Search found 37 matches

by AlexNC
Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:45 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus UL30A & Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13 CULV Notebooks
Replies: 21
Views: 30114

I have had the UL30A for 6 months now. This is a great laptop. I am still amazed at how good the battery life is on this machine. Very highly recommended. Though, I am surprised on the current price. I purchased this laptop 6 months ago for $680. I thought it would be a lot cheaper by now. Maybe the...
by AlexNC
Tue Feb 16, 2010 6:52 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Opinions on HTPC build: ZOTAC H55-ITX Wifi + Core i3
Replies: 6
Views: 5861

jukabala I am about to build a box too, and I am looking at the same specs. I am new too building, but I think you have made some good choices. I too am planning on trying the default fan first, then upgrading later if I find it is too loud. The only change I see when compared to mine is the process...
by AlexNC
Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:55 pm
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Zotac 9300 + Thermalright AXP140 + Silverstone SG06
Replies: 4
Views: 5920

I am very new to building PC's, so bare with me ... - I see that the SG06 comes with a power supply. Why did you not use that one? Would the heat sink not fit with it? Also, you mentioned that the picoPSU-120 was a tight fit with the ram. What part exactly did you use to make this work? - Did you ad...
by AlexNC
Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:33 pm
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Zotac 9300 + Thermalright AXP140 + Silverstone SG06
Replies: 4
Views: 5920

awesome! that is exactly the setup I was looking to build. What was the total cost of your build?

Would I be able to hook a tv tuner card up to the motherboard too and still fit in the box?
by AlexNC
Fri Feb 05, 2010 11:37 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: LogicSupply's BCM970012 PCIe mini card for HD on Intel Atom
Replies: 33
Views: 37332

Has anyone tried it with Hulu, fullscreen High setting?
by AlexNC
Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:00 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

So, it is not a 'horsepower' issue. It seems to be an issue on Hulu's side. I sent their support team an email. No telling what is wrong. Why is technology still so damn difficult?! It's 2010 for gods sake Are you saying it's not a horse power issue because other sites work with higher resolution, ...
by AlexNC
Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:39 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi
Replies: 40
Views: 38582

Good to hear about it being available soon. What chip are you planning on going with? What would you suggest for blueray playback? What box are you going to use? What fan? I am planning on using this board as long as I can put it in a small enclosure and keep it cool. Though I am very new to buildin...
by AlexNC
Tue Jan 12, 2010 8:41 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi
Replies: 40
Views: 38582

ZOTAC H55-ITX WiFi

Anyone else excited about this new board?
It looks like a perfect HTPC i5 combo. Hopefully SPCR will do a review on it.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Clarkdal ... 1626.shtml
by AlexNC
Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:09 am
Forum: Newcomers Briefing Room
Topic: Am I overthinking my HTPC needs with this mini-ITX solution?
Replies: 24
Views: 11479

Re: New Idea

I've spent way too much time researching (waffling) over this. ITX... no mATX... no HDHomerun... no Hauppauge PVR....I've changed my mind every week since starting this thread--and twice already this holiday. I'm with you brother! I have bought two small form pre-made units and sent them both back....
by AlexNC
Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:54 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel Core i5-661: A 32nm CPU with Integrated Graphics
Replies: 86
Views: 55196

So, what is the smallest foot print box I can build with this chip with a built in TV tuner, and still have it cool and quiet?

I am dieing for a small form HTPC. And this chip sounds like a great choice.
by AlexNC
Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:54 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

I hope this helps others looking into this option. Why is it so hard to find a capable low power, small form HTPC? All I want is a CULV SU9300 with an ION chip and built in TV tuner. Is that too much to ask for? Iirc, that SU9300 is $262 by itself. I don't think you'll be able to get a full PC for ...
by AlexNC
Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:27 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

FYI I would just like to report to the community that, while this is an amazing product, it is not a good option for a HTPC. While it played YouTubeHD 1080p flash flawlessly, it had a lot of trouble with Hulu. While it was almost perfect with Hulu, it would have split second pauses every 10 seconds....
by AlexNC
Sun Jan 03, 2010 8:07 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

update - I noticed I am getting this stutter on the low and medium video setting too on Hulu, not just the High setting. Also, the stutter is noticable in the small screen, not just the full screen. The weird part is that I am able to stream 1080p YouTube smoothly through YouTube with the latest Ado...
by AlexNC
Fri Jan 01, 2010 8:26 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

MikeC I just bought this PC and have a few questions. So far I love the little machine, except I am getting a slight stutter every few seconds on Hulu. It runs almost completely smooth, but I get a little split second hicup about every 8-10 seconds. It is ever so slight, but enough to screw with you...
by AlexNC
Fri Jan 01, 2010 2:15 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus UL80Vt: A CULV Laptop with Hybrid Graphics
Replies: 11
Views: 9954

Yeah, these new CULV chips are very nice. I have the UL30 model witht he SU7300/4500Intel chip, and it is perfect for my needs. Long batteryvlife, quiet, cool temps and fast. You cant ask for much more.
by AlexNC
Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:05 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

Thanks buddy.
by AlexNC
Fri Dec 18, 2009 11:33 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

Mike, Any idea if the internal hard drive can be replaced with the newer 750Gb and 1TB WD 2.5 drives? From what I understand, those are slightly larger than the normal notebook hard drives. I was wandering if there is enough wiggle room to allow this slightly larger footprints of the WD large capaci...
by AlexNC
Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:26 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EeeBox EB1501 ION Mini-PC
Replies: 51
Views: 39482

Great review as always. It's great to see you guys reviewing these little machines now. I was wanting to get one of these, but lost patience waiting for it to be released in the US. I ordered a Dell Zino HD instead. How well does it do with Windows Media Center 7? Any slow down or stutters when brow...
by AlexNC
Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:51 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Lenovo IdeaCentre Q110: Tiny ION Nettop
Replies: 6
Views: 5869

I would like to see this reviewed again, but with Windows 7 and the new Flash beta drivers that support GPU acceleration. I would also like to see some comments about the Media Center's performance ... menu navigaion smoothness, external USB tuner performance (HD DVR), etc ...
by AlexNC
Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:30 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: CULV desktop builds?
Replies: 17
Views: 16532

I have not had any frame drop issues with mine. That was streaming through my Xbox360 using Playon. I changed the power profile to a customized version of the high performance setting. With Google Chrome, I'm getting silky smooth Hulu. Even the sample HD video (Legend of the Seeker Episode 1) playe...
by AlexNC
Mon Oct 26, 2009 5:45 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: CULV desktop builds?
Replies: 17
Views: 16532

ilovejedd wrote:I was getting some frame drops while watching Hulu, but that may be due to to the aggressive power saving options I was using. I'll have to test Hulu playback when the AC adapter is plugged in.
I have not had any frame drop issues with mine. That was streaming through my Xbox360 using Playon.
by AlexNC
Sun Oct 18, 2009 12:36 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: CULV desktop builds?
Replies: 17
Views: 16532

I have been tentatively watching the dual core Atom/ION boards. Once Adobe officially supports GPU acceleration they will be able to handle Hulu full screen. But that may be a while. Until then, I am eyeing the CULV based setup. From experience, I can definitely say the CULV SU7300 and higher chips ...
by AlexNC
Wed Oct 14, 2009 7:44 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: CULV desktop builds?
Replies: 17
Views: 16532

CULV desktop builds?

I recently purchased a SU7300 CULV based laptop (Asus UL30A) and love it. It can pump out HD videos, handle full screen Hulu and YouTubeHD, and it is nice and cool and quiet. Much thanks going to its low voltage and its cooling being based off of Intels jet engine style cooling technology. Are their...
by AlexNC
Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:47 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: choosing a low power cpu+mb w/ integrated
Replies: 14
Views: 6647

why not go the new 330 Atom/ION dual core route? Especially now that Adobe has announced GPU acceleration support.
by AlexNC
Wed Sep 30, 2009 7:28 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: EeeBox EB1012 combines Atom DC + Ion
Replies: 5
Views: 9579

I am starting to get very interested in these little ION boxes now that Nvidia and Adobe have found a solution for GPU acceleration for streaming flash video. These are soon going to be the perfect little HTPC/Hulu boxes. Put a USB TV tuner and you are set for about $300.
by AlexNC
Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:38 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi: Good Things Come in Small Packa
Replies: 57
Views: 54380

Has anyone had any luck finding rev3 board yet? They are supposed be shipping now or soon, allowing "wake on USB". I have all my hardware lined up ready to purchase; except I am still waiting on this updated motherboard ... it's becoming a test of my will power =)
by AlexNC
Wed Aug 12, 2009 7:35 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Antec ISK-300 Mini-ITX Case
Replies: 86
Views: 84635

Did any of you guys find a better fanned after market heatsink for this case when using the Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi?
by AlexNC
Wed Aug 12, 2009 6:29 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: HTPC build - need some pro eyes to look over
Replies: 14
Views: 7039

Two cases that are <15" Deep and would look good in an AV rack: Silverstone LC04 Monueual 312 I think Lian-Li has a couple as well. I like the dimensions of the LC04, but I do not think it is made to fit a ITX-mini. Am I correct? Also, I wander how well the tuner card would fit do to it needing an ...
by AlexNC
Tue Aug 11, 2009 10:21 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: HTPC build - need some pro eyes to look over
Replies: 14
Views: 7039

Looks like the only slot on the Zotac is a PCI-Express slot... most tuner cards are still PCI, so look for a tuner card that is PCI-e or look for another board. Will these cards work. I don't see anything about PCI-Express, but looking at the pins, they look like it fits. All the PCI-Express cards ...
by AlexNC
Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:41 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: HTPC build - need some pro eyes to look over
Replies: 14
Views: 7039

HTPC build - need some pro eyes to look over

I am about to start purchasing parts to build my own HTPC. It will be based on Windows 7 MCE. This will be my first build, so I am a bit nervous. I am hoping you guys that are more experienced can look over my list and give me pointers. Any advice, no matter how elementary is welcome. I am trying to...