1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics?

pianomatrix · 06-20-2009, 02:52 PM

I have a media center PC with the following specs:

Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU
ASUS P5N7A-VM LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9300/nForce 730i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro
CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 RAM
Antec Fusion v2 uATX case
Windows Vista x32

The ultimate goal here is to play Blue Ray discs without any hickups in the playback. I have a 1080p .mkv of BBC Planet Earth - it has some intense scenes which are probably the best benchmark for 1080p playback.

Currently, I cannot play Planet Earth smoothly with the integrated GeForce 9300 graphics. The CPU load is about 25-30% throughout the entire playback, but the video is still jumpy at parts. This is surprising because I read many reviews on this mobo before buying it, which claimed that it's HD ready. Is my setup 1080p capable or should I look into discrete graphics?

**wrench97** · 06-20-2009, 03:20 PM

A Discrete graphics card is better, but how much ram is reserved for the video in the Bios?

pianomatrix · 06-20-2009, 04:04 PM

I tried going into BIOS, but it didn't seem to show the memory allocation. In Display Settings, under Advanced, I see the following:

Code:

Total Available Graphics Memory: 1663 MB
Dedicated Video Memory: 256 MB
System Video Memory: 64 MB
Shared System Memory: 1343 MB

I'm a bit of a noob so if there's another way to check how much RAM is reserved for video, please let me know

**wrench97** · 06-20-2009, 04:10 PM

That gives us the answer.
I think the problem lies in the fact that it's only 64MB of ram on the Video Controller the rest has to be accessed through the memory controller to the system ram.
That BBC video is system intense, I've seen normal Blue-Ray players struggle with it(Lower cost models), have you tried a regular movie to see the results?
What screen size are you using and through HDMI or DVI?

pianomatrix · 06-20-2009, 04:24 PM

I have a 55" HDTV linked through HDMI. I've tried running regular movies, and they also jump sometimes. My Pentium III 3.0 GHz can play the same movies on the HDTV more smoothly. I also tried inserting a low-end video card - ASUS EAH4550 512 MB DDR3 with HDMI output. It runs a bit smoother, but completely incapable of playing Planet Earth "killa bird scene". I have a feeling that this hardware should be able to handle HD playback. Could it be a software/codec issue?

**wrench97** · 06-20-2009, 04:45 PM

It could be a Software issue but I would think you'd see an error at some point are you using WMP or another app.
Have you checked the temps for the CPU and Chipset?
Try Sensor View It'll give you the CPU temp and should give the chipset temp> http://www.stvsoft.com/index.php?opt...d=17&Itemid=33

pianomatrix · 06-20-2009, 11:56 PM

I'm using VLC. My idle temps are usually around 20 C for the CPU, and 45 C for the mobo. During playback of Planet Earth, CPU temp went up to 45 C, and mobo temp went up to 60 C. Ambient temp is about 23 C, which makes me think that this temp monitor is recording slightly lower temps than realistic.

**wrench97** · 06-21-2009, 02:05 AM

The 20c seems low for the Q9400 they usually idle in the mid to high 40's and 65c under load isn't uncommon, so the 25c jump is a touch high but I wouldn't place the blame there yet. If the motherboard temp is off an equal amount that could be an issue, for a test take the cover off the case and blow a house fan at the motherboard to see if it makes a difference in the temp readings and the play back.

pianomatrix · 06-21-2009, 10:25 AM

I just checked the BIOS temp readings, and I got high 40s for the CPU and high 30s for the mobo during idle. But that temp reading is also weird because it kept increasing at a constant rate while I was watching it. In any case, I doubt that overheating is the problem. I installed the Arctic 7 Pro with Arctic Silver thermal paste, and the cpu fan is usually around 800 rpm. During movie playback, the cpu fan goes up to 2800 rpm. I think everything's more or less OK with temperatures.

Assuming that my HD playback problems are due to hardware, what is a suitable video card? I had a ASUS EAH4550 lying around which I tried - it helped a tad but still couldn't handle the bird scene in Planet Earth.

Also, is there a way to make my CPU work harder during video playback to take over some of the processing the GPU would usually do? My Core 2 Quad 2.66 is only going up to 30-40% usage.

**wrench97** · 06-21-2009, 11:30 AM

Not really large resolutions tend to run off the GPU. I'm more concerned with the chipset temp then the CPU temp, Nvidia chipsets tend to run hot. While I usually prefer ATI cards for HDMI setups in the case of an Nvidia chipset I would look to a 9500GT or 9600GT most likely this one> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125260 would be my choice.

pianomatrix · 06-21-2009, 12:45 PM

Thanks for the recommendation. The card is pretty affordable - will it do better than the card I currently have installed?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121306

**wrench97** · 06-21-2009, 12:53 PM

It's about equal to a HD4670, but after looking at the 4550's specs I think that should have done better then it did.
Did it play STD def video ok?
How about a HD movie other then the BBC one?

pianomatrix · 06-21-2009, 01:45 PM

I just tried playing STD def, and it also hickups. This is pretty weird, so I went back to check the memory allocation, and here's what I see:

Code:

Total Available Graphics Memory: 1791 MB
Dedicated Video Memory: 512 MB
System Video Memory: 0 MB
Shared System Memory: 1279 MB

Is the 0 MB a problem?

**wrench97** · 06-21-2009, 01:59 PM

No if your using the card it has it's own memory so no dedicated system memory.
Open task manager(right click on the task bar and select from the list) start with the Processes tab and click on the CPU column twice to sort by the highest use System Idle should be at the top, is there anything else that pops up when the video slows?

pianomatrix · 06-21-2009, 02:06 PM

Nope, VLC is right under system idle at 20-25% during Planet Earth playback.

**wrench97** · 06-21-2009, 04:27 PM

Is this running off the DVD drive or the Hard drive?

pianomatrix · 06-21-2009, 05:05 PM

I tried both - none of it plays smoothly.

**wrench97** · 06-21-2009, 05:18 PM

Lets try a couple of things, do you have a smaller monitor to test with?
Lets see if the problem persists through a DVI cable and snaller screen size.
Then
Try removing one stick of ram and running on one stick and then the other.

**wrench97** · 06-21-2009, 05:18 PM

Lets try a couple of things, do you have a smaller monitor to test with?
Lets see if the problem persists through a DVI cable and snaller screen size.
Then
Try removing one stick of ram and running on one stick and then the other.

pianomatrix · 06-21-2009, 05:32 PM

I don't have another monitor with DVI - does RGB work?
Also, I did do a memtest86 v1.7 test - it ran for 9 hours with 10 pass, 0 fail. Does that mean I can rule out the RAM?

06-20-2009, 02:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I have a media center PC with the following specs: Core 2 Quad Q9400 CPU ASUS P5N7A-VM LGA 775 NVIDIA GeForce 9300/nForce 730i HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro CORSAIR XMS2 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2 RAM Antec Fusion v2 uATX case Windows Vista x32 The ultimate goal here is to play Blue Ray discs without any hickups in the playback. I have a 1080p .mkv of BBC Planet Earth - it has some intense scenes which are probably the best benchmark for 1080p playback. Currently, I cannot play Planet Earth smoothly with the integrated GeForce 9300 graphics. The CPU load is about 25-30% throughout the entire playback, but the video is still jumpy at parts. This is surprising because I read many reviews on this mobo before buying it, which claimed that it's HD ready. Is my setup 1080p capable or should I look into discrete graphics? Last edited by pianomatrix; 06-20-2009 at 03:04 PM.

06-20-2009, 03:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? A Discrete graphics card is better, but how much ram is reserved for the video in the Bios? __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-20-2009, 04:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I tried going into BIOS, but it didn't seem to show the memory allocation. In Display Settings, under Advanced, I see the following: Code: Total Available Graphics Memory: 1663 MB Dedicated Video Memory: 256 MB System Video Memory: 64 MB Shared System Memory: 1343 MB I'm a bit of a noob so if there's another way to check how much RAM is reserved for video, please let me know Last edited by pianomatrix; 06-20-2009 at 04:05 PM.

06-20-2009, 04:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? That gives us the answer. I think the problem lies in the fact that it's only 64MB of ram on the Video Controller the rest has to be accessed through the memory controller to the system ram. That BBC video is system intense, I've seen normal Blue-Ray players struggle with it(Lower cost models), have you tried a regular movie to see the results? What screen size are you using and through HDMI or DVI? __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-20-2009, 04:24 PM	#5 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I have a 55" HDTV linked through HDMI. I've tried running regular movies, and they also jump sometimes. My Pentium III 3.0 GHz can play the same movies on the HDTV more smoothly. I also tried inserting a low-end video card - ASUS EAH4550 512 MB DDR3 with HDMI output. It runs a bit smoother, but completely incapable of playing Planet Earth "killa bird scene". I have a feeling that this hardware should be able to handle HD playback. Could it be a software/codec issue?

06-20-2009, 04:45 PM	#6 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? It could be a Software issue but I would think you'd see an error at some point are you using WMP or another app. Have you checked the temps for the CPU and Chipset? Try Sensor View It'll give you the CPU temp and should give the chipset temp> http://www.stvsoft.com/index.php?opt...d=17&Itemid=33 __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-20-2009, 11:56 PM	#7 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I'm using VLC. My idle temps are usually around 20 C for the CPU, and 45 C for the mobo. During playback of Planet Earth, CPU temp went up to 45 C, and mobo temp went up to 60 C. Ambient temp is about 23 C, which makes me think that this temp monitor is recording slightly lower temps than realistic.

06-21-2009, 02:05 AM	#8 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? The 20c seems low for the Q9400 they usually idle in the mid to high 40's and 65c under load isn't uncommon, so the 25c jump is a touch high but I wouldn't place the blame there yet. If the motherboard temp is off an equal amount that could be an issue, for a test take the cover off the case and blow a house fan at the motherboard to see if it makes a difference in the temp readings and the play back. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-21-2009, 10:25 AM	#9 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I just checked the BIOS temp readings, and I got high 40s for the CPU and high 30s for the mobo during idle. But that temp reading is also weird because it kept increasing at a constant rate while I was watching it. In any case, I doubt that overheating is the problem. I installed the Arctic 7 Pro with Arctic Silver thermal paste, and the cpu fan is usually around 800 rpm. During movie playback, the cpu fan goes up to 2800 rpm. I think everything's more or less OK with temperatures. Assuming that my HD playback problems are due to hardware, what is a suitable video card? I had a ASUS EAH4550 lying around which I tried - it helped a tad but still couldn't handle the bird scene in Planet Earth. Also, is there a way to make my CPU work harder during video playback to take over some of the processing the GPU would usually do? My Core 2 Quad 2.66 is only going up to 30-40% usage. Last edited by pianomatrix; 06-21-2009 at 10:46 AM.

06-21-2009, 11:30 AM	#10 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? Not really large resolutions tend to run off the GPU. I'm more concerned with the chipset temp then the CPU temp, Nvidia chipsets tend to run hot. While I usually prefer ATI cards for HDMI setups in the case of an Nvidia chipset I would look to a 9500GT or 9600GT most likely this one> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125260 would be my choice. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-21-2009, 12:45 PM	#11 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? Thanks for the recommendation. The card is pretty affordable - will it do better than the card I currently have installed? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121306

06-21-2009, 12:53 PM	#12 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? It's about equal to a HD4670, but after looking at the 4550's specs I think that should have done better then it did. Did it play STD def video ok? How about a HD movie other then the BBC one? __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-21-2009, 01:45 PM	#13 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I just tried playing STD def, and it also hickups. This is pretty weird, so I went back to check the memory allocation, and here's what I see: Code: Total Available Graphics Memory: 1791 MB Dedicated Video Memory: 512 MB System Video Memory: 0 MB Shared System Memory: 1279 MB Is the 0 MB a problem?

06-21-2009, 01:59 PM	#14 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? No if your using the card it has it's own memory so no dedicated system memory. Open task manager(right click on the task bar and select from the list) start with the Processes tab and click on the CPU column twice to sort by the highest use System Idle should be at the top, is there anything else that pops up when the video slows? __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-21-2009, 02:06 PM	#15 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? Nope, VLC is right under system idle at 20-25% during Planet Earth playback.

06-21-2009, 04:27 PM	#16 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? Is this running off the DVD drive or the Hard drive? __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-21-2009, 05:05 PM	#17 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I tried both - none of it plays smoothly.

06-21-2009, 05:18 PM	#18 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? Lets try a couple of things, do you have a smaller monitor to test with? Lets see if the problem persists through a DVI cable and snaller screen size. Then Try removing one stick of ram and running on one stick and then the other. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-21-2009, 05:18 PM	#19 (permalink)
wrench97 Moderator, Hardware Team Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Pennsylvania Posts: 18,659 OS: Win7	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? Lets try a couple of things, do you have a smaller monitor to test with? Lets see if the problem persists through a DVI cable and snaller screen size. Then Try removing one stick of ram and running on one stick and then the other. __________________ Power Supply and Selection

06-21-2009, 05:32 PM	#20 (permalink)
pianomatrix Registered User Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 20 OS: Windows Vista	Re: 1080p Capable HTPC - Integrated Graphics? I don't have another monitor with DVI - does RGB work? Also, I did do a memtest86 v1.7 test - it ran for 9 hours with 10 pass, 0 fail. Does that mean I can rule out the RAM?