Hi all,

New to the group and have really gained a lot from lurking. Here's my question. I've just bought a Westinghouse 47" LCD... it actually has true 1080P inputs... neat. Now, I need something to feed it.
Looking to build a Myth-based HTPC, mostly HDTV oriented. Have decided that dual-core would definitely help with the more intensive resolutions based on some other forums I've read. Now I just can't seem to determine if the higher clock speed of the Intels will give a significantly better performance. I mean, significant to the point where the heat isn't an issue. I'm 75% leaning towards having the HTPC in a separate room to avoid the noise and fancy case issues, but I'd still like to avoid excess power consumption and heat if it's too excessive.
If you were going dual-core trying to feed a hungry 1080P display... which setup would you recommend without needing a second mortgage? I'm aware that there's not a whole lot of 1080P out there, but my point is, I'm going to lean heavily towards HDTV, maybe recording a couple of channels at a time while watching (if possible).

Please advise...

Thanks,

Jester

Ok, let me break down my questions as I'm starting to lean towards the AMD X2...

1- Is a Dragon-spec box totally well-suited for simultaneous dual recording of HDTV while watching another pre-recorded program in HD without any glitches?

2- Would building one with a dual-core just be overkill or what would it help with HTPC-wise?

3- Regarding the AMD X2s... (if dual-core is recommended at all)... there's a hug price jump to go to the 1mb cache vs the 512k... what do you think the $300 difference would buy me in real-world HTPC-only performance?

My goal is just to have a future-proof dual-tuner HDTV box, with access to pictures and music files, maybe some light web-browsing. As 1080P files become available, handling those would be great, being that my screen will allow them.

Thanks!

1. Yes.
2. Overkill for just a PVR.
3. No.

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cesman

When the source is open, the possibilities are endless!