[mythtv-users] Is this the ultimate HTPC motherboard so far?

Brian Wood beww at beww.org
Mon Mar 29 19:47:57 UTC 2010


On Monday 29 March 2010 01:25:29 pm Matt Emmott wrote:
> I was just browsing Newegg and came across the ASUS PBGA437 Atom / ION
> motherboard. I clicked on it because it had a picture of a remote and
> I like shiny things, and almost passed it right by before I read the
> specs. For $199 US you get:
> 
> * Dual-core Atom 330 (Fanless)
> * Onboard GeForce 9400M
> * Built-in b/g/n wifi and gig Ethernet
> * HDMI and S/PDIF ports
> * A PCI-E x16 port
> * 4 SATA ports, up to 6 USB ports and support for 4GB RAM
> * A (terrible looking) remote with what looks like a USB IR receiver
> 
> And the thing that really stands out and made me want to share:
> * DC power onboard with included power brick
> 
> So, what we have here is a 100% silent running motherboard / CPU / GPU
> combo with a DC power supply included. With 11n networking onboard you
> could conceivably stream HD wirelessly (Although I know there have
> been discussions already and I don't pretend that this is reliable),
> and an IR receiver is included! All you need is a case, HDD and memory
> and you've got what looks to be an awesome all-in-one HTPC!
> 
> Here's the link:
> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131635
> 
> At only $199 I think this is the best candidate for HTPC
> motherboard/CPU/Video combo so far. What do you guys think?

Interestingly that's the same price as a Revo R1600. Of course the Revo is 
missing one core, and the SPDIF port, but has a nice case, 1GB of RAM and a 
Dog-Slow 2.5" HDD.

If that "built-in" WiFi is actually a mini-PCIExpress module, you would be 
able to remove it (when you discover that WiFi isn't a good solution for HD) 
and replace it with the CrystalHD module, should you ever want to do that.

Whether the added CPU core, additional RAM capacity and the audio port is 
worth the additional cost over a single-core Revo, only you can determine.

Plus you get that wonderful OS (XP) with the Revo :-)



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