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

Thu Nov 20 04:51:25 UTC 2008

On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 10:36 PM, Jeff Holicky
<myth.myth_user at myth.sent.com> wrote:
>
> 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!

Here's what I built my recent bedroom frontend, same basic criteria
except HD playback was a must....
http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/User:Steveadeff#Current_Bedroom_Frontend

-- 
Steve
http://www.jobs-khakis-chicks.com/MythTV/
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