I will probably be upgrading to an MSI Socket 1155 board, but I'm not sure if a Celeron G440 will be good enough or if I should go for the G530. Here are my thoughts and concerns:
- Status quo performs quite well using Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit, and I know a Celeron G440 will exceed status quo. However, I would like to be able to play Blu-Ray discs in the near future and am also considering to upgrade to a full 1080p projector. Will a Celeron G440 be good enough to handle Blu-Ray discs, output at 1080p?
- Celeron G440 consumes 17W less power under load than a G540 according to Xbitlabs, that might be preferable so as not to stress a PSU that originally powered a P-III. It's the primary reason I'm considering the G440 at all.
- This machine is ONLY an HTPC. It has no other function. I don't multitask or run anything other than Windows Media Center on it, which makes me think dual core may not be of any benefit (I don't notice the lack of dual core right now). I fire it up to play a movie, shut it down when finished. It does not sit idle for long periods of time. Idle power consumption is no concern, load consumption is my only concern because I don't want to blow up the proprietary PSU.
- G530 is only $9-10 more than a G440, which isn't a lot more for a much better CPU - which will completely go to waste if I never take advantage of the additional performance (doubtful that I would need the 2nd core and additional speed, unless the additional performance affects Blu-ray playback). However, it's not a whole lot of money to waste either.
Thoughts?