[verci]

Hi everyone,

I've been using XBMC on my old Xbox since 2006 and I’m in love with it.
Now I would like to get to HD instead of SD and I’m thinking about a HTPC build.

These are the starting points:
- I would use XBMC Live (I would like a standalone box image…)
- I have 2 main uses of XBMC: playing mp3s from my daap share (firefly) and playing DvD and BD rips (HD – 720p or 1080p) over the wi-fi 802.11n lan

I was thinking about purchasing the asus AT3IONT-I DELUXE, add 2Gb RAM and put XBMC Live in a 4Gb usb stick (no HDD as I do not have use of it).

Would this solution be ok for my needs?


I was thinking also on going to something like this:
Scheda Madre AsRock G41C-VS - 775, DDR2/DDR3, Intel G41 + ICH7, Ethernet, mATX
€ 34,00

CPU Intel Celeron E3300 2.50GHz Socket 775 FSB 800MHz 65W Boxed BX80571E3300
€ 39,00

VGA Asus EN210 Silent/DI/512MD2(LP) GeForce GT 210 Core 589MHz Memory GDDR2 800MHz 512MB Low Profile VGA DVI-I HDMI
€ 28,00

RAM DDR3 Team Group Value TVD32048M1333C9 1333MHz 2GB CL9
€ 15,50


So I will save some €… is this a better solution? With LIVE is involved big driver/setting up issues or everything should run smoothly at the first run?

Which remote should I buy?



As you can understand, I would like to stay on really low budget…




Thanks in advance for your helpful answers and… sorry for my bad English !

[PatrickVogeli]

have you considered a zotac, jetway, acer or whatever mini barebone?? I'm not sure how much they are, but I see newegg usually has good priced combos...

as for the 1080p rips over WLAN... I'm not sure at all it will work Ok, I don't think you'll be able to a play a 15GB bd-rip over wlan, even if it's 'N' speed.

[verci]

regarding barebones or something like the acer REVO the price tag is slighty higher, so it's a nono for me :-)


as for prices I do live in Italy, so I won't be able to buy overseas :-(




For the wi-fi N in theory (theory...) should be enough.
On PCPro last month there was an analysis of the bandwidth needed for HD rips from nas/server to a mediaplayer and they stated that wi-fi N, Powernet o 100Mb lan should work ok without any losses, while on wi-fi G in some cases the bandwidth is not enough. That’s the only opinion I got about using wi-fi N from my smb share to the mediaplayer

[toolpunk]

Your build looks ok for what you're planning to do with it.
I've never heard of the RAM brand though, so I don't know how reliable their products are.
If you can afford it I'd suggest getting some G.Skill, OCZ, Kingston or Corsair RAM instead.

[numb7rs]

If you want super fast boot times, see if you can get a cheapish SSD or USB3 drive. Most USB drives don't use the full 480MB/s of USB2. By getting a USB3 drive, you can guarantee this. I don't know how much they go for on the continent, but here in the UK, you can pick up a cheap USB3 stick for about £15 (about €18).

[verci]

the alternative can be building the HTPC from these parts:


Asus Mini-ITX/GF9400M AT3IONT-I DELUXE CPU integrato ALC887, 5.1
€ 159,50
RAM DDR3 Kingston Valueram KVR1333D3N9/2G 1333Mhz 2GB CL9
€ 19,50


It is 60€ more, but it comes with already built in wi-fi N (20€ and remote (20€
Plus the mini ITX case is 12€ cheaper, so it’s almost at the same price…


So t is better the ION or the GF210 ?


Or should I wait for the ATV2 to get a more stable release?