What about HTPC and folding?

E

embries

n00b
Joined
Jan 4, 2006
Messages
51
I'm just curious. I'm starting to build a Media Center rig. I want it to be very strong as I'll be mainly recording/playing back HiDef programs. It'll most likely be a Dual Core something with multi gpu (either ati crossfire or nvidia sli). Anywho, do you think that the console client will interfere with recording and playback? I've noticed that often times the service has a little lag in releasing its processor cycles for other programs. This could create quite a few problems with recording in particular. I'm also considering just manually running the console (i.e. put it in the startup folder or something) and then closing it out when I'm watching or recording.

 
i have a HTPC too running only a64 3800+ and ati AIW 9600 and running the GUI version and i have had no problems with watching or recording with the client running in the background.
 
Do you do high def video? That's my main concern. I hear that high def puts a large load on the system.
 
Depending on the card...most of the hiDef stuff should be processed on the card...and as i can see...the folding client basically takes over/acts like the system idle so all and all you should be fine...and if not...pause the fold :)
 
What capture card are you using? I've been thinking about turning my Dually 1700+ into an HTPC..... I've been looking that Hauppauge 250s... looks like the 150 still uses the CPU, whereas the 250 does encoding/etc on the card....

I've never had any problems with the client getting in the way... I wouldn't think you'd have a problem...


Keep on Folding!! For the [H]orde!!

 
I'm looking at either a pair of ATI HDWonders or a MYHD130 and a cheap analog tuner.
 
I use my HTPC for folding. Its a mobile AMD 2500+ oc to 2.2ghz with an AIW9600Pro hooked up to cable. it runs fine while folding. I have played HD video clips with it and it does fine on 720p with software decoding. It will not do 1080i because there is not enough processor power for software decoding. I don't get OTA HD so I have not tried that yet.
 
Sounds like I'll be fine then. This is a late January project for me. What do you think AMD vs Intel dual core for this project. I have a feeling the Intel will do better based on the video encoding/decoding benchmarks I've seen but I haven't really looked into it that much.

 
*WARNING-!!!!!! MOMENT*

AMD ALL THE WAY....intel is evil :)
 
[BRO]Alaskan said:
Get a video card with a hardware decoder and the entire point is moot
Click to expand...

unless of course he uses ffdshow to upscale and clean up the picture of DVD's, then a hardware decoder is a moot point since ffdshow forces everything to software mode.

and fwiw, my htpc is a P4 3.2ghz w/ATI 9600XT and a Fusion HDTV5. I can fold and watch a dvd at the same time, as well as hi-def content. The DVD's are being scaled to 1920x1080i, msharpen, d-noise, lanzcos 4 chroma/luma, chroma/luma sharpening 2. not a hitch.

I personally think that anything more than a plain ole' 3800+ or 4000+ for an HTPC is overkill unless you're doing something else that takes a decent amount of cpu power at the same time as watching/recording...but...to each their own :p
 
OSUguy98 said:
looks like the 150 still uses the CPU, whereas the 250 does encoding/etc on the card....
Click to expand...
Are you sure about that? I was under the impression that the 150 has an on-board encoder...

 
The PVR150 has a hardware encoder on it, its pretty much just an updated PVR250.
embries said:
It'll most likely be a Dual Core something with multi gpu (either ati crossfire or nvidia sli).
Click to expand...
There are some problems with using SLI with HDTVs currently and considering ATI's recent HT-like offerings I wouldn't expect Crossfire to work as well either. Either way it's pretty much moot if you're not gaming, theres nothing out there that can actually work with the dual GPUs nor the Dual is you're going with MCE.

Now if you were using something like FFDShow to upsample your videos and DVDs then yeah a higher end CPU is worth it but MCE doesn't work with FFDShow so you have to do the work around and buy TheaterTek or Zoomplayer and use the My Movies plugin to launch that from inside MCE.
embries said:
Do you do high def video? That's my main concern. I hear that high def puts a large load on the system.
Click to expand...
Your basic HD tuner is going to use DXVA to off load the video processing to the video card (no, mulit vid cards aren't going to help here either) leaving your CPU (in this case an AXP 2200+) at around 30/50% at the most (if you're going with ATI's HD tuner then expect that number to be higher). The point is it's not that CPU intensive if you set it up right.
embries said:
I'm looking at either a pair of ATI HDWonders or a MYHD130 and a cheap analog tuner.
Click to expand...
Again, if you plan on going with MCE then you can't use the MyHD card since it doesn't have MCE drivers and (from the dev) won't. Actually I'm not sure if any PVR app supports it other then the bundled software that comes with it which I hear is actually pretty good.
[BRO]Alaskan said:
Get a video card with a hardware decoder and the entire point is moot
Click to expand...
Video cards don't have a hardware decoder, they have hardware acceleration which means that the video card helps decode the content (MPEG video and h.264 for newer cards) but the CPU still does some work too.
embries said:
Sounds like I'll be fine then. This is a late January project for me. What do you think AMD vs Intel dual core for this project. I have a feeling the Intel will do better based on the video encoding/decoding benchmarks I've seen but I haven't really looked into it that much.
Click to expand...
AMD for sure: http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=a64x2&page=1

Although you have to look and see if you apps you're using are SMP aware, I only know of a few apps that are that are actually used in most HTPCs.
 
that's right.... I forgot that the model numbers didn't follow logic :D

I knew one did, and one didn't..... but the logical assumption is that the higher model number is "better"...... but not in this case


Keep on Folding!! For the [H]orde!!

 
OSUguy98 said:
that's right.... I forgot that the model numbers didn't follow logic :D

I knew one did, and one didn't..... but the logical assumption is that the higher model number is "better"...... but not in this case


Keep on Folding!! For the [H]orde!!

Click to expand...
Well they both have hardware encoders on them, the PVR150 just has a newer version.
 
My HTPC has a Athlon 3200 with 1GB ram and an ATI AIW Radeon 9700 Pro with component video out to the HDTV.

I record and playback HDTV with a Dvico Fusion card. This is a SW card though it gets some decode acceleration from the graphics card. I usually record programs with the Fusion app minimized. Then it simply sends the HDTV transport stream to disk without processing, so CPU usage is very low. Decode is done when I playback the file later.

I fold on this machine and don't notice any degradation to the HDTV video quality.
 
Although you have to look and see if you apps you're using are SMP aware, I only know of a few apps that are that are actually used in most HTPCs.
Click to expand...

Yes but it's much cheaper to get a dual core processor and let one processor fold 100% non-stop than to build a whole extra computer. ;)
 
embries said:
Sounds like I'll be fine then. This is a late January project for me. What do you think AMD vs Intel dual core for this project. I have a feeling the Intel will do better based on the video encoding/decoding benchmarks I've seen but I haven't really looked into it that much.

Click to expand...

I would assume that it would be best to have something that ran cool and quiet for this type of application. Generally speaking, AMD owns this arena right now. Besides, myself and many others find that AMD's are generally the better overall folders. Considering those two things, I would definitely go with AMD.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top