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View Full Version : Sufficient Setup?


arosequi
2009-07-19, 20:42
My XBMC box completely died yesterday. I've been looking to get a new one soon, but it just got more urgent. I'm sure there are a lot of annoying posts about this, but I was wondering if this hardware setup would work.

My plan is to load Ubuntu Jaunty and XBMC (w/ Aeon) on it. All I would really need is the ability to smoothly play MPEG AVIs (I have a couple of 720p MKVs, but they don't really matter), play DVDs, and play some emulated games (SNES/Genesis/etc).

I love this barebones:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856101039

Throw in a cheap processor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116039

Maybe 1GB of RAM, an 80GB HDD (all my media is stored on external HDDs), and a wireless card?

The main doubts I have are:


Is a 1.8GHz single-core processor enough?
Is the onboard graphics card for that Shuttle good enough? I would use the DVI --> HDMI connection.


If not, what processor/graphics card would I need? I'd like to stick with hardware on their "approved" list, if possible: http://global.shuttle.com/support_list03.jsp?PI=646

If anyone can provide any insight or anything that you would have doubts on, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks a ton!

prae5
2009-07-19, 21:35
Stick in a nvidia 8200/8300/9300/9400 and enable vdpua and it will play everything you throw at it, including HD materials.

Can't comment on the emulators as i dont use them.

DeanM3
2009-07-21, 20:42
I would honestly opt for the E5200 chip if you can afford the extra $20. You're getting an additional core, and much more cache memory with only a slight sacrifice in power consumption and speed. It will handle AEON more aptly than the single core Celeron.