CPU AMD|A64 4000+ 2.6G
MEM 1Gx2|GEIL (any 1Gx2 will do)
MB GIGABYTE GA-MA69GM-S2H 690G (or the S3H for more PCI slots)
DVBDream, XP Pro
That MB uses the ATI/AMD 690G chipset. It has HDMI out and SPDIF audio built in. It also has a x16 PCIe slot so you could add a NVIDIA graphics card if you want to game as well. Just be sure you select a card that has HDMI out and SPDIF in to maintain a single connection to your HDTV. The other thing to remember about NVIDIA cards is GPU acceleration (CPU offload) is only available on the 8500 or 8600 cards. Nvidia calls this decode acceleration with IDCT and CAVCL/CABAC. When decoders start using the GPU, choosing those cards will offload the CPU.
You’ll have to update the BIOS and then so some overclocking. At that point, the 690G chipset will run H.264/1080p smoothly. There are no Vcore or DDR voltage settings available in BIOS at this time. Since the RAM is underclocked, it does not really matter that the default voltage in BIOS is 1.8v. So don't buy 1.9v DDR and expect it to perform at spec. But we don't care in this case, since the RAM is underclocked.
Advanced BIOS chipset settings are available in BIOS by hitting CTRL F1. I’m running the GPU at 500, the CPU at 3.1, the FSB at 280 which gives a HT of 1400 (2800 FSB) using a 11 multiplier. The GPU buffer is set at 1Gb with DDR2 clocked at 533. ATI recommends 256 Mb for the buffer, but I have tested 256, 512 and 1G. I chose 1G since there is plenty of unused RAM lying around. When a H.264 channel is selected, the CPU shoots up to high 90s and then as the buffer fills the CPU drops anywhere from the 60s to the high 80s dependant on the complexity of the video. Whether playing back 1080p files or DVB-S H.264, it works. Using an old case, PSU and HD, this is a budget machine fully capable for ~$225 running XP Pro,
Use Elecard video codec, Nvidia audio codec, VR7 and Coreavc. ATI Avivo codecs are useless but do update the 690G drivers. Since it is an ATI chipset, forget Purevideo. This machine does the same job as well as my other $700 machine with a dual core AMD and 2x Nvidia 8600GTS SLI (gamer as well).
If you have drop outs due to CPU 100% load, there are PCIe cards to be added for ~$75 and up that provide HDMI output and gaming in 8600GTS format. That will off load the onboard 690G graphics. Don't forget to disable the onboard graphics if you add a GPU.
If you want a gamer as well with SLI, go with the 590 chipset (2x16 lanes) See my machines below. Or just spring the bucks for a 8800 with that 690G, but that defeats the budget theme. You could also get a dual core (and run X64/Vista64) and have the 1st machine below and play Crysis on high and H.264 DVB-S...
