[welshyoot]

I'm about to take the plunge and buy something that will be a dedicated xbmc centre.

I'm pretty much a complete n00b and any advice - direction would be very much appreciated as it's easy to get lost with the amount of info on here.

I will be watching on a 55" tv with 3d capabilities (which will be used), it would need to have a remote control with buttons, not the phone remote as well.

I already have a 2tb external HDD which has lots of media files on it - many are large 1080p 3D bluray files so it would need to be able to handle this. I'll also be using it to stream 1080p movies online.

The audio would also be running through the tv.

I was recommended an ouya but I've read that it may not be quite what I'm looking for - and I'd always prefer to go with something a little more expensive that gives you a much better experience - though if the ouya will suffice then I'm also happy with that.

From what I've read a nuc would be the best option - but herein is where I get lost. I'm not sure what components I would need for this, I was hoping to use wifi but I saw that there may be some issues with wifi? Connecting ethernet to it by the tv may be a bit tricky unless I get a mains connection homeplug. Is wifi really that bad?

I obviously want it to be as cheap as possible, I was hoping around £200 or so - though I'm open to suggestions with this (yes, I'm uk based).

Can anyone help me?

[welshyoot]

How aobut this setup?:

NUC - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0093...ROKL5A1OLE

SSD - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0082...ROKL5A1OLE

RAM - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M...omputers_0

WiFi - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B007Q...UQ4F1GL6W7

MCE - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wireless-Windo...336b0bd129

This would cost me approximately £325

Does this look like a good build or could I get more bang for my buck here?

[aesalazar]

It certainly is a good build for XBMC or even a general windows box. Only thing you would have trouble with are games but if that is not a concern it will work great (I am running the same NUC). If you are going windows, you might want to consider 64 GB SSD for a little extra room. If you are sticking with linux 32 is plenty.

Also know that the new Haswell NUCs are set to be released very soon (probably weeks) so if you have the time it may be worth waiting.

Ernie

[welshyoot]

It certainly is a good build for XBMC or even a general windows box. Only thing you would have trouble with are games but if that is not a concern it will work great (I am running the same NUC). If you are going windows, you might want to consider 64 GB SSD for a little extra room. If you are sticking with linux 32 is plenty.

Also know that the new Haswell NUCs are set to be released very soon (probably weeks) so if you have the time it may be worth waiting.

Ernie

Thanks for the help. I may upgrade the SSD then.

With the haswell's are they going to provide me with something extra than the current NUCs? Or did you mean that by waiting for them to come out the price of the current ones should drop?

[aesalazar]

The haswell gives you the latest edition chip. It is designed to be more efficient so more power for less energy which results in less heat, less fan noise, etc. At least in theory, dont know of any side by side comparisons that show a real world difference.

The other thing would be "perfect" 23.976 playback. The Ivy Bridge chip (as well as many other current chips) in the current NUC has the bug were it cannot quite produce 23.976 playback - it rounds the frame rate. So every so often it has to drop a frame - I think like every 4000th or something? So that is a single frame every several minutes. Some say it is noticeable but I have never seen it. Noticing a single frame, which is 1/24 of a second long, is pretty hard to do I suppose. The haswell is supposed to finally fix this.

The new nuc will also have a built in IR reciever which is really nice if you want a remote. No one seems to know yet if it will actually wake from being fully turn off (S5).

As for price, we will see if there is a price drop on the current nuc when the finally announce the release date - no real guarantee.

Really, not trying to talk you out of it, the NUC works great for me. Its a quetion of how soon do you want it. If you want it now, then go for it.

Ernie

[welshyoot]

Really helpful again mate. The built in IR receiver would be a selling point for me - my girlfriend hates 'wires' - I'm not sure I'd notice the frame drop if it's that minimal, I'd need to try it out I suppose. I think I'll wait a few weeks and see if the new NUCs have good reviews on here. I'm not in any particular hurry and my laptop is more than capable for the meanwhile.
Cheers for the help.