Got the go-ahead to build a couple Plex HTPCs: main requirement is small size

R

rygy

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
448
I dropped cable TV 3 months ago and have been using Plex as the main source of movies and TV shows. Also, with the new Airplay feature in Plex it makes my Apple TV less relevant.

We just moved to a new house where I'm mounting our two HDTVs on the wall in our living room and bedroom. Because we don't really want any AV gear hanging around I've been told I can build two new Plex client HTPCs as long as they are kept out of sight or are not very visible. My original full-szie HTPC will be used in the basement to run a projector but that won't be set up for a little while.

So, I was hoping to get recommendations on what to use for small HTPCs that will run Plex Home Theater 95% of the time. I just need an HDMI connection to the TV and while they will be eventually hardwired with Ethernet they'll need wireless until I get the wires run. Other than that I'll be connecting a Lenovo N5902 remote keyboard.

Should I go with a barebones system and just add a SSD and RAM or should I build them from scratch with a mini-ITX board?
How good is the Intel NUC? What about the Foxconn HM76-based barebones systems? Should I consider AMD-based? If so, which chipset would give good enough performance?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,
 
Exactly what do you need? How small do you want to go?
AMD A6 5400 would be more than enough (was on sale at $65,now 75-80)
A4 5300 is $50, motherboards start at $40
Intel a Celeron is adequate, but I prefer the Pentiums, amazon has the G860 for $67.74
Intel H61 motherboards start around $40-50. B75 around 75
mITX costs extra, ok if you do not need expansion slots.
Case size and shape are your question mark
Fractal Design Core 1000 mATX $46
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352009
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147166

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119261
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112394

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163206
 
rygy said:
Should I go with a barebones system and just add a SSD and RAM or should I build them from scratch with a mini-ITX board?
How good is the Intel NUC? What about the Foxconn HM76-based barebones systems? Should I consider AMD-based? If so, which chipset would give good enough performance?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks,
Click to expand...

I had looked at the nuc previously, my issue with it is the ports are very limited and once you actually complete the system you may as well just go buy a mac mini for the price.
 
You just want something to receive movies from a plex server, as well as be able to stream hulu/netflix/amazon stuff?

Have you looked at the Roku boxes? Their latest gen stuff has been pretty impressive. I personally don't have one, but was heavily considering using an XBOX360 as an extender, but have been leaving towards the roku lately.

Depending on your space, you can literally hang them on the back of our TV, if there is enough clearance.

http://www.amazon.com/Roku-4200R-3-...5?ie=UTF8&qid=1365690970&sr=8-5&keywords=roku

sorry if I missed anything
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
utekineir said:
I had looked at the nuc previously, my issue with it is the ports are very limited and once you actually complete the system you may as well just go buy a mac mini for the price.
Click to expand...

Shrug. A mac mini is $599..and I would need to buy a new OS and a solid state drive (sorry..solid state drives make most interfaces fluid once the images have been cached). So i'm looking @ a $800 dollar unit. *shrug*.

The mac gives you more...just not sure it gives $300 more. Good point to think about though.
 
I've got a Roku XS and run Plex on it. The problem is it doesn't 'DirectPlay' mkv's which means transcoding on pretty much every file I have. On my previous network it was hardwired and we'd still wait quite a while for files to play. I don't know if it was the slow network speed or that my server isn't super high-end and was taking a while to transcode. Either way, I'd rather have an actual PC because of the interface, directplay capability and Airplay support in Plex Home Theater.

The TVs I have don't support Plex and I'd rather have the full Plex app experience.

mATX will be too big. mITX is as large as I'll go but I'm considering barebones mini PCs if they'll have enough power to run Plex smoothly.
 
Lenova Q190, Asus Eee Box, Acer Revo or any other modern nettop is a good choice. Many can be found around $300 complete. Lenova and Asus seem to have the best pricing if you want windows included, but you can also get the Asus with Linux to save money. If you want to build your own nettop the Arctic MC001 makes a decent starting point for about $100.Personally I would stick with the Intel offerings as most were recently refreshed, AMD Hudson boxes I see in stock are really underpowered these days and due for an update this year.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I don't think an Atom CPU will cut it. Especially for high-bitrate 1080p mkv files.

I'm not even sure an AMD E-450 is enough but it looks like the newer E2-1800 may be enough as long as its on a better chipset.
EDIT: looks like the E-450 is VERY similar to the E2-1800. Does AMD have the absolute worst product naming scheme ever? It's impossible to keep track.

How about the Celeron 8x7 series that are embedded on motherboards?
 
Last edited:
rygy said:
I don't think an Atom CPU will cut it. .............
How about the Celeron 8x7 series that are embedded on motherboards?
Click to expand...

New Celeron embeds should definitely be enough for you but with current pricing for decent SFF cases and PSUs it makes it very hard to compete with the major vendors latest nettops, especially if you are going to add windows. I really wouldnt suggest building yourself unless you will be gaming and require better hardware. In most other cases going prebuilt or barebones nettop will be cheaper and have a smaller form factor.

With the exception of the Asus Linux box, I think all of the units I mentioned have Celeron standard and i3 options. The Arctic I linked does have an atom but it also adds an AMD 5430 to offload some of the work.

I spend a fair amount of time surfing HTPC forums. For your needs you may want to check out XBMC Hardware forum http://forum.xbmc.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=112. Users there will have similar needs to your own. Many of the nettops listed as well as NUCs and various DIY builds have dedicated threads there. It is a good resource for lower end builds. AVSfoum also has a decent HTPC forum but mostly devoted to hardware requirements higher then your own.
 
Wow, that Lenovo Q190 looks pretty much perfect. Thanks for the tips.
 
rygy said:
Wow, that Lenovo Q190 looks pretty much perfect. Thanks for the tips.
Click to expand...

If that is the one you decide on be sure to search the web for coupon codes. Lenova has been running constant specials on the Q190 celeron units with new codes every two weeks or so. This code USPQ500404 appears to currently work for the basic unit making it $249 pre-tax, but there may be better codes out there
 
Ah well sorry then. $249 is a hot price, shame you cannot take advantage of it. Still its a solid unit according to everything I have read. Post a review if you get one!

I cant believe I forgot to mention Zotac. They are a pretty big player in ultra SFF systems and may have something you like if you arent decided.
 
Last edited:
Trepidati0n said:
Shrug. A mac mini is $599..and I would need to buy a new OS and a solid state drive (sorry..solid state drives make most interfaces fluid once the images have been cached). So i'm looking @ a $800 dollar unit. *shrug*.

The mac gives you more...just not sure it gives $300 more. Good point to think about though.
Click to expand...

Wasn't necessarily saying to get the mini, just that the nuc isn't exactly anywhere near being a value.

Nuc doesn't come with ram, msata drive or os. You're buying those either way, and the ports and expandability of the nuc is garbage. That was my point.

After buying the necessary items you're really not too far from a refurb mac mini direct from apple. (roughly 15% off retail, no different than retail other than box it arrives in, only way many people will buy apple).

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_mini doesn't look to be anything great available at the moment though

fully agree on the ssd, its all i use for os drives as well.

I have the current i7 quad mini as office desktop/itunes/plex server here ($670 apple refurb when in stock, $800 retail). It idles <15 watts (meter tested). A $40 kit let me put a 2nd 2.5" drive internally (now has a ssd and 1tb drive internal). They are very under-appreciated for the total package they provide, and the power consumption for the performance is phenomenal. It has an ir receiver too, though apple stopped including remotes with their computers a few years back.

They also like all things apple have great resale meaning the net cost is comparable if not better than a conventional pc build if you pay less than retail and resell before holding too long. They're quiet, compact and never cause significant other issues in terms of appearance.
 
Last edited:
The Lenovo Q190 seems to be pretty great and it's confirmed that it'll run XBMC and 1080p files smoothly but at $350 it's at the top of my price range.

I have checked out he Zotac Zboxnano and Zbox ID8x with both Intel and AMD guts. The non-Plus models require a hard drive and RAM which is what I'd want anyway as I'd be installing a SSD. The nice thing about the Zotac machines is they come with a IR remote.

Is the AMD E-450 or E2-1800 APU as capable for strictly media consumption as the Celeron 857?
 
rygy said:
Is the AMD E-450 or E2-1800 APU as capable for strictly media consumption as the Celeron 857?
Click to expand...

No, the celeron is more powerful and runs cooler which makes it a better fit for such tiny cases. They are certainly powerful enough for your needs, but not as capable as the new celerons. If you select an AMD system check for user reviews to make sure it isnt known to have thermal throttling or fan issues. I know several of the Foxconn E-350 nettop units exibited heat and fan issues, not sure about the Nano E2-1800 AMD rigs but a brief internet search doesnt turn up anything too troubling. IR multimedia remotes are cheap, I wouldnt let that sway my decision. The AMD rigs can be a good value depending on the price savings as long as you know they wont perform as well and may require better ventilation.
 
Last edited:
rygy said:
I've got a Roku XS and run Plex on it. The problem is it doesn't 'DirectPlay' mkv's which means transcoding on pretty much every file I have. On my previous network it was hardwired and we'd still wait quite a while for files to play. I don't know if it was the slow network speed or that my server isn't super high-end and was taking a while to transcode. Either way, I'd rather have an actual PC because of the interface, directplay capability and Airplay support in Plex Home Theater.

The TVs I have don't support Plex and I'd rather have the full Plex app experience.

mATX will be too big. mITX is as large as I'll go but I'm considering barebones mini PCs if they'll have enough power to run Plex smoothly.
Click to expand...

The issue here is definitely your server. I run Plex at home, as well as streaming it to several people outside of my home network. I have full 40gb Bluray rips that load from the server in my sig just as quickly as the 1080p files do. Before I upgraded the server it was running on an old Core2Duo and I definitely had the long start times you describe. As a side note, the Plex team has also done a lot of work on upgrading their transcoding code. See the release notes.

For me there's a lot to be said for not having to use a keyboard and navigate the Plex interface. I can't comment on the Airplay support, as I don't use it. My recommendation would be to use the money you'd spend on barebones/ITX systems to upgrade your server and go with the Rokus.
 
Upgrading the server and getting Rokus would be ideal but Rokus don't have Airplay and NBA League Pass isn't available in Canada on Roku.

I usually upgrade my server using the old parts from my gaming PC when I upgrade that. I'm fairly content with my gaming PC for now though.

*Roku has the NBA Gametime app and I have a valid League Pass account but because I'm in Canada I can't log in. Gametime is only licensed to Xbox in Canada, isn't available on Apple TV either.

I'm almost decided on the Intel NUC using a Celeron. They're under $200 so with a stick of RAM and mSATA drive I can have a nice little system for under $300.
 
I was seriously considering getting a NUC but couldn't decided between the Celeron and i3 versions.

In the end though I bought a Zotac ZBOX ID81-U. It's got the same CPU as the Celeron NUC but has wireless built in, optical audio output (may not need it but it's there in case) memory card reader, USB 3.0 and accepts standard 2.5" drives. The only negative is it's larger than the NUC.
In the end it'll be more flexible and cheaper than the NUC. Hopefully the Celeron is powerful enough.
 
rygy said:
Upgrading the server and getting Rokus would be ideal but Rokus don't have Airplay and NBA League Pass isn't available in Canada on Roku.

*Roku has the NBA Gametime app and I have a valid League Pass account but because I'm in Canada I can't log in. Gametime is only licensed to Xbox in Canada, isn't available on Apple TV either.
Click to expand...

Have you considered a solution like unblock-us? I use it to watch the Habs games despite local blackouts on NHL Game Center Live. Work great for NetFlix and Hulu US too if you're into that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top