[JerryT]

Oh by the way … my new HTPC kills 4K HEVC videos … runs native HDMI 2.0 out to my 4K TV, no skipped frames, CPU at 2% usage and memory (8Gb) at 20% usage … and best of all, no need to screw around with this miniDP to HDMI dongle that doesn’t work!

[JerryT]

Well FYI I have some feedback on ASRock mobos … don’t get one, go with something like ASUS or Gigabyte.  I have spent the whole weekend fooling around with the BIOS trying to get the CPU fan to spin properly.  I won’t bore you with the details but ASRock evidently have issues causing the CPU fan not to spin at all unless it’s going flat out – no good for a quiet HTPC build.  Anyway, I have it performing better now but not completely as it should be working.  Save yourself the hassle and buy a better brand.  
Shame about the price issue … we get screwed over here too but not as badly as you guys I’m sure.  Maybe try newegg?  They ship to Aus now, I don’t know about NZ though.  The VR setup sounds cool … good luck with it.

[JerryT]

Hey Ripped … firstly happy Easter to you.

Funny you should ask because I just bought my new rig to replace the NUC, and I was desperately hoping that the final package would arrive in the mail on Thursday so I could have some fun building my new HTPC over the Easter long weekend … but it was not to be.  I’ll have to wait until next week to get it built.  But anyway, here is my new HTPC build:

Case – Fractal Design Node 304 (white)
MOBO – Asrock H170M-ITX/ac
CPU – Intel i5 6400
RAM – 2x 4Gb Kingston HyperX DDR4 2133
HDD – Intel 120Gb SSD
GPU – Gigabyte GTX 960 2Gb Windforce
PSU – Corsair CS550M Plus Gold

All this is costing me a bit under $1200 which is more than I wanted to spend but it’s a pretty good spec machine, and should eat up 4K content for some time to come and also be good enough for some gaming as well.  I did a lot of research on the case and PSU because we also just bought a new TV cabinet and the case has to fit in it properly.  My main concerns were ventilation/cooling, space and noise.  There are smaller cases that will fit this gear in it, but I didn’t want to create a hot box, which would make all the case fans, GPU fans and PSU fans have to spool up to vent the hot air and make a lot of noise.  Of course there are bigger ITX cases as well, but most of them won’t fit the new TV cabinet.

My research tells me that this combination should be beefy enough to run my HTPC apps (mostly Plex) comfortably with the PSU & GPU fans on very low or even completely off.  The case fans are supposed to be inaudible on low speed as well, so I’m hoping that this is my magic bullet.

I don’t blame you for looking at a different solution.  I think the NUC is a good idea, and for many people it will be exactly the solution that they need.  But for those of us who are more in the ‘enthusiast’ category, it really doesn’t cut it.  Besides, when you start to look at HTPC cases, there are some really good looking designs around – you might be surprised.

[JerryT]

Hi Liam,

The latest Intel graphics drivers (not beta) already allow this on my NUC 5i5RYK so there was nothing new in your video that could help me. Thanks for trying though.

[JerryT]

Yes I’m sure the skylake NUC will do a better job than my broadwell NUC but the question is how much better? This is the problem with being an early adopter of new tech. HEVC is fairly new and is very demanding on the CPU. In 12 months I’m sure it will be a different story as drivers and hardware matures to suit, but for now it is an issue. As 4K HDR blu ray starts to enter the market with the increased bandwidth requirements to support the visual awesomeness it carries, my little NUC is not going to cut it. To give you an idea, the playback of 4K HEVC is unwatchable… Probably putting out 4fps!

If I have learned anything from my NUC experience, it’s that there is no such thing as a free lunch. If you want serious performance you need some serious hardware. A proper mini ITX build will cost a few hundred more than a NUC but it’s modular,  upgradeable and has enough grunt for gaming as well … so I that makes it worthwhile for me. I hope you have better luck with your Skylake version though.

[JerryT]

If you have a 4K TV and are looking to future-proof your setup a bit, I suggest you look at HEVC hardware decoding as another important factor. I wish I did a bit more research before committing to the NUC. Have a look at this article: 

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9152/futureproofing-htpcs-for-the-4k-era-hdmi-hdcp-and-hevc

My NUC (5i5RYK) can’t handle smooth playback of 4K HEVC files, even at 30Hz! It’s fine if you only need a slick 1080p setup, but not 4K. Even if I manage to get the adapter working (which I seriously doubt), I’m still going to have an issue when 4K HEVC vids become the standard.  I’m probably going to get rid of the NUC in favour of a beefier HTPC build with an Nvidia GTX 960 to get me there. That’s just my 2 cents.

[JerryT]

Thanks I tried the firmware update but the app doesn’t work on Broadwell NUCs. So it seems I have no way to check or update the firmware at this point. Very disappointing I must say.

[JerryT]

Don’t hold your breath mate … (about it working).  I have a similar setup to you and can’t get the adapter to work.  I have a NUC5i5RYK and a Sony KD65X9300C with Monster 27 Gbps cable and can’t get it to 4K/60Hz with the adapter.  I’m probably going to have to get rid of the NUC and build a more expensive HTPC with a dedicated GPU and HDMI 2.0 out to avoid this nonsense.

[JerryT]

Hi there,

I’m in the same boat as many others, so here’s my hardware combination:

Sony X930C 4K TV (updated firmware)
Intel NUC 5i5RYK (updated BIOS & all drivers)
CAC-1170
Monster UltraHD Black Platinum 4K HDMI cable (rated at 27 Gbps)

Since buying the Monster HDMI cable, I now have the option in Windows 10 to select 4K resolution at 60Hz refresh rate, so the cable was obviously a bottleneck prior to this.  However when I select it and the TV tries to display it, the screen goes black for a few seconds and then reverts back to the previously selected resolution.  The highest it will go successfully is 4K at 30Hz.

I have now sent 2 emails asking for the firmware update, but Marcel seems reluctant to send it … I’m not sure why.  He has responded with the standard troubleshooting steps, which I have followed with no success.  One glaring issue with the standard troubleshooting as I see it, is the need to change the colour depth to 8 bit.  Unfortunately, Windows only supports 32 bit depth, which has been the case since Windows 8 … so as far as I can tell, I don’t have the ability to change the colour depth to 8 bit as suggested.

I would love a solution … anybody … Bueller?

[Author]

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