Hi all,
I'm looking at buying a new XBMC client, below are my requirements:
* Needs to be small, specifically under 90mm in height, in order to fit in my TV unit
* Silent - it'll be situated in a living room, fan noise would be disruptive when watching cable TV or whilst watching a content via XBMC.
* Low power - I plan to keep the PC on 24/7 for ease of access.
* IR - For use with my harmony remote.
*Light gaming - Emulators, low end indie games, etc.
* Windows capable for flexibility, although I'm open to Linux or openelec if it means a more reliable xbmc experience.
All media will be stored on a 2tb USB 3.0 drive.
I have approx. £250 as a budget.
I've looked at the NUC and Brix, but have heard that a mini ITX build provides more bang for buck? The only problem with ITX for me, is getting a case that's under 90mm in height, any suggestions or advice would be greatly aporeciated.
How's the fan noise in the 2820?
(2014-07-27, 19:05)denz13 Wrote: [ -> ]How's the fan noise in the 2820?
All of the current generation NUCs are quite quiet when doing XBMC. It however does not meet your requirement of silent... that would require you purchasing a different hardware enclosure for it which will cost almost as much as the NUC itself.
Thanks, so ITX might be the better option?
(2014-07-27, 19:05)denz13 Wrote: [ -> ]How's the fan noise in the 2820?
Next to silent. Barely audible. I have zero problems with mine.
How about this case 7.2cm high. I have it ans it's very good with a Baytrail motherboard on board. it is silent.
http://www.cclonline.com/product/131958/...Y/CAS1057/
I have the gigabyte j1800 but the j1900 may give you more grunt. With case motherboard and ram... Your looking at no more than £150. You will have a silent mini itx system. Check out Baytrail motherboard thread for more info. Ohh the case does not come with ir so that has to factored in but you can add any mce ir sensor and it will work with the harmony.
Thanks for the responses.
That case is nice, although now that I've been looking at NUCs it seems rather big. I forgot to mention that I occasionally travel and would like to take the PC with me.
I've seen this slim ITX case though, just not sure if there's a J1900 motherboard that could fit it?http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=419
Alternatively, this shuttle slim ITX bare bones could be an option -http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00JJF0XUO?cache=9bcc16aa9e4c07317a1a41cef22a68cc&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1406501262&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
What do you guys think? I was hoping I could build my own, but I just can't seem to find a decent j1900 mobo that can fit in a slim ITX case.
(2014-07-28, 00:53)denz13 Wrote: [ -> ]Thanks for the responses.
That case is nice, although now that I've been looking at NUCs it seems rather big. I forgot to mention that I occasionally travel and would like to take the PC with me.
I've seen this slim ITX case though, just not sure if there's a J1900 motherboard that could fit it?http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=419
Alternatively, this shuttle slim ITX bare bones could be an option -http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00JJF0XUO?cache=9bcc16aa9e4c07317a1a41cef22a68cc&pi=SY200_QL40&qid=1406501262&sr=8-1#ref=mp_s_a_1_1
What do you guys think? I was hoping I could build my own, but I just can't seem to find a decent j1900 mobo that can fit in a slim ITX case.
Compared to a NUC an ITX is huge. An i3 NUC is about the size of a few cd cases stacked up.
This seems like the best of both worlds but I can't find a distributor anywhere!
Gigabyte Brix J1900
Maybe there's something on
here that might help you out.
(2014-07-28, 14:31)denz13 Wrote: [ -> ]This seems like the best of both worlds but I can't find a distributor anywhere!
Gigabyte Brix J1900
Beware current non-Haswell Celerons (i.e. Baytrails like the 2820, 1800 or 1900) if you run Windows and want HD Audio bit streaming. For some reason the Baytrail drivers don't currently support HD Audio (possibly because they also don't report an HDCP connection?) under Windows.
Fine under OpenElec.
You might want to check out the 2955U Brix ? (Though there is a current bug in the Linux Intel drivers that causes crashes with some video content with this chip)
Forget the J1900 if you intend to watch tv which requires good deinterlacing. Alaska Euler fanless case is 61mm in height. A mini itx board like Gigabyte GA-H81TN is approx 65€, Celeron 1820T is < 40€. This results in a noiseless system with enough grunt to decode anything in software.
FernetMenta is the same true of the N2820 in de-interlacing terms? If so, of the tiny form factor (smaller than ITX) machines around is something based on the 2955 (ignoring the current Intel bug) the lowest level CPU you'd suggest?
Chromebox or Brix 2955U ?
If you are looking at NUCs I guess the i3 is the lowest spec with decent deinterlacing?
I have a N2820 here for testing. It can do only bob deinterlacing for 1080i. The GPU of the N2820 with only 4 EU is disappointing too (no high quality upscaling). Never tried the 2955U but heard it should do ok. Zotac ID67 (i3-4010U) is quite good as well. But if you ever had a fanless system you don't want the fan back. You probably won't notice the fan during normal playback but you hear it at night when watching with very low volume.
Maybe Zotac CI520 is an option (fanless) but my testing sample has not arrived yet.