mATX + DVI (HDMI?)

[adamone11]

Hey,

My P4B-266 failed, so it's finally time to upgrade. I've successfully navigated some small questions about performance (DDR3 isn't worth it for the price, Bus speed not too influential either).

I'm dreaming of a mATX with:
* DVI out
* Gigabit LAN
* 2 PCI slots (TV Tuner, wireless card)
* 1+ IDE for legacy HDD and/or DVD drive
* Linux support (Ubuntu)

I'm not looking to game or OC, just do some hardcore Matlab (in a virtual session or XP), and copious usage of MythTV. I guess the HDMI might come in handy if I get a nice TV in the next 5 years, otherwise I'd just use the DVI (old LCD has DVI + VGA = cheap monitor switch).

Anyways. The reviews of HDMI mATX intel boards at Newegg are not inspiring: it seems they are only available in single-channel, and many as of 01/01/08 seem to not have complete linux support. I'm looking for some advice or personal experience with a board. I want mATX because I'm tired of lugging my big desktop around when I move, and don't need more than 1 optical drive anymore.

The guys seem pretty hard on the P5E-VM, but it only has 1 PCI, so that won't work. I am just about at the point where I'm going to give up on mATX. Am I being realistic, or am I just giving up too much for a little convenience?

 

[Skott]

I would avoid the ABIT F-I90HD mobo. It has known problems. It has a higher than normal death rate. Some people will tell you that it only happens when overclocking is involved but in fact it happens wether you overclock or run everything stock. If you search around you can find threads about it.

The three most popular mATX mobos currently are the Gigabyte DS2R, ASUS P5K-VM, and the P5E-VM HDMI. The P5K-VM only has 4 sata ports but the P5E-VM HDMI and the DS2R each have 6 sata ports. All three mobos are good overclockers too if you are into that. I would reccomend one of those three over the ABIT F-I90HD. Research each because they each have various features you may or may not want/need. As an example, the P5K-VM doesnt have built in RAID but the DS2R and P5E-VM HDMI does.

Edit: Be careful of people's review at NE. Some of those people dont have a clue about the product they are talking about. Some even give a review of the product without ever having actually used it or owned it. Not all are like that but some are. Just a word of caution when reading NE reviews.

 

[Synomenon]

The P5E-VM HDMI is what I'm using now. Haven't tried Linux w/ it, but it does include a CD w/ Linux drivers. Also, it only has 1 PCI slot. You could dump your wireless card and get that PCIe 1x wireless card that ClubIT always has on sale.

 

[Zap]

I don't know about Linux support, but there are some Nvidia 7000 series socket AM2 boards that have everything else you're looking for, including dual channel RAM, IDE, 2 PCI, DVI, GBe. As for Linux, the chipset is just a warmed over Geforce6000 series, so... likely.

 

[cozumel]

Gigabyte GA-G33M-S2H

RTL 8110SC 1Gbps LAN
VGA, DVI and HDMI on backpanel
2xPCI
1 IDE channel

On Linux Gigabyte says:

Due to different Linux support condition provided by chipset vendors, please download Linux driver from chipset vendors' website or 3rd party website.

There was a review at DriverHeaven published just a few days ago.

Whatever you decide to go with I would fully research the Linux situation by email with the mobo manufacturer and maybe Ubuntu forums to confirm Ubuntu compatibility with the chipsets and all the on-board components.

 

[lopri]

If you're planning to watch 720p contents under Linux, GeForce 7050PV is the only option. Currently, smooth playback of 1080p is near impossible with on-board GPUs. You can easily forget about Intel chipsets. If not for Linux, AMD 690G is currently the king of on-board GPUs. I have been in search of mATX that's capable of flawless playback only to no avail. In the end, AMD and NV want to sell their mid-low end GPUs, and I highly suspect that drivers are artificially holding something back. I say this with a cautious confidence because:

1. 720p has no issues whatsoever with on-board GPU.
2. 720p can even be completely handled by software decoding. (Reason I know this is because I tried 720p contents encoded with H.264 in a virtual machine, in which CPU handles all rendering) The max resolution of the VM was 1600x1200, so I couldn't test out 1080p, but considering the fluidness of 720p that was decoded solely by a CPU, 1080p shouldn't be too much of an hassle unless there is something else going on behind.

I'd think OTA 1080i contents should be fine, though. But sadly you need a discrete GPU for a hassle-free 1080p for now.

 

[renethx]

GeForce 8200 (MCP78) motherboard GPU (Socket AM2+) is coming soon (maybe in a month or so; already announced at CES). It comes with HDMI/DVI with PureVideo HD Gen3. Playing back 1080p contents (BD, HD DVD) should be no problem even with a single-core Sempron processor. (A dual-core processor is required for 1080p mkv files though, as no hw acceleration is available; it's a problem of x264 encoding.) A brief spec is here. AMD RS780 (similar HD playback capability with UVD) will be announced on Jan 23, but available only in March.

 

[hans007]

Originally posted by: adamone11
Hey,

My P4B-266 failed, so it's finally time to upgrade. I've successfully navigated some small questions about performance (DDR3 isn't worth it for the price, Bus speed not too influential either).

I'm dreaming of a mATX with:
* DVI out
* Gigabit LAN
* 2 PCI slots (TV Tuner, wireless card)
* 1+ IDE for legacy HDD and/or DVD drive
* Linux support (Ubuntu)

I'm not looking to game or OC, just do some hardcore Matlab (in a virtual session or XP), and copious usage of MythTV. I guess the HDMI might come in handy if I get a nice TV in the next 5 years, otherwise I'd just use the DVI (old LCD has DVI + VGA = cheap monitor switch).

Anyways. The reviews of HDMI mATX intel boards at Newegg are not inspiring: it seems they are only available in single-channel, and many as of 01/01/08 seem to not have complete linux support. I'm looking for some advice or personal experience with a board. I want mATX because I'm tired of lugging my big desktop around when I move, and don't need more than 1 optical drive anymore.

The << guys seem pretty hard on the P5E-VM, but it only has 1 PCI, so that won't work. I am just about at the point where I'm going to give up on mATX. Am I being realistic, or am I just giving up too much for a little convenience?

if you arent going to overclock just get an intel dg33tl dvi on board and its dual channel.

the ide ports on g33 boards though are annoying with linux depending on who makes the bridge chip.


if you want one with native support you'll have to get one with ich7, so you'll probalby want to get a g31 board. i think the asrock one comes with a dvi "card" , or you can just buy an add2-n card . not sure if there are any with dvi built in because its supposed to be a value board, but i have a add2-n card and i've used it on my g31 before and it works great.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Check out this board: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813186115
It satisfies most of your conditions. I'm running this board right now and it's been pretty problem-free for me. Only problem is that I cannot use the DVI output with the micro-atx case I chose, because there is a small lip around the ATX I/O bracket, and the DVI output port is mounted such that there is no clearance below it, so it's blocked off. I don't care, I'm using VGA out with no problem.

I haven't tried running 720p video off of it, but I'm sure that if you dropped a dual-core X2 939 CPU in there that you wouldn't have any problem with that.

 

[cuti7399]

which player should i use for mkv hd files? i have e4300 @3.0ghz and 7800gt, should they be ok?

 

[renethx]

Originally posted by: cuti7399
which player should i use for mkv hd files? i have e4300 @3.0ghz and 7800gt, should they be ok?

Media Player Classic, Zoom Player, VLC Media Player etc. CCCP includes MPC and ZP with precofigured codecs. e4300 @3.0ghz is more than enough.

 

[Replay]

AMD 780G boards should arrive Feb-Mar. Their new IGP supports DX10 and hardware acceleration of H.264. I got tired of waiting. FedX is delivering a GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H today to go with an X2-4000 from a Newegg Nov. cpu-ram bundle.

NVidia DX10 igp chipset is due out later this year.

The AMD 690G boards have the best igp right now (DX9b, 1080p).

The fastest 690G board is that Abit Fatality Fi90-HD with hdmi etc.. The graphics core is clocked at 500 Mhz instead of 400 ( ATI tool can oc these igp's). Built one up with a Conroe Cel440 at 3.4Ghz, and get 30-70fps TF2, Battlefield 2 is smooth at 800x600 medium, and Stalker plays well with static lighting.

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: Replay
The fastest 690G board is that Abit Fatality Fi90-HD with hdmi etc.. The graphics core is clocked at 500 Mhz instead of 400

Maybe that's why they die when overclocked using IGP?

BTW, I have a Biostar Tforce 690G board and it has BIOS control for the IGP clock.