2011-03-10, 21:43
Hi,
I have 42" LG HDTV. I have been using my Lenovo X61 tablet for xbmc. Its not really the best hardware for watching 1080p movies. So, I need a new hardware.
The main purpose of this hardware will be as follows :
0) Running Ubuntu
1) XBMC
2) Occasional Hulu / youtube (no silverlight of course and no high definition streaming)
3) 1080p movies
4) I dont plan to use bluray disk yet (of course). As of now, I dont plan on using DVD either. If need be, I will use my laptop for that or buy an external dvd drive.
I looked at different hardware suggestions posted by Eskro and Poofyhairguy (Thanks guys). And I think I have decreased my options to following :
0) [Micro-ATX] i3-540 2x3.06Ghz + GT210 ( http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=720...stcount=11 )
1) nettops
As I read in the forum, it seems that nettops will not be best for this purpose. Even though, I have used Hulu on my laptop (1.6 dual core), and it worked fine, so I assume nettops should be fine too. To me, the best advantage in nettops is in looks and small form factor. The advantage of custom build is that may be I can use it for low duty http server or version control (for my work), but its not really necessary.
For custom build, these are the cases I liked :
0) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811322013
1) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as..._-11129046
I am more inclined towards the 0th case, as its cheaper and the only drawback for me is that it doesn't come with IR receiver.
Am I thinking in right direction? Also, is there a smaller case in your mind that I could use considering that I don't need slot for DVD and I am fine with 2.5" hdd / external hdd.
Lastly, should I consider other factors in case I want to keep this machine running 24x7?
Looking forward to hearing some nice suggestions.
Thank you very much
I have 42" LG HDTV. I have been using my Lenovo X61 tablet for xbmc. Its not really the best hardware for watching 1080p movies. So, I need a new hardware.
The main purpose of this hardware will be as follows :
0) Running Ubuntu
1) XBMC
2) Occasional Hulu / youtube (no silverlight of course and no high definition streaming)
3) 1080p movies
4) I dont plan to use bluray disk yet (of course). As of now, I dont plan on using DVD either. If need be, I will use my laptop for that or buy an external dvd drive.
I looked at different hardware suggestions posted by Eskro and Poofyhairguy (Thanks guys). And I think I have decreased my options to following :
0) [Micro-ATX] i3-540 2x3.06Ghz + GT210 ( http://forum.xbmc.org/showpost.php?p=720...stcount=11 )
1) nettops
As I read in the forum, it seems that nettops will not be best for this purpose. Even though, I have used Hulu on my laptop (1.6 dual core), and it worked fine, so I assume nettops should be fine too. To me, the best advantage in nettops is in looks and small form factor. The advantage of custom build is that may be I can use it for low duty http server or version control (for my work), but its not really necessary.
For custom build, these are the cases I liked :
0) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811322013
1) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as..._-11129046
I am more inclined towards the 0th case, as its cheaper and the only drawback for me is that it doesn't come with IR receiver.
Am I thinking in right direction? Also, is there a smaller case in your mind that I could use considering that I don't need slot for DVD and I am fine with 2.5" hdd / external hdd.
Lastly, should I consider other factors in case I want to keep this machine running 24x7?
Looking forward to hearing some nice suggestions.
Thank you very much
