>> Yes, since a htpc doesn't need a powerful cpu (or a powerful gpu) > > My learned-this-the-hard-way advice: while this is generally true, if > you ever come across a 720 or 1080p video that doesn't use a > hardware-accelerated codec, you would rather the HTPC not sound like > it's about to launch itself into orbit doing software decoding.
Completely true. I switched from nvidia-drivers to nouveau and now I rely on ffmpeg threads to decode 1080p. It works great most of the time. There are some videos that won't decode via threads, they return some sort of "cannot parallelize" error. I went with this Phenom II X4 3.7Ghz hog: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103934 I wonder if I'll be able to decode 1080p in software on a single core now without losing A/V sync. I kinda doubt it. I've been on an Athlon X2 3.1Ghz. > And if you're going to keep it in a cabinet, you would probably also > rather said cabinet not catch fire (I had to cut holes in the back and > mount fans). I'm discovering that fans which are said to be very quiet actually are. I'm going to increase my case fans from 0 to 2 along with this aftermarket CPU cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608016 Thanks a lot for everyone's help. - Grant
