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4K, low power using, very sff, htpc

Go to solution Solved by EcoBoost,

@EcoBoost, DAMN that was fast.lol.  Thanks.

No problem. I'd still get the standard 4130 over the 4130T though, without a dedicated GPU you have plenty of power to spare, imo it's worth the extra 19W for the extra performance

I chose the Thermaltake Element Qi pc case ( includes a 220w psu). Now here is what I need help with choosing.

 
Requirements:
1. Lowest wattage possible intel haswell or broadwell cpu capable of SMOOTH 4k video playback WITHOUT dedicated vid card.
2. Mini itx intel motherboard with displayport ( it's a safe bet any of these has the required version of displayport that supports 4k @ 60hz by now)
3. Linux distro that is a heavenly dream to use JUST mainly for video/movie watching and boots up fast ( i'm not against some medium and a little heavy tweaking, but I still consider myself a linux noob ( sophomore imo at best)
 
4.  The software/o.s./distro MUST support .mkv files ( I use Handbrake to shrink movies using Intel quicksync setting)
 
Thanks in advance for all the help.  
 
 
 
 
 
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Requirements:

1. Lowest wattage possible intel haswell or broadwell cpu capable of SMOOTH 4k video playback WITHOUT dedicated vid card.
2. Mini itx intel motherboard with displayport ( it's a safe bet any of these has the required version of displayport that supports 4k @ 60hz by now)

idk about the software side, but for hardware, i3-4130T and Asus H97I-Plus

Desktop: Intel Core i5 2380P (2400 w/o iGPU), MSI H61, 8GB RAM, 256GB SP610, 500GB WD Blue, HIS R9 280, Antec TruePower Classic 550W, Inwin MANA 134, QNIX QX2710, CM QuickFire Rapid, Logitech G402

 

Laptop: Toshiba Satellite L40D, AMD A6-6310, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Radeon R4 Graphics, 14" 1366x768

 

 

Phone: iPhone 6 Space Gray 64GB, T-Mobile $60/mo 3GB plan

 

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@EcoBoost, DAMN that was fast.lol.  Thanks.

No problem. I'd still get the standard 4130 over the 4130T though, without a dedicated GPU you have plenty of power to spare, imo it's worth the extra 19W for the extra performance

Desktop: Intel Core i5 2380P (2400 w/o iGPU), MSI H61, 8GB RAM, 256GB SP610, 500GB WD Blue, HIS R9 280, Antec TruePower Classic 550W, Inwin MANA 134, QNIX QX2710, CM QuickFire Rapid, Logitech G402

 

Laptop: Toshiba Satellite L40D, AMD A6-6310, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD, Radeon R4 Graphics, 14" 1366x768

 

 

Phone: iPhone 6 Space Gray 64GB, T-Mobile $60/mo 3GB plan

 

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@EcoBoost,  That's good to know.  All that  i'll be using this pc for is solid 4k and below- movie/video watching and possibly as another data backup storage solution.  Time to get started grinding the 4130 vs 4130t data all over the net.  Cheers

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Might wanna consider the silverstone raven rvz01 case.. Its good looking, small and it goes very well in a living room environment.

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@slenderman379,   That raven case is pretty sweet, but takes up too much room horizontally.  I've already chosen the that Thermaltake Element Qi.

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what do you need the 4k playing for?

if its for 4k netflix..4k netflix isn't really 4k...in terms of bandwidth anyway

If you need remote help fixing something on your computer

I can help over Teamviewer if you wish

just msg me on my profile

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@techguru,  No.  I don't do huhu, netflix, or any other internet required media content service ( youtube is an acception to me) unless I see content on there I like and there is a free trial period available with an UNgimped access to that content.

 

I see a movie I like, I rent it on redbox. If it's worthy.  I buy it at the pawn shop, then I take that purchased copy and rip it to my hdd.  Next, I shrink it using Handbrake.  Then, I make a backup copy of that to my external hdd that is connected to my WDTV live smp  which never leaves my home.  This smp will eventually be replaced by my 4k ready custom build htpc that I'm already planning the build for.  

 

Also in case anyone feels like providing me with an asinine response related to" OO.OOOO COPYRIGHT VIOLATOR. SOUND THE ALARM!!"     -_-.   

 

It is perfectly legal to make a backup copy of something you PURCHASED ( movie wise) to use IN YOUR OWN HOME as long as you DON'T upload it to the internet and don't try to sell it and keep the profits as you PAID for the damn content and are NOT trying to monetize it given that you are not the creator of it.  This isn't up for discussion so don't waste your time nor mine arguing otherwise.

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I chose the Thermaltake Element Qi pc case ( includes a 220w psu). Now here is what I need help with choosing.

 
Requirements:
1. Lowest wattage possible intel haswell or broadwell cpu capable of SMOOTH 4k video playback WITHOUT dedicated vid card.
2. Mini itx intel motherboard with displayport ( it's a safe bet any of these has the required version of displayport that supports 4k @ 60hz by now)
3. Linux distro that is a heavenly dream to use JUST mainly for video/movie watching and boots up fast ( i'm not against some medium and a little heavy tweaking, but I still consider myself a linux noob ( sophomore imo at best)
 
4.  The software/o.s./distro MUST support .mkv files ( I use Handbrake to shrink movies using Intel quicksync setting)
 
Thanks in advance for all the help.  
 
 

 

I used this case for my older HTPC and you definitely have to choose the right cpu cooler that will fit (I used the Scythe Kozuti). I was able to put in an optical drive, 2 HDDs and an SSD. 

 

If you don't care about HEVC, Broadwell or Haswell should do just fine. Once HEVC acceleration comes on a single slot GPU package, you can upgrade to that anyway.

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