ASRock Core 100HT-BD : Bringing HTPCs to the Mainstream Market [UPDATED : Noise Issue]
by Ganesh T S on July 19, 2010 9:34 PM EST- Posted in
- Home Theater
- Arrandale
- ASRock
- Media Streamer
- Core i3
- HTPC
Do the usual benchmarks really provide us with a proper indicator of the worthiness of a HTPC? Is that the performance seen by an average user in real life situations? Such questions often crossed my mind when I looked up the reviews of PCs on various websites. It is almost blasphemous if one were to suggest that the 'Windows Experience Index' is a reflection of what the average user sees. Such a synthetic benchmark might not be a true reflection of the capabilities of the system, but it at least gives an idea to the users as to how much better the system would be compared to the one they currently possess. HTPCs require a different set of performance measurement tests, and we will handle them in the next set of sections. In this, however, we will talk about the general performance metrics in brief.
For readers wanting a lowdown on the core performance aspect (in other words, graphs for various standardized benchmarks) of the motherboard used in this PC, I would suggest reviews from Legion Hardware and Benchmark Reviews. We found nothing in our experiments to dispute their findings. However, one important aspect we would like to cover here is the USB 3.0 performance.
USB 3.0 on the HM55 Chipset
We hooked up OCZ's Enyo 128 GB USB 3.0 external SSD (which has received glowing reviews everywhere with upto 200 MBps read and 190 MBps write speeds) to the front USB 3.0 ports of the Core 100 HT-BD. Contrary to our expectations, we managed to get a maximum of only 93 MBps read and 75 MBps write performance out of the drive. Connecting the same SSD to an USB 2.0 port resulted in a maximum of 33 MBps reads and 29 MBps writes, in line with expectations. We do not get the fabled 10x, but only a 2.7x, improvement over USB 2.0 with the Core 100 HT-BD's USB 3.0 implementation.
A little more analysis revealed that the HM55 chipset does not support PCI-E v2 fully and the bandwidth is limited by the chipset. To get around this limitation, ASRock could have placed a PLX bridge chip on board. We covered this workaround in detail in an earlier piece, but it doesn't make sense for ASRock to implement it in this product. The existing limitation will not be of concern to most users, as SSDs are yet to go mainstream (because of their cost). Most external hard disks with USB 3.0 or eSATA interfaces are inherently limited by the disk-to-buffer transfer rate of around 70 - 90 MBps, and ASRock's USB 3.0 implementation is capable of handling such bandwidth.
Windows Experience Index
A quick glance through the specifications of the system easily reveals the bottleneck affecting the score on the Windows Experience Index. It is none other than Intel's integrated GPU which ends up being the culprit. A screenshot of the Windows Experience Index shows the system chiming in at 5.0. However, we have seen the scores oscillate between 4.4 and 5.2 depending on the graphics driver version, as well as the GPU overclocking status.
Of particular interest is the impressive score received by the processor (6.6), indicating that the performance of this unit would be more than enough for most, if not all, HTPC applications.
DPC Latency Check
Another important criterion for HTPCs is the ability of the system to handle real time streaming of audio and video without dropouts. A handy tool called the DPC Latency Checker helps in analyzing this. This tool was run multiple times in various HTPC scenarios. We did observe red spikes, but disabling the C-states, as well as SpeedStep in the BIOS Advanced CPU configuration helped in alleviating the issue. However, we did not observe any dropouts or playback issues with Blu-Ray or any other media despite the sporadic occurrence of these spikes.
Miscellaneous Performance Indices
Pre-built HTPCs available today are mostly based on the ION chipset, and any comparative evaluation of the benchmark results of this system with ION systems would be grossly unfair for the ION. Both Benchmark Reviews and Legion Hardware compared the Core 100 HT with the ION 330, the 2009 HTPC model from ASRock. Comparing the performance of the Atom to the Core i3 is like comparing apples to oranges, but, for the record, the Core 100 HT system came out better on almost all counts except for the 3D and gaming performance.
On the memory bandwidth side, the Core 100 has more than 2x the performance of the ION 330. CPU performance is around 4 - 5x better. While games appeared to achieve almost similar frame rates on both the Core 100 and the ION 330, 3D performance in applications such as Maya went down by a factor of 2x in favour of the ION 330. Thankfully, applications such as video encoding (a common overnight task for most HTPCs) see a 3.5x performance improvement in the Core 100HT-BD.
In the next section, we will look at the integrated GPU of the Core i3-330M in detail.
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ganeshts - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
Shadowmaster625,This unit is slightly on the leading edge (The Arrandales were introduced around 6 months back).
With $100, it is difficult to get a notebook with HD audio bitstreaming and Blu-Ray drive, even second hand.
For the set of features it offers, we think it is a decent value for money. As for this being mainstream, I am sure there are many who spend $700 or so on a PC once every 4 - 5 years, and this is a perfect system for such people.
tmservo - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
Pray tell.. if you've got a way to get a case/motherboard/ram/hdd/bluray drive and get 1080P for under $100, I'm interested. Somehow, I don't see that as at all feasible. Hell, even the cheapest AMD CPU + board and a cheap case alone is $100. So, however you shoe horn in all those other components, or then get the software to run them (supplied here) ..But, if you'd like.. give me a part list of what you can get that anyone could go buy, NEW, for $100.
Or, find me a used laptop on Ebay with HDMI output that does 1080P and has a bluray drive for $100. Even if it has no screen. Needs to have a HDD, Memory, BD drive though.. and function.
cjs150 - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
53 db!! That is just plain daft.I suspect the design of the case does not help.
I have just built a mini-server using a Atom 510 and I am sure the M/B was ASrock, mini-itx format and a PCI-E slot. Easiest build I have done even though the case was not perfect. As a server it is effectively silent
I do not want an HTPC that creates any more noise other than maybe a slow running 140mm+ fan
ganeshts - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
cjs150,Note that the 53dB is under full load, when all threads are pegged at 100%, and it is just inches away from the unit. The farther you are, the lesser it is, and at 8ft, it was barely discernible.
Under idle, the unit is advertised as having 25dB noise, measured in an anechoic chamber (Refer YouTube video from their marketing department).
I would say, for HTPC purposes, the noise from the unit is definitely within limits.
tech6 - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
Nice work Ganesh - I look forward to further HTPC reviews to see how the AMD platforms compete.shamans33 - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
Ganesh,I'm curious as to how the IR receiver is connected to the motherboard...USB and/or motherboard headers? Is it possible to do a force power off (if let's say the system is frozen) or to do a cold boot up?
Thanks for reviewing more SFF items.
ganeshts - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
shamans33,I believe the IR receiver is connected to a dedicated NuvoTon chip on the motherboard.
The power off button on the remote puts the system in sleep mode when the unit is in operation. In my usage scenario, I had the AC adapter connected to the back of the unit, and the system was completely shutdown. The Power button on the remote was able to boot up the unit without issues (even with Instant Boot disabled).
johnspierce - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
Hi Ganesh,Very nice review, extremely thorough, thank you!
I have a question about how the HDMI handshaking works with the ASRock.
I have built several HTPC's with both NVidia and ATI HDMI-out video cards and it seems they all have a problem when I have it plugged into my HDMI-switching Onkyo receiver.
When I switch from HTPC to DVR and don't change back for awhile, it always has a problem with the display coming "alive" on the switch back. Turning the monitor off and on re-establishes the handshake, but this is an annoying trait of the current crop of video cards. Does the ASRock have this problem?
Also, I wanted to "weigh in" on the lack of a TV tuner -- I really think this is quickly becoming a non-issue since I now use an OTA receiver for local HD and everything else gets streamed. TV Tuners will soon be an anachronism in my opinion.
Thanks,
John
ganeshts - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
johnspierce,I have the same handshaking issue with my ATI based HTPC.
As far as I could see, I didn't have the handshaking issue with the ASRock setup, but the whole testing was done with 2 displays connected to it. I will do a 'standalone' test and get back to you on this.
Aikouka - Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - link
A very interesting product indeed, but I've got my own three cents to provide!1) The price. Ouch... when I first opened this review, I checked the Egg to see if they had them in. Of course as the review mentions, I ended up finding the DVD-equipped model for $650. Tack on another $130 for Windows 7 Professional (note, I use Pro since it enables remoting in, which I find indispensible for a HTPC) and you've got nearly $800. If the Blu-Ray-equipped model retails for $700, you get $830 with the OS and then you have to consider that the blu-ray playback software will set you back another $100 (unless you can find them on sale... TMT3 has been on sale for $75 before).
I've spec'd out a few HTPCs in my quest to find the Holy Grail of HTPC devices, and if price were my main concern, I'd still probably go with my own build. I never put my HTPCs to sleep, so I'm honestly not even worried about that aspect and I don't mind a slightly higher power consumption.
2) The VIA VT2020. Have you noticed a strange amount of memory use from having this? I have an ASUS P7P55D-E Premium motherboard, which also features the same VIA audio chip, and I have god awful levels of memory use from audiodg.exe (Window 7's audio "controller"). At one point before upgrading my BIOS, I would literally see 800MB of memory being used by it. Last night I checked and I had 130MB of memory being used and I only had a single mp3 open. The worst part is that the last time I checked, VIA does not provide audio drivers for that chip. On their website they said that it was manufactured specifically for ASUS and to check their website for drivers.
But who knows... the strange things I see are possibly just issues with the P7P55D-E Premium... it's a god awful motherboard that was released with buggy BIOS revisions and it's no wonder you can't even buy it from NewEgg anymore.
3) The Front. Why do people want to see things like USB ports, bright blue LEDs and 3.5mm ports on the front of entertainment center components? The worst offender of the "sleak front" has to be that ghastly Intel i3 Inside sticker. I'd rather the connections be hidden under some sort of flap or door if they absolutely have to be on the front.
4) The remote. As something to mention, when I was discussing HTPC stuff on the Anandtech forums, a user clued me in on a nice Gyration MPC-capable remote that you could buy off eBay (from Lenovo it looks like) for only $50 that provided some mouse support if you ever needed it. I have to say that I quite like it so far and it might be something to look into if you don't like IR remotes. The only negative aspect is the ugly and obtuse dongle.
5) The comparison. It'd be nice to see how this item really compares to it's cousin, the ATOM-based version. Given the blu-ray version is available for $500 on NewEgg, does it handle all the necessary playback? A $200 savings for slightly longer application loads might be somewhat advantageous. Right now, I literally just leave my HTPC turned on 24/7 with WMC loaded up, so other than any necessary start-ups/shut-downs, I may see very little difference with the ATOM version.