Kodi Community Forum

Hi there.
First of all; sorry for the language. English isn`t my first language.

I have been readning a lot on this forum before I decided to make my first post.

I have a popcorn-hour that needs an upgrade. My girlfriend does not want a big PC in the livingroom, so what I need is something small and silent.

Surfing around the net has given me a few tips around zotac mini pc and/or Intel NUC. However, both of this brands consist of thounsands of different versions (maby ten versions to be fair hehe)

I really don` want to purcase something thats not fitting my demand, so I decided to ask the experts (you guys!)

My needs for the device:

- Win 7 OS
- HDMI out (i will plug it in my onkyo tx-nr636)
- Flawless videoplayback from bad encoded xvids to full blu ray ISO with HD-sound from NAS
- Silent
- Strong enough for emulators up to N64 (nes, snes, n64 and MAME)
- Can use xbox 360 wireless controllers for emulator (i have a wireless usb "thing" that works with windows 7)
- Can be operated with a Harmony remote control (this is not a DEMAND, but I sure want to)

soooo... is this possible to get from a Zotac or Intel Nuc...? my budget is not endless... planning to spend as little as possible (off course)

AND: THANKS(!!!) for all your help in advance!!

Do you want silent, as in makes no noise, or simply can't hear it from your seat? If you need silent none of the Intel NUC's are fanless except for the bottom end Atom one that you don't want.

I don`t need dead silent.. a small fan is ok as long as it`s not a dominating sound in a quiet livingroom (when the tv is off)

Intel nuc is a great choice what exact model number isn't important just ask yourself these questions:
Do I need IR? (so you can use harmony)
Do I need 2,5" hdd space or is msata fine? (I would recommend a model with 2,5" space)
Do I need any special outputs? (most nuc only have a few outputs in addition to hdmi)
Do I need wifi? (all models support it but most models require you to buy a separate card)
Go for a i3 og i5cpu(i5 might be overkill)
When buying a nuc remember to also get a power cable, ram(sodim ddr3 204pin), OS(Windows etc) and a 2,5"hdd/2,5"ssd/msata ssd

Ps:
1. Most mini computers like the nuc have laptop cpus so they can't be compared to a "real" pc
2. There has been a few reports of issues with onkyo receivers connecting to HTPCs, I'm not familiar with what models are affected but thought I should warn you.

(2014-08-27, 00:46)RaggSokk3n Wrote: [ -> ]Intel nuc is a great choice what exact model number isn't important just ask yourself these questions:
Do I need IR? (so you can use harmony)
Do I need 2,5" hdd space or is msata fine? (I would recommend a model with 2,5" space)
Do I need any special outputs? (most nuc only have a few outputs in addition to hdmi)
Do I need wifi? (all models support it but most models require you to buy a separate card)
Go for a i3 og i5cpu(i5 might be overkill)
When buying a nuc remember to also get a power cable, ram(sodim ddr3 204pin), OS(Windows etc) and a 2,5"hdd/2,5"ssd/msata ssd

Ps:
1. Most mini computers like the nuc have laptop cpus so they can't be compared to a "real" pc
2. There has been a few reports of issues with onkyo receivers connecting to HTPCs, I'm not familiar with what models are affected but thought I should warn you.

Thanks for your reply.
I have singeled out D54250WYKH (intel HD graphics 5000 and i5 4250U) and D34010WYKH (intel HD graphics 4400 and Intel Core i3 4010U)
They both support IR (i need a harmony)
They both support a 2.5 SSD disc (I have one at home)
I only need HDMI (fingers crossed that my reiciver will work)
I don`t need WIFI

Sooo. Is the difference in HD graphics (5000 vs 4400) big...? And the same question for the i3 vs i5? Will all n64 with project64 emulator work?

Thanks!

I am also looking at D34010WYKH

can someone confirm this nuc (i3) does not have issue with HD audio passthrough in windows and can passthrough DTS-MA and Dolby HD?

I hold off celeron DN2820FYKH because it does not support it in windows (I know it works for openelec) but I need to install xbmc on windows