HTPC motherboard suggestions/help

[welchj]

I was thinking of going with the BIOSTAR TForce6100. Problem is that if I get it open boxed then I dont get the svid out bracket and I dont know where to get one. I want that bracket so I can hook the computer up to my receiver. I just have a regular tv so I dont need HD out. Or is there a simpler way to hook it up to the tv? Any help or suggestions for a better motherboard is appreciated.

 

[Blain]

Originally posted by: welchj
I was thinking of going with the BIOSTAR TForce6100. Problem is that if I get it open boxed then I dont get the svid out bracket and I dont know where to get one. I want that bracket so I can hook the computer up to my receiver. I just have a regular tv so I dont need HD out. Or is there a simpler way to hook it up to the tv? Any help or suggestions for a better motherboard is appreciated.

Which Biostar Tforce6100 MB did you buy... AM2. 939, 754?
Are you asking about an "S/PDIF Cable" or "S-video" bracket?
If "S-video"... Did your read any reviews that said the MB came with an "S-video" output?

 

[welchj]

It was the 939 version. And I was considering getting it opened box because its over half off, but with opened box it doesnt come with the S/PDIF cable. So I was wondering if there was a site to get those or if there is an easier way to hook to the computer to the receiver. Or if there is a just a better motherboard all together.

 

[Zap]

The full new retail version also does not come with the SPDIF output, though they did change the presentation of the accessories (in a cloth bag).

Have you purchased your stuff yet? If not, consider socket AM2. You have a wider choice of CPUs, plus the Abit NF-M2 nView motherboard is probably the best mATX board I've ever used, features and overclockability-wise. Seriously I've used a LOT of mATX boards over the years, and with socket 754/939/AM2 I've totally gone overboard with mATX boards, purchasing about 10 of them in the past year for my personal enjoyment. :shocked: The Abit board (make sure the "NF-M2 nView" version, not the cheaper NF-M2S version) is super overclockable and has VGA/DVI outputs, optical SPDIF in/out, passive heatpipe cooler, Firewire... about the only things it doesn't have are TV-out and coaxial SPDIF.

If you're stuck with socket 939, the Biostar Tforce6100-939 is a decent choice. Not very feature filled, but a good overclocker. I believe it does have SPDIF headers on the board, but no actual cable going to a PCI slot. You can purchase one separately for around $10, or you can make your own with a couple bucks, a trip to Radio Shack and a bit of work. Coaxial is criminally easy to make. Optical is not very easy.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The retail TForce 6100-939 does come with an optical & coax digital out bracket in both the old and new revisions (I just used one for my music jukebox) but it does not come with s-video out. The manual also does not show any pins for s-video out, there is just the VGA connector.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
The retail TForce 6100-939 does come with an optical & coax digital out bracket in both the old and new revisions (I just used one for my music jukebox) but it does not come with s-video out. The manual also does not show any pins for s-video out, there is just the VGA connector.

Seconded!

 

[Blain]

"If you purchase an Open-Box product you will receive an OEM BAREBONE item, meaning you will only receive the item itself. Accessories are NOT INCLUDED with Open-Box products, even if the missing accessory is required for the item to function properly."

If you need the S/PDIF bracket, spend a few bucks more for a full retail package.