Kodi Community Forum

I've been obsessing over hardware for my first HTPC for a while now, and I'm starting to drive myself nuts.

Here are my requirements:

• bitstream HD audio
  
• Smooth 1080p Netflix/Hulu playback
  
• NES/SNES emulation
  
• good performance with heavy XBMC skins
  

The more I read and look at parts, the more expensive my build gets. So, to save my sanity and my wallet, I'm thinking about just buying something already built, if possible.
Would this machine do what I want, or is the ION2 processor too weak? I wouldn't mind getting something like this that could replace my Blu Ray drive too.
http://www.asus.com/Eee/EeeBox_PC/EeeBox_PC_EB1503/

This also looks pretty interesting:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/14/intel...ands-on-v/
Core i3 (Ivy Bridge) and Intel HD 4000 graphics. The article lists the price as $400 but in the video, the guy says $400 is the estimated price of the completed system (after SSD card and RAM, I guess)

(2012-10-15, 23:01)hennings Wrote: [ -> ]I've been obsessing over hardware for my first HTPC for a while now, and I'm starting to drive myself nuts.

Here are my requirements:

• bitstream HD audio
  
• Smooth 1080p Netflix/Hulu playback
  
• NES/SNES emulation
  
• good performance with heavy XBMC skins
  

The more I read and look at parts, the more expensive my build gets. So, to save my sanity and my wallet, I'm thinking about just buying something already built, if possible.
Would this machine do what I want, or is the ION2 processor too weak?
http://www.asus.com/Eee/EeeBox_PC/EeeBox_PC_EB1503/

You'll be disapointed with bitstreaming HD audio and streaming Netflix HD.....

(2012-10-15, 23:01)hennings Wrote: [ -> ]This also looks pretty interesting:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/14/intel...ands-on-v/
Core i3 (Ivy Bridge) and Intel HD 4000 graphics. The article lists the price as $400 but in the video, the guy says $400 is the estimated price of the completed system (after SSD card and RAM, I guess)

If it is i3 (iVy Bridge) with HD4000, it should be able to handle everything in your list.....

I thought I had read that the first generation ION cpus did not support bitstreaming HD audio but that 2nd generation ION2 does. I guess I'll have to research that a bit more.

From the openelec forums:
http://openelec.tv/forum/68-audio/30233-...=220#34943

HD Netflix is at the bottom of my list as long as standard Netflix plays well... I live in a rural area and my internet connection is probably too slow to stream HD content anyway.

(delete)

Like many of the posters here I'm ready to start my first build. I checked all the recommendations and sort of made up my mind, but one thing always keeps stopping me. When I decide on the motherboard and HDD I check on various sites, Newegg, Amazon etc for the feed back. Problem is there doesn't seem to be a single manufacturer who can make reliable components, it seems an accepted fact that your motherboard and HDD will possibly be DOA.
How about recommendations for my build with the emphasis on reliability?

Here's what I have
55" LCD HDMI Hitatchi TV.
Pioneer VSX-921-K HDMI A/V receiver.
Sony BluRay player (Netflix enabled)

Here's what I want
To play .avi, .mkv, mp3 etc
Netflix, their regular HD programming
Play regular BluRay and DVD discs
Youtube
Quiet operation
Windows 7 64 bit O/S
Not too expensive, but I'm happy to pay for quality.

That's it, no games, no bells and whistles,
Almost forgot, space is not at a premium so I'm not restricted to a case where you have to install components with a hammer because it's so small.

So what do the experts suggest?

New to this forum. Found it by searching HTPC. Found this very useful. Thanks OP!

(2012-10-21, 14:22)LondonNeil Wrote: [ -> ]Like many of the posters here I'm ready to start my first build. I checked all the recommendations and sort of made up my mind, but one thing always keeps stopping me. When I decide on the motherboard and HDD I check on various sites, Newegg, Amazon etc for the feed back. Problem is there doesn't seem to be a single manufacturer who can make reliable components, it seems an accepted fact that your motherboard and HDD will possibly be DOA.
How about recommendations for my build with the emphasis on reliability?

The thing to know is every manufacturer will have duds. It'd just how it goes. Then, when it comes to reviews, most people post a review to complain so you see the bad stuff but not a lot of the good.

I look to ASUS and Gigabyte for motherboard quality.
Kingston, Crucial and G-Skill for memory quality
Crucial and Samsung for SSD
WD and Samsung for HDD
Seasonic, Antec and FSP for power supplies
Lian-Li, Antec and Realan for computer cases
Intel and AMD for CPUs

Thanks for the manufacturer recommendations.
I've decided to build around the AMD A8-3850 processor, any recommendations for which Asus motherboard would be best for my requirements?

(2012-10-22, 18:48)LondonNeil Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the manufacturer recommendations.
I've decided to build around the AMD A8-3850 processor, any recommendations for which Asus motherboard would be best for my requirements?

mini-ITX, micro-ATX or ATX?

Hi All,

I am new to XBMC, currently trying different versions (Windows, OPENELC, XBMCBuntu) but would like to build a seperate system which I can connect to my TV.

I will be playing mostly local media (mkv and ISO's of Blurays and DVD's) stored on my synology NAS.

I am also planning to buy a 3D TV and would like to play 3D also through XBMC.

I have shortlisted couple of systems, was wondering if you guys think it should be enough for my needs.

BOX is MI-008

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001H0B...PDKIKX0DER





Thinking of either buying Intel BOXDH77EB with G2120 and 4GB Memory

or just ASRock AMD E-350 and 4GB Memory.

Are any of the above combination good for playing 3D bluray files and uncompressed HD Audio?

Built a few computers but this is my 1st mini case and 1st HTPC.

I have spent many hours reading guides here and a couple blogs with great info on how to start from building a HTPC, thank-you everyone that has posted for making the job easier. I plan to run this setup openelec, but powerful enough to fall back to XBMCBuntu or Win7 if I have to. I have a server in the house that hosts media drives and other ripping repairing downloading etc, so this is just for playback and hopefully future proof lol (no such thing ). I consider myself a category 7 minus 3D but my next TV might be 3D so... I know HD audio bitstreaming isn't a go yet in openelec, I am hopeful that will change

I am posting here before I order tonight or tomorrow to fish for feedback on hardware compatibility and MoBo layout for this case/hardware combo to hopefully avoid any surprises. My hardware choices are filtered / limited by what ncix.ca here in Canada carries so that I can use their online price matching tool to get best Canadian prices on the whole package with shopbot.ca etc. I am not overly stuck on my choices just seemed best prices in Canada and availability for immediate shipping at NCIX.ca when searching around western Canada computer part sites.

Case - Apex MI-008 looked at many cases, like antec but they don't work in my entertainment cabinet. Not the best but sometimes simple is better to work on. Fits on the shelf I have available and is cheap.

CPU - Intel Core i3 3220T Dual Core Processor LGA1155 2.8GHZ Ivy Bridge 3MB Retail Box (was shopping for 2100T sandy bridge but this was same price) going T so I can use stock cooler and fit under power supply with some spare space.

MoBo - ASUS P8H77-I mITX LGA1155 H77 DDR3 1PCI-E16 SATA3 DVI HDMI D-Sub USB3.0 Motherboard

RAM - Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 XMP Dual Channel Memory Kit (was shopping for 4GB 2x2GB but this was what I found at NCIX that was on the ASUS QVL and ready to ship no delay. other options I found had heat sinks that would get in the way if I chose to use a 3.5 HDD in the future.

SSD - Intel 330 Series 60GB 2.5IN SSD MLC 25nm SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive Retail Maple Crest

120mm Fan for side of case PWM for MoBo control should run slow and quiet but summer is hot want it to be able to rise if needed when ambient temp rises. Newer Z77 chipset Asus MoBo's support fan speed on non pwm 3 pin fans but this H77 chipset needs PWM . Not fully decided yet considering the following,
Scythe Slip Stream PWM 120MM Sleeve Bearing Fan 200~1300RPM 0~26.5DBA 0~74.25CFM
Noctua NF-P12 120MM Ultra Quiet Cooling Fan 300-1300RPM 63.4-92.3M3/H 12.6-19.8DBA 4-PIN PWM
Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120MM Ultra Quiet Cooling Fan 300-1500RPM 93.1M3/H 22.4DBA 4-PIN PWM

I appreciate any feedback or tips from anyone. Especially any experience with this MoBo or CPU in this case.
I am hopefull the iGPU will suffice if not I will add a discrete GPU to pick up the slack if needed.

I can't wait to have this up and running Amazing that I am sorta happy my 200 $$ boxee box died lol

Hi Aaron,
I'am also planning my first HTPC and also searched around a lot for the optimal HW and this is my humble opinion and I hope that with sharing our ideas would save us costs in buying new HW.
This is my first time that I hear from openelec, so I do not know how good it performs when you are streaming films and sending video files from and to it in the background, while you are watching a 1080 HD movie.
And another question that you might think of is the HW-Compatability of openelec, not that you run into such issues which in the end forces you to install xmbc etc.
Openelec is an interesting choice that I will check out right away for my solution that I'am going after so thank you for mentioning it.

From your post I understand that 3D is somthing as a option that you MIGHT get / need. If it is an option that you would want to get but you are waiting for the prices of 3D to fall then I understand. But if you are leaving the option open just because you are undecided then I would say that an motherboard with an open slot for a HTPC is too expencive.

I would also consider myself at most a category 7, but more of a cat6 and I pay attention that my solution solid and compact one where 3D isn't my desire but capturing my SAT channels and recording them upon need.
Another aspect that I would like to include into my HTPC solution is to play Blu-ray movies.
Here I'am planning to get a Blu-ray drive from Panasonic here is the link

And as a SAT-Card I'am planning to get this one
Now I konw that the sites in german but since there is googletranslator I think that it wouldn't pose a problem in getting the specs.
In these two points I would like to ask the community for feedback, any recommendations and experience. The drive HAS to be a slimdrive.

So my choice for a motherboard is the DQ45EK from Intel here is the link
Unfortunately the board doesn't have a HDMI port which is in my opinion the only negative aspect of this board. I agree that the board also doesn't have the brand new LGA1155 socket for the new CPUs from intel, but the Celeron CPUs with 755 Socket CPUs (and if I want more CPU power I would get the Core2Duo or even the Extreme variant) do the same job for less power consuption and thus less heat generation and less cooling which would lead to less noise.
As a Casing my choice is the Streacom ST-FC8B EVO HTPC, it is a little expencive but it is made from Aluminum which passively takes away the generated heat from the components like motherboard and harddisk. Maybe this is a case that you might consider buying due to the passive cooling.


Let me know what you think.


Cheers.

@dirtycookie

My Understanding of openelec is its XBMC with less OS in background running, so faster and more efficient. Its sort of a stripped down linux HTPC/media renderer XMBC based firmware solution. With this and XBMC for Android the future of XBMC on cheap devices around the house is exciting. With the right hardware sending files to/from while watching 1080p is not a problem on openelec. In my above case my media is stored on a central server box in the house wired gigabit so less work this box I am building in the living room.

I have a nice 1080p Z series Sony TV from when 3D was very expensive still. Its getting older and 3D TV's are cheap so I just know this box I am building lifespan will be longer then my current TV. Not a huge price increase to have the 3D option available regardless of my reservations on wearing 3D glasses over my existing glasses not being enjoyable for watching a movie. So having the power to do 3D makes sense. Regardless of 3D I need a HDMI port for many reasons, HD audio bitstreaming (windows only atm if I understand correct) easier audio to framerate sync, some say easier to work with 24p "issues" if ones ends up seeing them.

No plans here for a TV/Sat/capture card so I won't comment, haven't researched that or ease of XBMC PVR setup. BD drive in my server to rip BD's with makemkv or the like. If I want to play native disc I will play in PS3. New one is quiet enough behind media center to not annoy during a movie.

I could save some money on MoBo, but being that its the foundation on the HTPC box I would rather pay 20 or 30 bucks more now then wish I did a year from now. Will not give up USB3 HDMI or SATA 3.

Streacom case is nice. Many cases I like much more then the one I settled for. Myself I was limited to what I can fit on available entertainment center shelf with room for airflow still. It will be out of sight and line of sound so no fancy look needed and a couple fans if chosen right will not be heard. Wish our fish tank in living room even if my build was in open it would get lost in fish tank/media playing noise. Built a few "silent" PC's hoping this build will be quiet enough with fan control considering it will rarely be break a sweat I am hoping.

Some of my build could be toned down or cheaper but I would rather pay a little more now instead of rebuilding sooner. Give me headroom to play with fancy skins. Also one of the things I detested about my Boxee Box was how laggy the interface was, combined with common lockups the lag was very agravating. This is what steered me away from jumping on a cheap prebuilt or android TV box right away. Willing to pay more for a buttery smooth interface.

Hi EvilAaron,

My idea of recommending a DualCore or even 755 soket celeron is because openelec is a very lightwheight OS where I think that using an i3 CPU for this job would not make any changes in the time to boot. That is a question that you'll have to ask into the forum. If my assumptions are correct, then think of buying a mobo from zotac with a 755 soket.

Maybe someone can tell us how long it takes to boot openelec with an i3 and a dualcore?

Yes its overpowered for openelec no question, now that I have decided to add a nvidia GT520 fanless (want best linux driver support) to the mix even more so. Main reasoning for overpowered CPU that is if openelec can't do certain things I need it to I have the option to switch to XBMCBuntu or even Win7 and still have good performance. Also have been using heavy skins on test XBMC install on desktop here and want to have the horsepower to run them on build regardless of OS platform I end up using.

I am also looking for a different case that fits on shelf available, even with low profile CPU I don't like the way the power supply and CPU fan fight each other for air in the M-008 case. I could scrap stock PS for a pico but that adds fair bit to build cost and I don't want to buy two power supplies when I only need one.

Getting messy posting in this thread as the build moves away from OP's builds. I will make my own post for final feedback once I figure out a new case. Hoping to order tonight or tomorrow as to get my stuff this week before weekend