[roxy99]

Hi All,

I am looking for some guidance on hardware for an HTPC build that has the following characteristic:

-low cost (less than $300 total)
-plays 720p very smoothly
-very small
-very quiet design

I would like something similar to an Apple TV2 - BUT not Apple product (I am anti-apple)

If I look at Intel, I see a nice core i3 would do well in mini-atx box
There are also those Zoltac products.

I am not averse to using XBMC-Live- as long as its a turn-key installation and not needing tweeking to recompile linux every time a new XBMC build is released

So many options and don't have a clue where to start.

[scooper750]

The zotac su2300 will work great.
1080P no problem.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...Tpk=su2300

Just add hard drive and memory.

[darkscout]

I love it when idealism gets ahead of common sense.

Low cost
Very small
Very quiet

Pick 2.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6856107081

It's only $130 more than the ATV2.

[roxy99]

Thanks for the recommendation. The reviews for Zotac’s Zbox HD-ND22 barebones seem more favourable. I have an external USB optical drive. Will that do for the install of XBMC-Live?

Hard drive: is SDD worth the extra cost? I only need small capacity since I have a seperate dedicated media server running ubuntu.

Thanks