Hi,

I would like to build up a media PC. It's function would mainly be to hook up to my Samsung 46" LCD (1080P)to play VOBs. I assume the best way to do this is through an HDMI port. The LCD also has a VGA connector on it (not sure of the resolution it supports). Integrated Video and Audio on MB would be nice. Would Vid and aud come out HDMI port? In synch?!

-It may act as a server or be hooked to a server. (XP Pro)
-It may be hooked to a Home stereo to play MP3s
-It may be used to play some games, nothing to graphic intensive
-May hook up a BluRay drive to it.

Any recommendations for a MB? MicroATX?

Thanks!

Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-S2H, HDMI, DVI-D and D-Sub. Put an X2 4050e/4450e/4850e (45W) and 2 gig, will be a silent PC, capable of playing HD and output to 1080P.

Able also to play some game... If you need more power, take a Intel CPU on a P35 mobo and put a video card , like a HD3650 from ATI, with an DVI to HDMI adapter

The 780G boards are great for HTPCs. Don't expect to play games with the 780G at 1080p. I'm almost positive that your Samsung tv's VGA input will do full 1080p. My roommate's 42" Samsung did. I also like linux OSes for HTPCs.

FYI:

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,1785.html

i'd only stick to mobo with onbaord graphics in your case, i wouldn't buy an extra card. try looking something from amd chipsets like the 780g like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128090
or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131273

it has only hybrid tech so if you put in a graphics low end card from ati,you get extra performance, but for htpc, just the mobo is sufficient. and like sisley said, get one of the low power 45watt amd processors, it will do more than a fine job for your purpose.

Some comments I read from Newegg on the ASUS:
1)The sound over HDMI does not work with the drivers on the disk. Needed to uninstall ""sound-over-HMDI"" device and update ATI drivers to get it to work. No big deal, but it took some googling to figure this out.
2)Cons: No on board audio with XP I tried every driver out there just about.

Anyone else experience any of these?

Can I expect to get DVD multi-channel sound out of this? 5.1 or whatever.
Sorry I am not up on all the latest technology involved.

Thanks,
Mike

You guys are awesome!

Can anyone recommend a sexy case? Smaller is better, that's what I tell my wife too.

Known working memory?

What processor models from AMD?

I like the Antec Fusion cases. Comes in black and silver, big volume knob and LCD screen make it look like an A/V component.

Any DDR2-800 RAM will be fine, just buy what's on sale.

Any of the 4000 or higher CPUs will be fine too. I use 4200+ in my HTPCs and with "cool and quiet" on they are silent.

Go with the Gigabyte 780g over the Asus. It's better all around.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6815100014

Great ATSC tuner. Comes with a remote too, always important.

I recommend Vista Premium for HTPCs. The media center is perfect, I have used many others and none perform as flawlessly as the one that comes with Vista. The only problem is that it doesn't do Blu-Ray, at least not without hacks.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6856171003
just saw this at newegg. it has an older 680g chipset, but i'll try to find some reviews of this barebone.

How about http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6856171003
for $50 more?

The 690G isn't as good as the 780G. In fact it is 2.5x time slower in 3D and does not support full hd decoder http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMD_7 [...] d_graphics.

Since the 780G consume less, and is far more poewrful, built the HTPC by yourself. Find a good case, take this mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813128090, a low power CPU http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] &Tpk=4850e or other 4x50e series, 2gig of DDR2800, any kind, quiet HD, seagate 7200.11, and you're in business.

The specs on newegg call out RAM "DDR2 1066 " which is PC2-8500?
Isn't DDR2 800 25% slower?

yes but it's cheaper and you won't notice much of a difference in speed with the tasks you are going to be doing.

Would the GIGABYTE GA-MA78GM-S2H support a BluRay drive and obviously playback?