one in my main PC and that handles 4k fine.

I wonder if an integrated graphics processor would be better?
While I don't like the thought of them, for simple 4k delivery, should be okay?
 
Hmm - that graphics card is a little overkill for a HTPC isn't it?
It's more expensive than the one in my main PC and that handles 4k fine.

I wonder if an integrated graphics processor would be better?
While I don't like the thought of them, for simple 4k delivery, should be okay?
well then you could go as cheap as i3 3240 if you wanted too. not sure how it will perform in 4K, but i have struggling with 4K in youtube if using IGPU only, my 1050 did help alot to not make it stuttery. might be in a different concept, but 4K is pretty heavy with old hardware unless it is helped with a good gpu.
 

Oasis Curator

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Apr 9, 2019
236
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4,595
It's also mainly because for a Plex environment (without PlexPass), I need non-GPU transcoding rather than relying on a GPU to do it.

But I think it's now down to a Raspberry Pi (as the TV can handle the content) but I'd still need a NAS, so I may as well buy a NAS and just use that as the ones I have looked at are all £400 - £500. There seems to not be any sort of NAS unit that is much cheaper (so the Pi idea could work).
 
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