Login at Kodi Home

agender · 2015-03-02, 20:46

I thought I wanted a Chromebox but I am starting to realize that an NUC or a Brix maybe better for me. I want to get a device I can throw any video at it(be it streaming for downloaded) and it will play without a problem. I also want to listen music, browse the web, watch Netflix. I will be hooking it up to my tv via HDMI and audio will be from a 5.1Panasonic home theater setup I bought about 11 years ago.

Right now I am looking at a few devices. There is the Chromebox with the i3 CPU, but space is too small at 16gb and adding more space isn't too much of an issue, but that brings prices closer to $400.

The other device I am looking at is the MintBox Mini, which has an AMD A4 Micro 6400t cpu(quad-core came out last year), which from what I have seen has a better gpu(R3) than Haswell Celeron and matches Haswell i3. CPU wise it's between the Celeron and i3. Not sure how well Kodi will run on it, but for the price I get 64gb SSD, 4gb of ram, in the device that I think is smaller than the Chromebox models.

I started to look around more and noticed that Zotac ZBox C series, which comes with an i3 cpu, and I like the look of the device vs the other models offered. There are also few lower cost AMD models, but most of those are running a cpu(A4-5000 and A6) older than what the MintBox offers(not sure if GPU/CPU combo is better or not).

Really, I think my dream device would be something like the Compute Stick, but with Core M for the cpu and 4gb of ram(vs quad atom and 2gb of ram). Or really any Core M mini desktop. Thank you.

poofyhairguy · 2015-03-02, 22:33

(2015-03-02, 20:46)agender Wrote: CPU wise it's between the Celeron and i3.

Thanks to four cores. The per-core performance is nearly HALF the Chromebox, and that really matter for Kodi GUI performance.

Plus what OS are you considering? If its Openelec/Linux then don't even consider anything AMD.

agender · 2015-03-03, 08:00

I was thinking of running Linux along side Kodi. The MintBox is running Linux Mint, so AMD does work with Linux? Maybe Windows 8.1 for the dedicated Netflix app?

agender · 2015-03-03, 10:10

Anyone know the size dimension of the Zotac ZBOX-C series(the all black box model). I noticed the i3 model can be priced around the same as the i3 Chromebox, but with more storage and I am wondering if it's smaller than the Chromebox models; however, I haven't been able to find dimensions for the device. Thank you

DocG · 2015-03-03, 10:34

(2015-03-03, 10:10)agender Wrote: Anyone know the size dimension of the Zotac ZBOX-C series(the all black box model). I noticed the i3 model can be priced around the same as the i3 Chromebox, but with more storage and I am wondering if it's smaller than the Chromebox models; however, I haven't been able to find dimensions for the device. Thank you

If you mean the one in the top left, it's 12.5cm x 12.5cm x 4.5cm. Only marginally bigger than the Chromebox, which is 12cm x 12cm x 4cm. The Zotac does fit a standard 2.5" SSD, though. If I was looking at an i3 (ignoring the fact that I have the i3 version of both), I would not be looking at either of those. I'd get a Broadwell i3 NUC.

agender · 2015-03-03, 20:39

Is there a broadwell NUC you suggest that is about the same size as the Zotac and Chromebox? Or maybe one with a Celeron based Broadwell? I don't really want to spend that much for the minimal gains Broadwell offers(after all it's mainly for notebooks & tablets so power saving was more of the focus). However, I am not sure how much better the gpu is vs Haswell. Thank you.

poofyhairguy · 2015-03-03, 20:50

There are no low-end Broadwell CPUs from what I know.

agender · (This post was last modified: 2015-03-03, 21:24 by agender.)

:-( I know there are Core M laptops and tablets, but I was really hoping to see core M NUC devices as a fanless or a Celeron based Broadwell device. The Broadwell i3 prices are more than I prefer to spend, which is why I asked.

Another part still thinks go for a Haswell Celeron based Zotac C series, as prices are good for a barebone.

Matt Devo · 2015-03-03, 21:43

(2015-03-03, 20:50)poofyhairguy Wrote: There are no low-end Broadwell CPUs from what I know.

the Broadwell Celeron 32xx is in some of the upcoming ChromeBooks, so I'd expect to see it in similar devices as the Haswell 2955/57U eventually. I don't think it will be a worthwhile upgrade for Haswell owners though.

agender · (This post was last modified: 2015-03-04, 07:40 by agender.)

Has there been any rumors for the updated Broadwell Chromeboxes and similar devices? Will the gpu be closer to performance to Haswell i3 or will it be more the same as the current Celeron devices? You almost have me wanting to wait, but my current media box(WD LiveTV) is kind of slow when it comes to turning on and getting to netflix, or my music on my external. Plus, I like the idea of a full web-browser on my tv.
Thank you.

Matt Devo · 2015-03-04, 07:45

nothing's been announced or rumored. If you want a compact Broadwell system, the i3 NUC is the entry point at the moment.

agender · (This post was last modified: 2015-03-04, 10:52 by agender.)

I noticed Gigabyte also offers Broadwell, but again not available in the States. Is Gigabyte better or Asus, build quality/reliability wise? I did find the Broadwell NUC, and prices seem pretty fair compared to the haswell models, but I am not to keen on the looks(specially when compared to the slick black Haswell NUCs). If the Gigabyte was being offered now where and price was similar to the Intel NUC, I think I get one.

I am familiar with the advantages of Broadwell for notebooks and tablets, but what advantage does it offer for desktops(besides lower TDP)? Is it really worth the extra $50 for an i3 Broadwell? I know it's up to me, but I am mainly familiar with this cpu for mobile computing and not desktops or media centers like I am looking for.

CoolKeith · 2015-03-09, 09:21

Okay, I notice the NUC with an 5th i3 is going for $295 bare, a 3rd then i7 for $300, and brix model with a 4th gen i5 for $300. Which is the better blank canvas yo?

eon_designs · 2015-03-09, 11:28

I have a NUC with Intel i5 4250 processor in it - running Kodi, full 5.1 audio pass through. No problems what so ever. Playback is absolutely flawless, sound perfect. When it is on, its running as an iTunes server in the background as well as running XBMC - as I said flawless. not a stutter, jitter or any issues what so ever. AND running Windows 8.1!

The i5 is probably an overkill for an XBMC machine, but I got it to future proof things in case I need to use the box for anything else. Size wise - excellent - tiny. Slightly altered the bios so that the fan does not cut in too early - however, this thing does not get hot at all and even when the fan is running (which is just about never) it can't be heard at all.

Could not recommend it more.

agender · 2015-03-09, 22:37

I never updated this thread, I went with the Broadwell i3 NUC, 4gb of ram, and a 500gb hybrid Toshiba drive(though this one has given me a little bit of buyer's remorse) yesterday. Unfortunately, once I installed all the hardware I realized it uses mini hdmi and not a standard HDMI so I have to go buy an adapter later. It came out a little more than I wanted to spend, but the way I am justifying it in my mind is that I get a newer device with less heat and better gpu, that than the i3 Chromebox, which start around the same price as the barebone NUC. and about the same price as a prebuilt desktop tower with a 4th gen i3 and 6gb of ram.