2013-12-06, 22:38
Im Trying to figure out what kind of system to make. Sooooo many options and I can't decide what to do. I would like to be able to use just one system for everything but Im not sure if that is possible. My main concern is it has to be LOW powered because it will be on 24/7 and it has to run XBMC flawlessly. I also need to be able to control xbmc with an IR or Bluetooth remote.
I need to be able to access the files and screen when Im at work or my gf at school. If I have to use an app like jump desktop to control that would be fine.
I would really like it to be small, and quiet but thats not necessary because its hidden. I just have no idea what to pick to get it low powered yet powerful enough to run 1080p on XBMC with a nice skin like Aeon Nox.
Current PC
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H50
Motherboard: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP
Memory: (x4) OCZ OCZ2P8002G Platinum 2GB DDR2-800 PC2-6400
Storage: Seagate 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB / WD Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM
Video Card: HIS HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCIe (I think) I was also just given a new Sapphire HD 7750 which is still sitting in the box. I feel like that card isnt a whole lot better tho.
Case: Can’t remember. Antec brand
Power Supply: Can’t remember. Corsair? 750w
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223C DVD Burner / ASUS BW-12B1ST Blu-ray Burner
> Runs good. Its powerful enough for what I use it for. I dont do any hard gaming. Mostly browsing internet. Photoshop sometimes, and creating dvds then burning them.
Its really slow to boot up but Im sure if I throw an SSD in there and did a clean install of windows 8 it would be fine. Big problem with leaving it on 24/7 is that Im sure its using up alot of power which is why I dont use it as a htpc. Need something smaller and less power I think.
Current NAS
QNAP TS-212
CPU: Marvell 6281 1.2GHz
DRAM: 256MB DDRII RAM
Flash Memory: 16MB
USB: 3 x USB 2.0 port (front: 1; back: 2)
Storage: (2x) WD Green WD20EARX 2TB (green drives are not actually supposed to be used in this nas. Already have lots of bad block.
)
Advertised Power Consumption: (APPROX) Sleep mode: 6W/ In operation: 13W
> I originally bought this because its great on power. I can access the files anywhere which is great when I need to start a download at home when Im stuck at work. Big problem is its soooooo slow. When I transfer a movie from my NAS to my pc so that I can convert and burn to dvd it takes quite a while. Usually transfers 4-15mbs. Alot of apps wont run because its not powerful enough..not a big selection either. Also I need to reset couchpotato constantly so that it starts working again. I think the nas is just too slow and buggy for it. There is only room for 2 drives so I ended up having to redownload all my movies all over again in smaller file so that I could save space. I need something with more power and that can expand more then just 2 drives.
Current Media Player
PIVOS XIOS
CPU:ARM Cortex A9
GPU: Open GL(Mali-400)
RAM: 512MB DDR2
Storage: 2GB NAND Flash
Network: 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
Connections: 3 x USB 2.0
Storage: MicroSD 16GB
Running Linux XBMC
> Bought this cuz its really low on power. I needed something for xbmc instead of using my PC (didnt want to leave it on 24/7 and takes too long to boot up. also no remote)
It runs xbmc pretty good but I want something better! It freezes quite a bit, menus are kind of laggy. All the little media boxes/sticks Ive seen all run pretty much the same. I almost bought an Ouya for xbmc but I need something that can be turned on with a remote. I think a HTPC is the way to go if I want something that runs xbmc really good.
Anyone have any suggestions or advice? Obviously the cheaper the better but my budget is under $1000cdn.
Thanks!
I need to be able to access the files and screen when Im at work or my gf at school. If I have to use an app like jump desktop to control that would be fine.
I would really like it to be small, and quiet but thats not necessary because its hidden. I just have no idea what to pick to get it low powered yet powerful enough to run 1080p on XBMC with a nice skin like Aeon Nox.
Current PC
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR Hydro Series H50
Motherboard: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP
Memory: (x4) OCZ OCZ2P8002G Platinum 2GB DDR2-800 PC2-6400
Storage: Seagate 7200.11 ST3750330AS 750GB / WD Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM
Video Card: HIS HD 5770 1GB GDDR5 PCIe (I think) I was also just given a new Sapphire HD 7750 which is still sitting in the box. I feel like that card isnt a whole lot better tho.
Case: Can’t remember. Antec brand
Power Supply: Can’t remember. Corsair? 750w
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-S223C DVD Burner / ASUS BW-12B1ST Blu-ray Burner
> Runs good. Its powerful enough for what I use it for. I dont do any hard gaming. Mostly browsing internet. Photoshop sometimes, and creating dvds then burning them.
Its really slow to boot up but Im sure if I throw an SSD in there and did a clean install of windows 8 it would be fine. Big problem with leaving it on 24/7 is that Im sure its using up alot of power which is why I dont use it as a htpc. Need something smaller and less power I think.
Current NAS
QNAP TS-212
CPU: Marvell 6281 1.2GHz
DRAM: 256MB DDRII RAM
Flash Memory: 16MB
USB: 3 x USB 2.0 port (front: 1; back: 2)
Storage: (2x) WD Green WD20EARX 2TB (green drives are not actually supposed to be used in this nas. Already have lots of bad block.
)Advertised Power Consumption: (APPROX) Sleep mode: 6W/ In operation: 13W
> I originally bought this because its great on power. I can access the files anywhere which is great when I need to start a download at home when Im stuck at work. Big problem is its soooooo slow. When I transfer a movie from my NAS to my pc so that I can convert and burn to dvd it takes quite a while. Usually transfers 4-15mbs. Alot of apps wont run because its not powerful enough..not a big selection either. Also I need to reset couchpotato constantly so that it starts working again. I think the nas is just too slow and buggy for it. There is only room for 2 drives so I ended up having to redownload all my movies all over again in smaller file so that I could save space. I need something with more power and that can expand more then just 2 drives.
Current Media Player
PIVOS XIOS
CPU:ARM Cortex A9
GPU: Open GL(Mali-400)
RAM: 512MB DDR2
Storage: 2GB NAND Flash
Network: 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
Connections: 3 x USB 2.0
Storage: MicroSD 16GB
Running Linux XBMC
> Bought this cuz its really low on power. I needed something for xbmc instead of using my PC (didnt want to leave it on 24/7 and takes too long to boot up. also no remote)
It runs xbmc pretty good but I want something better! It freezes quite a bit, menus are kind of laggy. All the little media boxes/sticks Ive seen all run pretty much the same. I almost bought an Ouya for xbmc but I need something that can be turned on with a remote. I think a HTPC is the way to go if I want something that runs xbmc really good.
Anyone have any suggestions or advice? Obviously the cheaper the better but my budget is under $1000cdn.
Thanks!