Improved ION IGP w/better VDPAU support?

[jalyst]

Good point....
With the migration to a nehalem-based platform the need for a GT2xx for video decoding may become unnecessary!?

If this proves true then I'll still add a discrete card later, but a much stronger one based on nV's 'Ferni'.
This could be added/removed when needed for gaming...

[jalyst]

Do you reckon it's overkill to migrate to this for a front-end or should I wait for nV's ION2 or Intel's Pinetrail + Broadcom VA?

Do you reckon a Clarkdale (pentium) + mobo. will be the same price as a similarly configured Wolfdale + G45 mobo. is now?
I don't want to wait 6-weeks only to find I'm paying 10% (or more) extra ...

[Kano]

Compared to an older Core2 cpu the speed for a new i3-530 (about 107 € in germany) intel cpu is really impressive in the already known benchmarks. If you don't need quad core (for heavy compiling) you will certainly like it.

[jalyst]

I'm tempted to 'bite the bullet' and get an all-in-one solution like this...
But I think I'll wait & put together the cheapest Pentium clarkdale + mATX Q57 or H57 solution I can find.

Differences between the series 5 chipsets are explained well here

[Kano]

ion is interesting in the very small variants which could be directly mounted on the backside of a new tv. from the price however you pay the same - you just need more space - and get lots more performance.

[jalyst]

That's true, initial costs will be similar because of the premium one pays for a sub-mATX board.
And if the usage pattern is similar, then a clarkdale-based system shouldn't use dramatically more power.

Except a clarkdale system without a GT2xx will rely on CPU decode via VAAPI, so avg. CPU usage should be higher.
But Nehalem is a more efficient architecture than Atom, so I guess it equalises out.

[Kano]

The max power usage should not really matter when it does not run 24/7. Without extra gfx cards it is really low. Maybe ION with mobile technology is less, but not with a standard ATX PSU.

[gtrawoger]

Sorry to just jump in here. I just read (most of) this thread. I am big fan of mythtv and have about 5 frontends running of our backend. We get over the air HD and it's working like a charm.

jalyst, I am just wondering what the purpose of the system is you are trying to build.

Are you trying to get a frontend that gets used for nothing else, meaning it's attached to the TV and stays there? Or are you going to use it for Gaming/Desktop purposes? Are you worried about the resell value/re-usability should you take it down?

I have been struggling with this question for a while and done a bit of research to find what would be the most bank for buck.

For now, for a dedicated front-end it look very much like I am getting the Acer Revo (ION, 9400M) to replace our old clunky P4's.

[jalyst]

If you read through this thread you'll have seen why ION is ruled-out for me.
Decoding prowess is great, but not the best available.

ION2 fixes that, but why wait when clarkdale can do everything it does using CPU+GPU & then some!?
And even if it does pull-up short in some VA areas, a discrete GT210 will fix that.

I want primarily a media player, but also a web terminal & a host of other things at times...

[gtrawoger]

If you read through this thread you'll have seen why ION is ruled-out for me.
Decoding prowess is great, but not the best available.

ION2 fixes that, but why wait when clarkdale can do everything it does using CPU+GPU & then some!?
And even if it does pull-up short in some VA areas, a discrete GT210 will fix that.

I want primarily a media player, but also a web terminal & a host of other things at times...

The only thing ION can't do is Advanced 2X Deinterlacing. The rest it can handle fine. http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/VDPAU#Supported_Cards

And the only times you need to worry about that is on 480i/1080i media, which will still look fine on Advanced 1X Deinterlacing or even Bob 2X (which is what I use on an 8600GT and it looks awesome).

As for websurfing, the Revo (3610 model) has a dual core Atom which is plenty to do things with. Gaming is decent, as long as you don't try playing a recent game on 1080P (this is according to reviewers on newegg and other places). But if you are a more serious gamer, it won't hold up.

I think the only thing you wouldn't like about the Revo is the fact that it doesn't have digital audio out. It only has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

But as far as a dedicated media frontend, with it's small power footprint, it's a winner in my opinion.

But again, as you mentioned you may have a different need/want for your system and that clarkdale system may be what you'd want.