Posted November 10, 2014 Hi all, I have been doing a lot of research but perhaps some friendlies on here might be able to make some recommendations.. I am looking for a dedicated XBMC box, really ideally around 100 euro or less. Will play all media from home server through gigabit Ethernet (don't need wireless). Needs to play large blu ray quality files seamlessly and not be sluggish in general. I'd be willing to go somewhat over the 100 euro mark if guaranteed I'll have a crisp, clean performance especially with streaming blu ray over network. I've been looking at NUCs but price point seems quite high, wondering is there a better option for me that will meet my needs Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 10, 2014 100 euros or less will be really tricky to hit, you might be able to get a mobo, cpu, and ram for that much, though it will all be very low end. Specs: CPU - Intel i7 8700K @ 5GHz | GPU - Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming | Motherboard - ASUS Strix Z370-G WIFI AC | RAM - XPG Gammix DDR4-3000MHz 32GB (2x16GB) | Main Drive - Samsung 850 Evo 500GB M.2 | Other Drives - 7TB/3 Drives | CPU Cooler - Corsair H100i Pro | Case - Fractal Design Define C Mini TG | Power Supply - EVGA G3 850W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 10, 2014 Author 100 euros or less will be really tricky to hit, you might be able to get a mobo, cpu, and ram for that much, though it will all be very low end. Yeah so I've been looking at rPi solutions but not sure if I can rely on seamless use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 10, 2014 Yeah so I've been looking at rPi solutions but not sure if I can rely on seamless use? I doubt a raspberry pi could play back large blu ray files very well, though I have seen people link multiple raspberry pis together some how, I wonder if you could do that to 2-4 of them and get better performance out of them. Specs: CPU - Intel i7 8700K @ 5GHz | GPU - Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming | Motherboard - ASUS Strix Z370-G WIFI AC | RAM - XPG Gammix DDR4-3000MHz 32GB (2x16GB) | Main Drive - Samsung 850 Evo 500GB M.2 | Other Drives - 7TB/3 Drives | CPU Cooler - Corsair H100i Pro | Case - Fractal Design Define C Mini TG | Power Supply - EVGA G3 850W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 10, 2014 Raspberry Pi, or if you need something more powerful with sata support you could go with the Cubie Board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 10, 2014 I am looking for a dedicated XBMC box, really ideally around 100 euro or less. Will play all media from home server through gigabit Ethernet (don't need wireless). Needs to play large blu ray quality files seamlessly and not be sluggish in general. I'd be willing to go somewhat over the 100 euro mark if guaranteed I'll have a crisp, clean performance especially with streaming blu ray over network. I've been looking at NUCs but price point seems quite high, wondering is there a better option for me that will meet my needs NOT Raspberry Pi! I had one to try and use as a media player and although video plays back fine (if it's H.264) the navigation and UI is really slow. Check out something like an Android media streamer. I'd recommend the MINIX Neo X5 or X8, as I've had great experiences with them, they are great for XBMC, and come with Ethernet built in. "Rawr XD" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 12, 2014 Author NOT Raspberry Pi! I had one to try and use as a media player and although video plays back fine (if it's H.264) the navigation and UI is really slow. Check out something like an Android media streamer. I'd recommend the MINIX Neo X5 or X8, as I've had great experiences with them, they are great for XBMC, and come with Ethernet built in. Thanks this looks really interesting and potentially my ideal product, going to look into it more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 12, 2014 Also look into running OpenELEC. It's XBMC that someone has converted into an independent OS. Similar to the XBMCbuntu option on the core site, but lighter code. I have it running on an AMD E2-1200 (I think that's the part) Zotac box thingy, and it runs Blu-Ray iso's perfectly. Also streaming from media server over gigabit Ethernet. If you're really tight for budget, I believe OpenELEC will install onto a memory card or usb thumb drive if you have to. I have no regrets using it vs XBMC inside a regular OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 12, 2014 AM1 Also there are C2D systems refurbished out there in the states for under $100 not sure about where you are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Posted November 18, 2014 Amazon Fire TV loaded up with XMBC. more info here! crafted personality! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now