Budget DIY HTPC hardware for XBMC?

harryzimm Wrote:The aspire should work well under linux using vdpau(as long as you have atleast 2gb of ram). Windows on the other hand is a no go.

cheers

Thanks man.

Linux it is then (he says as if he knows what he's talking about :eek I'm sure I'll be able to gather enough info from here to get XBMC installed though.

Out of interest do you have any idea what ram is compatible with the acer?

Have a look at this thread, if you haven't already, its long but should provide some decent info.

cheers

harryzimm Wrote:Have a look at this thread, if you haven't already, its long but should provide some decent info.

cheers

That's the exact thread that's got me so worked up on getting one of these didn't see anything about the ram but I'm sure I'll find out without much of a problem, just thought you may have one your self hence me asking.

Thanks anyway mate

well this is what i got you a pretty good setup certainly superior to the aspire setup with everything you need, and the same price as your original offerings.

AMD Phenom X3 Triple Core 8650 2.3GHz Socket AM2+ 2MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed Processor
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/144635

Samsung EcoGreen F2 1TB Hard Drive SATAII 32MB Cache - OEM
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/164282

Antec Minuet 350 Piano Black Slimline MATX Case - With 350W PSU
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141001

DFI LANPARTY JR 790GX-M2RS Socket AM2+ onboard DVI HDMI 8 Channel Audio mATX Motherboard
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/152224

OCZ 4GB Kit (2x2GB) DDR2 667MHz/PC2-5400 CL 5-5-5-15 Value Series
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142343

Tenda Wireless-N PCI Adapter
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/155641

Blimey you certainly know what your doing! thanks J

I feel I've wasted your time though because I'm going to go with the Aspire, it seems perfect for what I need (play 1080p content via XBMC) I'm sure what you put together will walk all over it but I'm guessing it may be a little overkill for my requirements.

Cheers anyway though mate.

Double post

I think the blu-ray rips should be alright actually... the acer aspire revo has an NVIDIA ION Graphics chip, which according to nvidia support full 1080p content and directx 10. Just make sure you get the right codecs for the operating system of your choice to ensure smooth playback and it'll be fine. To be honest, I have an old graphics card (geforce 7300gs), which isn't even directx 10 compatible, but still plays blu-ray rips perfectly fine!

also, are you going for a 32 bit system or a 64 bit system? because 32 bit systems hardly have any support for triple and quad cores anyway, and can only have 3gbs of RAM, so the triple core cpu and 4gb of ram is a little uneccesary. However I'm guessing he chose 4gb because of the dual channel advantages it can receive. saying that, the 667MHz should be at least 800MHz to prepare for future installments of a 64 bit installment. no sense getting a lower speed when the higher speed models are almost the same price.

Can I mention, I think you should try and get some ethernet plug adaptors instead of a wireless network as wired connection are much safer, and 100% stable. Ethernet plug adaptors have gotten A LOT cheaper over the last few years, so getting them are becoming much more plausible. I have several pairs of ethernet adaptors in my house because I prefer the stability in the network. ~This is not entirely neccasary though! If you have a good wireless connection going, then utilise it all ya want; I'm just trying to give you all the options

Oh and as for the whole linux vs windows thing... I own several PCs all with Windows XP, and Vista. But I strip them both down of all the crap to just give me the operating system. If you're good with PCs, Vista will work perfectly fine, but since you say you're a MAC user for 12+ years, you may actually find linux more suitable. However, I really think you should give Vista a try first, especiially since you'll be getting it pre-installed. Just make sure you've got a decent anti-virus (such as NOD32) and a good registry cleaner (such as Regcure). I've never had any problems with windows... but then again, I am an IT tech.

If you do decide to go for the Acer Aspire, give us a good review of it once you've got it? I'd love to hear how it all turns out for you! ~I plan to get the same PC for my parents someday.

i been waiting to get the aspire revo but i am starting having doubt about it.
i want be able to play blu-ray dvds and i think that teamed with xbmc would be not a good performer,so i made a list for a new build:
EV Black MATX Media Center Case http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135497
Asus P5N7A-VM GeForce 9300 Socket 775 onboard http://www.ebuyer.com/product/151427
Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5GHz Socket 775 800FSBhttp://www.ebuyer.com/product/158689
LG Electronics Blu-Ray & HD-DVD-Rom Combo 16x DVDRW Black SATAhttp://www.ebuyer.com/product/139985
Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800MHz/PC2-6400 XMS2 Memoryhttp://www.ebuyer.com/product/130415

what you think guys?

Some interesting info here (they've taken it apart ) on the Aspire, says it also plays Blue ray discs over usb fine.

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/20...cer-revo/1

Not ignoring you SB, i'm at work right now so I don't have the time to read and reply to your post