[foxm2k]

Hi,

I am thinking of an Intel i3 Kodi HTPC. After several hours of googling the net I am not sure what to do. Lots of people recommend an Intel NUC system but no one refers to real reasons for this decision. On the other hand many say to go for a custom buildt HTPC.

What are the reasons for one or the other? What makes the difference between both?

Most important for me is:
- Accurate and constant 23.976Hz refresh rate for playback under windows (Want to use PowerDVD as an external Player for BD.isos)
- Bitstreaming HD Audio formats to my Onkyo AVR

Therefore another really important question: Can I perfectly reach both goals with i3 integrated graphics or is it better to go for a dedicated (nvidia) graphics-card?

Please help me get some background behind my decisions.

Thanks a lot,
Andy

[timstephens24]

You can reach both goals with the i3 integrated graphics. Why most people will recommend a NUC over a custom built HTPC is generally the size of the custom HTPC can't compete with the NUC, but honestly it all depends on what you want to do. I have a i5 D54250WYK NUC and it's pretty fantastic.

[foxm2k]

Hi,

thanks for the quick answers.

generally the size of the custom HTPC can't compete with the NUC, but honestly it all depends on what you want to do

I can understand that, though it's a decision between size and design because in my eyes the NUC cases are not very appealing. You are talking about the fields of use... can you give me some examples of what usage would lead me to a NUC or a custom HTPC? I can't imagine right now...

[Qtrmeg]

Most people here will tell you that what you are looking for is overkill, and less efficient than any of the gadgets up to & including a Chromebox. That's probably true except that I find that I am not willing to sacrifice performance, which leaves me to only look at i3/i5 NUCs or an HTPC.

While you would normally favor the latest generation for a NUC it seems the next to last generation is more or less equal to the latest, for your purposes, & cheaper. So focus on a Broadwell NUC, like a NUC5i3RYK or NUC5i3RYH, and if you want an ultra small case this is what you need to use.

Now compare those to an HTPC. A NUC uses a mobile processor that is more efficient & runs cooler, but typically an HTPC will use a desktop processor that is more powerful than its mobile counterpart, and a real motherboard with many expansion options. The HTPC doesn't have to be inefficient if you pick the right parts, it will just be a little less efficient than a NUC.

Personally I think a NUC would be just fine for me but every time I price one up I can't help but notice that for $100 more I can build a real nice HTPC. Down the road when I convince myself to upgrade I think the HTPC will hold its value better, so I doubt an HTPC would even cost more.

[timstephens24]

can you give me some examples of what usage would lead me to a NUC or a custom HTPC? I can't imagine right now...

Basically anything you would need a dedicated graphics card would lead to use a HTPC instead of a NUC, but for Kodi that's overkill. Also if you want to load it up with a few hard drives, you can't do that with a NUC.

[Matt Devo]

Most people here will tell you that what you are looking for is overkill, and less efficient than any of the gadgets up to & including a Chromebox. That's probably true except that I find that I am not willing to sacrifice performance, which leaves me to only look at i3/i5 NUCs or an HTPC.

Having owned/tested all of these, I can tell you that from a Kodi standpoint, there's pretty much zero performance diff between a Celeron Chromebox and Broadwell i3/i5 NUC. The NUCs handle HEVC and Hi-10P a little better, but all are limited to 1080p since CPU decoded.

Now compare those to an HTPC. A NUC uses a mobile processor that is more efficient & runs cooler, but typically an HTPC will use a desktop processor that is more powerful than its mobile counterpart, and a real motherboard with many expansion options. The HTPC doesn't have to be inefficient if you pick the right parts, it will just be a little less efficient than a NUC.

a little less efficient is a bit of an understatement. Chromeboxes/NUCs use 15W SoCs (and typically idle around 5w), the only way you're going to get anywhere close to that with a HTPC build is with a Braswell mini-ITX board, but then you're taking a pretty big hit performance wise (CPU anyway).

[foxm2k]

Thanks for the discussion. As I wrote in my first post, I want to use PowerDVD 15 to playback Bluray ISOS. That leads me directly to windows / not a chromebox or something similar. PowerDVD also marks the performce my system needs. But I think a mobile i5 within a NUC has enough power to smoothly run PDVD, isn't it?

The only needs that would lead me to a dedicated nvidia would be bitstream HD audio, 23.976 f/s playback ,hardware-decoding for PDVD. But if I got you right, all of that is working with i3 / i5 integrated graphics. (Although I noticed no one here refered to the 23.976 topic...)

[Matt Devo]

Thanks for the discussion. As I wrote in my first post, I want to use PowerDVD 15 to playback Bluray ISOS. That leads me directly to windows / not a chromebox or something similar. PowerDVD also marks the performce my system needs. But I think a mobile i5 within a NUC has enough power to smoothly run PDVD, isn't it?

The only needs that would lead me to a dedicated nvidia would be bitstream HD audio, 23.976 f/s playback ,hardware-decoding for PDVD. But if I got you right, all of that is working with i3 / i5 integrated graphics. (Although I noticed no one here refered to the 23.976 topic...)

a Haswell or newer i5 NUC will meet all your requirements then. Broadwell or newer if you need 4K 60Hz output. Skylake if you need 4K HEVC decoding / output.

[Qtrmeg]

Most people here will tell you that what you are looking for is overkill, and less efficient than any of the gadgets up to & including a Chromebox. That's probably true except that I find that I am not willing to sacrifice performance, which leaves me to only look at i3/i5 NUCs or an HTPC.

Having owned/tested all of these, I can tell you that from a Kodi standpoint, there's pretty much zero performance diff between a Celeron Chromebox and Broadwell i3/i5 NUC. The NUCs handle HEVC and Hi-10P a little better, but all are limited to 1080p since CPU decoded.

Now compare those to an HTPC. A NUC uses a mobile processor that is more efficient & runs cooler, but typically an HTPC will use a desktop processor that is more powerful than its mobile counterpart, and a real motherboard with many expansion options. The HTPC doesn't have to be inefficient if you pick the right parts, it will just be a little less efficient than a NUC.

a little less efficient is a bit of an understatement. Chromeboxes/NUCs use 15W SoCs (and typically idle around 5w), the only way you're going to get anywhere close to that with a HTPC build is with a Braswell mini-ITX board, but then you're taking a pretty big hit performance wise (CPU anyway).

If there is no difference between a Chromebox and an I core NUC I'll take all NUCs off my wishlist. That's just as well because I just checked parts prices and I can build an HTPC for less than a NUC.

As for efficiency, I have an I3 4130T that is rated for 35W. Certainly not a gashog.

[shabuboy]

FYI, there are other machines, besides the Chromebox that also have the same Haswell hardware, in case you are looking for other options such as windows, Linux, Openelec.
Look for for Zotax Zbox BI320 and the HP Mini desktop and HP 260 G1 threads if interested.