2009-12-22, 18:56
I have looked at the prebuilt systems but they are either expensive or have no optical drive which is a must for me. So since I have some skills in building PCs and few spare parts I could use, I thought I will just build my next HTPC.
I have decided to go with dual core Atom processor and ION video. Here are the motherboards that I have picked:
1. Least expensive:
ZOTAC IONITX-B-E
2. Built-in wi-fi:
ZOTAC IONITX-D-E
3. Same as #2 but with mini-PCIE:
ZOTAC IONITX-F-E
The difference between each board is about $30-40. Now, I am not sure I will actually need the mini-PCIE since I can't think of anything that I could add. Now, wi-fi is a must but the motherboard #1 is below $100 right now and I could probably get USB wi-fi adapter for less than $40 anyway. I will run Linux and XBMC on the system.
The goal here is: simple build on a budget ($300). So please help me decide.
Thanks.
I have decided to go with dual core Atom processor and ION video. Here are the motherboards that I have picked:
1. Least expensive:
ZOTAC IONITX-B-E
2. Built-in wi-fi:
ZOTAC IONITX-D-E
3. Same as #2 but with mini-PCIE:
ZOTAC IONITX-F-E
The difference between each board is about $30-40. Now, I am not sure I will actually need the mini-PCIE since I can't think of anything that I could add. Now, wi-fi is a must but the motherboard #1 is below $100 right now and I could probably get USB wi-fi adapter for less than $40 anyway. I will run Linux and XBMC on the system.
The goal here is: simple build on a budget ($300). So please help me decide.
Thanks.
