Best Computer Specs for XBMC
#1
I was looking to purchase a new dell computer and I was going to get it customized for optimum use with XBMC. I will mainly utilize the computer for xbmc, and was just wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to get from DELL?

I've heard promising news about windows 7; however heard XBMC isn't really ready yet because it's still in beta. Good idea to wait for windows 7 instead of getting Vista?

OS:
RAM:
HD:
Graphics Card:
Sound Card:
Inputs/Outputs:


Any suggestions are appreciated, if you know any threads similar to this one let me know too!

Thanks!
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#2
i'd also be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on a htpc rig. Been thinking of building one. I don't really care about overclocking, gaming, etc. Just want a relatively inexpensive setup that will allow me to rip/convert movies (usually at night), and serve as a media center that is capable of playing my movies, EyeTV recordings (from my iMac), and hopefully BluRay, discs (not worried about BR rips so much at this point due to storage concerns). Really just looking to get my current dvd collection on the htpc for easy access.

Here are the items I was considering from NewEgg. ncacura, maybe these will give you some ideas as well... Anyone care to comment?

Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811144162

MoBo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128363

Processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819116072

Add maybe 2gig of ram, a HD (1TB for about $100?), and eventually a BR drive?

It's about $270 for the 3 items above, plus maybe another $150 for the ram and HDD, and then the BR for another hundred maybe, so about $550 all in?

Does this seem good for a xmbc setup that is somewhat futureproof?

ncacura, any thoughts on a rig like this?
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#3
I looked into the Dell Studio Hybrid, it has some nice features but no integrated remote.
I'd build my own htpc if I could get a remote that could turn on pc remotely and it looked nice. IE, the mini mac or hybrid.

I'm a little more picky then most people here about the size and sound from htpc cases.
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#4
why not just leave it on all the time?
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#5
Get a Kilowatt and do an energy calculation. You probably save around 2-5$/month (depending on where you live) by not leaving it on all the time.
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#6
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=43405 .. Running WinXP SP3 and Ubuntu
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#7
Smile 
bump
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#8
LoL. I love it when nobody answers the original question. Let me see if I can help.


Dell Inspiron 530 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E7400 (3MB L2 Cache,2.80GHz,1066 FSB)

Operating System Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium Service Pack 1

Memory 3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 800MHz - 4 DIMMs

Video Cards Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100

Hard Drives 500GB Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200RPM) w/DataBurst Cache™

Mouse Mouse included with Keyboard purchase

Network Interface Integrated 10/100 Ethernet

Optical Drive 16X DVD+/-RW Drive

Sound Cards Integrated 7.1 Channel Audio

I did a quick config on Dell and came up with this, which ran about $520. The only down side to this configuration is the video card and the sound card. In terms of video cards, the reason I didn't suggest upgrading through Dell is their lack of NVidia support, which is useful for XBMC. Plus, you can get better, cheaper ones on NewEgg.

I don't know what the integrated audio will be like, but I anticipate it probably won't have an optical out. If that is the case, it is also something that can be pretty easily resolved on NewEgg.

The rest of these options should be able to hand all but the most demanding of tasks. 1080p mkv videos should be no problem.

The only other area of concern is the harddrive. One suggestion might be to get the cheapest possible harddrive on Dell, then buy a 1TB harddrive on NewEgg and upgrade. Videos LOVE to eat up harddrive space.

Lastly, what kind of TV and audio equipment do you plan on connecting to this PC? That will probably affect your choices.
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#9
I'm still building the following, havent recieved the memory yet...

aOpen MP45-BDR (barebones with slim blu-ray ROM drive) MCE remote included $320 (itel graphics chip has openGL 2.0 support)

T5800 Core 2 Due Mobile 2.0 GHz 800 MHz FSB $99

500 GB 2.5 inch SATA Hardrive $99

4 GB Memory 800 MHZ SODIMMS ~$54


~$572


hope everything works when I put it together....processors are the second most expensive thing it seems, I could have gone with a processor with 1066 FSB and 2.4 GHz for $200+ but I'm hoping the XBMC will work with the intel GMA X4500 graphic engine chip (crossing my fingers) and I can settle with a slower (but not slow, processor)
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#10
This is what I am about to build. I figure if my 1.6GHz Pentium M can run XBMC with few hiccups, this should too. I guess I'll know in a week:

Case: Antec NSK1380 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811129038
HDD: WD Green 750GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822136150
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128379
Memory: G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231122
CPU: AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 45W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819103255

I already have a IDE DVD drive and will run Windows 7. This setup is going to run me around USD$360. At some point I'd like to put a Blu-Ray drive into it but it's not a priority right now.

I put a lot of research into this and this seems to be the best balance of power consumption, cost and size (case-wise). I hope it will make a great XBMC HTPC.
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#11
To answer the OP's question, here's what I would get from Dell (from DellOutlet.com actually):

http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnlineSales...d=097JEBZF

Certified Refurbished
Studio 540s Slim Tower: Intel Core 2 Duo processor E7200 (3MB L2, 2.53GHz, 1066FSB)
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium

System Price : $539.00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Operating System
Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Memory
4 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (4 DIMMs)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hard Disk Drive
640 GB SATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Video
256MB ATI Radeon HD 3450 supporting HDMI
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Media Bay
Blu-ray Disc Combo (DVD+/-RW + BD-ROM)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Image
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#12
Dougie Fresh Wrote:This is what I am about to build. I figure if my 1.6GHz Pentium M can run XBMC with few hiccups, this should too. I guess I'll know in a week:

Case: Antec NSK1380 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6811129038
HDD: WD Green 750GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822136150
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-MA78GM-US2H http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6813128379
Memory: G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 800 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6820231122
CPU: AMD Athlon X2 4850e 2.5GHz 45W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6819103255

I already have a IDE DVD drive and will run Windows 7. This setup is going to run me around USD$360. At some point I'd like to put a Blu-Ray drive into it but it's not a priority right now.

I put a lot of research into this and this seems to be the best balance of power consumption, cost and size (case-wise). I hope it will make a great XBMC HTPC.

this looks interesting, looking foreward to see how it works out.

I think the main issue will always be what CPU u need, and go from there.

Would be nice with some definitive answer to what the "cheapest" cpu is for different types of video one may have, and then include that in the wiki as some sort of a buying-guide, feels like more and more asks for this.

over and out.
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#13
The results of my setup won't be of much use to folks running HD at 1080p. First, I don't have any HD video to run right now (my video files are all 480p DVD backups in MPEG-2 or Xvid) and second my TV is 720p so that's the highest resolution I'll be running this setup in.

One of the goals here though was definitely upgradeability. I'll be interested in what the next year or two bring in low wattage processors (there is a 2.0GHz AMD 65W quad-core right now the 9350e but it's expensive and I can't say if codecs make use of quad-cores). There's also room for a upgraded graphics card and a Blu-Ray drive when the time comes.

It's worth starting with the minimum based of the requirements and leaving room open for expansion later down the road.

NVIDIA ION is interesting. Who knows if system builders will ever see it though. I am sure if not someone else is going to step up with better mini-ITX solutions going forward. There's a lot out there right now that's almost there but not quite. Another year from now I expect there will be quite a bit more.
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