I do not game much mostly for HTPC is this better than Gigabyte HD6670? as far as video quality?
905479
Gigabyte 6670 doesn't exist I'm guessing it is Raedon HD6670 that you are referring to and yes this card is slightly better than that according to: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1432&cmp[]=96
1875142
The quality will of course depend on the encoding (divx, xvid, etc.) but it works really well. The USB2.0 interface means there is plenty of bandwidth, a definite improvement over the 970HD's USB1.1. I haven't experienced a single stuttering video or audio file. There are a few limitations/things to be aware of: 1) Only 700 total files can be read from the external drive. 2) The unit will not always properly display or read the files in strict alphanumerical order. Files will *mostly* be in alphanumeric order. 3) Long file names will scroll when highlighted, but the scrolling is very slow. Naming files for quick identification is therefore important. 4) Video resolution for divx/xvid is limited to 720x480 (same as DVD). 5) Auto resume, introduced in a recent firmware update, will not function with HDD files. Other thoughts: When the unit powers up it will search for optical media first. If media isn't present, it automatically brings up the external HDD menu. I tend to take DVDs out of the player when I'm finished viewing so I don't have to go through extra remote clicks to access the HDD when I power it up later. The video and audio quality is excellent. The unit will upconvert the video, with results fully dependent on the quality of the encoding. Very high bitrate xvid looks spectacular. Navigation is fairly easy, with the caveats above. I'm perfectly happy with mine and I use the USB connection regularly. No regrets, and it was a heck of a lot cheaper than building an HTPC to do essentially the same thing.
11267
This board does not seem to exhibit any of the common issues with the H61 chipset. I have built multiple HTPC's and steamboxes for clients with this board and it's held up well over the past 6 months.
1049475
Specifications aside, performance is nearly the same for this price point. If you are looking for more in frame rates and things, it will take more money. All of my games and the 3D games that my son plays work well with this card, so for what I use it for it is great. I hope this helps.
380030
No board is a good board if it doesn't do what you want it to do, regardless of how little or how much you pay for it. This will handle being a home theater PC, browsing the internet, as a word processor, some LIGHT gaming, etc just fine. Overall I have been happy with it as a HTPC.
463962
This model has a dedicated graphics card, which is an NVidia GeForce GT 720M with 2GB of dedicated RAM. I don't know how that compares with Intel HD graphics, but it's quite powerful and should be sufficient for most any video play back (up to and including 1080i HD). If you're looking to run higher-end video games, it should probably still be okay, but you should check the graphics card requirements anyways before buying them, just to make sure. (Sometimes, even if it looks like you surpass the minimum requirements, they might only be able playable on medium- to low-quality settings, due to overheating).
610198
Yes! I have this MB and that chip for a Home Theater PC and it is fantastic. Optical out for 5.1 audio processor and HDMI for TV. This is really a great combo. LAN speed for internet is fast as well. Supports USB 3 as well as 6mb/sec SATA drive. Get a 6mb/7200 rpm drive and enjoy the speed. 8mb memory is "sweet spot" for RAM. I'm running Ubuntu 14.04 and VLC media player.
2134926
It appears to max at 1900 x 1080. My Lenovo 9704 HTPC is connected via HDMI to my Integra DTR 5.8 and then HDMI to my Panasonic 46" plasma. The picture is gorgeous. Solid 1080p with seamless streaming from most websites. (and with only two megs of system ram)
1531252
I paired the board with an amd A8 (built in APU) for htpc and light steam gaming. Im able to play dota2 on high, skyrim and batman on med res.
1334057
This card has more video memory, so I'd like to think that the picture quality's gonna be just a tad better than the 2Gb GDDR card. Mine's been running cool & stable for the last year, so I can vouch for it's reliability as well...
874867
Yes. But if you are looking to support the very latest games, at the highest speeds, then it may not be what you want. It will run them but not as well as the faster machines with very high giga hertz video cards. It is very very good but not the cutting edge now. I hope this helps
765051
I originally was going to use this as an HTPC but it never made it to my TV. I run ubuntu/fedora and develop (node,php,python,go) on it everyday. I recommend 16G of ram. My one issue is running bluetooth latency on my speakers. I'm using logitech k810 bluetooth keyboard, microsoft bluetooth mouse, bose soundlink2 mini bluetooth speakers and I run into sound latency playing youtube videos. It's fine if just use regular (non bluetooth) speakers.
2205913
Well, I only know about its Gaming performance. I have used 3 monitor setup in the past and I can tell you that I vastly prefer this ultra wide for gaming. Movies look great on it and it's wonderful for internet browsing etc. I have had it for several months and would give it a 5 star rating. Zero regrets from a crusty old PC Gamer.
1897458
No idea what HTPC is. However, this unit includes a power amp and I don't see why you would need additional power.
326274
Yes. I am super happy with this purchase. Just make sure you update all the drivers as soon as you get it. The vid card is a really nice touch for the price point.
2273581
I think if your just using it for video media you would be fine but for most online gaming this card would be a little dated, hope this helps
1210567
They are both good, you need to see benchmarks for what you are using your videocard for