Zotac zbox ID84

Hi there,
would you mind to share some light on zotac ID84.
I would like to use it for OpenElec. I was considering ID80U, but it looks that this one supersedes ID80U.
Any thoughts?

Thank you

ID80 is abit more powerfull, only reason Zotac replace it with ID84 is cause Intel aren't gonna make anymore Atom D2700 (last shipment will be this sept) due to higher cost compare to D2550.
So if I were you I would have go out and find ID80, some place still have it in stock.

Thank a lot I will find ID80 on ebay. Cheers

This seems like an appropriate thread for my questions.

I'm about to replace my old HTPC and I thought I'd get some feedback on my ideas.
I'm planning on buying a ZOTAC ZBOX ID84 (specs available here)
I'm planning on putting 4Gb RAM and a 60GB SSD in it, and it will be connected to my media server via a gigabit wired connection. I plan to use HDMI for video output and SPDIF for Audio out.
My main uses will be watching videos (in 1080p) and I play a lot of music through the system as well. I'm also intending to use it as a retro gaming device using Genesis/SNES/C64/MAME emulators, with my wired 360 controller.

My questions for you experts are:
1) Do you see any problems with my proposed usage of this device? Will it meet my needs? Particularly, is there an issue with getting a separate audio signal out of the SPDIF when HDMI is plugged in for video?
2)What operating system do you recommend? I was going to go with Windows 7, because it's what I'm familiar with, and I know the compatability with emulators is top notch. I'm also willing to try others though if you reckon it will do what I need. I've heard good things about OpenElec, will that work with my system? Will emulators work with OpenElec?

good question joe
i plan to do much the same apart from my audio will be via hdmi

any id84 xbmc users out there care to tell us how awesome it is?

Just started using the ID84, with OpenELEC, about a 2 weeks ago...great system! The only catch was setting up audio output via HDMI. I just followed the OpenELEC wiki called "HDMI_Audio_-_The_Easy_Way", making sure to enter the custom value that I obtained in both audio playback and passthrough.

If you want more details, I'd be happy to elaborate.

It should be great for OpenELEC but I would worry about CPU horsepower for emulators.

Hello,

I just bought a ID84, on which I've installed a 60GB SSD + 4GB DDR3.
I've setup a Debian Wheezy + XBMC Eden on it. No problem for the video part or the remote.

But... I have some problems to get the sound work over HDMI. I'm still trying to get things work (I try this : http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=How...controller with no luck from now on...)

I have a Zbox setup and run a similar setup with win7, 32gb ssd, and a MCE IR sensor. I do run the audio via spdif which is great b/c I also have some AirPlay software on the box so I can always play music via the zbox without turning on the tv.

I've also bought the ID84 just one day ago. Setup was a breeze, but I'm a bit disappointed by the overall UI/skin speed. Using Xperience1080 it's "ok" but not as smooth as I thought it would be... I'm currently thinking of returning the ID84 and get a more expensive ID83 (Intel Core i3-3120M, 2x 2.50GHz, Intel HD Graphics 4000).

Anyone else noticed that? Should I reconsider buying the ID83, because of some other drawbacks?

Thank you!