[reelss]

Hi,

I just ordered a refurbished Dell Zino yesterday and wanted to know if the following specs will be good enough for what I want to accomplish:

* Inspiron Zino HD - 400 Desktop Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium
* Processor: AMD Athlon Dual Core X2 3250e Processor (1MB L2, 1.5GHz)
* 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (2 DIMMs)
* 250 GB SATA II Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
* 8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
* Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics


The Zino will be my primary HTPC hooked to my LCD TV and hardwired into my home network. Here's what i would like to be able to do:

* Run XBMC
* Play 1080p content from my WHS (also hardwired to the home network)
* Play 1080p content from Youtube / Netflix / Hulu
* Automate the Media center by doing something like this


I don't plan to do any gaming, or to attach a TV Tuner Card.

Would I be able to accomplish the above with the specs of the Zino?
Will the integrated Video Card be sufficient or should I look into adding one? If so, any recommendations?

Many thanks!

[poofyhairguy]

Let me say first I am assume you will use the Windows 7, in Linux that box is almost worthless:

But in Windows 7 the only thing you will have trouble doing is Netflix HD due to a kinda weak CPU. Everything else should work once you buy a decent IR-remote set.

By the way, that guide is out of date. XBMC Dharma no longer needs eventghost. Look at my sig for current automation programs...

[reelss]

Yes, i plan on sticking with Windows 7.

Is dharma stable enough, or should i stick with xbmc?

I already have a logitech harmony remote and also a dinovo mini which i am planning to use with this HTPC.

The programs in your sig seem to be linux based. Is there a more up-to-date guide somewhere to help me with the automation for a win7 based box?

[Mallet21]

Honestly I think you are gonna struggle using an ATI 3XXX series gpu with the newest version of XBMC. Seems like quite a few people are having issues.

I'd try it out obviously to see if you can get it to work but I'm thinking you may have to add (if its even possible with the Zino) a dedicated card like the Nvidia GT210 or ATI HD5450.