It IS TOSLink. But for the sake of beauty, Steve doesn't want an extra ugly connector on the back. What does he do? He puts the TOSLink inside of the 3.5mm stereo jack. He also loves that because he can sell you more overpriced accessories to get the optical audio out of that hole.
The two separate cables are cheaper. However, the thing is that the $70 cable sends the audio over the HDMI input, which greatly simplifies things.
It IS TOSLink. But for the sake of beauty, Steve doesn't want an extra ugly connector on the back. What does he do? He puts the TOSLink inside of the 3.5mm stereo jack. He also loves that because he can sell you more overpriced accessories to get the optical audio out of that hole.
Wait, wait wait....you imply that to Jobs, He wants beauty, and he can sell overpriced accessories as a bonus? Try the other way around, kimosabe.
More that it's a side bonus that the designs that require proprietary or licensed third party accessories are also often quite beautiful.
That is one thing that confuses me about Apple stuff. In order to keep the Apple device itself beautiful, they force all additions to be external. Now, my computer case and monitor might not be as pretty as the iMac or some such. However, the Mac is going to require all sorts of external accessories all over the place. In the end, that makes it uglier to me than everything being inside of one box.
That is one thing that confuses me about Apple stuff. In order to keep the Apple device itself beautiful, they force all additions to be external. Now, my computer case and monitor might not be as pretty as the iMac or some such. However, the Mac is going to require all sorts of external accessories all over the place. In the end, that makes it uglier to me than everything being inside of one box.
For once, Scott, I absolutely agree with you. Form should follow function, and you should never sacrifice function to acquire form.
I made an updated wish list. Notice the complete lack of any video card whatsoever. I'm thinking I will test out the integrated Intel GPU. I know it will suck, but no reason not to try it. Then later I will get a low profile card. Since smallness and quietness are higher priorities, I think I will forego the taller less-nice cases that would allow a full-size card.
Here are all the suitable low-profile cards on Newegg ordered by Newegg customer rating. Which one would you get? Must have HDMI/HDCP/low-profile/PCI-express 2.0 x16.
Since quietness is a priority, I'm pretty sure you could do better than the Earthwatts you've chosen. Have a look at SPCR's reviews.
Scott, the requirement for PCIe 2.0 specifically is silly. Your motherboard has PCIe 2.0, yes, but PCIe 2.0 is fully backwards compatible with PCIe 1.x cards, and, in particular, PCIe 2.1 cards will work fine in a PCIe 2.0 slot. As such, you should be looking at this list instead - there's 3 extra cards, all PCIe 2.1.
Here's the basic cards in order of performance; white space separates "tiers" (more space = bigger jump): GeForce 9600GT DDR3 (not normally low-profile)
First of all, I would say that the 9600GT is entirely out of the question. Though it's the most powerful, it's a power-hungry beast compared to the rest of these cards. Why? It's a relatively old card, and it originated as a midrange card rather than low-end; its power consumption reflects this. The cards I would most recommend are the HD 5570 and the GT 220. Both are newer 40nm cards, and hence generally more efficient than previous generations. The HD 4650 is a good alternative to the GT 220; though it is a 55nm card, AMD's previous generation was also very efficient, so it's still well worth considering.
Now, on to particular cards. This Sapphire HD 5570 was reviewed by AnandTech here; Sapphire's card seems to be much quieter than the stock card. Note that its power consumption may be less than AnandTech's charts say; Tom's Hardware placed the HD 5570 well below the HD 4650 and 4670 in power consumption.
There is at least 3 GT 220's on that Newegg search, though I can't say which you should get, if any. This ASUS card seems good value with the rebate, but a number of people have claimed the card is relatively loud. Since none of the GT 220's really stands out, you should also consider this HD 4650 card. It's rated quite well on Newegg, with an average of 5 eggs from 162 reviews. The HD 4650 is only slightly behind the GT 220 in performance, and consumes only a little more power, so this card is a good choice.
If you really don't need the performance of the first three cards, you can get a passively cooled card; the HD 5450 and HD 4550 are the best passively cooled low-profile cards. The performance of the HD 5450 is a little less than the 4550, but it's a 40nm card, with newer features and greater efficiency, so it's probably a better choice. In any case, here's a Newegg search for HD 5450 and 4550 cards. I'm searching on only those criteria here because Newegg's classifications w.r.t. low profile and fanlessness are often inaccurate; the picture and/or manufacturer website is generally more reliable. Unfortunately, the cheap Powercolor HD 5450 cards don't include low-profile brackets, though they are low-profile cards; otherwise they would be the best choice due to the price.
It looks like you are right. It seems right now, the best low profile card is that AMD 5570. I can either just get it, or wait for the next generation of low profiles cards to come around. Also, according to that guy you linked, the Nexus value is the quietest PSU in the universe. I've updated the wishlist accordingly.
Just to see, I built out this ION-based machine. Basically, the ION can crank out 1080p video due to hardware acceleration in Boxee, and such, but it won't be able to do much gaming or anything. It's smaller, quieter, and uses less power, but it's also very limited due to the form factor. The ASUS EB1501 is basically identical to this ION PC, and has an almost identical price. Therefore, there is no reason to build an ION computer.
The Dell Zino, when spec'd up is still $650~, so it can't really compete with the full HTPC on price/performance. The Mac mini is similarly overpriced considering its power.
Basically, if all I'm going to do is watch video, even HD video, the ION, Mac, or Dell will all do just fine, and they can be spec'd low. However, going with the full HTPC will allow me to play PC games which are TV-centric on the TV, open up a world of emulation possibilities, and also play lots and lots of videos with no lagging or slowness at all. It also means if somebody comes over, we can have some steam LAN-partyness and such.
The only thing about getting a full HTPC is the power consumption. I'll have to keep it turned off when I'm not using it to keep the bills low.
Well, I pulled the trigger. I figure what the heck. I can pay next to nothing for something that does nothing but play video, but then I might as well just pay for the XBox and get Netflix, or connect my laptop with a VGA cable or something. If I'm going to get a separate box, might as well get the full power. No regrets later on, and also the fun of building a computer. I also got the ATi, since it is really the most powerful low profile card, and is only $85. We'll see what I have to say to you fanboys after I try it out.
Also, I learned some things that people should pay attention to.
1) If you get a new Intel motherboard, like mine, with integrated graphics, make sure you get a CPU with integrated graphics. Another CPU that fits in the socket might work, but if it doesn't have a GPU in it, then you better have a video card ready.
2) That LG burner is suposedly the quietest.
3) My motherboard supports turbo boost, but the i3 does not. You need the i5 or i7 in a compatible motherboard to make it work. Since I don't need more power than i3, I didn't bother. I think we talked about this on the show, but it's basically automatic overclocking. If you have it, and you need extra horsepower (like when playing a 3d game) the CPU will just speed itself up in 133mhz increments until it reaches its limits in terms of temperature. Theoretically if you slap on a water cooler, you won't need to change any settings. It will just speed way up when you use it. I don't have it though, because of the i3, so I can't report on it.
4) The Windows tax still sucks ass.
5) The Boxee remote can't come soon enough.
6) It's going to be cool to have a ton of storage space in the HTPC. I'm just going to move all my videos over to it. Then no more dealing with network sharing or other such stuff.
Looks like Steam is going to add "big picture mode" which basically means I will be able to more easily navigate and use it with a gamepad on my HTPC. More reason for other people to get HTPCs that are actual computers.
If your desk and TV are in the same room you wouldn't have to move your PC.
Mine is on the opposite side of the room. There's already one Ethernet cable and two speaker wires going across the room. I would rather not add so many more.
Still sending your hdmi signals over archaic copper wiring rather than magically through the air? Yeesh.
Wireless is still ridiculously slow compared to wired. Need gigabit to transfer files to/from the NAS and also for playing any sort of real-time game online.
Comments
Oh, you can get a minijack to toslink cable cheap and so are displayport to HDMI Video. You were planning on using an external sounds system, right?
The two separate cables are cheaper. However, the thing is that the $70 cable sends the audio over the HDMI input, which greatly simplifies things.
Here are all the suitable low-profile cards on Newegg ordered by Newegg customer rating. Which one would you get? Must have HDMI/HDCP/low-profile/PCI-express 2.0 x16.
Scott, the requirement for PCIe 2.0 specifically is silly. Your motherboard has PCIe 2.0, yes, but PCIe 2.0 is fully backwards compatible with PCIe 1.x cards, and, in particular, PCIe 2.1 cards will work fine in a PCIe 2.0 slot.
As such, you should be looking at this list instead - there's 3 extra cards, all PCIe 2.1.
Here's the basic cards in order of performance; white space separates "tiers" (more space = bigger jump):
GeForce 9600GT DDR3 (not normally low-profile)
HD 5570 DDR3
GT 220 DDR2 (not normally low-profile)
HD 4650 DDR2 (not normally low-profile)
HD 4550
HD 5450
GeForce 9400 GT
HD 4350
GeForce 210
GeForce 8400GS
First of all, I would say that the 9600GT is entirely out of the question. Though it's the most powerful, it's a power-hungry beast compared to the rest of these cards. Why? It's a relatively old card, and it originated as a midrange card rather than low-end; its power consumption reflects this. The cards I would most recommend are the HD 5570 and the GT 220. Both are newer 40nm cards, and hence generally more efficient than previous generations. The HD 4650 is a good alternative to the GT 220; though it is a 55nm card, AMD's previous generation was also very efficient, so it's still well worth considering.
Now, on to particular cards.
This Sapphire HD 5570 was reviewed by AnandTech here; Sapphire's card seems to be much quieter than the stock card. Note that its power consumption may be less than AnandTech's charts say; Tom's Hardware placed the HD 5570 well below the HD 4650 and 4670 in power consumption.
There is at least 3 GT 220's on that Newegg search, though I can't say which you should get, if any. This ASUS card seems good value with the rebate, but a number of people have claimed the card is relatively loud. Since none of the GT 220's really stands out, you should also consider this HD 4650 card. It's rated quite well on Newegg, with an average of 5 eggs from 162 reviews. The HD 4650 is only slightly behind the GT 220 in performance, and consumes only a little more power, so this card is a good choice.
If you really don't need the performance of the first three cards, you can get a passively cooled card; the HD 5450 and HD 4550 are the best passively cooled low-profile cards. The performance of the HD 5450 is a little less than the 4550, but it's a 40nm card, with newer features and greater efficiency, so it's probably a better choice. In any case, here's a Newegg search for HD 5450 and 4550 cards. I'm searching on only those criteria here because Newegg's classifications w.r.t. low profile and fanlessness are often inaccurate; the picture and/or manufacturer website is generally more reliable. Unfortunately, the cheap Powercolor HD 5450 cards don't include low-profile brackets, though they are low-profile cards; otherwise they would be the best choice due to the price.
Just to see, I built out this ION-based machine. Basically, the ION can crank out 1080p video due to hardware acceleration in Boxee, and such, but it won't be able to do much gaming or anything. It's smaller, quieter, and uses less power, but it's also very limited due to the form factor. The ASUS EB1501 is basically identical to this ION PC, and has an almost identical price. Therefore, there is no reason to build an ION computer.
The Dell Zino, when spec'd up is still $650~, so it can't really compete with the full HTPC on price/performance. The Mac mini is similarly overpriced considering its power.
Basically, if all I'm going to do is watch video, even HD video, the ION, Mac, or Dell will all do just fine, and they can be spec'd low. However, going with the full HTPC will allow me to play PC games which are TV-centric on the TV, open up a world of emulation possibilities, and also play lots and lots of videos with no lagging or slowness at all. It also means if somebody comes over, we can have some steam LAN-partyness and such.
The only thing about getting a full HTPC is the power consumption. I'll have to keep it turned off when I'm not using it to keep the bills low.
Also, I learned some things that people should pay attention to.
1) If you get a new Intel motherboard, like mine, with integrated graphics, make sure you get a CPU with integrated graphics. Another CPU that fits in the socket might work, but if it doesn't have a GPU in it, then you better have a video card ready.
2) That LG burner is suposedly the quietest.
3) My motherboard supports turbo boost, but the i3 does not. You need the i5 or i7 in a compatible motherboard to make it work. Since I don't need more power than i3, I didn't bother. I think we talked about this on the show, but it's basically automatic overclocking. If you have it, and you need extra horsepower (like when playing a 3d game) the CPU will just speed itself up in 133mhz increments until it reaches its limits in terms of temperature. Theoretically if you slap on a water cooler, you won't need to change any settings. It will just speed way up when you use it. I don't have it though, because of the i3, so I can't report on it.
4) The Windows tax still sucks ass.
5) The Boxee remote can't come soon enough.
6) It's going to be cool to have a ton of storage space in the HTPC. I'm just going to move all my videos over to it. Then no more dealing with network sharing or other such stuff.