Elo,
My dad has been on at me to help him build a media center ever since her saw mine in action. Sadly I'm completely out of the loop on what's what these days and I'm not terribly sure where to start.
He's looking to keep it as cheap as possible, just no idea what mobo with onboard hdmi, cpu, ram, hard drive (1tb) and case to pick up.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
How about something like this: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/zotac...d-itx-vga-wifi
Drop a cheap stick or two of RAM in, job done.
As for the case, I really like my Compucase 8K01, largely because of the looks and the tiny size, but there's a huge wealth of options to choose from.
Certainly something pre-built would be ideal, saves me having to faff around. Any comments on the Dell Zino and Asrock NetTops?
I'd say the ASRock nettop's are really nice for the money, mainly because most other prebuilds of the same sort of size and cost don't include a dvd drive (you can also get a bulray version but costs more) which can be rather vital for a HTPC
[rem IMG]https://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i45/pob_aka_robg/Spork/project_spork.jpg[rem /IMG] [rem IMG]https://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i45/pob_aka_robg/dichotomy/dichotomy_footer_zps1c040519.jpg[rem /IMG]
Pob's new mod, Soviet Pob Propaganda style Laptop.
"Are you suggesting that I can't punch an entire dimension into submission?" - Flying squirrel - The Red Panda Adventures
Sorry photobucket links broken
ASRock IONs or the Core100ht
Acer Revo
What exactly do they want to do with it?
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/175291
Anyone seen any of these cheapy media players that can access iPlayer? (or even 4oD & youtube)
A PC or PS3 seem overkill really.
You can get prebuilds but disc drive and 1TB HD might be challenging if you want a nettop-type solution.
Originally Posted by [GSV]Trig
Those hadn't actually crossed my mind but do seem like a good option, happen to know of any that output in 1080i and play mkv format?
I've got one at home, havent plugged it in yet, bought it on an impulse..
Will check it out later if you want
tbh that puts mini-itx self-builds out of the question really.
A prebuilt nettop like the ASRock or a Dell Zino HD would be a reasonable bet, and obviously also the easiest!
For cheap home builds, you're really looking at an AMD based mATX build - I run a Sempron 140 undervolted to 1.05v in an ASUS 785M EVO motherboard with 2GB RAM and have a peak power draw of around 55W with an 80+ Bronze 250W PSU. It comfortably handles everything I throw at it - only thing I don't really use is bluray / HD content.
The only issue there might be cases, as nice, small, discreet mATX cases are getting harder to come by...
1080 .mkv?
Forget Atom then!
Anyone had experience with a Sumvision MKV?
Edit: Looking at this currently - http://www.sum-vision.co.uk/producti...lonemicro2.asp
Last edited by Stephen C; 25-11-2010 at 12:08 PM.
Got a Sumvision Cyclone MKV mk2 from scan
plays everything. full HD mkv, DTS (not tested hd audio), subtitles, all good.
Looks like an old telewest cable box, and the menu is pig ugly too, so not something to show off, but for practicality it's great.
MediaPC - ASRock H61M-DGS - 8gb ddr3 - i3 2120 - R9 270 - antec fusion black - lg ggc-h20l - windows 10 - denon avr-1911 - JVC 58" 1080p RPTV
Server - MSI Z77A-G45 - 16gb ddr3 - i7 2600k - 4u Rack mountable - sas 1068e + expander - 3ware 9650se - 16 * 2tb + 2 * 3tb - TBS 6984, 6284 & 6920 - 2 * astrometa dvb-c - windows 7 pro
My PC - See my system on left
hexus.trust
Just ordered the Cyclone Micro 2 from Scan, going to make it part of my old mans Christmas present now
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