[mythtv-users] Replacement for Atom Motherboard

[Mike Perkins]

On 08/03/2024 14:50, Roland Ernst wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 8, 2024 at 9:59 AM David Watkins <watkinshome at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>> Ideally I'd like something exactly the same but newer. that is:
>>
>> Combined Frontend/Backend.
>> Silent (in the huge Antec case the Atom is easy to cool with a big slow
>> turning FAN).
>> Low Power, which I think means hardware video acceleration.
>> Fits inside the Antec case.
>>
>> Is there such a board?
>>
>>
> If you want to keep the Antec case, you can replace the motherboard only.
> The following CPUs (and example boards) are sufficient to
> decode mpeg2, h264, h265 video streams in 4k resolution.
> The Intel N100 can decode AV1 video as well.
> ALL CPUs use the internal graphic unit "Intel UHD Graphics (iGPU)".
>
> Intel Celeron J4125
> https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/J4125-ITX/
> 4 SATA interfaces
>
> Intel Pentium Silver J5040
> https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/J5040-ITX/
> 4 SATA interfaces
>
> Intel N100
> https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/N100M/
> 1x M.2/M-Key (PCIe 3.0 x2), 2 SATA interfaces
>
I have a couple of ASRock motherboards in use, though not for mythtv. Specifically, two which use
the heatsinks in your first two examples (one is a J4125-ITX). The major drawback for these is the
poor airflow design. If you look carefully, one of the memory slots is /across/ the end of the fins,
and it is always that slot which has to be filled first!

Fortunately for me mine are in boxes which have fans blowing directly down on them so no problem. I
/have/ previously put one of these in a 1U case and it was not a good experience. It got relegated.

If you want something passively cooled I would suggest the third option, which looks much more
sensible. That looks as if the airflow should come from the side (at the top in the photo), where
the power supply in a normal case would be, but it is low profile enough that any direction of flow
should be adequate.

--

Mike Perkins