reasons to go i3 over zacate?

Zangmonkey

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Just like the title says....

I've seen some posts on stuttering in silverlight on the zacate platform while everything else seems solid.
However, I user silverlight very heavily... am I wrong to think I'm solving this by going i3?

What other reasons do you all have for not using the zacate platform?
 
I have both platforms for htpc use. My i3 540 is MUCH faster than the Zacate. The overall feel is much better, menu's, selecting media. I do have an HD5450 with my i3 setup, as I couldn't get the video completely smooth with just the onboard video.

However, the Zacate plays everything just fine, its just a bit slower getting there. I don't use Silverlight, so take that into consideration on my recommendations.
 
If you want 1) an HTPC now, 2) don't mind spending more, and 3) don't need an all-in-one type of package, go for the i3. Otherwise, just wait until there is a fix for Silverlight (hopefully), and save yourself a few bucks. The price difference isn't a world of difference though so don't expect to sale a ton of money either.
 
If you want 1) an HTPC now, 2) don't mind spending more, and 3) don't need an all-in-one type of package, go for the i3. Otherwise, just wait until there is a fix for Silverlight (hopefully), and save yourself a few bucks. The price difference isn't a world of difference though so don't expect to sale a ton of money either.
its not an inconsequential amount of money.. 80$+ and the i3 is a flawed system. Depending on your needs you might still needa discrete GPU for the i3, so add another $25-50 on there.

if you need an HTPC right now the i3 is going to work better off the bat and will always be faster, but assuming the Silverlight update shows up eventually, the zacate is definitely a contender. i'll probably be building a Zacate HTPC to replace my current one within the next 4-6months
 
I have a Zacate and honestly... It performs fast enough. I have over 1000 movies that it has to load in XBMC and it's a slight delay over my Q6600 HTPC. Thus the reason why I'm probably going to be replacing the Q6600 setup with a new Zacate setup. The smaller footprint, the fact that it uses 18w vs 105w out of the box on the CPU alone, I won't need the HD5450 with the Q6600 setup. The fiance likes the size of the case that the Zacate can fit in. It's really a pretty slick little setup.
 
I have a Zacate and honestly... It performs fast enough. I have over 1000 movies that it has to load in XBMC and it's a slight delay over my Q6600 HTPC. Thus the reason why I'm probably going to be replacing the Q6600 setup with a new Zacate setup. The smaller footprint, the fact that it uses 18w vs 105w out of the box on the CPU alone, I won't need the HD5450 with the Q6600 setup. The fiance likes the size of the case that the Zacate can fit in. It's really a pretty slick little setup.
exactly, a lot of very tangible benefits to go to Zacate (price, size, power) and no downsides from a practical standpoint (esp once silverlight gets an update). maybe a few seconds of load times? if the HTPC is a dedicated unit an i3 pretty much overkill
 
As someone who owns an i3 HTPC, if I was doing it again now I would probably go with a Zacate. Lower power, just enough oomph. I think it's the perfect setup.
 
I actually have both platforms sitting below my tv right now. I have a i3 540 mitx build in a silverstone 05 with a new shiny Nvidia 560 ti. I would say that the lynfeild i3 is a little lame in the gpu category and you would most likely want at the least a 5570 ati or the new 6450. I think that the new sandy bridge i3 2100's gpu is a little better and might be enough depending on your needs. Assuming your not in a mitx craze microcenter just had a combo with a msi board matx and cpu for $99.

I have the msi zacate board and it is a little noisy (need to find either a replacement fan or heat sink) but from my limited experience it is not to slow nor can I really tell a difference in normal day to day stuff. I think newegg has these or the asrock version for $120?

I personally think that the sweet spot is going to be the liano chips just now shipping from amd to oem's. It is the best of both worlds, possibly a 5750ish class of gpu and a x2 250 class of cpu in a 80 watt package.

So basically I'm running a 300 watt vs a 45 watt system and cant tell the difference too much (I don't use Netflix though). So if you want something now your best bet is design for you needs with whats available within your budget, you would probably be happy with either.
 
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