General Discussions

[andrei93]

  So, I've had some arguments in the family due to a very old laptop that's being used for watching movies on a 4k TV. It's hard for my family to understand that the video stuttering and lagging they are experiencing during a movie is due to the very old and severely outdated hardware they are using to watch movies from and it's much easier for them to point fingers at me and to blame me for being the one that decided to ditch the old internet contract which had <20Mbps and get a contract with Virgin Media and an internet speed of >300Mbps.
   Now I want to fix this problem and I not only want to build a PC that can easily do this, but also be capable of 4k Blu-Ray playback since the TV is 4k, so this is where I need help with suggestions. This will mark the first HTPC I build and I want to do it right the first time in a form-factor as close to that of a console as I can get it. I've done some research online and I couldn't find a conclusive answer as to what is the minimum GPU requirement to be able to play 4k Blu-Ray. Also, if any of you can come with a better suggestion for a case that would be very appreciated since the one I've picked doesn't have very good ventilation.

  This is the build so far:
https://secure.scan.co.uk/web/savedbasket/shareddetails/7fcc47e7-9956-4e97-92ac-0d02e5845465

with this ram:

G.SKILL F4-3200C14D-16GFX 16 GB (8 GB x 2) Flare X Series DDR4 3200 MHz PC4-25600 CL14 Dual Channel ...

and this keyboard:

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/logitech-k400-plus-wireless-touch-keyboard-integrated-touchpad-10m-r...

[black_zion]

If you're just wanting to watch Blu-Ray videos and use streaming services you should just get a good Blu-Ray player, or a Playstation 4/XBOX One S. They're a fraction of the cost and do the same thing an HTPC can do.

[andrei93]

Well, I still want it to be a laptop replacement, not a console. And it's still mainly going to be used for movie streaming online, I just want it to have the added feature of a blu-ray player if we ever feel like watching a proper 4k movie. But we're also gonna store various files on it, hence the 2TB sshd and money isn't a problem.

I've noticed today a couple of juicy APUs announced at CES, one of which has 11 Vega CUs. Would that be enough for smooth 4k playback?

[ajlueke]

Hello andrei93,

If you are referring to the desktop "Raven Ridge" APUs launching February 12th, then yes, they will definitely have enough horsepower for 4K video playback.  Don't expect it to play games at the 4K resolution however.

[andrei93]

No need for games. Won"t buy a controller or anything like that, just a media PC.

Thanks for the reply guys! I'm looking forward to this build

[black_zion]

Plenty.

[jhon123]

If you're just wanting to watch Blu-Ray videos and use streaming services you should just get a good Blu-Ray player, or a Playstation 4/XBOX One S. They're a fraction of the cost and do the same thing an HTPC can do. geriatras en guatemala