[snowy2007]

Hi all,

I have a collection of Divx rips on my server and I currently use XBMC on the Xbox connected over component video to watch them.

I am about to build an HTPC to replace it built around the following components the I happen to have spare:

Asrock P4 Combo Mboard
1 Gb Ram
Pentium 4 3.06Ghz CPU
Nvidia 5700 AGP card with DVI out
80Gb HDD for Opsys and media player (all movies on server)
MCE compatible remote
Thermaltake Tenor case
DVD re-writer

I will mainly be watching my SD Divx rips. I may also want to watch some 720 Divx rips (I know this can't be done on Xbox). I will also use it to watch DVD's. I don't want blu-ray support.

My main questions are as follows :

I will be connecting to a 50" 720p plasma via HDMI (PC) or component (xbox)

1. Will the HTPC listed above be capable of what I want?
2. Is 1Gb of RAM enough?
3. Which will be the best system for my needs (720p excluded) - the Xbox or the HTPC? - Essentially, which system upscales best and will give me the best possible picture? The HTPC or shall I stick to the Xbox?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Gamester17]

1. Will the HTPC listed above be capable of what I want?
2. Is 1Gb of RAM enough?
3. Which will be the best system for my needs (720p excluded) - the Xbox or the HTPC? - Essentially, which system upscales best and will give me the best possible picture? The HTPC or shall I stick to the Xbox?

1. Probably, (though Pentium 4 is not exactly known for their great performance, rather the opposite).
2. Yes.
3. Currently there is probably no visible difference, that might change in the future as the software code for the Linux, Mac, and Windows posts get optimized.

[snowy2007]

1. Probably, (though Pentium 4 is not exactly known for their great performance, rather the opposite).
2. Yes.
3. Currently there is probably no visible difference, that might change in the future as the software code for the Linux, Mac, and Windows posts get optimized.

Thanks very much for the reply. I will build the PC up tomorrow and see how it runs with the P4 CPU. Hopefully it will be on a par with the Xbox for standard lo-res content. I have the case already and I have the mboard and CPU just hanging around - seems a shame to bin them.

On a side note, what opsys would you recommend for XMBC, XP pro-SP3 or Vista Ultimate ?

[keithskaggs]

I'm running a P4 3Ghz and it plays all content up to 720p perfectly. The only performance issue I've seen is a 1080p file I downloaded played choppy (just enough to be annoying) but it was still watchable. I'm using an NVIDIA 7100 onboard graphics with audio over HDMI to a Vizio 42" LCD. I watch a lot of 720p and XVID content. I also have 2 GB of RAM on WinXP Pro and stream all content from a 1.2TB NAS through a gigabit LAN.

Hope that helps.

Keith

[snowy2007]

I'm running a P4 3Ghz and it plays all content up to 720p perfectly. The only performance issue I've seen is a 1080p file I downloaded played choppy (just enough to be annoying) but it was still watchable. I'm using an NVIDIA 7100 onboard graphics with audio over HDMI to a Vizio 42" LCD. I watch a lot of 720p and XVID content. I also have 2 GB of RAM on WinXP Pro and stream all content from a 1.2TB NAS through a gigabit LAN.

Hope that helps.

Keith

Thanks Keith. Hopefully I will get similar results up to 720p with 1Gb of RAM and the lower spec video card.