Looking for some help picking a HTPC PSU

glas · Post by **glas** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 11:44 am

I'm in the process of assembling my HTPC#3.

I will be running:
- Intel Core2 Duo E7500 Wolfdale 2.93GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
- Graphics, not sure yet, could be a 5xxx ATI
- 2 HD
- 1 BD
- possibly 2 tuner cards at some point.

So I figured 400W could be enough. On the other hand the better PSU's seem not even to start there.
I would like quite one. However, I think I wouldn't mind getting one with a fan.

Some models I looked at:
- Seasonic X650: A little pricey
- Is the SeaSonic M12II 500 Bronze 500W good enough. However, it seems to have some bad reviews.

CORSAIR CMPSU-550VX 550W seems to be liked

Or COOLER MASTER Silent Pro 600 RS-600-AMBA-D3 600W?

Any advice is welcome.

jhhoffma · Post by **jhhoffma** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 6:42 pm

Why would you need a 5-series ATI card for an HTPC?

Are you gaming on the machine?

Regardless, the Corsair PSU is a good one.

glas · Post by **glas** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 5:45 am

No, this will not be a gaming machine. Just Blue Ray playback and HD TV recording/playback.

The only reason why I even consider a 5x is due to its bit streaming capability (for audio).

barefootzero · Post by **barefootzero** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 9:16 pm

If you really want bit streaming maybe you should wait for the low end 5000 series GPUs to roll around.

You could always get a motherboard with integrated graphics to hold you over until the new GPU are released. You might even decide its good enough for your needs.

I am extremely happy with the MSI 785gm in my HTPC though you may want to find something a little cheaper.

danimal · Post by **danimal** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 2:14 pm

i just built a htpc with an msi g41tm-e43, and the integrated graphics sucked... it uses the intel x4300(?) gpu, which doesn't support all forms of decoding, and doesn't play well with the powerdvd oem video player... most mpeg2 video clips were severely pixellated and broken up on the screen, and there was no 5.1 audio via hdmi.

if you choose to go with integrated graphics, make very sure that the gpu chip you get is worth the effort... the intel gpus use something called clearvideo acceleration, but with nvidia or ati, you get far better driver support.

there are multiple 5750 boards on newegg, including a fanless board, i'm guessing that they all support dolby truehd and such? if so, don't spend money on a video card that can't deliver the latest audio specs over hdmi.

barefootzero · Post by **barefootzero** » Thu Dec 10, 2009 7:04 pm

danimal wrote:i just built a htpc with an msi g41tm-e43, and the integrated graphics sucked... it uses the intel x4300(?) gpu, which doesn't support all forms of decoding, and doesn't play well with the powerdvd oem video player... most mpeg2 video clips were severely pixellated and broken up on the screen, and there was no 5.1 audio via hdmi.

if you choose to go with integrated graphics, make very sure that the gpu chip you get is worth the effort... the intel gpus use something called clearvideo acceleration, but with nvidia or ati, you get far better driver support.

there are multiple 5750 boards on newegg, including a fanless board, i'm guessing that they all support dolby truehd and such? if so, don't spend money on a video card that can't deliver the latest audio specs over hdmi.

I don't think its even fair to make any sort of comparison between Intel GPUs and anyone else until Intel learns how to make one that is not buggy as hell. The 4500 in my laptop is often acting up. It does however manage to play hulu without issue. Adjusting the memory settings in flash really helped.

The 785g and 780g are in a totally different league and not just because they are faster but because they work properly. I don't have enough experience to comment about the nvidia IGP chips but i am sure they are also much better then intel.

loimlo · Post by **loimlo** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:40 am

The newly SPCR-reviewed Enermax Eco80+ series seems to be a good fit under your circumstance. Also, Nexus 430 is very good in terms of acoustic performance. Choice is yours anyway.

Btw, don't purchase VX550 as it's CWT-made unit. AND SPCR never approves CWT PSU in the recommendation list.

ncomben · Post by **ncomben** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 8:13 am

I have used the Enermax Pro82+ 425w in my media center.
It is very quiet yet provides plenty of power for this kind of application.