[mythtv-users] Critique on ASUS M3N78-VM FE (plus ASUS/MOBO Questions)

[Jeff Holicky]

I am close to going ahead to build my first front end and wanted
to ask a number of questions from the "collective" (aka
MythBorg).
My criteria - cheap $300-400CA; some future proofing for future
HD; for some rooms - small/attractive; very quiet; no HDD/CDR; no
networking boot unless I must
Lower power consumption where possible since it will most likely
be on most of the time
I will be playing SD mostly today with future HDTV functionality;
not sure how many FEs today - a perfect world would be 5 - but I
might also buy a MediaMVP to test that out in one room.
1) MOBO - M3N78-VM
I originally was looking at the P5E-VM HDMI ($150CA) which had
all the bells and whistles I wanted, but felt the premium to get
HDMI out was not worth it (could get a cheaper MOBO and buy an
HDMI card after) and found the P5KPL-CM (P5K) which had some
basic features I needed.  Then I read the following post (by
Nico) on a prospective machine:
http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/mythtv/users/357383#357383
(post #10 - Nico)
<snip>
  * I've just build an FE system on Newegg for less than $200
    that would be fully HD compliant with this API:
  * Western Digital Caviar WD800BB 80GB 7200 RPM IDE Ultra ATA100
    Hard Drive $35.99
  * ASUS M3N78-VM AM2+/AM2 NVIDIA GeForce 8200 HDMI Micro ATX AMD
    Motherboard (DVI+HDMI+Optical audio)  $74.99
  * Kingston ValueRAM 1GB (2 x 512MB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
    (PC2 6400)  Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model
    KVR800D2N5K2/1G $20.99
  * AMD Sempron 64 3400+ Manila 1.8GHz Socket AM2 62W Single-Core
    Processor  Model SDA3400IAA3CW $19.99
  * Linkworld Black body/ Silver strip Steel 6280-01 Micro ATX
    Media Center / HTPC Case with 300W Power Supply $38.99
  * Total: $190.95  ... Add a CPU Fan... Ugly and probably noisy.

<snip>
I saw a few posts on the M3N78-VM and decided to review further -
esp since I can get it.  I had eliminated (for whatever reason)
the AMD boards, and found this board was an excellent middle of
the road board - HDMI/DVI but not too pricey ($100CA).  Plus it
has some smarts to boot into a LINUX mode that allows you to
connect to the net if the system fails to carry on past the BIOS
and not boot (cool).
I am starting to price out a similar set up:
mobo - ASUS M3N78-VM
ram - Kingston ValueRam (per QVL) - DDR2 800 PC2 6400 1GB
video - ASUS EN7200GS 256 RAM (SDTV - I need this for S-VIDEO
output) [I can actually get this; cannot find any low profile
available]
case - Antec NSK 1380 (350W CPU; 80 certified - uATX) - Quiet 80
PLUS Certified 350W P/S with universal input delivers quiet,
stable power.
- Because the video card I cannot go low profile.  The only
alternative to this would be maybe a MINI-TOWER IN-WIN case at
1/2 the price but 2x the size. Case comes with a 120mm fan -
implies quieter than the 80mm plus with the 80 PLUS rating in the
long run it might be a better decision to bite the bullet and get
this.  Sadly it makes the system about $50 more than it could be.
CPU?
Right now I am having problems with the CPU.  With Intel I might
have gone with a low power Core 2 Duo E4500 (~65W).  AMD is a
problem - though above the set up quotes "AMD Sempron 64 3400+" I
am having a problem getting that (I don't do mail order).  One
computer company I went to only could get SOCKET AM2 - Sempron
LE-1300 - but I can't find much on them cpu mark wise.  From what
I read, anything over a P4 3.0GHz should play HD without problem.
Please refer to this site:
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/common_cpus.html
If I wanted to ensure that I could play any HD video in the
future with this box (1080p/i) - am I right in assuming any CPU
over the P4 3.0GHz - CPU mark 466 should be perfectly fine?  Or
should I raise the bar and go higher - if so - what would you
suggest as a minimum?   (the cpu benchmark site is more for me to
hear suggestions on a minimum - then I can see what I can buy
that are better).  Obviously I still want a CHEAP CPU - and not
go too far higher than the minimum.
FWIW
- A dated but still good CPU power usage link:
http://www.processor-comparison.com/power.html
- Also dated video card usage page -
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000662.html
MEMORY?
I think 1GB is plenty - but again if I want to future proof - is
it better to get 2GB?
Jury still out on cost - but seem to be stuck in the $400CA
range.
Board questions:
1) USB BOOT - I have asked a generic question below.  Whoever has
this board (M3N78-VM) - can one use a USB KEY (1-4GB) to boot?
(Has anyone tried this?)
2) NETWORKING - I noticed in the ASUS specs, that they do not
refer to manageability with the M3N78-VM.  No mention of
networking - PXE etc.  P5K specs mention it.  Both manuals are
the same as the specs online - and offer no more.
When I reviewed a cousin (M3N78-CM) it does say manageability -
must be an oversight. (Manageability ... PXE).  Anyways, can
anyone confirm that the M3N78-VM supports PXE?
3) AUDIO DRIVERS - the P5K has Linux drivers (Asus) for audio
under the downloads.  When I checked the M3N78, there are no
drivers. Both use the same AUDIO chip.
Can I simply use the drivers for the M3N from the P5K or do I
need to go somewhere else (if I need alternate - where from?)
4) LAN DRIVERS - I am not seeing any drivers at all for this -VM
unit.  The -CM cousin merely suggests  "Gigabit LAN" but this is
different and again no drivers for this board.
"2 x Realtek 8111C Gigabit MAC Atheros F1 Gigabit PHY featuring
AI NET 2"
The manual talks about AI NET 2 and nothing else.  Any thoughts
on where I would get drivers?
5) Similar Intel boards?
Does anyone know of a similar Intel board - around the same price
point with HDMI and the SLI video etc?  I might look into that
and get the E4500 (maybe).
General ASUS questions:
a) I want to aim at booting via a USB KEY.  Yet no where does it
say that all ASUS motherboards do this [no spec or
documentation].  I want to know if there is a general consensus
that ASUS boards after a certain point (Socket 775 / Socket AM2+)
should automatically be able to boot from USB Keys (1-4GB).  This
is a rather CRITICAL question - I really want to eliminate HDD /
CDRs and networking booting options.  I posted a message in the
ASUS board to no avail at this point.
b) Memory (more any MOBO really).  I am interested in knowing how
well MOBOs work with various memory choices.  I haven't built a
computer from scratch since the Apple ][+ days (soldering the
chips to the board I mean and burning the EPROMS).  I am always
worried that if I buy a MOBO and memory separate, that there is a
chance that the machine may not like it and there I am pissing
away time and money at trying to fix it.  (Prefer to have someone
else build the machine and worry about conflicts such as this).
ASUS offers their QVL (Qualified Vendors List).   Nico showed
Kingston Value Ram - yet that RAM was not part of the QVL (specs
are not the same).  I have found the QVL version of Kingston RAM
for about $10CA more - not a big deal.  But I was wondering - how
finicky are the boards with memory used that are not listed in
the QVL?  If I am building from scratch, am I better off
following their guidelines, and reduce or eliminate any conflicts
(system hanging etc) - or damned if I do and damned if I dont?
Please offer some thoughts on this.  I am inches away from the
big jump - building it myself piecemeal would save money overall.
Thanks to everyone that is able to assist at reviewing and
offering any help.  Also thanks to Nico - who I emailed
originally - he suggested it was better to get more eyes to
review the specs and offer suggestions - and I agree - education
for all!
Cheers!
jeff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
myth (at) stocks (dot) sent (dot) com
(email for direct response)

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