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I currently have the first generation appleTV + Broadcom BCM70015 running crystalbuntu.

I have been really happy with the setup for the last couple of years, but the menus aren't exactly as snappy as I would like and I feel as though the hardware is dated (2007?). The system will really slow down if not rebooted once a week or so (but the Broadcom hardware decode never skips a beat), so I'm looking to upgrade so the menus are more fluid.

My usage of the device is pretty minimal as far as processor power goes. I am looking for new hardware to run OpenElec only (no windows). I typically watch xvid and divx (720p or lower) encoded videos from an external USB drive directly attached to the box. I run Transmission for downloading torrents, Aeon skin, and really only use Hulu and Pandora.

I have been looking into cheap hardware because...I'm cheap.
I'm looking into an Arctic MC001 ($99)
and possibly installing my Broadcom card that I already have in my appleTV (if that would help/work).

Anyone have any opinions on the Broadcomm BCM70015 vs Radeon HD5430?
Has any one done this or am I just stupid for even asking?

Other alternative would be to buy an Ion2 box (but the price would end up doubling).

Thank you for your advice / guidance.

[DrowningApe]

Installing the Broadcom card would be redundant. The radeon chipset is fully capable of video decoding. You'd be better off selling the ATV 1 with the card installed.

There are plenty of pretty positive reviews and YouTube videos of the arctic mc001. It's cheaply made, but works really well with openELEC. And it's cheap. The only thing you would need to buy would be 2gb of ram and a flash drive for the OS. Also, it's cheap.