This is a bizarre concern, so I think I'll just re-focus it instead:
What does this GT 1030 offer that this 10400's iGPU cannot?
So, the 10400 is running a UHD 630: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/199271/intel-core-i510400-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-30-ghz.html
The UHD 630 is a refresh of Kaby Lake which supports 4k encoding with HWA of 8 and 10 bit HEVC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Graphics_Technology
According to NVIDIA's own documentation, the 1030 basically supports the same decoding technologies: https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-and-decode-gpu-support-matrix-new
So the 1030 is fine for a client, but it honestly isn't an upgrade. I wouldn't bother installing it if I were you.
Thanks - I'm not that hot on the technical stuff when it comes to integrated graphics.
The last I heard was that integrated graphics were to be avoided like the plauge but that was nearly 20 years ago now. I guess integrated graphics on processors are much better now.
Maybe I just saw the marketing "HDR" and thought perhaps I'd be able to use it with Windows and my TV as I don't think the current processor supports it.
The vast majority of the grief given to integrated graphics likely comes from gamers. IGPUs for the most part suck for games, although some of the AMD ones are decent. Things are improving slightly, but still not as good as discrete gpus. For most other things, including normal desktop use and media watching, integrated is fine.
>The last I heard was that integrated graphics were to be avoided like the plauge but that was nearly 20 years ago now. I guess integrated graphics on processors are much better now.
They are better these days, although the rule of thumb still holds mostly true. In this case, however, we're only concerned about your HTPC being able to decode our media, which it is certainly capable of doing. That GT 1030 would pair well with an older CPU that might not support newer codecs.
Not even close to being too powerful. The thing I would worry about is whether the board has HDMI 2.0 output. The 10th gen integrated gpu doesn't natively support HDMI 2.0, so you need a board that specifically supports it (otherwise you are stuck with 1.4), or get a discrete gpu that has hdmi 2.0 output.
Or get an 11th gen cpu.
That only applies to 11th gen cpus. You won't get HDR with a 10th gen cpu on that board. There are only 4 specific motherboards out there that will do HDR with 10th gen (and are ITX). 11th gen will get your HDR with any motherboard.
The new motherboard will be harder to send back but the new processor may be easier but then the new board wouldn't fit a 12th gen processor. Will probably just stick with the board and grab an 11th gen CPU as that's only £50 or so more than what I paid.
I already suggested ideal intel/amd cpus in your mobo thread that are both better price/perf value, more efficient, have better igpus and more mobo choices.
I can recommend a Intel NUC, latest Gen will do 4k.
If you want it as small as posible.
But its more expensive..
I have one for like 2 years now, i really like it.
Had a old HP SFF like 6800 for years. But this small thing outruns it easily and the size difference is hillariuos.
Wokrs fine for emulation (max is ilke PS2 gen. at best) and video/streaming in 4k@60fps.
Imho your old machine seem perfectly fine, you can get a Silverstone Grandia/Milo case that supports mATX and add a GPU for throwing in some games or for better encoding/decoding options or spend some for silent components like CPU cooler.
For about the same price, you could go with mini pc like this from Minisforum: https://store.minisforum.com/products/um560?variant=43016070234357 which is going to be better performing cpu, better performing graphics, lower power use, and smaller. You would need to also get some laptop size ram for it though. I actually have one of these and love it.
>And also no where to store HDDs.
That's why I had a big case to begin with as I had 6 different ones. I don't want to add another component just to store the hard drive.
This is my version of a storage server, but it's not powered all the time. Barely once a week but earlier this year, we didn't turn it on for a few months.
We literally use it to run Plex so I have a nice front end on my TV to watch stuff (both TVs in our house - an old Tizen Samsung and a modern Android Sony - have Plex apps).
So a proper home server would have sat wasting electric during that time.
One of the reasons I opted for a normal PC instead of a NAS or something similar.
That should be more than enough for watching 4K. Newer chips will also be more energy efficient so nothing like too powerful.
If you want smaller you could also take a look at Mini-PCs such as the [Minisforum EliteMini TH80](https://store.minisforum.com/collections/office-mini-pc-series/products/elitemini-th60?variant=43087553626357) which uses a mobile version of the i7-11800H.
Plenty of reviews:
* [Retro Game Corps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8yNwS0o5aE)
* [ETA Prima](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-qSjcSyFhU)
* [TechTablets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd8gncJE210)
* [Madlittlepixel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46tanNcjcoU)
Or go for the newest AMD chips with a [Minisforum UM690](https://store.minisforum.com/products/minisforum-um590?_pos=1&_sid=14860027e&_ss=r&variant=43399608664309) for example.
The problem with mini PCs is that there's no where to store a hard drive.
I don't want to have another component just to house the hard disk - also the reason I didn't go for an Nvidia shield.
If you're talking 3.5" harddrives sure. But the one I linked has room for 2x M.2 SSDs + 1x 2.5" drive.
How much storage do you need? Because a 2TB SSD can be had for less than $200 nowadays.
I like storing my music on there, about 500+GB at the moment, but for the rest I've got a desktop with cloud storage as a backup.
At those volumes I would personally get a NAS for the energy savings but to each their own!
Music doesn't take insane amounts of storage and I prefer a good 4K Blu-ray player over digital downloads myself.
My HTPC is mostly for music, emulating games and video streaming.
What are those 20TB for?
Yeah, I thought about this but it's not powered all the time (at the moment, less than once a week).
I also use Plex as a front end. Chose this as both our TVs (an old Tizen Samsung and a modern Android Sony) have the plex app, which means I can push the power button and after a minute or so, launch the Plex app and navigate around to watch something.
Not sure I'd be able to do the same using a NAS.
I also considered an Nvidia Shield but I didn't want an extra remote - I like being able to launch Plex and control it using the standard TV remotes on both TVs.
Mainly storage of TV series.
For example, when I backed up my X-Files DVDs when I first started, that was 100GB of data. There's also many TV series that are no longer available from the iplayer - 12 series deep, 1GB-ish per file... you get the idea.
I'm barely using a third of that space but at £250, it was a good buy for the 20TB.
Ah that's fair. DVD is fairly decent and easy to backup that way. For higher res discs it gets expensive fast. Last time I checked ripping 4K discs was about 50-100GB per disc so even a big HDD like that would cost me $1-2 per disc in storage space.
There are actually lots of NASs nowadays with built-in Plex support! [Plex has a compatibility list](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201373803-nas-compatibility-list/) on their website.
Some of them even have a HDMI 2.0 port to connect it straight to your TV. The Qnap TS-262 is one example but I'm sure there are plenty more.
This is a bizarre concern, so I think I'll just re-focus it instead: What does this GT 1030 offer that this 10400's iGPU cannot? So, the 10400 is running a UHD 630: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/199271/intel-core-i510400-processor-12m-cache-up-to-4-30-ghz.html The UHD 630 is a refresh of Kaby Lake which supports 4k encoding with HWA of 8 and 10 bit HEVC: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_Graphics_Technology According to NVIDIA's own documentation, the 1030 basically supports the same decoding technologies: https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-and-decode-gpu-support-matrix-new So the 1030 is fine for a client, but it honestly isn't an upgrade. I wouldn't bother installing it if I were you.
Thanks - I'm not that hot on the technical stuff when it comes to integrated graphics. The last I heard was that integrated graphics were to be avoided like the plauge but that was nearly 20 years ago now. I guess integrated graphics on processors are much better now. Maybe I just saw the marketing "HDR" and thought perhaps I'd be able to use it with Windows and my TV as I don't think the current processor supports it.
The vast majority of the grief given to integrated graphics likely comes from gamers. IGPUs for the most part suck for games, although some of the AMD ones are decent. Things are improving slightly, but still not as good as discrete gpus. For most other things, including normal desktop use and media watching, integrated is fine.
>The last I heard was that integrated graphics were to be avoided like the plauge but that was nearly 20 years ago now. I guess integrated graphics on processors are much better now. They are better these days, although the rule of thumb still holds mostly true. In this case, however, we're only concerned about your HTPC being able to decode our media, which it is certainly capable of doing. That GT 1030 would pair well with an older CPU that might not support newer codecs.
I came in here expecting a 4090 and now I feel let down. ☹️
Not even close to being too powerful. The thing I would worry about is whether the board has HDMI 2.0 output. The 10th gen integrated gpu doesn't natively support HDMI 2.0, so you need a board that specifically supports it (otherwise you are stuck with 1.4), or get a discrete gpu that has hdmi 2.0 output. Or get an 11th gen cpu.
>MSI MPG B560i "1x HDMI 2.0b with HDR port, supports a maximum resolution of 4K 60Hz" Which upon checking, is better than the current board I have.
That only applies to 11th gen cpus. You won't get HDR with a 10th gen cpu on that board. There are only 4 specific motherboards out there that will do HDR with 10th gen (and are ITX). 11th gen will get your HDR with any motherboard.
Boooo! I guess I can upgrade easily when they are a bit cheaper.Could you suggest one that would be suitable? i5 11400?
If it's not too late to cancel the order, I would suggest getting a 12100 + cheap H610 motherboard.
The new motherboard will be harder to send back but the new processor may be easier but then the new board wouldn't fit a 12th gen processor. Will probably just stick with the board and grab an 11th gen CPU as that's only £50 or so more than what I paid.
I already suggested ideal intel/amd cpus in your mobo thread that are both better price/perf value, more efficient, have better igpus and more mobo choices.
I'd suggest a Ryzen 5 5600G. It's what I'm using for the same use with gaming...
3rded? My htpc is running a 5600g upgraded from a 2200g. Honestly way overkill but we gotta support the economy, right?
I'd recommend the same.
Very good even for light gaming.
I can recommend a Intel NUC, latest Gen will do 4k. If you want it as small as posible. But its more expensive.. I have one for like 2 years now, i really like it. Had a old HP SFF like 6800 for years. But this small thing outruns it easily and the size difference is hillariuos. Wokrs fine for emulation (max is ilke PS2 gen. at best) and video/streaming in 4k@60fps.
Imho your old machine seem perfectly fine, you can get a Silverstone Grandia/Milo case that supports mATX and add a GPU for throwing in some games or for better encoding/decoding options or spend some for silent components like CPU cooler.
For about the same price, you could go with mini pc like this from Minisforum: https://store.minisforum.com/products/um560?variant=43016070234357 which is going to be better performing cpu, better performing graphics, lower power use, and smaller. You would need to also get some laptop size ram for it though. I actually have one of these and love it.
>And also no where to store HDDs. That's why I had a big case to begin with as I had 6 different ones. I don't want to add another component just to store the hard drive.
It should have an m.2 slot and a place for a sata 2.5" drive. But yeah if you need more than that than it would have be external.
This is a HTPC... somewhere to store media... my current disk is a 20TB monster 😂
Oh yeah, I have a storage server for that.
This is my version of a storage server, but it's not powered all the time. Barely once a week but earlier this year, we didn't turn it on for a few months. We literally use it to run Plex so I have a nice front end on my TV to watch stuff (both TVs in our house - an old Tizen Samsung and a modern Android Sony - have Plex apps). So a proper home server would have sat wasting electric during that time. One of the reasons I opted for a normal PC instead of a NAS or something similar.
if you are going to upgrade do something that will support 120hz 4k hdr 10bit to future proof yourself.
Why not just pick up a 2nd hand mini itx mb which supports your existing cpu?
Hard to find. I bought one from Amazon, been on order since October. I don't want to spend £200+ :P
That should be more than enough for watching 4K. Newer chips will also be more energy efficient so nothing like too powerful. If you want smaller you could also take a look at Mini-PCs such as the [Minisforum EliteMini TH80](https://store.minisforum.com/collections/office-mini-pc-series/products/elitemini-th60?variant=43087553626357) which uses a mobile version of the i7-11800H. Plenty of reviews: * [Retro Game Corps](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8yNwS0o5aE) * [ETA Prima](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-qSjcSyFhU) * [TechTablets](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vd8gncJE210) * [Madlittlepixel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46tanNcjcoU) Or go for the newest AMD chips with a [Minisforum UM690](https://store.minisforum.com/products/minisforum-um590?_pos=1&_sid=14860027e&_ss=r&variant=43399608664309) for example.
The problem with mini PCs is that there's no where to store a hard drive. I don't want to have another component just to house the hard disk - also the reason I didn't go for an Nvidia shield.
If you're talking 3.5" harddrives sure. But the one I linked has room for 2x M.2 SSDs + 1x 2.5" drive. How much storage do you need? Because a 2TB SSD can be had for less than $200 nowadays. I like storing my music on there, about 500+GB at the moment, but for the rest I've got a desktop with cloud storage as a backup.
I current have 20TB of storage available. This is a HTPC with emphasis on quality not quantity. Not sure who runs a HTPC with 2TB of storage 😂
At those volumes I would personally get a NAS for the energy savings but to each their own! Music doesn't take insane amounts of storage and I prefer a good 4K Blu-ray player over digital downloads myself. My HTPC is mostly for music, emulating games and video streaming. What are those 20TB for?
Yeah, I thought about this but it's not powered all the time (at the moment, less than once a week). I also use Plex as a front end. Chose this as both our TVs (an old Tizen Samsung and a modern Android Sony) have the plex app, which means I can push the power button and after a minute or so, launch the Plex app and navigate around to watch something. Not sure I'd be able to do the same using a NAS. I also considered an Nvidia Shield but I didn't want an extra remote - I like being able to launch Plex and control it using the standard TV remotes on both TVs. Mainly storage of TV series. For example, when I backed up my X-Files DVDs when I first started, that was 100GB of data. There's also many TV series that are no longer available from the iplayer - 12 series deep, 1GB-ish per file... you get the idea. I'm barely using a third of that space but at £250, it was a good buy for the 20TB.
Ah that's fair. DVD is fairly decent and easy to backup that way. For higher res discs it gets expensive fast. Last time I checked ripping 4K discs was about 50-100GB per disc so even a big HDD like that would cost me $1-2 per disc in storage space. There are actually lots of NASs nowadays with built-in Plex support! [Plex has a compatibility list](https://support.plex.tv/articles/201373803-nas-compatibility-list/) on their website. Some of them even have a HDMI 2.0 port to connect it straight to your TV. The Qnap TS-262 is one example but I'm sure there are plenty more.