Which CPU for HTPC?

[Garlic]

I am trying to figure out which CPU I want for a HTPC build I am planning, and I need your help.

 

My chosen case is the In Win Chopin, and my top priority is to have the system run as cool and quiet as possible. The CPUs I have narrowed my search down to are the i3-8100T and the i5-8400T, both of which are 35W TDP chips. The i3 has two less cores to cool down, and the i5 comes with turbo boost technology and runs at a lower clock speed when not under load. But which one generates the least heat? And would the performance difference between the chips matter in a HTPC use case?

 

Also, I know that 9th generation counterparts for these chips exists, but those are nowhere to be found. Do you think that they would be worth waiting for?

[ZzLy]

10 minutes ago, Garlic said:

I am trying to figure out which CPU I want for a HTPC build I am planning, and I need your help.

 

My chosen case is the In Win Chopin, and my top priority is to have the system run as cool and quiet as possible. The CPUs I have narrowed my search down to are the i3-8100T and the i5-8400T, both of which are 35W TDP chips. The i3 has two less cores to cool down, and the i5 comes with turbo boost technology and runs at a lower clock speed when not under load. But which one generates the least heat? And would the performance difference between the chips matter in a HTPC use case?

 

Also, I know that 9th generation counterparts for these chips exists, but those are nowhere to be found. Do you think that they would be worth waiting for?

You don't need an i5 here, and of coarse the i3 is gonna run cooler here. Also make sure you get a motherboard with a 300 series chipset (eg. H310, B360, Z390) because 100- or 200- series chipset boards don't support 8th and 9th gen CPUs.