We used our usual low-en CPU and APU game
test, Left 4 Dead 2, to see which systems had the gaming prowess to handle
gaming at our test TV’s native 1080p resolution.
Video
playback performance
|
BBC iPlayer standard definition
|
Pass
|
Fail
|
|
Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD E-450 system
|
X
|
|
|
Intel Core i3 system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD A8 system
|
X
|
|
|
BBC iPlayer high definition
|
Pass
|
Fail
|
|
Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system
|
|
X
|
|
AMD E-450 system
|
X
|
|
|
Intel Core i3 system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD A8 system
|
X
|
|
|
Netflix standard definition
|
Pass
|
Fail
|
|
Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD E-450 system
|
X
|
|
|
Intel Core i3 system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD A8 system
|
X
|
|
|
Netflix standard definition
|
Pass
|
Fail
|
|
Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system
|
|
X
|
|
AMD E-450 system
|
|
X
|
|
Intel Core i3 system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD A8 system
|
X
|
|
|
Local 28,000Kb/sec H.264 video file
|
Pass
|
Fail
|
|
Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD E-450 system
|
X
|
|
|
Intel Core i3 system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD A8 system
|
X
|
|
|
Blu-ray playback
|
Pass
|
Fail
|
|
Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system
|
|
X
|
|
AMD E-450 system
|
|
X
|
|
Intel Core i3 system
|
X
|
|
|
AMD A8 system
|
X
|
|
Gaming
performance
Left 4 Dead 2
1,920 x 1,080, 0x AA, 16x AF, maximum
settings
|
|
Minimum
|
Average
|
|
Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system
|
8fps
|
18fps
|
|
AMD E-450 system
|
19fps
|
28fps
|
|
Intel Core i3 system
|
11fps
|
18fps
|
|
AMD A8 system
|
27fps
|
38fps
|
Only the AMD A8 system managed a playable
frame rate at 1080p, using maximum setting with no anti-aliasing. The AMD E-459
PC came close to a playable frame rate, and dropping the settings or resolution
a little yielded a smooth minimum frame rate. However, the results show that
the Intel Atom/Nvidia Ion system isn’t ideal for playing lots of 3D games;
you’ll need to tweak the settings to play modern 3D games such as Left 4 Dead 2
on the Intel Core i3 system too. Reducing the settings in Left 4 Dead 2 to
1,280 x 720 and medium graphics settings resulted in a minimum frame rate of
33fps, with the game still looking respectable.
Only
the AMD A8 system managed a playable frame rate at 1080p, using maximum setting
with no anti-aliasing
CPU and GPU verdict
Sadly, our two integrated CPU options
weren’t capable of dealing with one of the fundamental tasks that will be
thrown at an HTPC – HD video streaming. So we’re left with the Intel Core i3
and AMD A8 Systems. The latter is the best choice if you’ll be playing games –
its GPU is far superior to the Intel graphics system used in the Intel Core i3.
However, the AMD A8-3870 consumes over 50 per cent more power than the Core
i3-2105, which will make building a quiet system tricky. Meanwhile, if you’re
unlikely to play 3D games, the Intel Core i3 System is the best option, while
the AMD A8 will be able to play games at your HDTV’s native resolution.
The PSU
We decided to use an ATX PSU in our HTPC,
as it will be a lot quieter than smaller PSUs. We recommend steering clear of
the different form factor PSUs, such as flex-ATX, as they tend to be quite
noisy. This might limit your choice of case, but it’s a worthwhile compromise.
There’s also no point in opting for anything more than 500W here, as you simply
won’t need that much power. Instead, we opted for the 430W version of Be
Quiet!’s Pure Power L8 PSU – the lower-wattage version of last month’s Labs
winner. It retails for just $68.5, boasts efficiency close to 90 per cent and
even has modular cables.
Storage
One good way to deal with the noise made by
hard disks is to take advantage of the low price of SSDs at the moment. By
using an SSD for your operating system drive, you can head into Windows’ power
options and tell it to turn off your hard disks when they’re not being used.
This means that when you’re streaming video or playing games, only the silent
SSD will be powered up, with no hard disks clicking away. Likewise, if you have
an early-generation SSD laying around, your HTPC could be a good home for it.
A low-cost drive such as a 120GB OCZ
Agility is a great option here – it isn’t as fast as the Vertex 4 or Crucial’s
M4, but it costs $31.9 less and is still better than a hard disk in every way
for use in a HTPC. Meanwhile, we recommend opting for a low-rpm hard drive,
such as 5,400rpm, as it will produce less heat and noise than 7,200rpm models.
A
low-cost drive such as a 120GB OCZ Agility is a great option here – it isn’t as
fast as the Vertex 4 or Crucial’s M4, but it costs $31.9 less and is still
better than a hard disk in every way for use in a HTPC
We opted for a 2TB Seagate Barracuda Green,
which will offer more than enough space for our videos, music and photos.
If you want to play Blu-ray discs, then
you’ll be pleased to know that Blu-ray drives can be bought for not much money
now. Slimline Blu-ray drives aren’t too expensive either – at the time of
writing, the Sony BC-5550H-01 cost only $47.9 from scan.co.uk, which will widen
the choice of case you can use too. However, bear in mind that cheaper Blu-ray
drives are often read-only and, given that many HTPC cases only have room for
one optical drive, it may be worth spending a little more on a drive that will
write to DVDs too – they can be handy if you want to give a non-technical
friend a copy of a video.
The case
We’re aiming to use at least two hard disks
and an SSD, along with a full-sized PSU, optical drive and preferably 120mm fan
mounts, so all this hardware needs to be accommodated by our case. If you’re
also looking for something stylish to sit under your sleek high-definition TV
then I Lian Li has several viable options. The PC-C50B is our favorite. Its
$79.5 price tag isn’t cheap, but it can accommodate a 5.25in optical drive and
up to three hard disks. It also sports four expansion slots for TV cards and
sound cards, and a front-panel SD card reader. More importantly, it has ample
room for most low-profile CPU coolers, three side-mounted 120mm fan mounts and
one 80mm fan mount. What’s more, it won’t look out of place under your TV
either.
Alternatively, many other companies offers
similar cases, including SilverStone, Zalman and, if you’re after something
really flash, South Korean manufacturer Origen. The latter;s products are
specifically designed with HTPC use in mind. As well as offering some of the
most attractive (and expensive) HTPC cases on the market, many are equipped
with large touch-screens, which effectively make them self-contained units that
don’t require your TV to be switched on to control them. This makes them ideal
to place in a hi-fi rack to use as an audio jukebox without the TV switched on,
and effectively eliminates the need for a mouse too. Also, they look absolutely
lovely.
