[teki4u]

Hello, first i want to mention that I've done my research before posting here. I'm still unable to find what i need in a NUC form factor.

My current Setup:
Asus Chromebox, booting Windows 10 off an external hdd (yeah i know why not linux, well let me tell you my box has an odd bug that any linux distro I've tested fully hang after +-20 minutes of whatching any type of video, eather streaming or playing content from a browser or kodi ... doesn't matter. The only linux distro that doesn't hang and works well is ChromeOS, so im limited to that and Windows which also works well). I want to give this box with ChromeOS to my dad and purchase a better box.

What i need:
Mini PC or NUC, must have Intel chip with also good CPU performance not just GPU (No Atom architecture based), quad core if possible, able to hw decode upto 1080p HEVC 8bit (chromebox can just software decode upto 720p hevc 8bit), 2 x SODIMM slots, budget friendly and BAREBONES.

My Options:
Broadwell: fritsch wrote "i would not invest in anything broadwell based". No hevc 8bit hw decoding.
Braswell: From what I've read this should work. I've read the " Intel Braswell boxes Compilation" http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=229096, but the best options are eather Out of Stock, Not available in the US or has lots of bad reviews (like the Intel NUCs).
Skylake: Unless i find a box with HDMI 2.0, HDR i don't see why i should pick this
Kaby Lake: Way too new and expensive for sure.

I want to mention that for what i do on the Chromebox with Windows 10 is enough for me really, it performs well, i just want a similar performance box that can handle 1080p hevc 8bit without a hassle and with full Windows support.

Thank you in advance!

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[amcfarla]

I would hold on, the new Celeron NUC's that are coming out in January will add HDMI-CEC:

http://nucblog.net/2016/12/apollo-lake-n...-hdmi-cec/

This one states they are shipping in January:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/n...6cayh.html

The previous version of Celeron NUC will play anything I throw at it.

[teki4u]

Thank you, I'll take a look but i forgot to mention that i need a box ASAP as its going to come to South America first week of January 2017.

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[Matt Devo]

I want to mention that for what i do on the Chromebox with Windows 10 is enough for me really, it performs well, i just want a similar performance box that can handle 1080p hevc 8bit without a hassle and with full Windows support.

Dell i7-4600U Chromebox, ~$260 USD on ebay. Or a KBL MSI cubi box? what are your limitations for purchasing?


You said "no Atom" but are considering Braswell -- so which is it?

[teki4u]

I want to mention that for what i do on the Chromebox with Windows 10 is enough for me really, it performs well, i just want a similar performance box that can handle 1080p hevc 8bit without a hassle and with full Windows support.

Dell i7-4600U Chromebox, ~$260 USD on ebay. Or a KBL MSI cubi box? what are your limitations for purchasing?


You said "no Atom" but are considering Braswell -- so which is it?

Thanks. Yes i realized all braswell boxes are Nxxxx and so atom based right? I mentioned braswell as is the only basic one that can hw decode HEVC 8 bit at the cost of cpu performance decrease and i dont want that, then there is skylake but i think why to invest on that i'll rather wait for Kaby Lake boxes with HDMI 2.0 with HDR support with all the bells and whistles and as the later are really new on the market and i only could find the MSI kaby lake box at amazon.com, no Intel NUC or other brands yet available i decided to get a box that at list can software decode 1080p HEVC 8bit and probably 10bit without struggling with increased CPU performance for now and keep an eye on the new boxes when they are all released to the market to probably get one at the end of 2017.

I was hoping to spend $300 total with a 120-128gb ssd and 8gb ram and install Windows 10 on it

[Matt Devo]

I was hoping to spend $300 total with a 120-128gb ssd and 8gb ram

this is close, and gets you 8-bit HEVC HW decoding:
https://slickdeals.net/f/9532652-lenovo-...339-00?v=1

add a DP->HDMI adapter for $5 more

[teki4u]

I was hoping to spend $300 total with a 120-128gb ssd and 8gb ram

this is close, and gets you 8-bit HEVC HW decoding:
https://slickdeals.net/f/9532652-lenovo-...339-00?v=1

add a DP->HDMI adapter for $5 more

Wow that was a good catch thanks alot, Trying to find its equivalent at amazon.com. Have you purchased before from woot.com? is it serious and safe to buy? I don't live in the US so i have to be cautious.

[Matt Devo]

Wow that was a good catch thanks alot, Trying to find its equivalent at amazon.com. Have you purchased before from woot.com? is it serious and safe to buy? I don't live in the US so i have to be cautious.

yep they're legit

[teki4u]

Wow that was a good catch thanks alot, Trying to find its equivalent at amazon.com. Have you purchased before from woot.com? is it serious and safe to buy? I don't live in the US so i have to be cautious.

yep they're legit

Thanks, but based on comments at amazon.com and woot.com I had to pass on that deal. I saw some good deals at frys but there is no pickup store in Florida. I keep looking

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[Matt Devo]

Thanks, but based on comments at amazon.com and woot.com I had to pass on that deal. I saw some good deals at frys but there is no pickup store in Florida. I keep looking

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I just picked up an i7-4600U Chromebox off ebay (w/8GB RAM and 128GB SSD) for $200, I'll give that a try with some 1080p HEVC material and see how it compares to the Celeron 2955U so at least you'll know whether to consider sw-based playback at all

[teki4u]

Thanks, but based on comments at amazon.com and woot.com I had to pass on that deal. I saw some good deals at frys but there is no pickup store in Florida. I keep looking

Enviado desde mi Moto X vía Tapatalk!

I just picked up an i7-4600U Chromebox off ebay (w/8GB RAM and 128GB SSD) for $200, I'll give that a try with some 1080p HEVC material and see how it compares to the Celeron 2955U so at least you'll know whether to consider sw-based playback at all

That would be helpful, thank you Matt

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[DEcosse]

...
I just picked up an i7-4600U Chromebox off ebay (w/8GB RAM and 128GB SSD) for $200,...

Quite the bargain there, but important to note that is FAR from typical price for this and unlikely @Veronica could find one at the required budget


How about Minix NGC-1 ?
Braswell N3150 Celeron; 4G + 128G SSD incl Win 10 home
$255 on Amazon direct from Minix
(Note that this box was initially 'panned' because of its price at $399 at its release 9 months ago - but at the current price its capability per $ is actually really good value)
You can easily upgrade the RAM to 8G if you choose

No personal experience of this - just a 'paper' review - seems to match your criteria?

Note that even the Minix Neo Z83-4 will play 8bit HEVC but Atom based Cherry Trail.

[Matt Devo]

...
I just picked up an i7-4600U Chromebox off ebay (w/8GB RAM and 128GB SSD) for $200,...

Quite the bargain there, but important to note that is FAR from typical price for this and unlikely @Veronica could find one at the required budget

the going price is $265 or so for a refurb i7-4600U/4GB/16GB config, and can be found on ebay and blinq.com for that. The box I bought was listed at $250 and seller accepted my $200 offer.

[DEcosse]

... the going price is $265 or so for a refurb i7-4600U/4GB/16GB config, and can be found on ebay and blinq.com for that. The box I bought was listed at $250 and seller accepted my $200 offer.

I certainly don't mean to be argumentative - but 16GB is not 128GB
And of course the defined 'refurb' is important delineation.

[Matt Devo]

I certainly don't mean to be argumentative - but 16GB is not 128GB
And of course the defined 'refurb' is important delineation.

I certainly agree that I got an exceptional deal, just pointing out that it's not _that_ far off what one can get elsewhere right now. Esp compared to a Braswell-based setup. I've used plenty of Celeron N-based devices and just can't deal with how sluggish they are, and I'd imagine Veronica feels the same given that the 2955U is her baseline.