[Yokozuna]

I currently have an ATV2 and I am now looking to step up to a more powerful solution.

My house is cabled with Cat 6 which connects to a QNAP TS-439 NAS running a MySQL database.

I don't want to build my own and would like to puchase an off-the-shelf hardware product like a Zotac or Asrock etc.

I have read many comments around the fan noise and heat which worries me.

Requirements
- Performance
- Energy Efficient
- Low Heat/Low Fan Noise

It would also be nice to get rid of the Blueray/DVD palyer and combine in the one unit if possible.



Do I run on Windows, openelec, linux or no OS ?

I am obviously confused and need some direction.

Thanks in advance.

[Beer40oz]

The ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 seems like a good choice from all the reviews on it!

[eskro]

agreed, ZOTAC ZBOX HD-ND22 is to me, the best already built HTPC machine,,,

[Yokozuna]

Thanks guys.

I noticed that this model does not have a Blueray/DVD drive in it and I have read Blueray disks can not currently be read by xbmc and you need to create flat files of your disks if you want this capability!

Also, the USB ports are only 2.0 and not 3.0. If I wanted to attach a separate drive that supports USB 3.0 on to the back of this device at anytime, then I would only get speeds equal to 2.0.

If USB 3.0 was an option, would you generate the sort of throughput to take advantage of those speeds anyway?

Is there any other models or hardware you would recommend to meet my requirements?

[Beer40oz]

Well the HD-ND22 does have a e-Sata port on the back if you just want to attach something local. It should be cheaper if you build your own the way you want it.
This is another barebone system that I like.

Shuttle SA76G2 V2

I would get a Athlon II 250 in it.

And what ever GPU you would like maybe a GT210 because of the power requirements.

And you can add your blue ray player to to it.

[Yokozuna]

I am actually quite impressed by the low power consumption.

See Review: Zotac ZBOX HD-ND22


Which OS is recommended and why? e.g. openelec ?

[eskro]

many of us 'HTPC-size' dont go crazy about USB3,,,

why?

well, most of us use a seperate Server to read our files from,,,
so reading from USB is not something we do super often,,,
actually for me, its very rare,,,

and like Beer40oz said,
e-SATA is all you need external wise...
its same speed advantages as a normal drive!

[Yokozuna]

Right. Fair comment.

What about the choice of OS?

[eskro]

+1

[bluray]

Right. Fair comment.

What about the choice of OS?

ASRock Core i3-370M + windows7.

or this diy-
1. APEX MI-008 Black Steel Mini-ITX
2. ASRock E350M1/USB3
3. Kingston SSDNow V Series SNV125-S2/30GB
4. Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500)
5. SilenX IXP-74-09 120mm Case Fan
6. HP MCE Remote Control
7. LG Black 10X BD-ROM
8. Buffalo Technology MiniStation Stealth 1 TB USB 3.0

If you want to make it beefier, you can always install this card in it- SAPPHIRE 100324L Radeon HD 6570 2GB

it'll take 30 minutes to put the hardwares together!

[Yokozuna]

Thanks to all of you for your feedback.

You have helped me alot with moving forward.

Kind Regards
Yokozuna