Eric-B.net

My New PC

I decided it was time to build a new PC. I decided to go with a HTPC set up, as I already had my older PC plugged into my DLP TV.

I bought myself an ASUS Micro ATX motherboard with a AM2+ socket. It has the 780 northbridge chip so that I bought a cheap ATI 3450 card to use the Hybrid Crossfire feature. It will use both graphics processors to make things run better, in theory.

I initially bought an AMD Phenom Quad Core 9600, but I decided to get a Phenom II Quad Core X4 940. It was not supported by my motherboard with its current BIOS revision, but I opened the box, slapped it in there, and it was able to boot to the BIOS. I upgraded it to the supported version. I was happy that it was able to boot up to upgrade, as I didnt want to open the 9600 and kill the return policy.

I am happy with the way everything fit into the extremely quiet and small case that I got, but the graphics cards is disappointing. I get a lower score in Vista with the hybrid running then I do by using the 3450 alone. I tried to use the on-board HDMI port, but the picture was crooked. My TV will not adjust that, and neither will the ATI Catalyst software. I am going to try the DVI port on the 3450 and use my DVI to HDMI cable, and since that will not carry audio, I will need a 1/8 to RCA adapter to run to my stereo. I am still not sure how acurate the vista performance rankings are, and I will keep Crossfire enabled for now.

I plan to get a Blu-Ray player for it, as they are quite cheap, and I want a capture card as well. This should round off the HTPC idea.