First hi, new member here, so please be gentle
Im looking at getting a mini windows desktop pc for running Kodi
Something small and discreet to sit under the tv
The choices I have are either Zotac ZBOX BI320 PLUS or an HP Pavilion MINI 300
With my limited understanding of modern pc's, the zbox would be the quicker machine due to the ssd
Can anyone give me any advice on which to go for
Thanks in advance for your time and help
+1 on SSD, just don't forget you only need it for the OS. But no harm if you use it to store your media files as well. It all depends on your $$$.
HP Pavilion MINI 300 overkill + too expensive if you just want to use if for Kodi and basic Windows tasks.
Another popular Windows option is also the HP stream mini. Pretty much same specs as BI320
And in case you haven't, read the sticky thread on top of first page called "Pick the Right Kodi Box (UPDATED FEB 2015)"
i'm all for reading forums before posting but that thread started in 2011 and has like 60+ pages!
hmmm... did you read the words between the "()" on subject thread?
Mean it in the nicest way possible...
The HP stream mini is not an option, Amazon UK don't sell them
I live in Spain, but I tend to buy from Amazon in the UK for the better prices
Informed recommendations on computer hardware and a lot of research on my part is what I rely on when making hardware purchases
And please, no one try and reply to me in Spanish, Im a British expat
I would also be interested on any ones experiences with either device and Windows 10
(2015-07-30, 01:52)LeeSpain Wrote: [ -> ]I would also be interested on any ones experiences with either device and Windows 10
There is along thread for the BI320, try there...
I read every page of that the other day
And Windows 10 has only been released officially today to the general public and not beta testers
Hi Lee. I have the BI320 and its very good. Not sure but have you checked out the HP 260 G1, I am not sure it can be delivered to Spain but thread is here.
http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=229668
I currently have 1 of these along with 2 x B1320. Also if your JUST looking for Kodi use then just use Openelec instead of Windows unless you specifically need Windows programs.
Thanks for the thumbs up Mark
Windows is the line of thought since my elderly parents know windows but don't know Android etc
Got my 80yr old mother hooked on using Kodi on her laptop at present
Plus with windows, you can add malwarebytes etc to run in the background and give a bit of added security
If your parents don't need web browsing or e-mail, then OpenElec is a very good route to go down. It boots directly into Kodi, because that's really all it does. (You can add 'add ons' that run in the background though) There is a browser add-on for that matter, based on Chromium, for x86 boxes.
Almost no need to worry about malware, viruses etc. with OpenElec too.
Thanks for the help so far guys
So the choice of box should be the ZBOX BI320
Then look into the operating system choices
How do the ZBOX BI320 perform with the standard 2gig of ram?
Is it worth ordering either a 4gig or 8gig stick at the same time as ordering the box
In all honesty, I have not run pc with less than 4gig for a lot of years
Running Windows get the extra RAM.
If OpenElec only - 2GB is more than enough, its a slimmed down Linux OS and very resource friendly. You won't notice any difference with extra RAM.
Cheers for that
From what I have read, the difference between the barebones and plus, apart from the memory, 8.1 and the ssd is the plus you have the ssd connection under the motherboard and the option hd slot. The barebones, you only have the single hd slot
Or, am I wrong on that?