HTPC Group7 Small budget
#1
Hi guys,

I need help to choose a cheap HTPC (€300). I belong to group 5 or 6 or 7 I guess... I watch 1080p 3D but not often so I don't care if the resolution pass to 720p. The thing is that I live in Europe so I don't care about Netflix etc...

I bought a popcorn Hour A300 but I'm not happy with it, it's slow, not user friendly, full of bugs and ugly jukebox...

I would like to
-use it with XBMC
- at least connectible with 3TB 3,5 Hard Drive
- With wifi, able to access to my music and photos through on my macbook pro
-If I can put games on it..perfect...

I heard about Xtreamer Ultra but many people seem to have problem with them otherwise what about the Zotac ZBOXNANOs ? do they read 3D movies?

What is the best option for me? Huh
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#2
you want a ready made htpc? or u want to build it ?
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#3
(2012-04-15, 12:23)eskro Wrote: you want a ready made htpc? or u want to build it ?

Hi eskro,
I want a ready made HTPC.. I'm curently looking at the Zotac ZBOXNANO-AD10 plus.. Is it possible to watch a movie in 3D and to play games?
thanks
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#4
no 3D for NANO...

ZBOX ID82 for 3D
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#5
(2012-04-15, 16:34)eskro Wrote: no 3D for NANO...

ZBOX ID82 for 3D

Thanks for your answer.. But this is out of my budget....
What is the problem with the 3D on the Nano 10? On the following link it says:

3D API
DirectX® DirectX 11
OpenGL® OpenGL 4.0

http://www.zotac.com/index.php?page=shop...66&lang=en

Other question, is it fast to turn on these devices??
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#6
(2012-04-15, 12:45)anthony74700 Wrote: Hi eskro,
I want a ready made HTPC.. I'm curently looking at the Zotac ZBOXNANO-AD10 plus.. Is it possible to watch a movie in 3D and to play games?
thanks
@anthony-

I'm afraid that you have to step up to this "ASRock CoreHT 231B Intel Core i3 2310M" to enjoy 3d and some games......

>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
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#7
(2012-04-15, 18:15)bluray Wrote:
(2012-04-15, 12:45)anthony74700 Wrote: Hi eskro,
I want a ready made HTPC.. I'm curently looking at the Zotac ZBOXNANO-AD10 plus.. Is it possible to watch a movie in 3D and to play games?
thanks
@anthony-

I'm afraid that you have to step up to this "ASRock CoreHT 231B Intel Core i3 2310M" to enjoy 3d and some games......

it's more than 600€.... so clearly impossible... I don't really care about the game if I can play beter if I can't not a big deal... I wana be sure I can use it to read 1080 movies, sream music from my other computer and watch a few 3D movies on it
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#8
check for Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180

http://www.gizmag.com/lenovo-ideacentre-q180/20601/
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#9
(2012-04-15, 20:43)eskro Wrote: check for Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180

http://www.gizmag.com/lenovo-ideacentre-q180/20601/
This guy "Revo 3700 or Revo RL70 or Lenovo Q180 - Any Idea?" bought it....you can find a great price on it here- [UK DEAL] Lenovo Q180




>Alienware X51- do it all HTPC
>Simplify XBMC configurations
>HOW-TO Bitstreaming using XBMC
I refused to watch movie without bitstreaming HD audio!
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#10
(2012-04-15, 20:43)eskro Wrote: check for Lenovo IdeaCentre Q180

http://www.gizmag.com/lenovo-ideacentre-q180/20601/

Thanks for your advices guys!!

I have checked it and it seems interestng indeed.. However I read on a few forum that it's really slow, that the processor doesn't worst it etc
I'm hesitating.. Is there another option even a bit more expensive between the ZBOXID82 and the lenovo?

If the lenovo is powerfull enough to
Run XBMC 1080p + 3D movies from a USB HD
iTunes
Stream music from my MacBook for the moment and from a NAS in the future
Compatible with Audio 5.1

Is it fast to turn on? maybe a version with a SD exist?

I'm a bit afraid of Xtreamer but for the price the ultra 2... http://www.xtreamer.net/ultra2/

Thanks
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#11
no there's no really alternative.... sorry...

it still using an ATOM CPU so, its not hyper speed indeed.
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#12
(2012-04-16, 15:13)eskro Wrote: no there's no really alternative.... sorry...

it still using an ATOM CPU so, its not hyper speed indeed.

I see... I'm hesitating to keep my PopCorn Hour A_300 or to buy this Lonovo...
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#13
both systems have low horse power.
there's no easy way out.

thats why we like to build custom htpc's so much.
the pre-built htpc market often offers box's that doesnt meet our needs most of the time..
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#14
(2012-04-16, 15:43)eskro Wrote: both systems have low horse power.
there's no easy way out.

thats why we like to build custom htpc's so much.
the pre-built htpc market often offers box's that doesnt meet our needs most of the time..

Ok thanks, I'm going to investigate more, maybe I should set up my own but I'm kind of a novice Smile
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#15
we have many threads in here where users show their builds from ground up.
its not hard at all...
u just have to stop fearing...
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