HTPC options/decission

I currently run xbmc on an AppleTV2, which I LOVE...best toy I have purchased in years...took it out of the box and the first thing I did was jailbreak it!

With all the hulu crap going on I am thinking of building an HTPC or getting something else for the main room where my 50" Panasonic Plasma is so I can do what I want and use the appletv2 upstairs in my work room where I have no cable to the tv hanging on the wall.

So this is what I am thinking...

Option A: Purchase a used MacMini
Option B: Purchase a ZBox
Option C: Build a MiniATX form factor PC myself...might be hard to do and compete with prices of A and B

This is what I think I will be doing...

• Streaming video from the internet and local storage NAS or USB drive
• Emulation using MAME
• Stream audio from the internet
  

I have an XBox360 and I doubt I will play PC games on the system. I also have a blue-ray player and can access NetFlix from it if I want to. In addition I have a 50" Panasonic Plasma HDTV that uses AmazonVOD if I want to use that.

I don't want to OVERSPEND...but I don't want to UNDERspend either...as far as money...OBVIOUSLY as little as possible to do what I want with a little buffer....but nothing over 500 bucks...and that stays between you and I...if the wife sees that she will hunt me down and you'll see me on the news!

i say go for miniITX!
http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=94199

If you want something really small, go for a barebone. You won't be able to build something as small as the Zotac, the shuttle gt35, acer revo and some other ion2 builds around (jetway, asus, giada, asrock, etc)

Streaming video from the internet = you want more power than a Atom.

I recommend what Eskro does, a Mini ITX build...

poofyhairguy Wrote:Streaming video from the internet = you want more power than a Atom.

I recommend what Eskro does, a Mini ITX build...

I guess I would agree, but I did get my Revo 1600 to stream just fine.
Hulu works great, but it doesn't take much to stutter.

I really like these new AMD boards.
Put it in a nice case and it should beat any ATOM hands down.

Laserray Wrote:Hulu works great, but it doesn't much to stutter.

Hulu is kinda a lone exception of works well. Once you try something like, say, Netflix it can eat an Atom's heart out...

poofyhairguy Wrote:Streaming video from the internet = you want more power than a Atom.

I recommend what Eskro does, a Mini ITX build...

Yepp! Can't believe how much online streaming eats CPU's these days...