Hi – looking for some advice. I am in the process of choosing/building an HTPC+NAS computer and after much reading I would like to confirm a few of my findings with you. I need this system to be capable of:
A) storing all my media and non-media data in one place within my house network (so I am only interested in systems with 3.5’’ internal HDD bays);
B) playing/streaming media on my HDTV, ONLY of the following kind: ripped AVI files, non-HD Dvds (so I need a DVD Drive) and HD videos streamed directly from online sites (BBC iPlayer, ITV iPlayer, Google Videos, Youtube, etc );
C) using a web browser to check email/do shopping through online sites.
So considering these 3 uses, I decided I cannot use a NAS+Media Streamer (which I originally thought would be OK) as Media Streamers do not provide proper Web Browsers. Then I thought of a laptop/netbook/nettop, but these only support 2.5’’ HDDs so I am not interested in attaching external HDDs. My only other option, considering my budget, I found to be a full-fledged small PC, without dedicated graphics card.
So, please can you confirm the below options?
For playing AVI (i.e. ripped DVD) Movies, HD content from online video sources (such as iPlayers or YouTube), and not to play HD or BlueRay DVDs, is it better to have a system with:
1) A processor scoring high on PassMark (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html) with standard motherboard Integrated Graphics, e.g. AMD Phenom II X4 + AMD RS780L?
e.g. http://uk.asus.com/Barebone_PC/P_Series_0811L/P6M4A3000E/#specifications
2) A lower-spec processor with integrated HD graphics e.g. a socket 1556 processor such as Intel i3 5**?
e.g. http://uk.asus.com/Barebone_PC/P_Series_0811L/P6P7H55E/#specifications
e.g. http://uk.shuttle.com/products/productsSpec?productId=1409
3) A much lower spec processor with better GPU access e.g. Atom D525 + ION2 or AMD E350 based?
e.g. http://uk.asus.com/Barebone_PC/S_Series_3L/S1AT5NM10E/#specifications
MANY, many thanks guys.
A) storing all my media and non-media data in one place within my house network (so I am only interested in systems with 3.5’’ internal HDD bays);
B) playing/streaming media on my HDTV, ONLY of the following kind: ripped AVI files, non-HD Dvds (so I need a DVD Drive) and HD videos streamed directly from online sites (BBC iPlayer, ITV iPlayer, Google Videos, Youtube, etc );
C) using a web browser to check email/do shopping through online sites.
So considering these 3 uses, I decided I cannot use a NAS+Media Streamer (which I originally thought would be OK) as Media Streamers do not provide proper Web Browsers. Then I thought of a laptop/netbook/nettop, but these only support 2.5’’ HDDs so I am not interested in attaching external HDDs. My only other option, considering my budget, I found to be a full-fledged small PC, without dedicated graphics card.
So, please can you confirm the below options?
For playing AVI (i.e. ripped DVD) Movies, HD content from online video sources (such as iPlayers or YouTube), and not to play HD or BlueRay DVDs, is it better to have a system with:
1) A processor scoring high on PassMark (http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html) with standard motherboard Integrated Graphics, e.g. AMD Phenom II X4 + AMD RS780L?
e.g. http://uk.asus.com/Barebone_PC/P_Series_0811L/P6M4A3000E/#specifications
2) A lower-spec processor with integrated HD graphics e.g. a socket 1556 processor such as Intel i3 5**?
e.g. http://uk.asus.com/Barebone_PC/P_Series_0811L/P6P7H55E/#specifications
e.g. http://uk.shuttle.com/products/productsSpec?productId=1409
3) A much lower spec processor with better GPU access e.g. Atom D525 + ION2 or AMD E350 based?
e.g. http://uk.asus.com/Barebone_PC/S_Series_3L/S1AT5NM10E/#specifications
MANY, many thanks guys.