AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Want to talk about one of the articles in SPCR? Here's the forum for you.
mattpwill
Posts: 23
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2005 5:27 pm

Re: Question...

Post by mattpwill » Tue Apr 14, 2009 3:13 pm

Java Jack wrote:
TheAtomicKid wrote:Realtek doesn't have much of a name as a high quality audio solution... or at least it hasn't. Have they been improving their audio quality substantially, or is this board losing points right from go?

Personally, I'd have been more impressed if they'd included via envy 24, c-media, or (sadly exiting the market) analog devices based audio.

It's my understanding that realtek based audio solutions definitely have issues with gaming... but gaming isn't the focus of this board.

In other words, please try to address this in any coming article. I'm really curious about the relative audio quality, vs say, a discrete solution based on the chipsets I've mentioned.

Atomic

PS: 'Issues with gaming' is probably deceptive. I apologize. I only mean that the sound QUALITY could be better... I've no knowledge of any unusual issues with say, getting a game to actually run, on realtek audio.

PSS: Am I way off base here? The amp card doesn't appear to have any inputs... is it receiving the audio data via the pci-e port, aka full digital audio until it hits the speakers?

Actually, the audio is based upon D2Audio's DSP.

I recently built a system based upon this board and it is AWESOME! Way better than traditional PC audio codecs and deffinitely on par with mainstream, high end consumer amps and receivers.

I have it hooked up to Infinity Primus L/R/C spekers in front and Difinitive Pro Cinema surrounds. Powered sub is Polk 10". It sounds killer, no pops, hisses, crackles. Very warm sound that can crank nice and loud without distorting.

In addtion to 780M chipset, MSI put down 128MB of sideport memory so blu ray and HD content is crystal clear and stutter free. No frame drops that I can tell. Looks beautiful when watching movies or HD TV.

I am using the 65W quad core in mine and it stays very cool/quiet.

Overall, I am very, very pleased with the overall design and integrated amplifier. It allowed me to ditch several boxes under my tv and get down to just my HTPC and Dish Network STB.

I keep waiting for MS to add DirecTV support so I can swap out my Dish box and run everything through HTPC.

I would suggest you guys listen to it before making any judgements. Hopefully the SPCR review will be posted soon so everyone can see just how good this thing really is.

Look at the user reviews on Newegg. There are a few that have bought and have been very happy with it besides myself.
Hi Jay, I'm very interested in this board with 5.1 output, but wondered whether volume control is performed by Windows, or inside the chip please? (can Foobar2000 run using WASAPI, and is volume control still available?)

Also, can I please ask if the problems people have been having from reading reviews on Newegg are fixed in recent batches? Are RMAs decreasing?

Do you have any useful sound quality measurements of 16 bit 44.1Hz or 48kHz output using the 5.1 card please? eg frequency response graphs

Thank you very much for any answers you can provide

vonbosch
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:43 am
Location: Scotland

powerful graphics for MSI Diva Live

Post by vonbosch » Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:11 am

Hi, I am new to sprc forums (though as is the way I have been lurking around here for a while) and am pretty interested in this board since by all accounts it is a decent amp/receiver for a very decent price.

I was hoping to use a reasonably powerful graphics cards (maybe an HD 4850 or similar). Obviously that would put noise/thermals up but I would tolerate that for a while, eventually I would hope to use the MSI DIVA live in a dedicated and quiet HTPC and have a dedicated gaming system (2xHD 4850 maybe...).

Things is; I notice that the slot for the amp card and the PCIe x16 slot are next to each. This will limit me to single slot cooling on the graphics card and generally restrict ariflow. Cooling a single slot cooler HD 4850 in there might be impossible, let alone trying to do it quietly.

Does anyone have any experience of using the MSI DIVA with a powerful graphics cards, or can anyone suggest how powerful I could go and how I could quietly cool such a card?

EDIT: Haha, I am so new I can't even spell 'spcr'.

Mats
Posts: 3044
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 6:54 am
Location: Sweden

Re: powerful graphics for MSI Diva Live

Post by Mats » Wed Jun 10, 2009 7:27 am

vonbosch wrote: Things is; I notice that the slot for the amp card and the PCIe x16 slot are next to each. This will limit me to single slot cooling on the graphics card and generally restrict ariflow. Cooling a single slot cooler HD 4850 in there might be impossible, let alone trying to do it quietly.

Välkommen till SPCR!

You can either use a Thermalright HR-03 GT, or a Zalman VNF100. By using any of them you get the heatsink between the card and the CPU cooler.
They both need airflow, and I'd only use the HR-03 with a 4850. The VNF100 is enough for a 4770.

vonbosch
Posts: 44
Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2009 6:43 am
Location: Scotland

Post by vonbosch » Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:05 am

Ahhh... they can be mounted such the the heatink is behind the card! Genius! Thanks for the suggestion! Presumably these backwards mounting heatsinks might also be great for crossfire/sli.

Would the airflow from a rear exhaust fan be enough to cool it? Or would you recommend mounting a fan on the card too? And I would have to worry about the VGA heasink clearing the large, funny looking (northbridge?) heatsink that sits about there. Alternatively the amp riser board is quite short, maybe the if I mounted the heatsink forward it would stay above/over the amp card (definitely need a fan in that case, don't want to cook both amp and graphics...) .

Mats
Posts: 3044
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 6:54 am
Location: Sweden

Post by Mats » Wed Jun 10, 2009 8:10 am

I guess you have to try it, I've never used any of them.

dean_wales
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Sep 11, 2009 4:47 am
Location: South Wales, UK

Post by dean_wales » Fri Sep 11, 2009 5:41 am

Thank you for this brilliant article and very helpful thread!

Kudos!

Dean.

comomolo
Posts: 95
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2003 5:19 pm
Location: Vigo, Spain

Post by comomolo » Tue Sep 22, 2009 7:07 am

Before buying this motherboard read carefully as many forums as you can. This motherboard's reliability is very poor and MSI won't replace a dead one.

Mine died suddenly six months after ordinary use for no reason. Others are referring the same issues. My first and last experience with MSI, that's for sure.

Sparkle is making an amplifier PCIe board that will fit ANY mobo. It's less powerful but I think is worth a try, since you won't be tied to MSI's unique design and terrible customer service.

NT
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:01 am

Re: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Post by NT » Sun Oct 31, 2010 12:14 am

Has anyone heard of a discrete/digital amp only card based on the DAE-3?
I'm not interested in the entire MSI solution, I already have a base system.
I heard there was a sparkle one, but from memory it was quite crippled (5x25watt as opposed to MSI's 5x100)
So sad that nothing else eventuated...
I'd put it in my build in a heartbeat if it was available :(

NT
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:01 am

Re: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Post by NT » Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:50 am

Not a smidgen of the sparkle card anywhere anyway! "SFAUD2A1"
Was hoping to at least experiment with it, & perhaps try a mod or two.
:( Sniffle...

naitsirk
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:38 am
Location: Norway

Re: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Post by naitsirk » Sat Apr 28, 2012 4:32 pm

So.. Almost 1,5 year since the last post.

Anyone know of an available mobo or PCI card of some sort that will let me integrate the amplifier into my HTPC?


Cheers!

NT
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:01 am

Re: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Post by NT » Sat Apr 28, 2012 10:00 pm

I haven't researched for ages...
I was looking for soooo long and there was nothing.
I doubt anything has changed :(

naitsirk
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:38 am
Location: Norway

Re: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Post by naitsirk » Sat May 05, 2012 2:30 am

Hmm...


So I guess using T-amp 2 for each RCA output on the soundcard will be the next best thing then ..?
But nothing like getting it all in the box :-/

NT
Posts: 123
Joined: Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:01 am

Re: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Post by NT » Sat May 05, 2012 10:15 am

No idea sorry, haven't worried about speaker amp yet...
The soundcard I use (Essence ST) already has a decent headphone amp built-in.

naitsirk
Posts: 12
Joined: Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:38 am
Location: Norway

Re: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform

Post by naitsirk » Mon May 07, 2012 6:40 am

Oki.

I'm really on deep water when it comes to HiFi..

Will go on the lookout for subs that has inbuilt amplifier for the rest of the set - if that exists for 5.1..

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