Would you please share where the community based WMC software is described and available for download...again concerned as I hear Microsoft will be soon doing another Win 10 version update and those really can F***k up some of the community supported/developed software or actually remove non approved software. Any idea where A12 GPU's can be obtained?
Those rumors are referring to a feature added to the W10 Creators update where users can choose to disable support for Win32 apps (i.e. applications not downloaded from the Windows Store). This is not, and will never ever be, compulsory. It would break support for 99% of the software used on computers today. My impression is that it's a security feature meant for limited use, such as kiosks and other places where you wouldn't want users to be able to install all kinds of software. As such, it's a good idea. The fear-mongering that MS is out to screw over everyone but themselves is blown completely out of proportion. Do they want to increase the amount of apps sold/downloaded from the Windows Store? Sure. But they know, as with everyone else, that they can't force that on people. It would break Windows. Essentially, it would make all Windows into Windows RT - which MS abandoned quite quickly. And, after all, they just introduced an emulation layer to run W32 apps on ARM CPUs. Why would they do that if they planned on blocking them from running outright?
As for non-MS media centers, I believe Kodi (formerly XBMC) is the biggest and most popular. There are several others too, though.
As for your original question: There are no AM4 APUs available at retail, and there probably won't be until the Raven Ridge series arrive some time in H2 this year. Raven Ridge are Zen-based APUs (i.e. with integrated graphics, unlike the Ryzen series), and will as such drastically outperform Bristol Ridge (the AM4 APUs sold today by OEMs). That would make a retail launch <6 months before the replacement series arrives extremely foolish, and would be a far higher cost to both AMD and retailers than what they would make back. Not to mention it would leave retailers with a bunch of unsellable stock in just a few months. Not going to happen.
Edit: oh, I forgot to point this out: you're not clear on whether your media center has a dedicated GPU. If it doesn't, you can't use Ryzen, as Ryzen is a pure CPU, with no integrated graphics. I might be stating the obvious here, but you never know. No matter if the motherboard has HDMI and other video outputs, these do nothing unless an APU (which aren't available) is installed.
Picked up a 1700, Prime X370-Pro and Corsair LPX today. Still have to get my MP500 m2 yet though.
Are you 1700 owners using the stock cooler replacing the thermal paste? I've always replaced it on my Intels but not idea if the paste on the Wraith cooler is any good.
Replacing the stock thermal paste is
always a good idea.
Always.