[Golayitdown]

Hey guys. Short time lurker, first time poster.

I'm looking to buy a new HTPC system for XBMC. I'm a Group #6 member. I'm eying a small nettop system because I'll soon upgrade to a larger TV and space is scarce. I do not want to build this time, so that option is out.

I've been looking at the Lenovo Q180. I can get the 2GB version for $285. I had my finger on the trigger until I saw that the Foxconn nt-A3700-0H0WBANA is on sale for $150 (still on sale today). I know it's a barebones system, but I have RAM/HDD/OS. The benefit of getting this cheap system is that I have some extra cash to get a nice SSD and a 4GB ram stick right now and still come out less than the Q180. If I did get the Q180, I would use the enclosed drive until I can find a great SSD deal.


My question is, would it be worth it to buy the Q180 over the A3700 knowing that I would still need (want)d to get a SSD (and possibly a RAM upgrade)? Would the speed/performance increase be negligible?

Lenovo Q180- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6883108711
Foxconn nt-A3700- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6856119070

I'm also up for pros/cons of the two systems above or suggestions for an alternative if you guys have any.

Here's the short version:
- Group #6
- I already have a copy of Windows/RAM/HDD
- Want to buy a SSD sooner than later
- Will not use the system for browsing only XBMC (very low chance that I even use Netflix)
- Need a small form factor (nettop/bookshelf speaker)
- Budget is < $350 (want an inexpensive system, not cheap quality)
- I'm not sure which XBMC version I will use

ANY help is appreciated.

Thanks!

[rml249]

Hey Golayitdown,

I just recently bought the Foxconn nt-a3700 about 2 weeks ago. I noticed today that it is sold out on Newegg but it's listed at $170 (as of now).

I already had the ram and hard disk so it was a simple buy for me.

Comparing your prospective Q180 it numerically has a faster processor and better video card with more dedicated video ram.

So to guess I would think the Q180 would perform better but at a $300+ pricepoint.

A3700 has 1.65 ghz processor compared to the Q180's 2.13ghz

It's apples to oranges to compare it purely on processor speed.

I bought my nt-a3700 for about $160 after discounts.

Issues:

I tried using OPENELEC (OPENELEC.tv) to make this into an appliance and I have issues with getting the audio over HDMI mostly a config/driver issue in Linux.
It gets HOT as hell! Idle it is 65*C according to the System Info in XBMC. I have some thermal compound laying around so that might help reduce it by 5*C. I'm not sure how much a SSD will lower the heat but it will use a lot less power which = a lot less heat

Short Term Setup:

Windows 7 (32 bit)
XBMC (11.0) Eden Installed - most recent nightly build, the STABLE build crashes on average after about 30-45 minutes of playback( Software related not hardware)
2GB Crucial DDR3-1333
160 WD HDD
Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 with Built-In Multi-Touch Touchpad (920-003070)

Short Answer:

If you want to spend < $350 I think this nt-a3700 is the way to go, even at the $170 price point.
The SSD would give it a big boost, keep the heat down. It would probably load in less than 10 seconds if you used OPENELEC
It'd probably be less than 20seconds under Windows and making XBMC autostart

Other Thoughts:
While playing a movie and pressing Esc to load the XBMC menu, there is a little noticeable jerkiness in the transition but I'll try upgrading to a 4GB stick and see if that helps.
I'll upgrade to a SSD when i find one on sale. I figure 60GB is good enough since I store all my media on my network and have XBMC stream it.

[Dougie Fresh]

What RAM and HDD do you already have (model/size)? That will help determine a suitable barebones. You could save a lot of money over the Q180, especially having the Windows license.

[Golayitdown]

Hey Golayitdown,

I just recently bought the Foxconn nt-a3700 about 2 weeks ago. I noticed today that it is sold out on Newegg but it's listed at $170 (as of now).

I already had the ram and hard disk so it was a simple buy for me.

Comparing your prospective Q180 it numerically has a faster processor and better video card with more dedicated video ram.

So to guess I would think the Q180 would perform better but at a $300+ pricepoint.

A3700 has 1.65 ghz processor compared to the Q180's 2.13ghz

It's apples to oranges to compare it purely on processor speed.

I bought my nt-a3700 for about $160 after discounts.

Issues:

I tried using OPENELEC (OPENELEC.tv) to make this into an appliance and I have issues with getting the audio over HDMI mostly a config/driver issue in Linux.
It gets HOT as hell! Idle it is 65*C according to the System Info in XBMC. I have some thermal compound laying around so that might help reduce it by 5*C. I'm not sure how much a SSD will lower the heat but it will use a lot less power which = a lot less heat

Short Term Setup:

Windows 7 (32 bit)
XBMC (11.0) Eden Installed - most recent nightly build, the STABLE build crashes on average after about 30-45 minutes of playback( Software related not hardware)
2GB Crucial DDR3-1333
160 WD HDD
Logitech Wireless Touch Keyboard K400 with Built-In Multi-Touch Touchpad (920-003070)

Short Answer:

If you want to spend < $350 I think this nt-a3700 is the way to go, even at the $170 price point.
The SSD would give it a big boost, keep the heat down. It would probably load in less than 10 seconds if you used OPENELEC
It'd probably be less than 20seconds under Windows and making XBMC autostart

Other Thoughts:
While playing a movie and pressing Esc to load the XBMC menu, there is a little noticeable jerkiness in the transition but I'll try upgrading to a 4GB stick and see if that helps.
I'll upgrade to a SSD when i find one on sale. I figure 60GB is good enough since I store all my media on my network and have XBMC stream it.

Thanks for the response.

I see that it went back up to $175 and is sold out.

The older version with the E-350 is currently $195 with a free 60GB SSD. Is there a big difference between the 350 and 450?

I'll have to look before I pull the trigger.

What RAM and HDD do you already have (model/size)? That will help determine a suitable barebones. You could save a lot of money over the Q180, especially having the Windows license.

Thanks for your reply.

I have 2 sticks (2x2GB) of 4 GB of DDR3 (PC-8500 if I'm not mistaken) ram that was pulled from a recent laptop. I see that the barebones systems that have been listed only have space for 1 stick. That means that I can get started with 2GB but eventually I'd probably have to buy some more anyway. I looked up the Shuttle X35GT has space for 2 sticks, but I'm confused about which one of those to go with and how they compare with the previously mentioned options.

As for HDDs, I have about 4 that can be used ranging from 80gb to 320gb. All 4 are 5400 rpm. Unless I HAVE to install Windows 7, I will have no use for an internal drive. All data is stored on my server. If I ran OpenElec, would I be able to get around the using a HDD/SSD if I used a SD card? How do the sd cards compare speed wise?

[jangjong]

I have NT-A3500 setup for my gf. That is the version that is on sale with 60GB SSD right now.

If you don't mind not having menu sound, audio setting for openelec is simple. You just need to select the right output in Audio setting and it will play everything fine except for the menu sound. I will check it out which setting it is when I go to my gf's this weekend. If you want the menu sound, i think there's something that you need to change in the config file, but my gf dont care if there's sound for menu or not so this works for me

I put Vertex Plus 30GB SSD in there. It works perfectly fine, boots openelec very quickly, and i don't even notice the heat. My gf just have psuedo tv on for hours and we havent encountered any problems with it.

Only issue I see about NT-A3500 is it only has ONE RAM SLOT. If you're using openelec, 2gb is fine, but windows may lag.

My dad uses e-350 laptop and my gf uses NT-A3500 which is e-350 machine. Honestly, I haven't encountered any problem with e-350.. or thought i needed anything more. There shouldn't really be too big of performance difference between E350 / E450

[Dougie Fresh]

Thanks for your reply.

I have 2 sticks (2x2GB) of 4 GB of DDR3 (PC-8500 if I'm not mistaken) ram that was pulled from a recent laptop. I see that the barebones systems that have been listed only have space for 1 stick. That means that I can get started with 2GB but eventually I'd probably have to buy some more anyway. I looked up the Shuttle X35GT has space for 2 sticks, but I'm confused about which one of those to go with and how they compare with the previously mentioned options.

As for HDDs, I have about 4 that can be used ranging from 80gb to 320gb. All 4 are 5400 rpm. Unless I HAVE to install Windows 7, I will have no use for an internal drive. All data is stored on my server. If I ran OpenElec, would I be able to get around the using a HDD/SSD if I used a SD card? How do the sd cards compare speed wise?

The memory is SO-DIMM then? You need to make sure whatever you get can take laptop memory. Most E-350/450 motherboards use desktop memory though some use SO-DIMM. Atom-based nettops might use SO-DIMM too.

You don't say what size HDDs you have -- 2.5" or 3.5". You need to look at that as to what will fit.

If your'e in the US you can get something like this and just need to put in a 2.5" (or two) with your OS:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E-i5-AMD-A6-3500...1090725742

This is a popular build here so there are a couple of threads on the "A6-PACK" if you want to investigate further.

[jangjong]

The memory is SO-DIMM then? You need to make sure whatever you get can take laptop memory. Most E-350/450 motherboards use desktop memory though some use SO-DIMM. Atom-based nettops might use SO-DIMM too.

You don't say what size HDDs you have -- 2.5" or 3.5". You need to look at that as to what will fit.

If your'e in the US you can get something like this and just need to put in a 2.5" (or two) with your OS:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E-i5-AMD-A6-3500...1090725742

This is a popular build here so there are a couple of threads on the "A6-PACK" if you want to investigate further.

FYI, NT-A3500 & NT-A3700 requires a SO-DIMM memory and a 2.5" HDD

[Dougie Fresh]

For the Foxconns keep an eye here too: http://www.superbiiz.com/. They often have good coupons on the front page.

[Golayitdown]

I have NT-A3500 setup for my gf. That is the version that is on sale with 60GB SSD right now.

If you don't mind not having menu sound, audio setting for openelec is simple. You just need to select the right output in Audio setting and it will play everything fine except for the menu sound. I will check it out which setting it is when I go to my gf's this weekend. If you want the menu sound, i think there's something that you need to change in the config file, but my gf dont care if there's sound for menu or not so this works for me

I put Vertex Plus 30GB SSD in there. It works perfectly fine, boots openelec very quickly, and i don't even notice the heat. My gf just have psuedo tv on for hours and we havent encountered any problems with it.

Only issue I see about NT-A3500 is it only has ONE RAM SLOT. If you're using openelec, 2gb is fine, but windows may lag.

My dad uses e-350 laptop and my gf uses NT-A3500 which is e-350 machine. Honestly, I haven't encountered any problem with e-350.. or thought i needed anything more. There shouldn't really be too big of performance difference between E350 / E450

Thanks! Would you consider your usage Group 6? I don't care about menu sound at all. I turned the clicking off on my PS3 the day I got it as soon as I found the settings.

Thanks for your reply.

I have 2 sticks (2x2GB) of 4 GB of DDR3 (PC-8500 if I'm not mistaken) ram that was pulled from a recent laptop. I see that the barebones systems that have been listed only have space for 1 stick. That means that I can get started with 2GB but eventually I'd probably have to buy some more anyway. I looked up the Shuttle X35GT has space for 2 sticks, but I'm confused about which one of those to go with and how they compare with the previously mentioned options.

As for HDDs, I have about 4 that can be used ranging from 80gb to 320gb. All 4 are 5400 rpm. Unless I HAVE to install Windows 7, I will have no use for an internal drive. All data is stored on my server. If I ran OpenElec, would I be able to get around the using a HDD/SSD if I used a SD card? How do the sd cards compare speed wise?

The memory is SO-DIMM then? You need to make sure whatever you get can take laptop memory. Most E-350/450 motherboards use desktop memory though some use SO-DIMM. Atom-based nettops might use SO-DIMM too.

You don't say what size HDDs you have -- 2.5" or 3.5". You need to look at that as to what will fit.

If your'e in the US you can get something like this and just need to put in a 2.5" (or two) with your OS:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/E-i5-AMD-A6-3500...1090725742

This is a popular build here so there are a couple of threads on the "A6-PACK" if you want to investigate further.

Sorry for my lack of details. All drives are 2.5". I doubt any of the systems using my desired form factor will even accept 3.5".
My memory is SO-DIMM.

For the Foxconns keep an eye here too: http://www.superbiiz.com/. They often have good coupons on the front page.

I love superbiiz. They always have some decent deals. Since the prices have went back up a little bit, I'm going to keep my eyes peeled on Slickdeals. Seems like the systems go on sale a couple of times a month.

[jangjong]

Thanks! Would you consider your usage Group 6? I don't care about menu sound at all. I turned the clicking off on my PS3 the day I got it as soon as I found the settings.

I'm guessing you're referring to this post when you said 'Group 6': http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?pid...post843683

Foxconn NTA350-0H0W-B-A-NA (NT-A3500) is recommended by eskro from that list.. but my usage is not group 6.

I don't do these :
* wants to stream 1080P Hulu content
* wants to stream 1080P Netflix movies (Windows only)
* wants to Bistream HD-Audio

[Golayitdown]

Thanks! Would you consider your usage Group 6? I don't care about menu sound at all. I turned the clicking off on my PS3 the day I got it as soon as I found the settings.

I'm guessing you're referring to this post when you said 'Group 6': http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?pid...post843683

Foxconn NTA350-0H0W-B-A-NA (NT-A3500) is recommended by eskro from that list.. but my usage is not group 6.

I don't do these :
* wants to stream 1080P Hulu content
* wants to stream 1080P Netflix movies (Windows only)
* wants to Bistream HD-Audio

Yes, I'm in the same situation. Not sure if I'll want to Bitstream HD-Audio, but I probably won't use Hulu and I don't use Netflix.

[poofyhairguy]

The Hulu and Netflix requirement basically means you need a real CPU. If you don't want that something that is ION/Fusion will do.

[Golayitdown]

The Hulu and Netflix requirement basically means you need a real CPU. If you don't want that something that is ION/Fusion will do.

Would I still get the 1080p playback with smooth menus? If so can you suggest a nettop/very small form factor machine?