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+--- Thread: Need cheap, pre-built mini system (/showthread.php?tid=131458)
Need cheap, pre-built mini system - ClayM - 2012-05-13
Ok, need a cheap one, preferably prebuilt / mini for the bedroom.
Only needs to output 720p
Doesn't need storage outside of running XBMC (have a NAS)
Really nice if there's an IR device attached
Don't need Wifi
Any recommendations?
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - eskro - 2012-05-13
cant go cheaper then APPLE TV for now
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - ClayM - 2012-05-13
(2012-05-13, 19:44)eskro Wrote: cant go cheaper then APPLE TV for now
that... is a good idea.
when you jailbreak the apple tv, you're pretty much blowing up the initial install and completely replacing it, right? is it possible to go back?
edit: I actually want to run OpenElec.TV and I don't think it runs on the 2nd gen ATV. May pass on this one.
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - Dougie Fresh - 2012-05-14
Do you need an optical drive?
Have you considered a custom build or barebones? The ASUS E35M1-I is a OpenELEC recommended motherboard -- it would be pretty cheap and quick to build a system with one of those.
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - DesertRain - 2012-05-14
Watch out for ATV2 if you have high bitrate MKVs. You're only displaying 720P, but you still have to read/decode those 1080P files. I'm not sure what the cutoff is for bitrate, but I know ATV2 will choke on MakeMKV untouched bluray rips.
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - s1l3nc0r - 2012-05-14
I would take a look at one of the newer zotac models.
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - Zer0 - 2012-05-14
Have a look at Rapsberry Pi solution. They have some availability problems right now, but let's wait...
http://www.raspberrypi.org/archives/571
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - dtviewer - 2012-05-14
I usually would have made the same recomendation as Eskro, but Apple TV2's that are jailbroken are now going for insane prices.
Matter of fact I am going to put mine up on ebay because they are selling for more than the cost of building a nice HTPC.
(And my HTPC in the livingroom is a joy to use compared to the AppleTV2. Thanks to the posters on this forum for the recomendations on the build!)
A jailbroken untethered apple tv2 can go for between $2-300 on ebay right now.
A nice A4 or A6 HTPC will run about the same.
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - ragedogg69 - 2012-05-16
What is funny, you can get a used original AppleTV on ebay for <$100 and run crystalbuntu on it quite well at 720p. If you wanted to play 1080p file just pop in a crystal HD card for <$50.
This is the easiest and cheapest way I have found for XBMC that can play nearly anything, or atleast until all those tiny ARM devices come out running some form of XBMC.
RE: Need cheap, pre-built mini system - GortWillSaveUs - 2012-05-16
Me personally,..although I just built my first HTPC,..it cost me much more than this solution:
Acer RL70-UR10P Desktop
and the price came down a little to just over $300
I'll probably pick this up soon for my other TV.
It also comes with Windows 7 pre-installed.
That was $100 out of my budget on my HTPC build.