[twitchyzero]

I got a retired SFF Lenovo ThinkCentre as a hand-me-down from work.

E8400 dual-core 3GHz
3GB DDR2
GMA 3100
8 usb2 ports
gigE

I also got a new 64" TV...so perfect time to try Steam's in-home game streaming with this ghetto project!

Aim:
I've an internal blu-ray drive in my main rig that I wish to transfer over so I wanna turn this dinosaur into a 3D blu-ray + steam streaming box

Budget:
$100...because let's be honest the system itself isn't even worth that much.

Graphics/Audio:
Looking for low-profile and single slot video card capable of rendering 3D blu-ray + loseless HD audio. Both my TV/soundbar supports ARC. Doesn't need any real GPU horsepower, but being able to run indie/last-gen titles at console quality would be nice (source engine, UE3 etc at low-medium 1080p 30fps). Again, if it pushes into $100+ range then it's not necessary.

HD6450 looks like a great candidate, what was its successor? Anything newer/better I should consider?

Video playback Software:
What's the least hassle free 3D blu-ray media player that will play everything I throw at it? either free or paid program.

OS:
Win 7 x64 or win 8.1 x64 for my purpose?

Networking:
this is giving me a real headache. I know I know, Valve recommends gigE ethernet but hardwiring isn't feasible in my case. I have a N300 USB adapter handy. Going internal means it has to be PCI + low-profile which is very limiting. Going for USB AC/5GHz N is also limiting because this system doesn't support USB3. My router is a capable AC1200 and main rig is 5GHz N. Will consider powerlines but only as a last resort. Any suggestion is appreciated.

Memory:
The ram should be okay, but I can up it to 4GB if need be from an old rig.

 

[jakethesnake438]

I would go for something newer than a 6450, try find something in the more recent generations of AMD/NV graphics. Not all support 3d Bluray

NV Gt 640 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Galaxy-GeForce-GT-640-GC-1GB-DDR3-PCI-Express-3-0-Graphics-Card-HDMI-DVI-VGA-/221645196180?pt=PCC_Video_TV_Cards&hash=item339b154b94

If you are streaming high bitrate content from somewhere else in your house i.e. NAS or something then you should probably stay away from USB 2.0 wifi adapters. Maybe get a wifi bridge going?

If you are just going to be streaming from a webservice then standard usb wifi will most likely be fine due to the lower bitrates

OS: go for the cheaper one, I haven't really seen much of a difference in controlling media with 8.1 over 7

 

[twitchyzero]

nice card but not low-profile + single slot
i'll read up more on the wifi bridge
OS price not a concern as I already have both licenses

 

[twitchyzero]

think i've narrowed it down to the GT 730 2GB GDDR5
It's a GK208 chip?
since these cards dont boost the max clock is the core clock? Any overclocking headroom? Trying to find overclocking/benchmarks is like...impossible! My system has 280W but it should be okay despite it requiring 300W PSU?

The runner up was the R7 250...very limited info online...could be a better bang for buck (only 1GB VRAM but higher mem b/w) but i dont think it's low-profile

And this might seem like a stupid question, a steam machine doesn't stream directly from the host computer right? The packet still goes through the router? Thus, hardwiring the router to the steam machine is still beneficial even if the host isn't hardwired?

 

[twitchyzero]

up

 

[twitchyzero]

no one can comment on hardwiring to the router vs wifi when the host is wifi?

 

[Dimestore55]

Quote:

Originally Posted by twitchyzero

no one can comment on hardwiring to the router vs wifi when the host is wifi?

The only thing you can do is try it and see if it works. There are too many variables when it comes to WiFi. It's impossible to predict the outcome of your equipment in your house.

Obviously, hardwiring is the preferred method. I have 4 PC's and a server in my home and I have them all hardwired. Only my laptop is WiFi and I have a lot of trouble streaming via my network on that device.

 

[twitchyzero]

yes I understand wifi is hit and miss.

As phrased in an earlier post, I was asking whether Nvidia Gamestream/Steam In-Home Streaming directly connects between client and host, or does the packet go through the router first?

If it goes through the router, then I'd be up to find a way to hardwire. If not, I'll give wifi a try first...but would like to know first so I dont have to go through the hassle of returns if it's one or the other.

 

[thewadegeek]

Pretty sure all WiFi traffic goes through the base station(though you could create an Ad-Hoc connection between the two).