Kodi Community Forum

Hi Folks,

I'm in the processed of building my 1st HTPC but I have some questions. I've done some research and it looks like I should be able to accomplish all my requirements with the G2020. My question is, should I spent the extra $ and get the I3-3225? I'm hoping that I will not have to upgrade this setup for a few years. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

My requirements:
Output full HD
Play Blurays
Stream some TV
XMBC on Windows 7.

Hardware
CPU - Intel G2020
MB - Gigabyte GA-H77N-WIFI
Memory - 4GB
Case - Cooler Master Elite 120
PS - Corsair 430

The i3 will do hardware decoding via 3D, the Pentium will not. Do you need 3D?

i would go for the Pentium as long as you don't need 3D playback.. for something like OpenELEC or even a full Windows installation it is more than sufficient.

If you have the money, I would go for the i3. It has much more to offer besides 3D and its rest value will be much higher. When using Windows you will notice the speed difference between both CPU's.

I'm not intrested in 3D so it sounds like the pentium is the way to go. It will meet all my requirements and keep me on budget. Thanks for all your help...

of you want better performance you'd better spend the extra money that you save with the Pentium on a SSD. But if you want to use OpenELEC you won't notice the difference that much

I was planning on buying an SSD for better performance and decrease boot time. I'm not familiar with OpenELEC OS but I will read up on it.Thx!