Win Hardware upgrade recommendations (including "stand pat")
#1
I'm thinking about upgrading our current ecosystem and curious what others are leaning to these days.

Current setup:
  • NAS—ancient Seagate GoFlex 2T
  • Kodi client—homebrew HTPC i5 mini-ATX running Win7, 8GB RAM, 250GB internal SSD
  • Screen—LG 60" smartTV, 4k capable
  • Primary use—streaming in-network from digital copies of our respectable movie library (yes, all legal)
  • Format—HD and SD, depending on the age of the original file.
  • Connections—wired Ethernet
Concerns:
  • The Seagate is getting old, and the storage is filling up. I worry a bit about its longevity, and I'm running low on capacity to store more DVDs (which we seem to keep acquiring)
  • The HTPC is obviously showing its age. I can completely disable its internet access after the last Win7 update, but that fossilizes Kodi. And the drive is getting crowded at this point.
  • Despite the wired connection we have occasional issues with stuttering and buffering. I put that down to the aging HTPC hardware, though it could be the Seagate cutting out.
  • I have to keep it all very easy to use for the rest of the family—they're not as techie as I am, even—and compatible with the existing Windows-based home network.
  • Secure remote access is highly desired (hubs is in the UK right now).
  • Would love to be able to set up an iTunes server, but I'm not greedy.
I have a couple PCs here that I could cannibalize, though I wouldn't want to use the drives from either; I could probably get a new mobo and SSD(s) and build a respectable system from existing parts. I would rather not spend a ton of money right now (prefer < $500, definitely < $750), and I want a setup that's easily moved, because there's a high probability we're relocating to the UK next year. If we do, I'll likely take the NAS and client machine and leave the disks in storage here. Ease of migrating the NAS storage is even more important than cost; due to various life factors I have an incredibly low tolerance for software stupidity at the moment.

So with that in mind:
  • Would you build a new HTPC, load Win10 on the existing one, or buy something like the NVIDIA Shield?
  • Would you build a new NAS, buy one, or just add external drives to the Seagate?
    • If you would build the NAS, which OS would you use? (I haven't built an NAS yet, though I'm sure if I just followed directions and RTFM I could.)
Thanks for your thoughts!
Reply
#2
Odroid N2 is the flavor of the month/quarter, I believe. You didn’t mention anything other than Kodi so I will suggest looking into Odroid N2, definitely much much cheaper and robust than a Wintel solution.

Save that money and build a nice DIY NAS, with freenas or unraid or a number of other freeware BSD or Linux solutions. I personally use unraid, for which you have to pay, but it’s Easy to setup and scalable.
Reply
#3
(2019-11-19, 20:16)ozkhan1 Wrote:  
Odroid looks insteresting, thanks. Smile We do occasionally use the HTPC for gaming, but with the PS4 that's a pretty rare thing these days. Wouldn't be hard to lose.

I'll check out unraid. I don't mind paying for simplicity at this point.
Reply
#4
If you want to buy another NAS, I would recommend Synology. Great machine, great options.
Reply
#5
(2019-11-19, 21:18)Sjors125 Wrote: If you want to buy another NAS, I would recommend Synology. Great machine, great options.

I'd looked at it but talked myself out of it for some reason. Nice to know my first instincts were OK. I'll look again.
Reply
#6
(2019-11-19, 20:26)Setaige Wrote:
(2019-11-19, 20:16)ozkhan1 Wrote:  
Odroid looks insteresting, thanks. Smile We do occasionally use the HTPC for gaming, but with the PS4 that's a pretty rare thing these days. Wouldn't be hard to lose.

I'll check out unraid. I don't mind paying for simplicity at this point.

Quite honestly, I am myself looking and hoping for something that includes Kodi and gaming. The only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger for odroid is the fact I will lose out on gaming. I use nvidia shield and appletv with nvidia gamestream or moonlight for Pc game streaming.

I would retire my shield and appletv in a heartbeat if CoreElec edition N2 had a way of installing moonlight gaming.
Reply
#7
Eh, what does another box under a TV hurt? 

I have never gotten the focus on one media box to rule them all. I would much rather have the best Kodi experience possible, and the best Netflix experience possible, and so on rather than have one box that does everything pretty good. 

The Odroid N2 running Core Elec is currently the best pure Kodi experience right now. Let it exist alongside the hardware you already have, let something like a Logitech Harmony sort out the input switching, and enjoy the best of all words. 

Also put me down as a vote for Unraid been running that for me media NAS since 2010.

Reply
#8
I would rather not spend a ton of money right now (prefer < $500, definitely < $750)
https://www.asrock.com/nettop/AMD/DeskMi...%20Series/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y3KiIlHODQ
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ASRock-DESKM...3552022509 US $169.99 memory $US $100
AMD Athlon 200G - AMD Athlon 240G
AMD Athlon 3000G
ryzen 5 2200g - ryzen 5 3400g

my kodi box is a ryzen 5 2400g
Reply
#9
(2019-11-21, 20:09)poofyhairguy Wrote: Eh, what does another box under a TV hurt? 

I have never gotten the focus on one media box to rule them all. I would much rather have the best Kodi experience possible, and the best Netflix experience possible, and so on rather than have one box that does everything pretty good. 

The Odroid N2 running Core Elec is currently the best pure Kodi experience right now. Let it exist alongside the hardware you already have, let something like a Logitech Harmony sort out the input switching, and enjoy the best of all words. 

Also put me down as a vote for Unraid been running that for me media NAS since 2010.

It’s the WIfe and Family Acceptance factor. Can’t afford Logitech harmony for every room, they are expensive as heck.
Reply
#10
(2019-11-23, 04:37)ozkhan1 Wrote:
(2019-11-21, 20:09)poofyhairguy Wrote: Eh, what does another box under a TV hurt? 

...

It’s the WIfe and Family Acceptance factor. Can’t afford Logitech harmony for every room, they are expensive as heck. 

This, exactly. (Except for me, hubby and family.) They don't care about the boxes, but they have a very low tolerance for "which remote/channel/input am I supposed to use?" It so annoyed hubby for a while that he was getting out physical disks rather than use Kodi—even figuring out the Harmony was overwhelming him. /shrug Not everyone can program a VCR, as it were.

Thank you everyone for your recommendations. This just got a lot more urgent, because I suddenly realized that our GoFlex Home is no longer accessible under Win10. Thank goodness I haven't updated the OS on the HTPC yet. So I have to figure out how to get to the files and where to transfer them. Priority has suddenly shifted from the aging-but-functional HTPC to the NAS. I'm going to have to do something quick.
Reply

Logout Mark Read Team Forum Stats Members Help
Hardware upgrade recommendations (including "stand pat")0