Last minute HTPC advice
#1
I’m a relative newbie trying to set up multiple HTPCs for some friends and family. I’m going to start with one, and then hopefully duplicate that success.

I quickly decided that I wanted to use XBMC Live, and after lurking around these forums for the last couple weeks, I think I am going to go with:

Shuttle XS35GT (barebones)
Ram: 2GB Kingston PC2-6400
SSD: OCZ Vertex 30GB
Remote: Hauppauge MCE remote control kit or Harmony One

However, I’m still considering

1) Acer Aspire R3700, based on what seems to be widespread satisfaction
2) Zotac ZBOXHD-ND22-U, based largely on MidnightWatcher’s post here: http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?p=7...post702963

Here is a summary of my situation:

-these boxes will be 100% dedicated as media centers, sitting next to the TV
-I would like to use XBMC Live, so I can avoid windows
-I’ll be using a NAS device for local media, so no need for a large hard drive. Playing the local media (movies, music) smoothly at the highest quality is my chief concern
-full 1080p support
-no need for an optical drive
-needs to be relatively quiet
-I would like to be able to use Netflix, youtube, hulu, etc. I haven’t played around with XBMC too much, and I’ve seen a lot of things referenced a lot (sabnzbd, sickbeard) that I am not familiar with, but I’m sure I want all that stuff too!

Any advice will be seriously appreciated!
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#2
My advice (take it or leave it) is simple! Don't be scared to experiment and do not hold back Big Grin

Building your HTPC will be fun. You will have tons of questions and will learn a lot through the whole process. My chief piece of advice is to build a media server and then use the HTPC as a front-end client to stream all of your media over the network. This eliminates the need for tons of local storage in the HTPC. Also, the media server would handle things such as sabnzbd, sick beard, and couch potato (all another story).

For hardware suggestions, just check the hardware forums. There is a ton of advice. Most likely you will be told to grab a GT430 (sound advice).


Good luck! Have fun!
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#3
bmcclure937 Wrote:Most likely you will be told to grab a GT430

Nod
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#4
Thank you for the replies.

Quote:My chief piece of advice is to build a media server and then use the HTPC as a front-end client to stream all of your media over the network.

Yes, this is my plan, especially since I will have more than one "front end" box being fed by the NAS.

Quote:Most likely you will be told to grab a GT430

I'm a bit confused by this. This is just a graphics card, correct? I'm not attempting to build the whole system for this first time around. Is there a bare bones box that includes that card that you could recommend over what I have listed?
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#5
nope
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#6
bmcclure937 Wrote:For hardware suggestions, just check the hardware forums. There is a ton of advice. Most likely you will be told to grab a GT430 (sound advice).

Ignore bmcclure937, he obviously didn't read any of your 'suggested' boards.

All 3 are ION boxes. You have more than enough CPU/GPU to do 1080p.

Not only that, the shuttle is a "Next Generation" Ion Box. Which may or may not (depending on who you talk to) be as powerful as a GT430. (It's not like you can really do anything with it right now anyway, unless you have a ton of 3D movies).

Just get something with an Nvidia chip set, either on board (like all of your motherboards) OR if you go with something that doesn't, then you'll need a GT430 (or GT220/240)
Code:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON `xbmc_%`.* TO 'xbmc'@'%';
IF you have a mysql problem, find one of the 4 dozen threads already open.
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#7
dopethrone Wrote:Is there a bare bones box that includes that card (gt430)?

i was saying NO to that question,,,,
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#8
Thank you darkscout, I appreciate the detail.

Quote:i was saying NO to that question,,,,

I understood what you meant eskro, thanks for the reply. Could you elaborate on why you think I might want to scrap this shuttle configuration for that card?
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#9
As darkscout mentioned, if you don't do 3D, you don't need the GT430. A custom built HTPC with a more powerful CPU may offer you a better navigation experience with some of the skins.

As far as your options go, they are both fine. The Shuttle is completely silent and you ca fit an optical drive whereas the ND22 has a bit more CPU power (helps the navigation) and a cooling fan. The Acer is still an excellent choice but it doesn't have any of the advantages the previous 2 have. They all play any 1080p stream effortlessly.
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#10
I`ve just built the Asus ION 2 with D525. And it works awesome with 0 stutters! awesome piece of machine!
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#11
darkscout Wrote:Ignore bmcclure937, he obviously didn't read any of your 'suggested' boards.

<snip>

Blush hey! sorry about that... only trying to help out. SadRolleyes
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#12
Thank you for all the replies. I didn't mention 3d initially because I wasn't sure if it was worth taking into consideration.

At this point, I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on the shuttle (still haven't decided on the remote.) As I said in the OP, I'm going to be doing this a few times... and I'm considering starting from scratch for the second one.

Either way, I'll report back so that someone in a similar situation can benefit...hopefully.
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#13
Bah. Not quite done. I still need a remote. I can't seem to find the Hauppauge for sale in the US (unless it's bundled with a tv tuner) and I've decided I want a dedicated remote, rather than a universal remote, so the Harmony is out.

Any tips? I need something that works great with XBMC live.

Also, in the off chance that I want to run windows 7 with XMBC on top, or some type of dual boot system, will the 30gb SSD be enough?
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