Prepping P4 era HTPC for Blu-ray & flash

mercy420 · 2nd November 2010, 8:44 AM

We just upgraded our TV to a 1080p display and our old HTPC, if you could call the repurposed piece of junk that, is starting to struggle streaming HD stuff from vimeo, and I suspect won't handle Blu-ray so well either.

Specs:

P4 3.0ghz
1gb DDR400
Radeon 9600 (agp)
Gigabyte 8ipe775p motherboard

I haven't opened it up in a while, but I suspect there will be two free ram slots, so I can bump the ram up to 2gb fairly cheaply.

Any sufficent AGP video cards out there that aren't too expensive for a computer like this? HIS ATI HD4670 retails for $130ish which is just a bit pricey for such a budget system.

This motherboard doesn't even support optical out from the onboard sound, so in the long run I need to get a basic sound card to handle that. So I'm starting to think the whole computer could be replaced for cheaper than upgrades. Thoughts?

Related: what would be the minimum spec blu-ray read-only drive I should consider?

Sorry if my questions are all over the place. The short version: can this system be upgraded to handle HD flash / blu-ray / optical sound out, for cheaper than a whole new system? If so, which parts should I consider. Thanks.

---

Update: just did a bit of searching around, and am thinking an alternative might be a $170ish Asus barebones LGA775 mini PC with onboard video and sound, PCI-E socket for future expansion, and DDR2 or DDR3 support for cheap current gen ram.

Fishface · 2nd November 2010, 9:03 AM

Well you are correct, the cost of an AGP card and more ram will be almost as much as a new MB, processor and ram.

There are a number of threads here where people discuss the best options for parts in a HTPC.

MikeCheck · 2nd November 2010, 9:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fishface

Well you are correct, the cost of an AGP card and more ram will be almost as much as a new MB, processor and ram.

There are a number of threads here where people discuss the best options for parts in a HTPC.

+1

As soon as you have an AGP slot, unfortunately you're running a bit too oldschool for high-def HTPC use.

I say trash/recycle it and start again.

M.

cicada · 3rd November 2010, 10:54 AM

The reality is there is no realistic upgrade path from where you are now. You are at the point where you must make the generation leap.

I'd maybe look at an intel i3 530 + H55 mobo, as that will give you HDMI out with 1080p and HD audio format support. All you need to add is some ram and your away.
Not sure if you can get H55 boards that include optical out as well though. Sounds like you could have an older receiver that needs optical (no HDMI)?

hollinssam · 5th November 2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cicada

I'd maybe look at an intel i3 530 + H55 mobo, as that will give you HDMI out with 1080p and HD audio format support. All you need to add is some ram and your away.
Not sure if you can get H55 boards that include optical out as well though. Sounds like you could have an older receiver that needs optical (no HDMI)?

totally agree, i3 plus H55, maybe consider one of the gigabyte H55M boards (micro-ATX), pretty cheap and there are usually bundles available online with ram if you have a little hunt

and yes, they also have optical out which is always good eg GA-H55M-USB3 has optical and usb3 for future externals but might be more than you want to spend ~120

IamDan · 11th November 2010, 5:44 PM

RUBBISH!!! Im running a P4 with 2gig ram in mine and it plays bluray perfectly.. You need a decent video card. I bought mine (not sure what it is) AGP 1gig ram for 70 bucks. Installed the shark codec pack and with a little bit of mucking around got the GPU to do all the work. Runs a treat!!

JidaiGeki · 11th November 2010, 6:55 PM

Most powerful AGP cards are ATI 3850 or nVidia 7950GT. There is also an ATI 4650 (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...-agp,2383.html), but that has half the memory bandwidth of the 3850. 7950GTs and 3850s are about $150-$200 on eBay.

If you intend to keep the P4 system, you might be able to get an optical IO backplane, as there's likely a header on the motherboard.

2nd November 2010, 8:44 AM	#1
mercy420 Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Enmore, Sydney Posts: 454	Prepping P4 era HTPC for Blu-ray & flash We just upgraded our TV to a 1080p display and our old HTPC, if you could call the repurposed piece of junk that, is starting to struggle streaming HD stuff from vimeo, and I suspect won't handle Blu-ray so well either. Specs: P4 3.0ghz 1gb DDR400 Radeon 9600 (agp) Gigabyte 8ipe775p motherboard I haven't opened it up in a while, but I suspect there will be two free ram slots, so I can bump the ram up to 2gb fairly cheaply. Any sufficent AGP video cards out there that aren't too expensive for a computer like this? HIS ATI HD4670 retails for $130ish which is just a bit pricey for such a budget system. This motherboard doesn't even support optical out from the onboard sound, so in the long run I need to get a basic sound card to handle that. So I'm starting to think the whole computer could be replaced for cheaper than upgrades. Thoughts? Related: what would be the minimum spec blu-ray read-only drive I should consider? Sorry if my questions are all over the place. The short version: can this system be upgraded to handle HD flash / blu-ray / optical sound out, for cheaper than a whole new system? If so, which parts should I consider. Thanks. --- Update: just did a bit of searching around, and am thinking an alternative might be a $170ish Asus barebones LGA775 mini PC with onboard video and sound, PCI-E socket for future expansion, and DDR2 or DDR3 support for cheap current gen ram. __________________ PC: I5-750 \| DP55WG \| 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws \| 120GB Patriot Wildfire \| GTX 460 768mb SC \| AD700 \| IBM Model M \| G27 Driving: Blue 1984 MA61 Celica-Supra \| Black 1984 MA61 Celica-Supra \| White 1989 Supra Turbo

3rd November 2010, 10:54 AM	#4
cicada Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sunny Melbourne Posts: 1,321	The reality is there is no realistic upgrade path from where you are now. You are at the point where you must make the generation leap. I'd maybe look at an intel i3 530 + H55 mobo, as that will give you HDMI out with 1080p and HD audio format support. All you need to add is some ram and your away. Not sure if you can get H55 boards that include optical out as well though. Sounds like you could have an older receiver that needs optical (no HDMI)? __________________ I think it's a little bit more complicated than that...

11th November 2010, 5:44 PM	#6
IamDan Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Geelong Posts: 539	RUBBISH!!! Im running a P4 with 2gig ram in mine and it plays bluray perfectly.. You need a decent video card. I bought mine (not sure what it is) AGP 1gig ram for 70 bucks. Installed the shark codec pack and with a little bit of mucking around got the GPU to do all the work. Runs a treat!! __________________ QQ6600, ASUS P5-KR, 6GIG DDR2, nVidia 8600GT, HVR 2200, 5 Terra HDD storage, Windows 7 Ulimate, Projector: Epson TW-3000 Amp: Onkyo TX-SR500

2nd November 2010, 9:03 AM	#2
Fishface Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Adelaide Posts: 1,593	Well you are correct, the cost of an AGP card and more ram will be almost as much as a new MB, processor and ram. There are a number of threads here where people discuss the best options for parts in a HTPC.

11th November 2010, 6:55 PM	#7
JidaiGeki Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Melbourne, Vic Posts: 484	Most powerful AGP cards are ATI 3850 or nVidia 7950GT. There is also an ATI 4650 (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...-agp,2383.html), but that has half the memory bandwidth of the 3850. 7950GTs and 3850s are about $150-$200 on eBay. If you intend to keep the P4 system, you might be able to get an optical IO backplane, as there's likely a header on the motherboard.