Groupon barebones HTPC

[pin]

$999 or up for ARCTIC Barebone Home Theatre PC and more (Up to $5588 value)

Cheapest at HK$1,000 - comes with no OS or HDD. Worth it or not really? Would obviously need to buy an HDD, but loads of free OS options out there. Also not sure if it comes with RAM or not.

[jw1701]

not sure about the value of this deal but think that group buying in HK with it's already minimal consumer protection is tenuous to say the least

[pin]

not sure about the value of this deal but think that group buying in HK with it's already minimal consumer protection is tenuous to say the least

If I wanted a discussion about the merits of group buying I would not have been posting it in the Computers and Internet section of this forum.

[Rob2020]

seems kinda cool, but not really a bargain.
if you want a pure media server, I think the ARM based devices are going to be your best bet in the near future.
for me, I use a shuttle pc with an extra video card (I want to drive two screens - tv/monitor), works perfectly

[jw1701]

If I wanted a discussion about the merits of group buying I would not have been posting it in the Computers and Internet section of this forum.

i know it's fun to fantasise about IT kit but just sayin'

[jgl]

It's cute, but after using Atom-based netbooks, I steer well clear of anything with those CPUs.

Anyways, are you using the HP box yet, or is it still kicking around? And don't you have a Pi coming in?

[pin]

It's cute, but after using Atom-based netbooks, I steer well clear of anything with those CPUs.

Anyways, are you using the HP box yet, or is it still kicking around? And don't you have a Pi coming in?

The idea is that its low powered, low heat, just doing one task (i.e. for watching videos), rather than multitasking.

Yep, I do have to HP box, which I am ever so slowly setting up. The intent is to use the HP box as my main HTPC, but this barebones does sound interesting. I could either use it the spare room (where I need to set something up anyway) or use the HP as a pure server and this as the HTPC. I have a spare notebook HDD kicking around, so would be able to use that (or buy a cheap 60GB SSD) and then I would need to buy some ram for it.

The reviews I've read for this kit are quite good actually, so I may be looking into it.

As for the Pi (which I have), because it doesn't run flash, it may be a no no as my main HTPC, which is a real shame.

[jgl]

What about the Android competitors to the Pi, which should be available in a couple of months? Will Flash run on 'em? They're supposed to be around USD50 when they come out.

The HP is already sufficiently low power, low heat, and low noise, IMO. Should be around 35W with a single HDD, and quiet enough to sleep next to.

Although I suspect you just want an excuse to buy even more hardware, so please don't let my arguments dissuade you If you get one, let us know what you think of it.

[pin]

What about the Android competitors to the Pi, which should be available in a couple of months? Will Flash run on 'em? They're supposed to be around USD50 when they come out.

The HP is already sufficiently low power, low heat, and low noise enough, IMO. Should be around 35W with a single HDD, and quiet enough to sleep next to.

Although I suspect you just want an excuse to buy even more hardware, so please don't let my arguments dissuade you If you get one, let us know what you think of it.

When it comes to tech hardware, I'm like a kid in a candy store!! Also, first half of the year had been tight, so I have been holding off buying any new toys. Things are a bit better now and I'm trying to fit all my cravings in a 6 month period!!

Am quite tempted to pick this up and stick it in the spare room. The other option would be a Roku box, but then I would have to sign up for Hulu Plus rather than free Hulu on flash. Oh well, lets see......

[jgl]

Go on, feed the habit

I was wondering about this box though: what's the design reason for pairing a very weak CPU with what appears to be a decent graphics chip? As far as I can tell, the Pi does 1080 and the new VIA will do 720, so I thought you could hit a decent display res with much less money.

Is the Atom enough to game on, perhaps?