looking for CPU comparison chart

[atgcpaul]

Looking to buy a desktop to be used as a HTPC. Not looking to spend a lot (less than $350, if possible) but don't want to buy something puny either. I used to build PCs for fun but it's been so long I don't know how all these AMD and Intel processors stack up against each other.

I have a dual tuner video capture card in a beefy HP that will be moved into this PC. I will be using Windows Media Center to schedule and record over the air TV and viewing them on my TV. PC will also be used to stream content from Hulu or broadcast websites that don't have stuff on Hulu. I already have a Roku box for Netflix and the occasional series we'll buy off Amazon. We will also use it as a PC so my daughter can get to PBS Kids website, etc. I will also hookup a webcam so we can do Skype.

I know about XBMC but I really like WMC and don't want to go down the vortex of building something from scratch. However, I'm not totally opposed to the thought either because off the shelf systems don't have the smallest footprint--just need something that would fit the tuner card.

So back to my question, is there a chart that ranks/compares the various CPUs from AMD and Intel with all other factors (RAM, HD, MB) being relatively the same?

Thanks,
Paul

[Cochese]

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/

Some may not like it, but it gives you a good idea.

[mpc]

Take a day and browse HTPC builder web page especially the "Hardware Guide" tab. Oodles of info on how this guy makes & configures HTPCs as a business. These guides are aimed at the total DIY-er but there is a wealth of info even for those looking to buy assembled computers. And check the tabs on configuring Win7 WMP and other software for HTPCs.

A few things you'll have to think about up front:
1: your existing tuner card: is it PCI, PCIx (PCI express), or external (USB/Ethernet)? If PCI, that narrows down your motherboard selection a bit as PCI slots are fading rapidly. Card height also will affect case compatibility.

2: Do you want a separate video card (ATI/AMD or Nvidia) or is "onboard" video enough? The newest Intel Haswell CPUs include a fairly capable graphics core, enough for HTPC and 3D movies. Not the best at gaming if that matters to you; external cards perform far better. AMD now sells "APU" chips which are CPU + on-chip Radeon graphics cores. Generally these have better graphics performance but lower CPU performance compared to the Intel processors. And AMD still tends to use more power/make more heat. The linked guide includes charts of video capability (e.g. 3D or not, supported refresh rates to match films, etc.) for many current processors. For non-gaming HTPC setups, the integrated video is likely sufficient for all but the most picky A/V types. In the Intel world, their onboard video processors are known as "HDxxxx" with HD4500 and HD4600 being pretty much the latest; HD4000 and up is HTPC satisfactory. A few specific processors have HD5-something, a little faster and slightly more capable but available only on chips that mount via solder only (BGA packages: Ball Grid Array) instead of in sockets.

3: What do you plan to use for audio - do you have a AV receiver that can handle digital encoding formats? What formats - there are many out there now and some A/V enthusiasts really get worked up about compatibility - upset if they have to "convert" audio (or video) from a HighDef format to a lesser format. Make sure the computer can output formats your receiver can process - both the digital encodings and the type of physical connection: SPDIF, HDMI, or individual analog cables (front L/R, center, subwoofer, surround L/R, etc) with the PC handling the audio decode job.

4: not many PCs sold in stores are configured for remote control - i.e. Bluetooth mice and keyboards or a "MediaCenter" compatible remote. Keep this in your budget mind. (unless your TV tuner card included a MediaCenter remote? Many do.)

5: quick overview of Intel CPU "sockets" so you can get an idea of the current-ness of a particular CPU or computer:
LGA1150 is the most current for Haswell processors (Intel's i3/i5/i7-4xxx chips)
LGA1155 is the socket for the prior generation (i3/i5/i7-3xxxx)
LGA2011 is the socket for the really high-end CPUs - i.e. the ones with 6 cores/12 threads. WAAY overkill for HTPC and most home use. And likely way above your budget.

6: AMD's integrated APUs are known by the names:
Llano is the first generation, marginal for HTPCs. A#-3xxx numbering. Socket "FM1"
Trinity is the second generation. A#-5xxxx numbering Socket "FM2" or "FM2+"
Richland is the current generation. A#-6xxxx numbering. A8- and A10- are enough for most HTPC setups (except for A/V enthusiasts that do lots of transcoding) Socket "FM2" or "FM2+"
Kaveri is the next generation on the drawing boards... not sure when they will be available.
In the AMD APU scheme, the digit following the "A" is somewhat similar to the 3/5/7 of Intels i# scheme; higher is more powerful. There are A4, A6, A8, and A10 levels. The first digit after the "-" determines the generation, the "xxx" digits specify sub-models like the "-4770" part of Intel's i7-4770 name; the higher the more powerful/faster the APU.

The very latest AMD Radeon graphics cards (what they call "Graphics Core Next" or "GCN" - ATI/AMD's new architecture for video/gaming processors) include a new audio capability to handle much of HD audio formats... such cards though would a) probably break your total budget as these are currently AMD's high-end cards and b) would require a beefier power supply and more computer cooling as they can be real power hogs... modern video cards get power from the motherboard AND from 1 or 2 dedicated connections to the power supply - 100 to 185watts just for the video card! That's where today's "gaming" technology has brought us. The number of parallel processor cores in modern gaming video cards, and the resulting computational horsepower, dwarfs the main CPU.

mpc

[LCHIEN]

I dont have a full-out media PC but last Nov 2012 I built one for streaming video to the family room PC.
It does HULU and Netflix and Amazon Prime.
IT also does internet etc. You tube and is basically my wife's PC.
I got her a low end Z68 1155 socket Mobo from ASRock and an Intel Core i3-3225 running Win 7 Pro.
The i3-3225 has the later (late 2012) Intel built-in graphics and the ASRock has an HDMI output for the built-in graphics set on the back I/O panel. This has worked well and has been plenty good enough for the streaming video.

[atgcpaul]

Thanks for all the info so far.

My receiver is outdated--has digital in but no HDMI. I don't even have the surround sound speakers connected to it. The TV is below the kids' bedroom so I'm not cranking out the tunes for fear of waking them. I just use the TV speakers or sometimes a POS soundbar I regret buying off Woot.

Do the PCs with video HDMI out also output sound through the same HDMI or will I need to use another input on my TV?

My capture card (Hauppauge 1229) is PCI-express. I think it came with a remote. I don't use it when I'm on the PC. I do have a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse for my failed attempt at using the Raspberry pi for a similar purpose.

[LCHIEN]

hdmi carries sound signals, too. One cable solution.

got a wireless mouse and keyboard combo so we can control it from the couch. I have a Gyromouse that you can wave in the air (don't need a flat surface to run the mouse on) I'm going to try. That's the hardest thing about controlling from the couch.

For some web pages we need to increase the text size. It not unreadable due to detail, its just too far away to make out the text.

[Cochese]

hdmi carries sound signals, too. One cable solution.

got a wireless mouse and keyboard combo so we can control it from the couch. I have a Gyromouse that you can wave in the air (don't need a flat surface to run the mouse on) I'm going to try. That's the hardest thing about controlling from the couch.

For some web pages we need to increase the text size. It not unreadable due to detail, its just too far away to make out the text.

Depends on if the receiver will pass it through. Not all do.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

[LCHIEN]

also wanted to mention the i3 solution I did was about $300-350 total - CPU, Mobo, memory HDD and case Wifi and wireless KB/mouse.
I do suggest not going cheap on the power supply. Without a gaming Video card the power requirements will be modest. Still , you need to buy a power supply that is ultra quiet, or it will disturb your multi-media movies. The Wife, who is not critical about sound quality or video quality definitely noticed the fan noise which required buying a second PS.

[durango dude]

Basic chart

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html

Note, however, that CPU is not necessarily the primary determinant of computer speed, these days.

Memory and caching with a high-speed disk drive do a lot to speed up a computer, as well (arguably more than CPU).

You can have a screaming fast i7 on your motherboard - but if you don't have adequate memory or caching - it's not going to perform. A well designed machine is balanced.

I just recently purchased a Lenovo i3 laptop that has such a good design, that it out-performs my wife's early design HP (lower memory) with an i7.

[LinuxRandal]

HDMI has a spec range, and I think it is the 1.4 spec that has the audio pass through.


Wondering what you didn't like about the Raspberry PI and which model you used (how much memory does it have as well)? That is on my to do list, but I want an Silicondust external (anywhere on the network) tv tuner, if I decide to do tv with it. (haven't looked into recording, I know playing is possible. I figure recording would be done by another pc on the network and the pi be the player.

In the last couple of days, I have ordered a new motherboard to play with some various things (trying to figure out what functions to use the PI's and Beaglebone blacks for and what do I want a more traditional computer for). Your going to be limited by your card, if you wish to incorporate it (needed slots, it takes up cpu cycles).
I was looking at several ITX boards and a low end pentium Intel Pentium G3220 Haswell 3.0GHz LGA 1150 and GIGABYTE GA-Z87N-WIFI ), and was under $170. (just missed a sale on some parts) Some had PCI express slots, some had pci slots. (can't help you with Windows. Will it take advantage of more then two cores for this purpose?)
I settled for now on a GIGABYTE GA-C1037UN and am thinking I will build something closer to this for later this year as a new desktop replacement:
GIGABYTE GA-Z87N-WIFI
Intel Core i7-4765T
8 or 16gb ram
SSD (maybe hard drives in a raid, otherwise save to NAS box)

The newer tuners are coming out (better compression of the signal, for sending to things like tablets and such), so I am debating on buying an older model now (seen some for $60), or waiting due to compression.

[atgcpaul]

Wondering what you didn't like about the Raspberry PI and which model you used (how much memory does it have as well)? That is on my to do list, but I want an Silicondust external (anywhere on the network) tv tuner, if I decide to do tv with it. (haven't looked into recording, I know playing is possible. I figure recording would be done by another pc on the network and the pi be the player.

I don't remember which Pi, but it was the higher level one. The bummer was it didn't do Flash. Most of the kid websites (and Hulu) require Flash to work. I also planned to record TV on my existing desktop and stream it to the Pi with something like Plex. I was doing this with the Roku with the Plex app installed. Although the PC and Roku were on wired Ethernet, the app sometimes didn't work and shows >2hrs long didn't play at all.

Although I had workarounds, the person I really have to please is my wife. She hated this convoluted system just to watch recorded TV. I also tried this HDD attached tuner box but that was buggy, too. She really just wants cable back, but that is not something I'm willing to pay for anymore. She knows I'm not budging on that so I think this HTPC is the next best thing. She knows Windows, and Windows Media Center is not too complicated.

Paul

[LinuxRandal]

Flash is a problem with Linux (adobe stopped updating). There is a workaround that I have been reading about, but it seems convoluted for the little that I would use it for. (Google's Pepper flash)

Do you remember if the model B was 256 (earlier) or 512mb PI? (that might answer my question about which to use which for)

Keeping the wife happy, well, if the channels she wants aren't over the air, is not a winning situation. I wouldn't have cable, if not for the cable modem. The tv isn't hooked up to it (encrypted cable).

[atgcpaul]

Do you remember if the model B was 256 (earlier) or 512mb PI? (that might answer my question about which to use which for)

I have the Model B (512mb version). I wanted the on-board Ethernet connection. Model A is 256, I think, and has no Ethernet connection.

We have cable modem but cable adds at least another $50/month unless we do very basic.

I used to have a setup I loved before everything went digital. I had a Panasonic PVR that I could schedule and record all my shows (in standard definition, though). Then our cable company forced me to use a tuner box when they went digital. I could no longer use my PVR to change the channels so scheduling recordings was pretty much impossible. And to add insult to injury, I had to rent extra boxes for every additional TV. I was so POed by it all that I dropped cable. There have been a few series that we couldn't wait for Netflix to add (like Mad Men) so we pay to watch them the next day through Amazon streaming. Still cheaper than having cable.

We really don't need to be watching any more TV and for the most part, we've been content.

[JR]

There have been a few series that we couldn't wait for Netflix to add (like Mad Men) so we pay to watch them the next day through Amazon streaming. Still cheaper than having cable.

I'm going to start another thread to focus on this particular issue. I hope you'll comment.

[atgcpaul]

Wondering what you didn't like about the Raspberry PI and which model you used (how much memory does it have as well)? That is on my to do list, but I want an Silicondust external (anywhere on the network) tv tuner, if I decide to do tv with it. (haven't looked into recording, I know playing is possible. I figure recording would be done by another pc on the network and the pi be the player.

You piqued my interest with the mention of the SiliconDust device paired with the Pi. Seems like people have worked with them together but it was still buggy--either frozen screens or audio/video losing synch.

Looks like there's something called RasPlex which is a Plex Media layer on top of a Raspberry Pi install. I already have the Plex server installed on my PC so I'm going to try this out. My problem with the Roku app was that browsing the shows was really cumbersome and shows had to be under 2hrs to be streamable. Crossing my fingers. It doesn't give me Hulu or Flash access, though. HTPC plans in a holding pattern.

The one thing I'm not sure about is how to schedule TV recording when it's still going to handled by the desktop in the office.