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[Z0001]

Hi

I'm looking at a new build HTPC that will need to cope with very good video, 3D, and allow me to go 4k in due course. All data will be in an external box on the network, prob unRaid, and the HTPC will just house what's needed for playback. It will also be my ripping station using an external multi ODD box via single esata and the HTPC will need to accommodate the port multiplier in my ODD box. So I like the streacom fc10 as its looks fit with my hifi gear. But it's a passive case and I need decent graphics. So assuming I can fit a graphics card with a fan on it, does this make sense? I hears there are some nvidea cards that don't spin that much. Any ideas about a m.2 micro-atx board with esata port that can recognise port multipliers?

Thanks for any thoughts!
Z

[Manfred]

Depends what you want to use:
RO Standard
RO HQ

I have:
1 x Fractal Design Node 605
1 x Seasonic Platinum Series Fanless 400 PSU
1 x MSI Z87M Gaming Mainboard; Killer LAN
1 x Intel® Core™ i7-4770T Processor up to 3.7 GHz, 45 W TDP 8MB Cache, 4C/8T
1 x 8GB (2 x 4GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR3 DRAM 1600MHz C9 Memory Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9)
1 x Noctua NH-UB9 SE2 (CPU Cooler) + 2 x Noctua NF-A9 PWM (replaces packaged fans)
1 x EVGA GTX 960 SSC 4GB
1 x 500 GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
1 x Samsung SN-506BB/BEBF Blu-Ray drive

If I listen to Audio, the fans of the EVGA cards are off.  The Noctua fans's I can't hear from a 2-3 m distance. If playing 4k, (I am not using NNEDI3 for image doubling) the GPU utilises typically between 30% and 70% and the fans run sometimes ~1000 rpm+. Temparature of the GPU sometimes reaches 70 degree and more.

I personally would not recommend to put a GK like the GTX 960 in a fanless case. You need some fan to exhaust the heat from the case and one to push some cold air into the case.

The GTX 950 has a lower TDP but only 2 GB video RAM (as far as I know). I have played some 4k videos using more than 2 GB RAM. So a critical choice.

There is a mini pc from Zotac "Magnus EN970"  with a GTX 960 inside with only one fan? Would that a possible solution for you?
Zotac Zotac ZBOX Magnus EN970 Plus Intel Core i5-5200U, 8 GB DDR3L, 120 GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, oOS

[astromo]

If you're after a passive case with a passively cooled video card, have you looked at the HDPlex H5?

Here's the link to the vid card cooler:
http://www.hd-plex.com/HDPLEX-Passive-Video-Card-GPU-Heatsink-System-for-HDPLEX-H5.html

[Cryptographer]

To be prepared for my next upgrade, I have been searching for a 4K HDMI solution. Besides HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2, bit streaming of all HD audio formats like DTS-HD Master, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Atmos are on my wish list. Though MC might do a good job decoding HD formats to PCM, I still prefer using the features of my AVR, where I can configure audio options from remote. Even more, the immersive formats Atmos, Auro-3D, and DTS:X require bit streaming to decode my current 5.1.4 configuration. What else is on my whish list is DoP over HDMI.

I had some disappointing attempts with an i7-6700 IGP graphics on an ASRock Z170 Gaming-iTX/ac board equipped with an MCDP2800 converting DP 1.2a to HDMI 2.0, and an NVidia Zotac GTX 960 AMP 4GB based on the 4K GM206 chip. With those the HDMI signal was not very stable when turning off/on the AVR or TV. And even more, regardless what I tried to configure, HD bit streaming was not possible.

Since some weeks I now have a Gigabyte Radeon RX 460 WindForce OC 4GB in use. Due to the compact height without protruding power connectors on top, the card fits well into my OrigenAE S14V case. And with its zero-fan-mode the card remains quiet during playback. An advantage of the RX460 over the RX470/80 is, that it completely powers down each idle GPU kernel. So, in idle mode a combination of an RX460 with a C236 mainboard will consume less than 10 watts.

The HTPC is connected via an X-7200WA AVR to my VTW60 plasma. Picture and sound remain stable when turning off/on the AVR, and even with the TV off the sound continues. All HD sound formats are properly forwarded, including DTS-HD Master and Dolby Atmos. And even 10-bit color resolution works well.

If one day DSD (SACD Audio) pass-through might become possible, it would be the perfect HTPC card. 

Regarding the mainboard, I want to replace the ASRock iTX with a Fujitsu D3417-B (cheaper) or Supermicro X11SAE-M (more features). Both are µATX-sized without any protruding SATA connectors, as only such fit into the S14V case.

[JimH]

You can use Zones and Zoneswitch to separate different file types to play automatically in differently configured zones.  You could use bitstreaming only for a few formats that way.

[Cryptographer]

You can use Zones and Zoneswitch to separate different file types to play automatically in differently configured zones. 
You could use bitstreaming only for a few formats that way.

I already use the Zoneswitch option, but only for 5.0 tracks (found on some SACD extracted .dsf files like Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells).

That is just a workaround to an IMHO bug in the DSP Studio. In the Channels selection I have chosen to use identical to source channels. But this does not make sense for 5.0 sources as WASAPI does not support 5.0. Such material should instead be played back at 5.1 with a silent LFE.

For all other cases, except DSD, bitstreaming is disabled, and this perfectly works with the RX460. In the Video Playback Options adapting the fps strictly to the source (Enable Automatic Display Settings) also works well with the RX460. It seems AMD has done some excellent work.

[Kubi]

So I can assume that a Z170 board with IGP HD530 is not able to work with Dolby Atmos and I need an extra Graphic card?

[Kubi]

Hi!

Regarding to the post of Cryptographer I can now confirm that the IGX HD530 isnt able to produce dolby atmos sound nor is it able to show 4K in a flawless way.
I have bought a passive XFX RX 460 card with 4GB and now everything is fine.

Best Regards,
Kubi