2012-05-28, 15:49
Want a XBMC HTPC for cheap? You'll have to settle for using VGA and analog audio rather than the digital HDMI interface...
I just built an XBMC HTPC using an older HP model DC5100 PC and the new XBMCBuntu OS (XBMC 11.0 "Eden"). It's nothing special and only has a socket 775 P4 CPU (2.8GHz) with embedded Intel graphics, 1Gig of RAM and a 40Gig hard drive - cheap stuff! But it's still able to display in full 1080 "HD" and even sounds pretty good too. The hard part for me was configuring the BIOS (pressing F10 to get in it) and then disabling the CPU's extended capabilities so it appears as a single-core run of the mill processor. But once that was done I just loaded up XBMCBuntu and pretty much went with all the defaults. A little tweaking and I was even able to control XBMC using my Archos 5IT Android device (running Android 1.6 and the XBMC Android app) as a remote control including turning my XBMC box on and off. Can I say that again? I can actually turn my XBMC PC off and most importantly on using my Android device. Very cool stuff! I've also found a Vista remote control with a USB receiver that also works right out of the box too. However, the Vista IR remote can't turn XBMC on, although it can still turn it all off.
Actually, I believe the power off condition is a deep hibernation state (since that's what I set it to). Personally, I've found no difference in the power drain from when XBMCBuntu shuts things down than from when Windows was doing it. I can even unplug the power and then plug it in again and it still all appears to boot quite fast - assuming I didn't have a power hiccup or something previously. And that's thanks to HP's hardware and choice of BIOS that XBMCBuntu seems to know how to take advantage of. Therefore, I see no need to go with a full blown PC or use an even a more expensive SDD; that is, unless your XBMC PC also doubles as your main production rig (the PC you also use for work). This thing is better than even a full fledged smart blue ray player except for maybe the blue ray part (which might be another hundred bucks).
So save your money! If you're like me you probably have all your "content" on another PC or external drive anyway. A little network fiddling and I'm sure you can be streaming content from anywhere to your XBMC box.
Best of all, I did all this for under a hundred dollars! Take the Vista remote control out of the equation and I bet you might even find a similar system for around fifty bucks! But if you happen to want new stuff then I see even a new HP DX5150 might be another option. Even now (5/28/2012), I see the DX5150 is still available at my local retail outlet for just $99. Maybe somewhere near you too? The DX5150 is so similar to what I have except for the CPU (which may be better) that I bet even it could be made into a XBMC box with no trouble at all.
I just built an XBMC HTPC using an older HP model DC5100 PC and the new XBMCBuntu OS (XBMC 11.0 "Eden"). It's nothing special and only has a socket 775 P4 CPU (2.8GHz) with embedded Intel graphics, 1Gig of RAM and a 40Gig hard drive - cheap stuff! But it's still able to display in full 1080 "HD" and even sounds pretty good too. The hard part for me was configuring the BIOS (pressing F10 to get in it) and then disabling the CPU's extended capabilities so it appears as a single-core run of the mill processor. But once that was done I just loaded up XBMCBuntu and pretty much went with all the defaults. A little tweaking and I was even able to control XBMC using my Archos 5IT Android device (running Android 1.6 and the XBMC Android app) as a remote control including turning my XBMC box on and off. Can I say that again? I can actually turn my XBMC PC off and most importantly on using my Android device. Very cool stuff! I've also found a Vista remote control with a USB receiver that also works right out of the box too. However, the Vista IR remote can't turn XBMC on, although it can still turn it all off.
Actually, I believe the power off condition is a deep hibernation state (since that's what I set it to). Personally, I've found no difference in the power drain from when XBMCBuntu shuts things down than from when Windows was doing it. I can even unplug the power and then plug it in again and it still all appears to boot quite fast - assuming I didn't have a power hiccup or something previously. And that's thanks to HP's hardware and choice of BIOS that XBMCBuntu seems to know how to take advantage of. Therefore, I see no need to go with a full blown PC or use an even a more expensive SDD; that is, unless your XBMC PC also doubles as your main production rig (the PC you also use for work). This thing is better than even a full fledged smart blue ray player except for maybe the blue ray part (which might be another hundred bucks).
So save your money! If you're like me you probably have all your "content" on another PC or external drive anyway. A little network fiddling and I'm sure you can be streaming content from anywhere to your XBMC box.
Best of all, I did all this for under a hundred dollars! Take the Vista remote control out of the equation and I bet you might even find a similar system for around fifty bucks! But if you happen to want new stuff then I see even a new HP DX5150 might be another option. Even now (5/28/2012), I see the DX5150 is still available at my local retail outlet for just $99. Maybe somewhere near you too? The DX5150 is so similar to what I have except for the CPU (which may be better) that I bet even it could be made into a XBMC box with no trouble at all.