2012-06-08, 04:48
Hi all,
First, a little about me: I know my stuff when it comes to computers (#nerd-jargon welcomed), but i'm pretty new to XBMC, and i had a few questions.
Second a little background: i'm going to install xbmc-Live, (or ubuntu12 with xbmc) on a mini-pc that i will be getting pretty soon, and my boss told me to look into the forums here to figure out exactly what i'm looking for. the problem is, i don't know what to look for! i know i want a barebones/mini-box that has at least one USB 3.0 port in it (#deal-breaker), but also one that's not too expensive. (i'm thinking about $150-$200 before adding ram and a hard drive.) my idea is to have a mini-pc to be able to do anything i may want to do with it (for example samba filesharing, and other fun things) with the main focus being on being able to play 1080p movies with no hitches, hiccups, chops or drops.
from what i understand, aside from the gpu, just about any new mini-pc or barebones machine can play 1080p. so, it's come down to graphics cards.
i checked in the wiki for the recommended video processors. my current predicament is that, i want to get something on par with the recommendations, or better, but i'm not sure what to look for, or what kind of drivers/support xbmc-live has out-of-the-box, or readily available without compiling or building. (i'm going for easy and cost-effective )
my boss said that AMD is pretty unstable and doesn't perform as well as nVidia (#or Intel..?), but AMD seems to be integrated with much less pricey machines. (ex. i found a machine with the AMD Radeon 6310 for a good deal, as compared to the Intel GMA 4500 that was almost double the price!) my boss also suggested i look for the nVidia ION or ION2 chipset. i found one good box with the ION2 but i don't even know if there are drivers or support for any of these!
A little help?!!
Thanks in advance.
-What i Wonder
First, a little about me: I know my stuff when it comes to computers (#nerd-jargon welcomed), but i'm pretty new to XBMC, and i had a few questions.
Second a little background: i'm going to install xbmc-Live, (or ubuntu12 with xbmc) on a mini-pc that i will be getting pretty soon, and my boss told me to look into the forums here to figure out exactly what i'm looking for. the problem is, i don't know what to look for! i know i want a barebones/mini-box that has at least one USB 3.0 port in it (#deal-breaker), but also one that's not too expensive. (i'm thinking about $150-$200 before adding ram and a hard drive.) my idea is to have a mini-pc to be able to do anything i may want to do with it (for example samba filesharing, and other fun things) with the main focus being on being able to play 1080p movies with no hitches, hiccups, chops or drops.
from what i understand, aside from the gpu, just about any new mini-pc or barebones machine can play 1080p. so, it's come down to graphics cards.
i checked in the wiki for the recommended video processors. my current predicament is that, i want to get something on par with the recommendations, or better, but i'm not sure what to look for, or what kind of drivers/support xbmc-live has out-of-the-box, or readily available without compiling or building. (i'm going for easy and cost-effective )
my boss said that AMD is pretty unstable and doesn't perform as well as nVidia (#or Intel..?), but AMD seems to be integrated with much less pricey machines. (ex. i found a machine with the AMD Radeon 6310 for a good deal, as compared to the Intel GMA 4500 that was almost double the price!) my boss also suggested i look for the nVidia ION or ION2 chipset. i found one good box with the ION2 but i don't even know if there are drivers or support for any of these!
A little help?!!
Thanks in advance.
-What i Wonder