[watcher27]

Its an Acer Aspire L5100 and certainly has the looks! Actually smaller than a xbox 360 slim! And has a nice slot loading drive too!




So, just wondered how good it would be as a media PC?
Spec wise it's got:
Processor - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4000+ (2.2GHz) (I think, need to check this)
RAM - 2GB PC2-5300
Hard Drive - 320GB Sata
Optical Drive - Pioneer Slot Loading DVD-RW
Graphics - ATi Radeon X1200
Sound - realtech hd audio
LAN - Realtek Gigabit Ethernet
Front Ports - 2 x USB, 1 x 4Pin Firewire, Card Reader, Headphone+Mic out
Rear Ports - DVI + HDMI OUT ONLY NO VGA, 4xUSB, 1x 6Pin Firewire, 5.1 Audio ports, Optical S/PDIF

Apparently I can fit a Athlon 64 X2 5600+ (2.9Ghz) straight in?!

I've done a fresh install of Windows 7, and 1080P video stutters a bit through HDMI. SHould I fit a Crystal HD card?

Sorry for sounding dumb, but I haven't a clue!

[Martijn]

included video card won't work for xbmc so you definitely need an other one

[watcher27]

included video card won't work for xbmc so you definitely need an other one

Bugger! lol
The GPU is on-board and not replaceable.

Oh well, hardware wise then is it any good as a media PC using another method? (WMC, Plex)

[Martijn]

just plug in an el-cheapo new video card. several are mentioned on the forum which one. for about $30,- you're done

[watcher27]

just plug in an el-cheapo new video card. several are mentioned on the forum which one. for about $30,- you're done

Didnt think I could plug in another video card?
The system has no VGA output.
Here's a motherboard pic:

[whitebelly]

That looks like a PCI express mini port behind the usb connectors. If so, you can plug a crystal HD card in there. Check if the BIOS limits you to 720p via HDMI, I had that limitation on a Foxconn that I stuck a cyrstal HD chip in (it would allow 1080 resolution on VGA, just not HDMI), but it plays 1080p content quite nicely . OpenELEC generic build was my choice, it recognized the Crystal HD card and no special config was needed.

It probably does have VGA output if you use one of those DVI-VGA adaptors. (check the manual)
http://www.amazon.com/electronics/dp/B000067SOH

If you do move forward, try to see if the manufacturer has an updated BIOS & flash first.....

EDIT, sounds like you already have output 1080p, so that is not a hardware issue, the Crystal HD should work well.

[watcher27]

That looks like a PCI express mini port behind the usb connectors. If so, you can plug a crystal HD card in there. Check if the BIOS limits you to 720p via HDMI, I had that limitation on a Foxconn that I stuck a cyrstal HD chip in (it would allow 1080 resolution on VGA, just not HDMI), but it plays 1080p content quite nicely . OpenELEC generic build was my choice, it recognized the Crystal HD card and no special config was needed.

It probably does have VGA output if you use one of those DVI-VGA adaptors. (check the manual)
http://www.amazon.com/electronics/dp/B000067SOH

If you do move forward, try to see if the manufacturer has an updated BIOS & flash first.....

Yeah it does have a PCI express mini port! The model could also originally be ordered with an optional digital TV tuner that went in there! You can see the blanking plugs on that rear shot where the inputs would have gone.

This guy on youtube has successfully fitted a Crystal HD & AMD Athlon X2 5600+ (2.9Ghz):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5Aibj0rl...1373641603

Funny you mention the BIOS flash, as I have been having a nightmare with it and am at the point of giving up! I need to update the BIOS to the latest version on Acer's support page, to enable 4GB RAM support, but I cannot get it to work! The BIOS file download comes with winflash, which always tells me that the BIOS file is incorrect?!

[whitebelly]

2GB ram is plenty for OpenELEC, if that suits your needs. On my Foxconn, I had audio issues with the old BIOS. I had to flash and then re-instal OE.