2011-08-05, 21:59
From time to time I check around to see what kind of PC you can buy off-the-shelf that's well suited for XBMC. It's handy to have this info available as advice for friends/family/hobos that trickle through my theater, see my setup, and become interested but would never build a PC.
I was doing this today when I stumbled across the Acer AX3400G-U4802 from Tiger Direct. It's a pretty snappy little small form factor PC running:
- AMD Athlon II X2 255 (3.1 GHZ)
- 4GB DDR3 1066 Memory
- 1TB HDD (RPM unknown)
- DVD-RW
- Win7 Home Premium
- Onborard GeForce 9200 HDMI Graphics
I currently use an Acer AX1301-U9052 as the HTPC in my theater. It's a predecessor to this model with the main differences being a slower processor (Athlon II X2 215), less HDD (750GB), and GeForce 210 PCI-E x16 video card. This newer model looks to be a nice little upgrade other than the built-in graphics, which would still be sufficient and well supported for XBMC. The AX series has always come in fairly basic black SFF cases with drive door covers and general proportions that make them blend well with other AV equipment. This newer model trades in the gloss-black for a more matte/textured black that doesn't scream for attention, thought the silver Acer logo is a bit larger and more prominently placed than prior iterations.
What's even better is, as a refurb, you can get this little PC for just $299. That's $100 off the going price new and $150 less than what my AX1301 cost 1.5 years ago. For comparison sake, parts for a similar PC from NewEgg come in around $300 shipped WITHOUT an OS. That NewEgg build also relies on AMD 880G graphics since there don't seem to be any GeForce 9200 or newer/equivalent Nvidia boards available anymore.
The main draw back of my AX1301 that I assume still applies (same dimensions) to the AX3400G is it requires a shallow-depth (6.7" or 170mm) optical drive. This only becomes an issue if/when you try to replace the included DVD-RW with a Blu-Ray drive as I tried to early on without checking the drive depth before ordering a drive. Luckily physical discs are an extremely low priority for me these days, and I have a decent stand-alone BD player, so I stuck the drive I ordered into my office desktop and use it to rip the occaisonal BD.
For someone that might put a premium on having a fully-assembled system ready to install XBMC out of the box and/or something beefier than a net-top, this little system seems like a solid deal, if not a steal, at $300.
I was doing this today when I stumbled across the Acer AX3400G-U4802 from Tiger Direct. It's a pretty snappy little small form factor PC running:
- AMD Athlon II X2 255 (3.1 GHZ)
- 4GB DDR3 1066 Memory
- 1TB HDD (RPM unknown)
- DVD-RW
- Win7 Home Premium
- Onborard GeForce 9200 HDMI Graphics
I currently use an Acer AX1301-U9052 as the HTPC in my theater. It's a predecessor to this model with the main differences being a slower processor (Athlon II X2 215), less HDD (750GB), and GeForce 210 PCI-E x16 video card. This newer model looks to be a nice little upgrade other than the built-in graphics, which would still be sufficient and well supported for XBMC. The AX series has always come in fairly basic black SFF cases with drive door covers and general proportions that make them blend well with other AV equipment. This newer model trades in the gloss-black for a more matte/textured black that doesn't scream for attention, thought the silver Acer logo is a bit larger and more prominently placed than prior iterations.
What's even better is, as a refurb, you can get this little PC for just $299. That's $100 off the going price new and $150 less than what my AX1301 cost 1.5 years ago. For comparison sake, parts for a similar PC from NewEgg come in around $300 shipped WITHOUT an OS. That NewEgg build also relies on AMD 880G graphics since there don't seem to be any GeForce 9200 or newer/equivalent Nvidia boards available anymore.
The main draw back of my AX1301 that I assume still applies (same dimensions) to the AX3400G is it requires a shallow-depth (6.7" or 170mm) optical drive. This only becomes an issue if/when you try to replace the included DVD-RW with a Blu-Ray drive as I tried to early on without checking the drive depth before ordering a drive. Luckily physical discs are an extremely low priority for me these days, and I have a decent stand-alone BD player, so I stuck the drive I ordered into my office desktop and use it to rip the occaisonal BD.
For someone that might put a premium on having a fully-assembled system ready to install XBMC out of the box and/or something beefier than a net-top, this little system seems like a solid deal, if not a steal, at $300.
