[Magma82]

Hi all,

Got the opportunity to sell my current system and buy a quieter solution and could do with some input.

I currently have the following :-

Antec Fusion 430w Black with IR LCD
Intel Q6600 Quad 2.4ghz CPU
ATI 4670 PCIe GPU with hdmi output to TV (Noisy fans!!)
2GB 1066mhz Ram Corsair Dominator
3x 1TB Hard Drives Sata (Internal)
Pioneer Blu Ray Reader
Microsoft Infrared Silver Remote
Windows XP SP3

It currently plays 1080p easily but the system itself is quite noisy...


I am currently looking for a smaller quieter solution to just play 1080p and still maintain internal storage if possible. I would like to stick with Windows if possible.

I have been looking at the Acer Revo R3610 dual core, does this have an IR receiver on the front? if not whats a good IR solution for the Acer Revo's?

Basically I am asking should I go Acer Revo or build another custom HTPC but with silent components? any recommendations. Popcorn Hour C-200


Cheers,

[MDPauley]

I sold my Zotac 9300 because it was too big (IMO) for where I kept it and went with a Revo 1600... Did XBMCbuntu setup and I could not be happier with it!

[tvwatcher]

the revo will play hd fine, it wont be as zippy for the internet or applications, but the size and noise factor, and price will make up the difference in my opinion..

[Hannes The Hun]

you can go for a 3610 revo (Atom 330) if you also want some more or less snappy desktop performance and FLASH fullscreen, but since the 10.1beta it's even possible with the small 270 atom

so, yes, I think ATM the most compact and cheap complete 1080p capable platform for XBMC is the revo 1600, for linux anyways.

BUT... you said you would like to stick with windows, and you would like internal storage. so it may make more sense to build a cheap dual core system with 2GB memory and a passively cooled nvidia PCIe card, have a look here, you definitely want something that's VDPAU/DXVA capable: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VDPAU

then attach some silent HDDs to the SATA ports, and you're good to go.

[headcase]

Stating the obvious: not going to be able to retain that kind of internal storage with a revo ...

If sticking with windows, you'll need to either dual boot or run the beta dx builds to get hardware accelerated 1080p.

Probably the easiest is use xbmc live installed to the interal drive, and then put your external storage usb in an enclosure. Then dual boot to windows if you really want it.

[Magma82]

Thanks guys,

Think I'll go with linux on the R3610 2gb 250gb HDD with VDPAU enabled.

What's the best InfraRed USB dongle / software for Linux? is it easy to setup?
Does it work with XBMC Live straight away or do I go down the ubuntu route for Infrared?