Enter the CPU

Of course, the thing that I not carefully considered for my HTPC was the CPU to run it. Oh, I had a vague idea that I wanted it to be a 64-bit machine AMD machine, but that was about it. So, let's consider for a moment, those two requirements:

First, I wanted a 64-bit CPU because I just felt that when it came to crunching large video files, the more bits the better. In other words, instead of doubling the clock rate of the machine, just double the number of bits that are processed simultaneously. I don't have a source that I can site or empirical data, but when it comes to handling gigabytes of data, a 64-bit CPU just seemed prudent. In retrospect, this requirement might be a problem for some people because older video capture cards may not have 64-bit drivers available from the manufacturer. However, I was buying new hardware, so I decided to keep this requirement.

Second, I wanted an AMD chip. This is mostly because I'm not a fan of Intel's near monopoly on the chip market. I think some competition is a good thing. Also, AMD was first to market with a 64-bit PC chip, so in this case, they were the actual innovators. This may not be the best reasoning, but it looks like both chip makers 64-bit offerings are capable of driving a HTPC, so an emotional decision is not totally out of line.

OK, so let's say that you are more open minded than myself and you want to pick the manufacturer impartially, then I suggest going to www.avsforum.com. There is a sticky thread at the top of the forum entitled "Guide to Building an HTPC". In this guide, you'll find a lot more information than I'm going to throw at you, plus a discussion of the two microprocessor families. It's a good read, if you want to get into the nitty-gritty details.

However, to get to the heart of the matter, I also recommend looking at www.cyberlink.com for the article "What are the recommended CPU requirements to play Blu-ray Disc titles on my computer?" And let's face it, trying to play Blu-Ray is a better requirement than "Sticking it to Intel."

So, there a lot AMD 64-bit CPUs to choose from, which one is the best? Judy's recommendation was to look for a low power one. The lower the power, the less heat and the less that the fans in the case have to work. For this, her suggestion was the Athlon 4850e. It is the lowest wattage CPU of the bunch, and only .2 GHz slower than the 65 watt CPU that I had chosen at random the first time.

Another nice thing about this CPU is that it uses a AM2 type socket and DDR2 memory. These are established standards, and many motherboards will support them.

So, with the CPU in virtual hand, it was time to pick the mother of all boards. Knowing the CPU let me narrow the requirements for the board quite a bit, but I still needed help from my friend Steve picking one.