PC to replace Xbox console as a media player

[Roust_m]

Hi,

I've been using Xbox One X console as a media player and for gaming in my cinema room. I find Xbox very restrictive and want to switch to using a PC. I found that you can actually connect an Xbox controller to a PC and use it as a console. I have 7.2.4 speaker system with Yamaha A8A receiver and a dedicated RMB 1585 power amp for the front and side channels.
I am considering this mini-PC model:
KINGDEL Mini Gaming PC, Intel i7-13620H(10C/16T, 4.9GHz), Desktop Computer, W-11 pro, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB NVME SSD, Dedicated RTX 4060 8G GDDR6, Support 8K/WiFi 6E/BT5.2/3xDP/HD/2xLAN: Minis: Amazon.com.au

Xbox can be easily connected to the receiver via HDMI cable for both video and sound. I am not so sure about PC. It has a dedicated sound card which it's own speaker output. I am concerned how hard would it be to make sound work from the PC on my receiver and if I will have any sound quality degradation compared to Xbox. Some PCs have optical output and the makers claim it supports 7.1 sound. What if I have 7.2.4 system? Is there a PC solution?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[isolar8001]

Hi,

I've been using Xbox One X console as a media player and for gaming in my cinema room. I find Xbox very restrictive and want to switch to using a PC. I found that you can actually connect an Xbox controller to a PC and use it as a console. I have 7.2.4 speaker system with Yamaha A8A receiver and a dedicated RMB 1585 power amp for the front and side channels.
I am considering this mini-PC model:
KINGDEL Mini Gaming PC, Intel i7-13620H(10C/16T, 4.9GHz), Desktop Computer, W-11 pro, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 1TB NVME SSD, Dedicated RTX 4060 8G GDDR6, Support 8K/WiFi 6E/BT5.2/3xDP/HD/2xLAN: Minis: Amazon.com.au

Xbox can be easily connected to the receiver via HDMI cable for both video and sound. I am not so sure about PC. It has a dedicated sound card which it's own speaker output. I am concerned how hard would it be to make sound work from the PC on my receiver and if I will have any sound quality degradation compared to Xbox. Some PCs have optical output and the makers claim it supports 7.1 sound. What if I have 7.2.4 system? Is there a PC solution?

Any ideas?

Thanks.

You have been using a horrible media player then.

Xbox, Playstation and even PC are not great media players.
Buy a Dune or Zidoo and be done with it. You are just creating headaches otherwise.

 

[Roust_m]

You have been using a horrible media player then.

Xbox, Playstation and even PC are not great media players.
Buy a Dune or Zidoo and be done with it. You are just creating headaches otherwise.

I get your point, however I use my cinema room for gaming too. Even if I separate the media player from the gaming console/PC I still need to find a way to make use of my 7.2.4 system for gaming. Streaming media from my home NAS is another story. Not sure if Dune or Zidoo can do that.

 

[Roust_m]

I was also thinking about using an external sound card like this for better audio:

Sound Blaster X5

The Sound Blaster X5 is an external USB DAC and amp sound card that is packed full with top-notch audio components, including 2 Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs and a fully balanced Xamp headphone bi-amplifier. It supports playback of up to 32-bit / 384 kHz and DSD256 ultra-high resolution, and doubles...

au.creative.com

 

[TLS Guy]

I was also thinking about using an external sound card like this for better audio:

Sound Blaster X5

The Sound Blaster X5 is an external USB DAC and amp sound card that is packed full with top-notch audio components, including 2 Cirrus Logic CS43198 DACs and a fully balanced Xamp headphone bi-amplifier. It supports playback of up to 32-bit / 384 kHz and DSD256 ultra-high resolution, and doubles...

au.creative.com

A well built PC is an excellent streamer. However you need to be able to build a purpose built computer. You need a 4K video capable board at least, that has an HDMI output. I am using an Asus board.

Make sure you use a top end power supply. I use an Aurum Gold.

Picture and sound are sperb and second to none. It gives just as good video and audio as anything else. You can connect to pretty much any stream that is out there.

I am on my third HTPC build now. When I upgraded to 4K my first board was not the best, but when I upgraded to this higher end Asus Republic of gamer board it has been probably the best quality source all the way round.

A well designed and built PC is about the best media player you can own, and far better than any hunt and peck app based streamer.

I built my first HTPC 13 years ago. My HTPC is probably my most used source component. I also have another purpose built computer in the rig, which is my Digital Audio workstation. I built my first DAW just 22 years ago, when that was really cutting edge.

My view is that no AV system is complete without an HTPC, as if you don't have one, you will not have access to a lot of content. Most of the content I watch is not accessible any other way.

 

[isolar8001]

Streaming media from my home NAS is another story. Not sure if Dune or Zidoo can do that.

Thats the purpose of a Dune or Zidoo, local file playback from attached drives or a networked NAS. They are not streaming machines.

Like TLS guy says....an HTPC is a good thing for some, but it will cost you dearly to get one that does what a Dune or Zidoo can do for 300 dollars. I've been doing media players for 15 years and have had zero need to ever involve a PC.

As far as your audio goes, you need to list what you have...no one is going to try to guess what it is and it has nothing to do with what you are doing anyhow. Whatever you use is going to have audio out, so I have no idea what you mean when you say "seperate" the two.

My feeling is you started wrong, and are heading wrong in this venture...as evidenced by even looking at that SoundBlaster. What on Earth would you do with that thing?

 

[dolynick]

If you're doing modern HTPC for movies, audio streaming over HDMI is the only thing you need to be concerned about. That's a funcion of the GPU in the PC nowadays, not the soundcard. NVidia definitely lets you pass bitstream audio through the HDMI out - and I'm sure Intel (including iGPUs) and AMD will have some form of that too (although I haven't used one in a while).

HDMI 2.1 is the primary concern if you're looking to do 4k output in HDR. Discreet GPUs offer that but may be limited to 60 fps depending on the model. iGPU should support D3D11 for HEVC hardware offload but I'm not sure how well iGPUs boost that offhand. Assuming modern iGPUs can handle 4k HEVC hardware decoding, and you're streaming from your NAS, you can probably build a basic HTPC for $500.

Software for playback is essentially free with a little setup, or you can look for paid products that might be a little more novice friendly.

 

[Roust_m]

Thats the purpose of a Dune or Zidoo, local file playback from attached drives or a networked NAS. They are not streaming machines.

Like TLS guy says....an HTPC is a good thing for some, but it will cost you dearly to get one that does what a Dune or Zidoo can do for 300 dollars. I've been doing media players for 15 years and have had zero need to ever involve a PC.

As far as your audio goes, you need to list what you have...no one is going to try to guess what it is and it has nothing to do with what you are doing anyhow. Whatever you use is going to have audio out, so I have no idea what you mean when you say "seperate" the two.

My feeling is you started wrong, and are heading wrong in this venture...as evidenced by even looking at that SoundBlaster. What on Earth would you do with that thing?

I did mention what I have: " I have 7.2.4 speaker system with Yamaha A8A receiver and a dedicated RMB 1585 power amp for the front and side channels. " So I want to use PC as a streamer and use my Dobly Atmos setup because it allows gaming as well. And I am aware of the cost.
When I said "separate the two" I meant that if I use Dune or Zidoo as you suggested I will still need a PC for gaming. So if I separate streaming into Dune for example and gaming into PC, I would need to figure out how to configure good PC sound. Might as well just do PC only.
For the sound blaster I was just confused on how the sound would be passed to my receiver via HDMI output on the video card and thought I need a separate one on a sound card. But as it was mentioned in other comments, a good video card can pass both sound and video to my receiver. Which is fantastic. So I don't need something like Soundblaster.

 

[Roust_m]

If you're doing modern HTPC for movies, audio streaming over HDMI is the only thing you need to be concerned about. That's a funcion of the GPU in the PC nowadays, not the soundcard. NVidia definitely lets you pass bitstream audio through the HDMI out - and I'm sure Intel (including iGPUs) and AMD will have some form of that too (although I haven't used one in a while).

HDMI 2.1 is the primary concern if you're looking to do 4k output in HDR. Discreet GPUs offer that but may be limited to 60 fps depending on the model. iGPU should support D3D11 for HEVC hardware offload but I'm not sure how well iGPUs boost that offhand. Assuming modern iGPUs can handle 4k HEVC hardware decoding, and you're streaming from your NAS, you can probably build a basic HTPC for $500.

Software for playback is essentially free with a little setup, or you can look for paid products that might be a little more novice friendly.

Thanks for the info. Yeah, I agree, HDMI 2.1 is a must, as it also supports 8k with 60fps.
I am now looking into this model:
Mini Gaming PC Desktop Computer i9 14900F i7 14700F NVIDIA RTX 4070 12G 4060Ti 64G DDR5 4T SSD Four Display 8K Outputs Optical - AliExpress
The version with i9 processor and NVIDIA RTX 4070 12G.
If I can connect this PC to my receiver with just one HDMI cable and configure Dolby Atmos on my PC it would be superb.
I am not in a position to assemble my own PC from parts like CPU, motherboard, etc. I will buy an already built one.
I just want to make sure that the configuration above will do the job of streaming with good sound that will make use of my Atmos 7.2.4 system. and allow decent gaming.

BTW, when you said: "That's a function of the GPU in the PC nowadays, not the soundcard." did you mean I don't need a sound card on this PC at all?

 

[Roust_m]

A well built PC is an excellent streamer. However you need to be able to build a purpose built computer. You need a 4K video capable board at least, that has an HDMI output. I am using an Asus board.

Make sure you use a top end power supply. I use an Aurum Gold.

Picture and sound are sperb and second to none. It gives just as good video and audio as anything else. You can connect to pretty much any stream that is out there.

I am on my third HTPC build now. When I upgraded to 4K my first board was not the best, but when I upgraded to this higher end Asus Republic of gamer board it has been probably the best quality source all the way round.

A well designed and built PC is about the best media player you can own, and far better than any hunt and peck app based streamer.

I built my first HTPC 13 years ago. My HTPC is probably my most used source component. I also have another purpose built computer in the rig, which is my Digital Audio workstation. I built my first DAW just 22 years ago, when that was really cutting edge.

My view is that no AV system is complete without an HTPC, as if you don't have one, you will not have access to a lot of content. Most of the content I watch is not accessible any other way.

I won't be able to build my own PC, I will be buying a ready one. Do you think this one will do the job:
Mini Gaming PC Desktop Computer i9 14900F i7 14700F NVIDIA RTX 4070 12G 4060Ti 64G DDR5 4T SSD Four Display 8K Outputs Optical - AliExpress

I want to pick the option with i9 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070

 

[dolynick]

BTW, when you said: "That's a function of the GPU in the PC nowadays, not the soundcard." did you mean I don't need a sound card on this PC at all?

If you intend to pass a digital bitstream for audio (which you need to if you want to do Atmos) over HDMI, then basically yes. You don't need a soundcard. One will surely be built into the motherboard anyways and will already be going unused for the most part.

I want to pick the option with i9 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070

That's a full on gaming HTPC spec. It will definitely play movies with ease as well but it's really overkill if all it's doing is video playback. I like NVida GPUs in mine as well, but if you're not gaming, there are less costly HDMI 2.1 cards in their line up that will do just as well for video decode/playback. Pretty much anything 3000 series or newer will do in that case.

 

[Roust_m]

If you intend to pass a digital bitstream for audio (which you need to if you want to do Atmos) over HDMI, then basically yes. You don't need a soundcard. One will surely be built into the motherboard anyways and will already be going unused for the most part.



That's a full on gaming HTPC spec. It will definitely play movies with ease as well but it's really overkill if all it's doing is video playback. I like NVida GPUs in mine as well, but if you're not gaming, there are less costly HDMI 2.1 cards in their line up that will do just as well for video decode/playback. Pretty much anything 3000 series or newer will do in that case.

Thanks, I do gaming and this is why I am going for something a bit higher end.

I understand when gaming I won't use sound card either because it will go via HDMI on the video card?

 

[jinjuku]

I won't be able to build my own PC, I will be buying a ready one. Do you think this one will do the job:
Mini Gaming PC Desktop Computer i9 14900F i7 14700F NVIDIA RTX 4070 12G 4060Ti 64G DDR5 4T SSD Four Display 8K Outputs Optical - AliExpress

I want to pick the option with i9 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070

What are the reviews like? The gamer community is very active. You might also want to ask there. A quick look doesn't return anything derogatory. I wonder how they keep the thermals in spec with such a small form factor.

 

[dolynick]

Thanks, I do gaming and this is why I am going for something a bit higher end.

I understand when gaming I won't use sound card either because it will go via HDMI on the video card?

Correct. Your HDMI connection will be your primary audio device in Windows (assuming you'll be running it at least). Your AVR will decode the bitstream at the other end in its DAC and go from there. It's essentially the same thing as using toslink from onboard sound, except HDMI is the only connection capable of handling modern lossless codecs like DTS-MA, DTS-X, TrueHD and Atmos.

The biggest drawback to HDMI is the need for handshakes when connections change. Turning off the TV when playing just audio is likely going to stop playback, so remote control (or an alternate music only path) is something to keep in mind if headless music is on your list. You'll also want to make sure you have a set good 48Gbps HDMI cables if you intend to run over 4k 60fps 4:2:0 10bit color.

 

[TLS Guy]

I won't be able to build my own PC, I will be buying a ready one. Do you think this one will do the job:
Mini Gaming PC Desktop Computer i9 14900F i7 14700F NVIDIA RTX 4070 12G 4060Ti 64G DDR5 4T SSD Four Display 8K Outputs Optical - AliExpress

I want to pick the option with i9 CPU and NVIDIA RTX 4070

I would think that would do just fine, and should do for the price. It has HDMI connectivity.

I put a USB radio receiver in the front USB port and use a $30.00 Logitech remote keyboard. It works just fine.

 

[Roust_m]

What are the reviews like? The gamer community is very active. You might also want to ask there. A quick look doesn't return anything derogatory. I wonder how they keep the thermals in spec with such a small form factor.

I couldn't find anything bad about the seller either. In fact a lot of seller sell this mini PC under their own brand, meaning they get it from some bigger brand as unbranded and stick their logo on it. Which is good, because it is likely to be a thought our design.
I will ask in gaming forum about this configuration.

 

[-Jim-]

I'll chime in with the others that pushing decent audio via the HDMI output from the PC is the best way to go. I do this on my Man Cave /Junk Room system. I checked and your Yamaha Receiver with do HDMI Pass-through so I'd connect an HDMI output from the PC to it, and then output it to your TV (I do the same with my Main PC, Denon Receiver, and Samsung TV.) It's simple and nothing outperforms it.

I build PCs for my Gaming Son, and other close family. I put an ASUS TUF Gaming NVIDIA GeForce RTX™ 4070 Ti OC Edition Gaming Graphics Card in the most recent build. All reports are it works great at the highest Res and Frame Rates. It'll work well into the future as most games don't need anywhere need this amount of horsepower. Rigs like the one you are looking at, looks like it can deliver too. We put 64 Gigs of RAM each into the last two builds, and I'd suggest the same if you can afford it.

My family has mostly moved off consoles (PlayStation is still big with one of my brothers for Car Racing Games) but even his son (my nephew - who gets all his Games for Free as he's a software Engineer for Electronic Arts) games on a PC that I spec'd. I think he's still running it via HDMI into his Denon avr-x6500h and then onto his Sony TV.

I hope you enjoy your new Rig.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I did mention what I have: " I have 7.2.4 speaker system with Yamaha A8A receiver…

Great AVR.

I’ve must have built over 20 PC’s by now. The last few PC’s have been with i9 CPU and NVIDIA 3000’s 4K/8K HDMI GPU cards.

My PC is the only media I use.

 

[Cos]

• 64GB of Memory is pretty much useless for gaming, a simple search of youtube had multiple game comparrisons. That being said memory is cheap
• 4070TI is a very capable card, but if you are looking to game in 4k, It will not be up for the task with max settings. Still a better performer than the xbox
• Intel 4090KF is overkill as if you do want to game in 4k, the difference between that and a 14600k or even 13600k is minimal at best, lower resoution there will be more of a difference
• No need for a soundcard most modern motherboards have very decent onboard sound, but again you are going through your receiver
• Whoever is building your PC, I would find out what brand parts they are using (motherboards, powersupplies, videocards, etc) as it will make a difference.
• Powersupplies Sesonic, Asus (OEM'd by Sesonic LOKI models) Thermaltake, corsair even EVGA are very reliable. If possible having an ATX 3.0 Compliant video card will be beneficial at least for my 4090, but I am sure it is the same for 4070, though not sure how much power draw it uses)
• the 4070ti i think requires an 750w power supply, I would at least go for 850w
• I would never buy an ASUS motherboard, too many build quality and servcie issues with newer models. They are not the same company in quality or support they once were in that area.
• If you have a Microcenter near you, I would recommend going there, having them help you pick up the parts and they will built it for you within 4 hours realitively cheap as long as you don't use liquid cooling

 

[Roust_m]

• 64GB of Memory is pretty much useless for gaming, a simple search of youtube had multiple game comparrisons. That being said memory is cheap
• 4070TI is a very capable card, but if you are looking to game in 4k, It will not be up for the task with max settings. Still a better performer than the xbox
• Intel 4090KF is overkill as if you do want to game in 4k, the difference between that and a 14600k or even 13600k is minimal at best, lower resoution there will be more of a difference
• No need for a soundcard most modern motherboards have very decent onboard sound, but again you are going through your receiver
• Whoever is building your PC, I would find out what brand parts they are using (motherboards, powersupplies, videocards, etc) as it will make a difference.
• Powersupplies Sesonic, Asus (OEM'd by Sesonic LOKI models) Thermaltake, corsair even EVGA are very reliable. If possible having an ATX 3.0 Compliant video card will be beneficial at least for my 4090, but I am sure it is the same for 4070, though not sure how much power draw it uses)
• the 4070ti i think requires an 750w power supply, I would at least go for 850w
• I would never buy an ASUS motherboard, too many build quality and servcie issues with newer models. They are not the same company in quality or support they once were in that area.
• If you have a Microcenter near you, I would recommend going there, having them help you pick up the parts and they will built it for you within 4 hours realitively cheap as long as you don't use liquid cooling

I choose 64GB of RAM for 2 reasons, one is as you said memory is cheap and it allows it to be used as shared VRAM. Not sure how helpful it could be, didn't see any benchmarks on it.